Hello, all!
There’s a good argument to be made that THE GODFATHER PART II isn’t so much a sequel as a prequel, but I’m going to try to find that “golden mean” that Aristotle wrote about once upon a time and say… well, it’s both. As a sidebar, it’s also a film that featured two actors at the top of their game – Al Pacino and Robert De Niro – although they never share a single frame of screentime, a situation that cinephiles were happy to see fixed in another great crime drama, HEAT.
Interestingly, critics weren’t especially enamored of this flick when it was first released, but it certainly has picked up a good many admirers since then, being considered by many to be better than the original. I guess those are the kinds of people that have the following point of view:
To be fair, I vacillate a bit when it comes to saying one or the other is better. When I first conjured the list for this self-indulgent “series,” I obviously liked this one better than the original. This far into the list, I’m not quite so sure I haven’t flipped back to THE GODFATHER. Of course, I am one of the few people that actually enjoyed THE GODFATHER PART III, so maybe you’ll want to take my endorsement of all the flicks in this “series” with a grain of salt. Or grade of slaw. It’s up to you.
Both the original and the prequel/sequel second installment are fantastic films, so it may depend on what sort of storytelling style you prefer to determine for yourself which one you prefer. If you prefer a linear story, you might want to stick with the first… but it would be a shame to miss out on THE GODFATHER PART II solely because it’s telling a sort of origin story and a follow-up tale contemporaneously. Indeed, part of the reason why this second installment works so well is that it manages to have so much going on and still tell very effectively both stories being presented. The story is very good, but the thing that puts this one on top for me [when it is, that is] is the story arc with Fredo.
I mean… man, that’s good stuff.
If you’ve got a little over three hours to spare, this is a good way to spend them. The way the film presents the origin of Vito Corleone and simultaneously depicts how his son Michael expands the criminal empire he built is great stuff. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR; Day 4 - X2: X-MEN UNITED; Day 5 - TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY; Day 6 - DAWN OF THE DEAD; Day 7 - DEADPOOL 2; Day 8 - HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX; Day 9 - STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN; Day 10 - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; Day 11 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER; Day 12 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES; Day 13 - PADDINGTON 2; Day 14 - RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET; Day 15 - LETHAL WEAPON 2; Day 16 - FINAL DESTINATION 2; Day 17 - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE; Day 18 - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION; Day 19 - THE RAID 2; Day 20 - THE BOURNE SUPREMACY; Day 21 - SPIDER-MAN 2; Day 22 - EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN; Day 23 - X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST; Day 24 - BLADE II; Day 25 - BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY]
There’s a good argument to be made that THE GODFATHER PART II isn’t so much a sequel as a prequel, but I’m going to try to find that “golden mean” that Aristotle wrote about once upon a time and say… well, it’s both. As a sidebar, it’s also a film that featured two actors at the top of their game – Al Pacino and Robert De Niro – although they never share a single frame of screentime, a situation that cinephiles were happy to see fixed in another great crime drama, HEAT.
Interestingly, critics weren’t especially enamored of this flick when it was first released, but it certainly has picked up a good many admirers since then, being considered by many to be better than the original. I guess those are the kinds of people that have the following point of view:
To be fair, I vacillate a bit when it comes to saying one or the other is better. When I first conjured the list for this self-indulgent “series,” I obviously liked this one better than the original. This far into the list, I’m not quite so sure I haven’t flipped back to THE GODFATHER. Of course, I am one of the few people that actually enjoyed THE GODFATHER PART III, so maybe you’ll want to take my endorsement of all the flicks in this “series” with a grain of salt. Or grade of slaw. It’s up to you.
Both the original and the prequel/sequel second installment are fantastic films, so it may depend on what sort of storytelling style you prefer to determine for yourself which one you prefer. If you prefer a linear story, you might want to stick with the first… but it would be a shame to miss out on THE GODFATHER PART II solely because it’s telling a sort of origin story and a follow-up tale contemporaneously. Indeed, part of the reason why this second installment works so well is that it manages to have so much going on and still tell very effectively both stories being presented. The story is very good, but the thing that puts this one on top for me [when it is, that is] is the story arc with Fredo.
I mean… man, that’s good stuff.
If you’ve got a little over three hours to spare, this is a good way to spend them. The way the film presents the origin of Vito Corleone and simultaneously depicts how his son Michael expands the criminal empire he built is great stuff. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR; Day 4 - X2: X-MEN UNITED; Day 5 - TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY; Day 6 - DAWN OF THE DEAD; Day 7 - DEADPOOL 2; Day 8 - HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX; Day 9 - STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN; Day 10 - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; Day 11 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER; Day 12 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES; Day 13 - PADDINGTON 2; Day 14 - RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET; Day 15 - LETHAL WEAPON 2; Day 16 - FINAL DESTINATION 2; Day 17 - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE; Day 18 - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION; Day 19 - THE RAID 2; Day 20 - THE BOURNE SUPREMACY; Day 21 - SPIDER-MAN 2; Day 22 - EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN; Day 23 - X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST; Day 24 - BLADE II; Day 25 - BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY]
