My movie bucket list: “The Godfather” (Week 4)

Not all films age gracefully. Over time the plot becomes dated, the characters seem less relatable, and the special effects and cinematography look old-fashioned. However, certain films — such as classics like “Casablanca” — manage to transcend that. They are both a product of their time and timeless, and they are still just as worth watching today as when they were first released.

Another one of those films is Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather.” Although it’s now more than 40 years old, the famous Mafia classic is still considered one of the best films ever made. It’s a story of violence and sacrifice, life and death, and love and loss. I watched it for the first time this week as part of my movie bucket list blogging project, and I can see why it won several Academy Awards. It remains a masterpiece.

(Warning: Spoilers ahead!)

Marlon Brando plays Vito Corleone, the patriarch — or “Don” — of a powerful New York crime family. Al Pacino plays his young son Michael, who resents his father’s involvement in the criminal underworld and wants no part in the family’s shady dealings. However, when an assassination attempt by a rival crime dynasty almost claims his father’s life, Michael faces a difficult choice and must decide what is more important: holding onto his standards and remaining detached from his family’s criminal ties, or defending his family and exacting revenge on the men who tried to harm his father. Michael chooses the latter, and his decision changes the course of his life forever.

Although “The Godfather” is a very well-known movie, I managed to avoid most of the spoilers and was able to watch this movie without knowing exactly what would happen. I was surprised when Don Corleone was gunned down fairly early in the film’s run time, because I had assumed he would be the main character. However, the film is actually more about his son Michael, who ends up having a fascinating character arc.

Michael becomes more like his father throughout the film. I was intrigued by the contrasts within their characters — they can both be cold and ruthless men, gunning down those who threaten the family. Yet they also have a sense of deep love for and loyalty to their families, and are willing to sacrifice their own safety to protect their loved ones. We realize just how much Michael has changed in the movie’s final scene, when his wife asks him whether he really did have his sister’s traitorous husband killed. Michael says no, but he, his wife — and we the viewers — know the truth. It’s a great ending to a great film.

The film has a solid ensemble cast, featuring performances from young actors who would go on to become major players in Hollywood, such as Pacino, Diane Keaton and Robert Duvall. The film is both violent and elegant, accompanied by a haunting score from Nino Rota that includes one of the now best-known movies themes. I recognized quite a few famous lines in the movie, such as “I’m gonna make him an offer he won’t refuse” and “It’s not personal, it’s strictly business.” “The Godfather” remains a powerful, well-made movie. My favorite scenes were watching the dynamics within the Corleone family and between the other Mafia leaders in New York, and the ending, where Michael lies to his wife about killing his sister’s husband but they both accept it, because the truth is dangerous. I thought that moment perfectly captured the theme of the film.

Well, “The Godfather” was technically the last of the films I mentioned as part of my original movie bucket list blogging project list, but I’ve had a lot of fun catching up on famous films and movie classics I hadn’t seen yet. I still have more films I could add to my list — such as “Ghostbusters” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” — that I’m planning to review later on. Thanks for reading!

My movie bucket list: “The Matrix” (Week 3)

Have you ever woken up suddenly in the middle of the night, startled from an extremely vivid dream? Your eyes snap open, but it takes a moment for your brain to fully regain consciousness and to distinguish between the dream and reality. It only lasts a few heartbeats, but it’s a disconcerting feeling, as your brain re-establishes what is real.

That’s exactly the sort of feeling the character “Neo” gets in the classic sci-fi movie “The Matrix.” He makes a discovery that leaves him wondering exactly what is real and what is not.

“The Matrix” was released in 1999, garnering attention for its mind-bending plot and groundbreaking special effects. It has certainly impacted many of the sci-fi and action films that followed it, and I wanted to watch it as part of my movie bucket list project. Having never watched it before (I know, I know, this is almost as bad as never having watched a Quentin Tarantino film) 😉 I was curious to see if the film still had the same impact 15 years after its release. (Warning: This blog contains some spoilers about the film.)

