#56. Watch the Godfather Trilogy

This month I signed up for Netflix. Who knew you could pay only $13.99 a month for... 2 DVDs at a time sent to your home (replaced as many times as you want) and 24 hours a day instant play online. And Netflix has great old shows like Columbo and Quincy M. E. on instant play... gotta love it!!!

So... naturally the first movies on my list were... you guessed it... the Godfather Parts I, II and III. I didn't know much about these films... except that they were about mob families or something... and that the films are quoted often in other movies. One of my favorites being You've Got Mail with... "leave the gun... take the cannoli", "Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday" and not a quote... but everyone talks about the scene with the horse head in the bed. Well... if you didn't already know... all of these quotes are in the first film.

Note: This picture is just for fun... just me and Don Vito Corleone.

Over the past two weeks I watched all three films. The first one is great. I didn't even recognize Al Pacino and Diane Keaton. They are both so young. This film is the one people think of with Marlon Brando and "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse". It isn't possible to fully appreciate the next two films unless you have seen the first one (which is about the same as most film series). But... I really love the second one!

This one has Robert De Niro in it... I had no idea. Robert De Niro plays a young Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando's character). The movie consists of Al Pacino's character running the Corleone family and flash backs to how/why his father gained power. After watching this film... I felt like I had a much better understanding of the first movie and why certain things happened.

The third film bring the story full circle. It has an older Al Pacino trying to get out of the crime family ring and into legitimate business. There is a connection to the Vatican which is interesting and also you learn more about the Corleone family. I don't want to say too much... because I think it is more enjoyable to watch when you don't already know what to expect... because the end surprised me.

So there you go... I watched the Godfather... I will no longer have a blank stare when people or movies reference the Godfather. If you haven't seen it... I highly recommend it.