Francis Ford Coppola's recut of The Godfather Part lll (1990) is an improvement. He was forced to start shooting before the screenplay was fully refined. He and Mario Puzo needed more time write, but the studio said no. So some script deficiencies remain what they are. For example the son whose debut as an opera singer coinciding with Corleone family activities in Italy is too contrived a coincidence and I think just a bad idea. The other problem is that important roles are miscast. The actor who plays the son stinks. He's also at odds with the boy who plays the son in Part ll. I'm a big fan of Andy Garcia and Sophia Coppola, but they're not right for this film. Also, Bridget Fonda as the nephew's girlfriend drops out and disappears much too soon. One of those script problems. The original idea, probably was for Vincent to woe her back after he gave up the Don's daughter, but this subplot remains undeveloped. The Godfather famously opened with the Don listening to the "I believe in America" monolog in the darkness of his office as the wedding party unfolds outside in the bright sun. The recut of Part lll takes a similar monolog and shot structure from the middle of the film and puts it at the start. Only this time, it is Michael listening to the Bishop whining in the Vatican. Metaphorically it's like the Devil has gone to church. This was the right beginning for the film. A lot of cuts and re-edits both minor and major tighten up the film and repair problematic moments. Coppola's approach to the Corleone saga evolved in Part lll. Instead of a strict proscenium staging, his camera is more fluid. Instead of emotional restraint, Part lll is declarative and pitched high. The film is essentially an Italian opera in the way it is written, performed and directed. It's an opera. A lot of fans didn't like that approach, but I find it adds a dimension the Corleone saga really needed. Visually, Coppola is at the peak of his talent here. The film has an old-world look, and every shot is postcard-perfect. The third act is a masterpiece of editing and composition. If you're one of those who just doesn't like the film, you can always enjoy it as visual eye candy. The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone improves on the original. It's not perfect, but it is a great and visionary work of art. The blu-ray offers both versions for those who prefer one over the other. The 4K restoration screws up light and dark densities. Sometimes daytime and nighttime look the same, and interior light looks the same as exterior light. Other times you can't even see what's going on. Avoid the 4K. What it gains in detail it sacrifices in every other area. Stick with the blu-ray for all the Godfather films.
The Special Edition blu-ray contains both the director's original version and the corrupted theatrical release with new story and footage added. I was very impressed with the theatrical release despite obvious problems, but when I finally saw William Peter Blatty's original cut I preferred it by far. A worthy sequel and a very fine film.
Spider-Man: Far From Home, the second of the Tom Holland Spidey films. Seems to be singled out as not as good by fans. It was also saddled with the post Avengers: Endgame status quo, but if viewers can get past the cringey screwball Eurotrip setting that doesn’t much befit Spidey, there is a visually rich story here with a Mysterio played by Jake Gyllenhaal who is a worthy threat and also nearly steals the whole film. They really knocked the villains out of the park in the Holland films.
When it comes to the Ghostbusters movies I personally think one is kinda weak, two is leaps and bounds better, and the girl Ghostbusters from 2016 is the best one yet. I have yet to see Afterlife, but if I ever do it'll be interesting to see if I like it even better than the girls one.
MORE AMERICAN GRAFITTI It desperately misses Richard Dreyfuss (Kurt) and the split screen on the Candy Clark (Debbie) scenes is annoying. But always did like the various new years eve concept and found the storylines interesting enough. The ending with Auld Lane Syne on all four New Years in different places, is one of the better directing moments I've viewed. It's unfortunate it's part of a film that isn't much appreciated.
Empire Strikes Back Mad Max 2 Silence of Lambs Edit: Missed the topic. I thought sequels better than originals.
If Universal had called the shots, "More American Graffiti" probably would have been the story of what happened two weeks after the original film. It would have been more cruising and high school hijinks and '50's nostalgia (even though the first was set in '62) because that's what the audience wanted. It took six years for the sequel to be made. In the meantime, you had Happy Days (on TV) and the film Grease raking in the dough in the wake of the original. I give Lucas a lot of credit for the approach that the sequel took. People weren't ready for it yet, so it wasn't a commercial move, but picking up the threads of what happened to the various characters over a number of years gave a great overview of what happened in the late 60's. It was underrated back then because it didn't plug into expectations, but it's a very good film.
Under Siege was on TV the other day so I watched a few minutes of it. And then I realized I like Under Siege 2 WAAAY better. This one truly is an underrated film. Trains seems to ratchet up the suspense and intensity in films.
Like a super-natural detective story... This, "Jakob's Ladder" & "AngelHeart", I believe, paved the way for "The X-Files".....not all the episodes were about UFO's!
I really like the two follow-ups to The Ipcress File (Michael Caine spy thriller from the 60s): I think the titles are Funeral in Berlin and Billion Dollar Brain. They're each very different, different directors I think, but fun. They are both routinely written off as inferior to Ipcress though.
Another one that I watched last night in fact, The Revenge Of Frankenstein from 1958, the 1st sequel to The Curse Of Frankenstein, & certainly often overshadowed by it's predecessor, if not underrated. To me it's the superior movie, (& I love Curse), & the best of the series, followed closely by Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed from 1969.
