Irrelevant But Awesome

Alexa:  I watched “Devil’s Advocate” days ago and I’ve been struggling over what to write about it because I’m so conflicted on it. While watching it, my reaction was mostly negative. The imagery is so heavy-handed that it teeters toward melodrama, and the story arc so predictable that the surprises are few and far between. And yet, there is something thought provoking enough about it that I found the film stayed with me much longer than I anticipated. Though overt, the moral quandaries it presents almost beg to be explored in think pieces. Much of the movie’s message about temptation and vanity is pretty surface-level, but it invites viewers to take a deeper analytical dive beyond what’s explicitly happening on screen. And I 100 percent agree with Jason that the film belongs to Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. Keanu Reeves, bless him, is a charming guy, even with his uneven southern accent. But Pacino is a dynamic villain and Theron a superb tragic heroine. “Devil’s Advocate” m...

Alexa:  “Heat” is a good movie that could have been a great movie with some tighter editing. The things the film does well, it does really well. Michael Mann’s artful direction instills the movie with an almost noirish mood, and he creates an impeccable sense of place with his careful crafting of the LA crime scene. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro give outstanding performances in their own right, but there is something magical about watching these two greats act opposite each other. During the scene when Hanna and McCauley confront each other in the coffee shop, I couldn’t look away. These are two men who are more alike than not but they’re consumed by divergent paths, and Pacino and De Niro truly mold them into complex characters. The action sequences are expertly choreographed and shot, with the climactic bank heist an exceptionally visceral experience. But between all of these compelling moments are long slogs of relationship building and character development that drag the fi...

Alexa:  The first two “Godfather” films are classics, but I’ve always heard Part III doesn’t live up to the legacy of the others. Having now seen the movie for myself, I can attest that’s absolutely true. It’s not a bad movie, but it feels distinctly disjointed compared to the rest of the series. The first two films are deliberate pieces of a complete saga while Part III feels like an afterthought, an extended epilogue rather than a true final chapter. Given the epic nature of the “Godfather” series, it’s particularly frustrating that it ends with a whimper. The elements of the film that do work are mostly retreads of things the previous movies have already done (i.e. the opera scene is basically the baptism scene from the first movie but twice as long and half as effective).  The whole Michael Corleone redemption tour doesn’t feel true to his character. Perhaps the significant time jump between Part II and Part III is to blame, but Michael undergoes a clear progression i...

Alexa:  Though I think “The Godfather” is the superior film, “The Godfather Part II” is still a pretty stellar continuation of the Corleone family saga. The acting is once again superb. This may be Al Pacino’s best performance in his entire career, and Robert De Niro expertly captures the Vito Corleone that Marlon Brando crafted and builds upon him even further. Francis Ford Coppola is a master of character development, scene setting and mood building. His depiction of 1920s New York and revolution-era Cuba are particularly captivating. He masterfully executes slow-burning tension, perhaps even more effectively here than in the first film. But I think combining a prequel and sequel into one movie is what keeps “The Godfather Part II” from being perfect. There are two outstanding movies contained in this one film, and I don’t think the back-and-forth narrative structure serves either story in the best way. It’s not that it doesn’t serve a purpose at all. Intertwining the contem...

Alexa:  It’s easy to look back on some movies that are often heralded as among the best of all time and feel a little disappointed. Maybe it’s been so overhyped that it just doesn’t live up to expectations, or maybe other films that came after it have improved upon the formula it originated so much that you feel underwhelmed when you finally see it. But “The Godfather” completely stands the test of time. It really is one of the best movies ever made. Yes, it paved the way for a slew of other great mafia films, but none of them detract from what “The Godfather” created. At its heart, the film is an epic character study. Yes, it’s long, clocking in at about three hours, but every bit of that time feels necessary. It covers about 10 years of this family’s experience, and every exchange is essential to understanding Michael’s journey. “The Godfather” features a roster of actors who have gone on to give plenty of other dynamite performances, but this movie remains a career-best for...