The Godfather

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What: Film.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola.
Actors: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton.
Where: At home, hungover, on a Sunday evening on DVD.

Re-watching this 1972 classic, the first of the trilogy that really put Coppola on the map, reminds you what a timeless piece of work it really is. You can’t help but think that if it was made in 2072 it would have the same significance it had when it changed the world of film forever in the second half of the twentieth century. The ‘Movie Brats’ more than knew what they were doing, they lit up this era of Hollywood New Wave cinema.

Lucky for us they did. HBO would not be the force they are today and we wouldn’t have big-hitting Hollywood Directors like Martin Scorsese working in the kind of Television that has shaped popular culture in recent years. No Mad Men, no The Wire, No Rome, No Entourage, No Six Feet Under and most importantly No Sopranoes. And without The Sopranoes, well, we’re not even going there.

Except we have to. David Chase and his gang of writers have taken the content and genuine realism of The Godfather and combined it with the same approach to scoring moving images that Scorsese used in Mean Streets to make The Sopranoes quite simply the best television ever made. We can’t ignore what inspired the making of that TV series that kept us up until 4am time after time. Elements of Chase’s work can be seen in almost every frame of The Godfather.

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One of the advantages of a TV series over a film is that you really get to explore deep into the character's personalities. Coppolla doesn’t need 12 one hour episodes to introduce us to Corleone’s mob. After three hours of intense conversation mixed with cold blooded killing, you’re familiar with the whole family. 31 year old Al Pacino is effortless as he stylishly nails the role of Michael Corleone. Robert Duvall impresses as the advisor to the mafia family but both are overshadowed by a breathtaking, Oscar winning performance of Marlon Brando as he plays the big man himself.

Rating: 9/10
Comments: Perfectly realistic. This has shaped every mobster film since.

Alice in Wonderland 3D

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What: Film.
Director: Tim Burton.
Actors: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman.
Where: Holloway Odeon, London

Tim Burton has made the full transition from a quirky, inspirational, indie film auteur to superstar Hollywood director working with big egos and even bigger budgets. Big money special effects and box office names have replaced the dark, groundbreaking and individual film classics that originally pushed Burton to the forefront.

With money and profile comes the requirement for fame. It’s the way things roll but unfortunately in the case of Alice in Wonderland it means that you leave the cinema only with memories of good special effects and an even better cast but not the memory of a great story. There’s too much going on and too many familiar faces (and in this case, voices).

The best performances in this film are in the minor parts. Burton got it spot on when casting Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat, Alan Rickman as Absolem and Timothy Spall as Bayard the bloodhound. Helena Bonham Carter, playing the Red Queen, produced a performance which seemed entirely based on Miranda Richardson’s Blackadder character, Queenie. Mixing things up and casting someone like Richardson in this role would be a breath of fresh air but Burton continues with the same casting choices we’ve seen so many times before.

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Johnny Depp produced his usual Burton led, above average performance and it’s certainly true that his acting skills are perfectly suited to the unusual characters that dominate Burton’s films. The disappointing and ridiculous dance at the end of the film was so clearly demanded by the big studios to keep the kids interested. However, this continuous Burton-Depp relationship seems too predictable and certainly detracts from the film plot. Both have too much talent to hide behind each other for any part of the remainder of their careers.

It’s so easy to say but Tim, it’s not money and celebrity that we want to see you involved with. You’re too good for it but it’s ok, we understand. A future box office flop could be the best thing that ever happened to you. It may push you back to your roots. The problems is, while the kids love you as much as they do, you may never see failure again.

Rating: 6/10
Comments: The minor roles and the 3D effects hold the latest Burton-Depp collaboration together.