Movie: Godfather III (1990)

Movie: Godfather III
Original Release Date: 1990
Release Date on DVD: 5/24/2005
My review of this movie is two sided. Looked upon as a single entity, this is a great movie.
Al Pacino pays the aging Mafia Don, looking to give up his criminal ways, Sophia Coppola plays his daughter, Andy Garcia plays Vinny, his brother's son born out of wedlock and wanting to be his protege. The don's son , who knows about his uncle's murder is the handywork of his father, vows never to take up the latter's line of work.

The movie has great crowd scenes, great visuals of Sicily, an absolutely spectacular opera and ends in the style of a Greek tragedy. Al Pachino plays the part of Michael Corleone with finese, Andy Garcia plays his trigger happy nephew Vinny and there is Eli Wallach, Diane Keaton and Talia Shire. Only Sophia Coppola stood out as a sore thumb. Apparently the Godfather saga is something very dear to her dad and movie's director Francis Ford Coppola, that he decided to cast her as Michael's daughter. On the whole this was a good movie. Finally on Sophia, thank God she's taken to directing. The dialogs in this movie are crisp and well written, just as they were in its predecessors.

Now, if we look at it as the finishing touch in the Godfather series, it clearly lacked a purpose. The story had come to an end when Michael took over from Vito Corleone. Besides it came two decades after Godfather II, a long time gap between a movie and its sequel. Coppola had to remind us of this family and its characters. Though it was good, it pales in comparison from the other two that featured Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro ans James Cann besides Al Pachino.
Still worth watching.

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Movie: Carlito's Way (1993)

Al Pachino and Brian De Palma join forces once again for this movie, that unfortunately did not become a great commericial hit. The most memorable performance in this movie is from Sean Penn. The basic premise is that once you are into organized crime, you are there to stay.
A Puerto Rican mobster(Pachino) returns after serving time in the hopes of turning a new leaf. He resumes his relationship with his supportive girlfriend(Penelope Ann Miller) and seems to be on track toward his ideal. Alas, his loyalty to his slimy defence attorney(Penn) will deny his retribution.
The best performance in this flickis from Penn. One feels such disgust and loathing for his charcter. To evoke such stromg feelings from a viewer is a feat only an actor of Penn's caliber can pull off. In my opinion, Penn deserved a supporting actor nomination from the academy.

Here's some interesting trivia:
In the movie, the attorney kills a con who threatens him. (I can't remember his name) This actor who plays the con was recently in the news. He testified in Robert Blake's trial. He claimed that Blake tried to talk him into killing his, Blake's wife.

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Movie: Scarface (1983)

Condemned my many for its raw violence, this mob movie stars Al Pachino and was directed by Brian De Palma. It was the remake of a Howard Hark's classic of the same name. A cuban criminal refugee(Pachino) arrives in Miami carrying only a blinding ambition. Striking a deal with the local mob, he rises to the top and becomes a Cocaine Czar. His rise and fall are narrated in this bloody epic tale. The violent shootout in the end is a fitting end to this great movie.

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Movie: Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

With the script from playwright-screenwriter David Mamet, and a cast like Al Pachino, Jack ,Alec Baldwin Ed Harris, Alan Arkin and Kevin Spacey this is a high impact movie that is modest on locale. It all happens in a real estate office.


Mamet takes us into the dog-eat-dog world of realestate people fighting the fight of their lives to make deals and sell houses.As the movie opens, Alec Baldwin, a master saleman makes a brief but spectacular performance with his 'motivational' speech. He insults, degrades and puts down all his subordinate salespeople. When he is done, the sales troops and the viwer are both gasping for breath.

Then we see a few quiet philosophical statements from another saleman, the one and only Al Pachino. And finally it is the turn of an aging,tired salesman(Lemon) enduring a family crisis and fighting to make his sale to give another stellar performance.The finale is simply too intense to be described. The creme of the Hollywood crop deliver a well, crafted movie.

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