The Godfather PART 1

The Original Don. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A classic and the beginning of it's own. Don Vito Corleone, the leader of one of the most recognised Italian families in America is handing his legacy to one of his sons to ensure the continuity of the families reign and name.

Organised crime is at an all time high, with not only the 'mafia', but police, judges and locals in on it too. Set in the summer of 1945, all family and friends of the Don (Marlon Brando) are gathered for his daughter Connie's wedding. Like any typical European wedding, there are people as far as the eye can see. Singing, dancing and drinking. The entire family has come to celebrate, even Don Vito's son Michael (Al Pacino) who has recently returned from WWII, makes an entrance by bringing his lovely girlfriend to share in the festivities, opening her eyes to the world he comes from. Now all the children are present, the family can take a family photo, projecting a time of happiness and serenity for everyone... But only for today. Because when the night ends, business is back to usual for the Corleone family. 

Don Vito Corleone is approached by a drug dealer, Virgil Sollozzo who is seeking to exchange profits from drug money for protection by the various mafia families around America. The Don does not promote the use of drugs, nor does he wish to be apart of the business. His mind is set with moral values, a favour for a favour. The family lawyer, Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), advises the Don otherwise, insisting that drugs are a great business opportunity; that the family cannot lose from this investment. (Tom Hagen is Vito's adopted son, hence why he appears of American decent, not Italian) Sollozzo goes on to say that he his investment is already guaranteed by the Tattaglia family, who are the Corelones families rivals. 

Now, rather than listen to his lawyer, his son, Don Vito declines Sollozzos offer which begins the story of The Godfather. This decline presents an insult toward Sollozzo, which cannot simply be overlooked. The Don is curious about this "guarantee" between Sollozzo and the Tattaglia family so he sends a loyal friend, Luka Brasi, to infiltrate the Sollozzo's organisation. But infiltration is hard, once you've picked a team it's hard to change your and others opinions of where you loyalty lies and as such, Luka Brasi is questioned by Bruno Tattaglia. And by questioned, I mean killed.

Sollozzo plans the perfect revenge for declining of his offer, to kill Don Vito - shooting him several times until he is dead. The perfect plan... Well almost. The Don is shot several times, but does not die. He is take to hospital in critical condition, fighting a battle for his life. 

The whole family is outraged to learn of the Don's shooting, especially his hot headed son- Sonny (James Caan) who begins and immediate vendetta against Sollozzo and anyone who stands in his way. Sonny takes charge of the family. Despite the anger of Sonny, we notice another who seems more angered by the situation, we notice Michael. Michael has chosen to leave his mafia life behind him, but how can anyone leave something behind when it continues to creep up on them, following them like a shadow. 

One evening, Michael visits his father in hospital and becomes aware that there is no one guarding the hospital, no one protecting his father. Odd that a Godfather, one of the most powerful men, a person who a lot of people are trying to kill has no protection while at his weakest. Michael realises something is wrong. Something is very wrong. He finds a nurse who explains everyone was sent home. His father is being set up again. Michael immediately notifies his brother Sonny of the situation and insists that his father is moved into another room.

Michael than heads to the front of the hospital where he meets a friend of his fathers, coming to pay his respects. Together, the two of them guard the hospital, pretending to be armed detectives which ultimately save the Dons life. The police arrive upon the scene and the crooked police Captain McCluskey breaks Michael's jaw, after he insinuates their cooperation in plan to kill his father that evening. Sonny cannot turn a blind eye to these events, and, as such, responds by having the eldest son of the Tattaglia family, Bruno Tattaglia killed.

The Counselor

Greed really takes you to the edge, doesn't it? To go that little bit further just to make a little more money, but at what cost.

 A lawyer, aka the Counselor, is facing this exact choice, and typical lawyer goes against his instincts and finds himself in a major drug trafficking job. His lovely soon to be wife Laura (Cruz) is almost oblivious to to her lovers (Fassbender) involvement, because really, how could you perfect man ever disappoint you. We are introduced to a few "business" associates, a guy who doesn't quite know what his accent is, Mr Reiner (Bardem) and a guy who won't be seen without his cowboy hat, Mr Westray (Pitt) who we soon find out are in on the deal too. But we can't forget one associate, the sexy blonde woman WITH brains AND an intriguing personality the beautiful miss Malkina. (Diaz) With the large amount of money he is about to receive, the Counselor buys Laura a very, very expensive diamond ring.