“The Matrix” is based on a thought-provoking premise: is it better to face reality than live in a dream world, even if that reality is harsh and disconcerting? The film is set in the future, in a time where artificially intelligent machines have enslaved humanity, keeping all people trapped in a dream-like state so they can be more easily controlled. Humans believe this “dream state” is real, and no one is aware they’re just living a lie.

A band of revolutionaries “wake up” a hacker called Neo (Keanu Reeves), believing him to be the man prophesied to free humanity. Neo is trained in combat but maintains doubts he can truly serve as a savior. He has to believe in himself before he can save others.

I really enjoyed this movie and found that the special effects and plot held up pretty well over time. The movie is known for its frequent use of stylized slow motion to highlight the well-choreographed stunts and fight scenes. The special effects probably don’t come across quite as groundbreaking now as they did in 1999, but that’s simply because many other films since then have used those same techniques. I found echoes of “The Matrix” in films like Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” another great sci-fi movie about dreams and altering reality.

The themes in “The Matrix” also remain relevant. One character chooses to betray the other revolutionaries and return to “the Matrix” dream world. Even though he knows nothing in the Matrix is real, he’d rather live a happier lie than face a real but grim future. As our own world becomes more uncertain – political turmoil, new diseases, financial crises – it’s tempting to retreat from these threats and problems. But denying those issues doesn’t make them go away; we’re not really escaping, we’re just falling “deeper down the rabbit hole.” The film also touches on the power of technology, and how it can be both a useful tool or a dangerous weapon, depending on how it is used.

I thought “The Matrix” was a good film that’s still worth watching. It’s a stylishly shot and entertaining piece of sci-fi that raises intriguing questions about humanity and reality.

Next up on the movie bucket list: “The Godfather.”

My movie bucket list: “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (Week 2)

The family summer road trip is a time-honored American tradition, bringing back memories of loading up the luggage, piling into the car, and hitting the road for a trek across the country. While the Griswold family makes plenty of memories in the classic road trip comedy “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” unfortunately, none of those memories are good ones. They experience just about every possible vacation mishap, turning what was supposed to be a fun family bonding time into a nightmare.

“National Lampoon’s Vacation” was released in 1983 and has since become a cult favorite, spawning numerous sequels. It’s the second film on my movie bucket list blogging project and marks quite a shift from last week’s film (Quentin Tarantino’s gritty crime thriller “Reservoir Dogs”). 😉 Also, there will be some spoilers discussed in the blog, so if you haven’t seen the movie, I don’t want to ruin the best jokes.

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) is convinced he has planned the perfect family vacation: a trip to “Walley World,” a Disneyland-esque amusement park in California. His wife thinks it would be simpler to fly to California, but Clark insists on driving, believing a road trip will be a better experience for their two children.

However, right from the start things don’t go as planned for the Griswold family. A mix-up at the car dealership results in Clark having to buy what may be the world’s tackiest station wagon to drive the family to California. After a stop at the home of his wife’s dysfunctional relatives, Clark leads the family into one disaster after another.

The car is, at various points, painted with graffiti, burglarized and wrecked (thanks to Clark’s poor driving skills). Clark ties the family dog Dinky to the rear bumper of the car, and then forgets about the dog and drives off. He (disastrously) tries to flirt with a young blonde driving a red sports car, who shows up throughout the family’s road trip. Then, to top everything off, once the family arrives at Walley World, they discover the park has been closed for repairs. Clark has a complete breakdown and forces a security guard, at gunpoint, to operate the rides for the family.

