Casablanca has to be one of the best love stories of all time. I don’t just say that because a majority of the public forum agrees. It is a simple and classic tale, and the best part about it, is that it doesn’t fall prey to the “cinema magic” and give the viewers the ending you all know we want. All the romantic comedies, dramas, etc. today are predictable, and there is no denying that. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are two characters that everyone can relate to. Both are down to earth, and the genuine love they have for each other depicts the basis for a great romance. Toted as #3 on the AFI’s List of Top 100 Movies, it is the #1 Romance of all time, in my humble opinion

4 STARS

Movie Review-The Godfather

The Godfather is certainly full of violence, power, obligation, corruption, crime, and most importantly, family honor and loyalty. The story is about the Corleone family in the boroughs of New York City. We see the family is dominated at first by patriarch "Don" Vito Corleone. This role is played by Marlon Brando (who won a Best Actor for this film), and is probably one of the most imitated roles of our times. Brando plays the head of one of the five Italian-American families involved in crime. The movie is really about the “Mafia-family” and its ups and downs over the years. You will notice though, that the word “Mafia” is never used in the film, but rather “family”. (Just as “Play it again, Sam” is never said in Casablanca). Godfather Corleone is set in his family’s ways, dealing with the business of alcohol and gambling and doesn’t really want to see the “wave of the future” approaching, which is the drug trade. It is because of this, that eventually he is dethroned as the Godfather, and Al Pacino takes over in a more brutal and persistent manner. It was amazing to see the change from his Pacino’s introduction at the wedding, as an honored war veteran and Ivy League gentleman, to Don Michael Corleone, Head of Family, and one of the most volatile Corleones.
The entire film was able to intertwine family events with day to day business of “family “events. Traditions bestowed upon the Corleone family, and business as usual for the “Mafia family” seemed to be paired side by side. There was a family wedding, shopping, and a baptism; while at the same time over 20 people were brutally killed in the film. It was evident that this film shows how America could be desensitized to the violence or crime going on around them, or even the aloofness paired with it. I had been told for years that I HAD to see this movie, but I went into it with no expectations, but by the time it was done, I felt like a member of the family with no way out, unless I wanted to dishonor the Corleone name.

3.5 STARS

"Do The Right Thing" Review

Jason and I have started to watch the American Film Institute's List of Top 100 Movies of all time. I plan to share some of my thoughts on the films with you!

Let's start with a movie lower on the list, #97 Do The Right Thing:

Do the Right Thing was directed by Spike Lee, and falls on the AFI’s list of the Top 100 movies as #97. The film takes place over a 24 hour period and chronicles the lives of a number of locals in an area of Brooklyn. Diversity plays a big part in this film, and no character goes undeveloped. Regardless of race, age, gender, or ethnicity you feel sympathy, pain, or relate to the characters within the film. Ironically, the title “Do the Right Thing” is exactly opposite of the story, since no one in the story really knows what the “right thing” is, so how can they do it? Every character’s choice influences one another leading to loss of a business, a life, and a job. When the movie was over, I was rather turned off by the whole story line, but as I thought further about it Lee did a marvelous job establishing that there is a problem in society today. He confronts the issue of racism head on, and pulls no punches. By setting up the characters from the get-go, he lets the story play out, and you are made to think about the fact that this, indeed, could be happening in your town.

3 Stars in my opinion