As there's never really any certainty in life, why would drug trafficking be any different?
His deal has just gone bust- the drugs have been stolen and the only link to the theft is a young male who the Counselor has just happened to bailed from jail. Ironic isn't it. And thus, the Counselor finds himself in a position which nobody wants to be. Turning to his "friends" (Reiner and Westray) for advice, it is apparent neither can or really wants to help the Counselor revert the situation. Instead, they reiterate their initial thoughts on the Counselors decision on entering the deal which leaves the audience thinking who is on whose side in this affair. 

The Counselor begins to worry. This is not a case in a court room, this is real life and real life has real consequences, which he is soon to find out. He has just screwed over the Cartel. Because as the amazing Malkina says, and I quote, "And the slaughter is probably beyond our imagining", which almost projects a million scenarios in our heads of what could possibly happen when their worst fears become a reality. The movie soon becomes a game of hide and seek which all the characters are playing, to say they are nervous is an understatement. But one person isn't nervous, nor is she afraid. The lovely Malkina manages to escape the dreaded game of hide seek, and by escape I mean sit outside and watch from the sidelines as the story unravels and we soon find out exactly what has happened to the "lost" drugs.

Meanwhile, poor Laura is left in the dark, worrying that she hasn't seen her lover in days. Her and the Counselor decide to come together, for both emotional and safety reasons and meet in a city which neither have ever been. Upon arriving at the airport, Laura is kidnapped by men in a black 4WD and taken away to a place no person, no woman would ever want to be. Have you heard of a "snuff film"?

We are taken back to Reiner, who is killed in a gunfight with the Cartel but thank god his two lovely pet cheetahs aren't harmed. Westray on the other hand has caught the first flight out of the country and seemingly escaped the situation also. He may have escaped the Cartel but has found himself running from someone else. Malkina, not only looks but brains too has lost money and wants it back one way or another. She has decided to pursue Westray, not sexually but violently and gets exactly what she wanted, as per usual. Westray is not so lucky. He finds himself having the worst death in the movie- one of those bits where you don't wanna look but you can't resist. 

And then we are then taken back to the Counselor. The man who decided to enter this world by his very own choice. He is having a chat with a person who I think aside from Malkina, says things which are worth listening to, telling the counselor that he is the world he created. Knowing the consequences of his actions but never expecting them. The counselor had everything, a lovely wife to be, money, job, respected but gave it all up for a little more. For greed as that's what greed is. And soon realising exactly what has happened to Laura, knowing he cannot do anything to change the past, the Counselor is left with grief. And grief ladies and gentlemen is worthless.


Rating: 7.5/10
Would recommend: Yes, if you're home wanting a movie where your 100% attention is required

Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?

What would you do when everything you ever dreamed of happened to your sister?

Would you congratulate her? Would you be happy for her? Would you be jealous? Would you do everything in your power to take away? This is exactly how Baby Jane Hudson feels when she comes to realization that her older sister, Blanche Hudson is a successful actress and she is just a washed up "could have been".

In the beginning, we are introduced to 'Baby Jane', a prosperous singer/actress living the dream of an idolised golden child with her sister Blanche caught in the shadow of her success. As time passes, the tables begin to turn. Blanche is suddenly the star of the show. The one with all the glory. The one with all the money. 'Baby Jane' is now nothing more than a has been. The success however brought nothing but tragedy for the spotlight sister Blanche. One evening, the sisters arrive to the gate of their home- Jane drunk as a skunk and Blanche sober with pride. A terrible accident occurs. The girls' car is driven straight into the fence of their luxury home. But that's not the worst of it. Blanche is left paralyzed from the waist down, resulting not only in the loss of her legs but the loss of her career. 'Baby Jane' is nowhere to be seen.

