I'm not sure what Francis Ford Coppola was doing inside Hemingway's last night, but maybe he wanted to get his drink on. When he emerged from the club, TMZ caught up to him and they were talking about The Godfather and Coppola says there should have been only one. I have to agree with TMZ that Godfather 2 was probably the greatest sequel ever and I think it added something to the first movie which would have always been missing if it had not been made. It was the back story to the first. You need that I think to make it complete. Godfather 3? Burn it.
it's not the first time that he says
ReplyDeleteI never saw Godfather II. The first was genius. The novel is majorly genius.
ReplyDelete@Susan Godfather II depicts Don Corleone's early years like the flashbacks in the novel. Those parts are extremely well done. DeNiro plays young Vito.
ReplyDeleteGodfather III was just awful.
Agreed Enty!! In fact II in some ways was superior to I. Really enriched the themes and said some profound things about power and its consequences. III? One word. WHY?
ReplyDeleteBut if it was never made, how would you know you were missing it?
ReplyDeleteGodfather II is awesome but not as good as the first, IMO. I totally agree with #3. I saw it once and will never watch it again.
ReplyDeleteI did not care for The Godfather. It INSISTS upon itself, Lois.
ReplyDeleteIII would have been so much better if Winona had not dropped out right before filming and Sofia got stuck doing something she was not meant to do, she really brings it down. The whole film was basically about her and it just didn't work.
ReplyDeletelol Maja - I use that line about things now that I can't stand (but am supposed to like) and can't never really put my finger on as to why. "I don't know. It just...insists upon itself."
ReplyDeleteI think the Godfather 2 was GREAT. Agree that Godfather 3 was kind of painful, but I enjoy history, so I appreciated that aspect (with the Catholic Church, death of the Pope, etc.) as a backdrop to the story. Interesting, corrupt shit.
My personal preference is for II; it's sweeping and panoramic and it's got Al in it. Coppola got his confidence on I and went into overdrive on II. I saw III out of curiosity and managed to suspend disbelief all the way through. Awful but a must-see for the fans of I and II.
ReplyDeleteII was fantastic.
ReplyDeleteIII? I ignore.
II was my favorite as well.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of G3 is when Sofia Coppola gets shot for bad acting.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's the way I like to look at it.
I liked G2, but I would have preferred to see Kay evolve more like she was in the book where she had conflict over the Mafia lifestyle, but was counseled by Mama Corleone and stayed with Michael. (Although I have to admit to a character crush on Michael Corleone and fantasized about being swept up by a divorced Michael LOL)
True story: Bill Bonanno, whose crime family inspired the Corleones and whose life was the model for Michael Corleone, was a friend of mine. At his 50th anniversary party, the Bill and Rosalie's kids and grandkids put together a tribute to their parents that began with photos of them both at young ages up to the time they met and then some wedding photos. Then they had a section for family history that they titled "The Family" and the Godfather theme played. Everyone laughed.
I met Bill and Joe Bonanno when Showtime did a movie based on their books about themselves. Joe was old and bent over and just about chest height, which obviously was fine with him because he very much enjoyed staring at my chest. But not in a lecherous way. When Bill threw his dad a 90th bday party, Bill invited me. I took a friend and we kept whispering to each other, "That's gotta be a made man." "He's got to be a made man." And then we realized that probably the made men were the ones who didn't look the part.
There was a long line to wish Joe B happy birthday and Bill plucked me out of the line and asked if his dad remembered me. Joe looked at my chest and grinned!
The bday bash was very much like the ceremony that Michael Corleone has in G3, where he gets an honor. The Knights of Columbus gave Joe Bonanno an honor and at one point, a baker came out with a cake that looks like a big monument in the Sicilian town that the Bonannos are from.
FYI, I asked Bill if he liked The Sopranos and he said he did, but it wasn't like the real Mafia.
agree 100% with msgirl - Godfather III was great except for Sofia's part - if Winona hadn't been sick, it would have worked. III was well-filmed and plotted, Sofia was JUST THAT BAD...what else has she acted in lately? Rest my case...
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you, Nunaurbiz, great story! Including but not limited to the boobs-of-destiny part - do you think the old guy just smiled at everyone's boobs? I've seen old guys that do that! You get to be that age you can get away with it.
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting, Nunaurbiz! Fabulous story!
ReplyDeleteGodfather II made him very rich and he used that money and clout to make The Conversation and Apocalypse Now. He made III (which I Love with all my heart by the way) because he was bankrupt and in debt by the end of the 80's. This is wrong for him to say regarding how loved and cherished these movies are - he didn't create that world - Mario Puzo did and there was even talk of there being a Godfather IV before Puzo died in 1999. Coppola has my undying respect and admiration for making the movies - and always will. Though sometimes he just gets a bit too cranky.
ReplyDeleteReally cool story, Nunaurbiz. Will have to pass on to my husband who is obsessed with this topic.
ReplyDeleteAgree w/ all of you that I & II were great but III was horrendous. I don't think Winona could have saved it.
Glad my story entertained you all. For the record, when I first met Joe Bonanno, I was standing next to a colleague who was definitely NOT flat-chested, but he didn't stare at her chest. No, my girls weren't hanging out and I don't dress to flaunt them. They just do that all by themselves LOL. It used to embarrass me when I was younger, but now I'm just glad they're not sagging to the floor LOL
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