“Vacation” is consistently funny throughout its run time, thanks to the work of its star, Chevy Chase. Chase is perfect as the overly-eager (and increasingly delusional) Clark Griswold. His quest to get the family to Walley World causes him to make progressively worse decisions. Another one of the film’s best characters is the feisty Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca), whom the family is supposed to drop off in Arizona along the way. Aunt Edna ends up dying in the back seat of the car but no one in the family notices. When they finally do realize she’s dead, Clark refuses to stop the vacation. and so they strap Aunt Edna to the roof of the station wagon and keep going. It is, of course, a terrible thing to do, but yes, it’s impossible not to laugh. John Candy also is great in a small role as the security guard Clark holds hostage at Walley World.

Comedies don’t always seem to age as well as other films, but I found “Vacation” to still be very funny. It’s not as sharp a satire as some of Mel Brooks’ best films, though Walley World is quite obviously a send-up of the whole Disneyland mystique. It’s also easy to see “Vacation’s” influence on the comedies that came after it. It’s a fun cult classic that is perfect if you just want to sit back and enjoy a movie that most definitely does not take itself too seriously.

My movie bucket list: Quentin Tarantino (Week 1)

Last week, I decided to start a new blogging project: reviewing some of the films on my “movie bucket list.” I’ve been keeping track of movies people have recommended to me and classics I haven’t seen, and one of the first items on my list was a film by Quentin Tarantino. I must confess that yes, I hadn’t ever watched a Tarantino film, and as a movie buff, I thought that was pretty much inexcusable. 😉 The majority of people I asked recommended I start with Tarantino’s first movie, “Reservoir Dogs.”

Tarantino is one of our generation’s most distinctive directors; he’s known for creating smart, hyper-violent films with an emphasis on dialogue, and I was excited about seeing my first Tarantino film. (Note: This blog will contain quite a few spoilers about the movie.)

“Reservoir Dogs” is a dark, sometimes disturbing, crime thriller with touches of what was to become Tarantino’s trademark black humor. The film follows a team of criminals who are hired to pull off a diamond heist. However, things end up going badly, and the criminals find a group of cops waiting for them. The criminals quickly deduce one of them must be a police informant, but they can’t figure out who.

Since this was my first Tarantino film, I tried to pay extra close attention to Tarantino’s choices as a film maker, observing how he started forming his signature style. Tarantino is known for his dialogue, and this is definitely a dialogue-heavy film. The movie opens with an extended sequence at a diner, with the characters all sitting around swapping stories. This gives viewers a quick snapshot of who the characters are and what roles they will play in the film. The mood is often tense in the movie, but Tarantino uses dialogue to work in flashes of humor.

Characters also are important to Tarantino, but he chooses to reveal their personalities and motivations slowly. The story is told in a non-linear style; Tarantino jumps back and forth in time, telling a good portion of the story through flashbacks. It took me a bit to adjust to this format, but I think this style choice gives the big twist — the revelation of which criminal is an undercover cop — more impact. It’s also interesting that you don’t see the heist itself.

My favorite characters were Mr. White and Mr. Orange (the criminals go by code names to protect their identities), played by Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth. Mr. Orange is revealed to be the idealistic undercover cop, and Mr. White is the criminal that befriends him. I liked the complex relationship between the two characters. At the end, Mr. White sacrifices himself to prevent Mr. Orange from being shot, even though Mr. Orange is already dying from severe wounds. I think Mr. White had more of a conscience than the other criminals (even though he may not have admitted it), and he recognized that Mr. Orange was a good man. I also liked the always-funny Steve Buscemi’s portrayal as Mr. Pink.

Tarantino doesn’t shy away from violence, another trademark of his movies. There’s a rather disturbing torture scene in the middle of the film; though the camera cuts away before we see the worst of it, it’s still unsettling. Tarantino uses this scene to reveal how dangerous and psychopathic one of the criminals, Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), really is.

Although I think I’ll probably end up liking some of Tarantino’s other films better, I’m glad I started with his first movie so I can use it as a comparison when I watch his later films. I’m hoping to come back to “Pulp Fiction,” arguably Tarantino’s best-known film, after going through some of the other movies on my bucket list.

Next up on the bucket list, “National Lampoon’s Vacation”! 🙂