Fast forward to today, the sisters are living together in Blanche's mansion; Jane being the sole carer for her sister. It is clear that Jane has some issues, well a lot of issues regarding the downward spiral of her own career. There is seriously something mentally wrong with her. She has vendetta against her sister for the success she didn't have, especially with the recent airings of Blanche's movies on national television - spiking an enormous amount of jealousy. Relying on Jane for her almost every need, Blanche has little power in her own house which does not work out well for her in the slightest. That's an understatement, it really doesn't work out well. The things Jane does to her sister are absolutely horrible. Some are sadistically funny, but still horrible. Blanche is a real positive thinker though, a trooper, until she has the realization that Jane is in fact mentally unstable. 

We are taken on a journey where Blanche almost dies, Jane falls in love with a man who has a horrible English accent, (NEEDS TO BE SAID) gets her heart and career aspirations broken and ends with the girls reunited in a place where they once felt much joy in their lives, well Jane did. 

This is a 1960's movie, so if you don't mind black and white films I would highly recommend watching this one. I would rate it an 9/10 as it's the first black and white film I've watched and a story where I've been able to retain interest throughout the entire period. Plus, if you ever need a true character to dress up as for a party, Baby Jane (Bette Davis) is your answer. That white makeup and toy doll... gives me chills just thinking about it.

 

Mama

Two little girls, left alone in the woods. No form of contact with anyone, too young to take care of themselves. 

A father shoots several of his co-workers, then his wife and runs away with his daughters before he is left to face the consequences. Driving faster and faster to escape reality, the father loses control of his car and crashes in the woods. No one is hurt in the accident. The father leads his daughters to an abandoned house, where the father contemplates his next move.  Five years on, after extensive searches of the woods trackers are lead to a run down house. The house standing strong appears to be vacant, however, into the house they go hoping for a miracle. Confronted they are by exactly what they were hoping to find and so begins the story of 'Mama.'

The girls begin their lives in the observation room of a hospital and soon make the transition into their family home, with their uncle and his partner. A doctor has taken a major interest in the girls and can't help but feel inclined to understand how the two managed to survive - the condition of which the girls are initially found will impact any audience. As the story progresses, we notice the girls are never really alone. Something or rather someone is watching over them, and does not like how the girls lives are changing. (For me, when children are involved in horror movies it makes the connection that tiny bit stronger) Strange things begin to occur in the home, with the man of the house having an accident, well not exactly an accident, but results with him hospitalised for majority of the movie. 

His partner, a women clearly not ready for motherhood takes the role of the sole guardian for the girls and she begins to notice there is something very strange about the girls. They talk to themselves, play games with themselves and call out "Mama" when there is nobody around. Probably what you would expect when you've been living on your own for five years right? The girls soon reveal they were not alone. They did in fact have "Mama" looking out for them, and, ironically enough, she is still looking out for them - according to the children. The intrigued doctor continues to observe the children and begins to form his own conclusions of what had happened, slowly drawing the "Mama" character created by the children to be a real figure.

I don't want to give too much away, but I really enjoyed this movie - easily one of the best horror movies I've seen in a while. I would rate it 8/10 for it's ability to keep me engaged throughout the entire movie. I was however disappointed in the ending, such a typical end to a horror movie.

The Purge

You can do anything you want for 24 hours. Anything.

2013's movie 'The Purge' consists of just that. Anyone, and I mean anyone can do anything they want... but for only 24 hours. And yes, this includes murder (surprise, surprise).

Set in present times, we are introduced to the picture perfect American family- or so it seems. A family who seems less than nervous for the annual purge. The one time in the year where anyone can do anything they like, without having reason, without having to suffer the consequences. As the family home goes into lock down, the youngest song does not appear to be coping with the horror which is occurring outside. Despite all the precautions taken by the rest of the family, the boy lets a scared man into their secured home. -This seems awfully predictable, out of anyone in the family the youngest, who knows little about the true events which take place on the evening, is the one to take action and show compassion. 

Not long after the family realise what's going on, the people hunting the man show up at the families door step giving them an ultimatum - Bring the man outside or they will come inside and retrieve him, showing no sympathy for anyone in their path. Once again, surprise surprise. The rest of the movie becomes a giant game of deadly hide and seek. And when I say deadly, I mean guns, knifes and blood. I won't ruin the ending, but you I guarantee you be able to pick how the movie ends. And in saying that, it would have been nice to see the aftermath of the annual purge... however, it is not shown. 

Classified as a horror/sci-fi movie, I would rate it a 7 out of 10, purely because of the predictability throughout the movie.