The Godfather, parts one and two (72-74) and Goodfellas (1990)

There are always glaring omissions on someone's movie list. I hadn't seen The Sound Of Music until the ripe old age of 33, and have yet to see Grapes Of Wrath or make it all the way through Gone With The Wind. The list of major movies that Andrew had not seen had three biggies, so with the help of Netflix, I remedied this. This could've gone badly; films with large reputations can disappoint. I myself hadn't seen these films in twenty years, so I hoped for my sake and Andrew's that they were as good as I remembered. They were. Three dazzling examples of a director coming into focus and doing their best work. Screw it, I'm not really going to review these , I don't feel like adding to all the things that have already been said. Watching these over the course of two nights did make me fucking hungry for Italian food. Having been raised Italian I paid special attention to the spreads: sausage and peppers, bubbling pots of marinara, and delicate cannoli dusted with powdered sugar (and splattered with blood). I could almost smell the garlic. And of course, cartons of Chinese takeout made an appearance or two (Jews and Italians, in particular, adore Chinese food). In the end the Godfather movies were even greater than I remembered, and Goodfellas has lost just a smidge of it's luster. But all three are deserving of their masterpiece status. Coppola depicts the family as an evil corporation, whereas Scorsese depicts them as cartoonish thugs in pursuit of happiness. Both are true, of course. Ain't that America?