Tetro | Francis Ford Coppola, 2009

The word Tetro, in Francis Ford Coppola’s non-native Italian, means dark, bleak, sombre. Words that are reflected, perhaps somewhat unintentionally, in the director’s new titular character: the long-faced Angelo “Tetro” Tetrocini, played by Vincent Gallo. Both as an original script – Coppola’s first since 1974’s celebrated The Conversation – and as a character, Tetro’s reputation precedes itself. For the director, this must only exist as a reminder of tougher times, but times when the film world held its breath whenever he entered the room. Things have gotten easier in recent decades for the portly Detroit native, who has carved out quite a comfortable position for himself  producing  movies under his own American Zoetrope banner, and without the oppressive studio involvement that so plagued some of his more famous titles. The difference being that these days there seem to be fewer people left in the room who are willing to give him the time of day. For Vincent Gallo, on the other hand, Tetro’s towering reputation conjured up by Coppola’s writing seems only to work as a stimulant, inspiring him to the kind of glint-in-the-eye performance we’ve seen before in Buffalo ‘66. Indeed, Tetro is one cagey and confused individual, though less feral than Gallo’s memorable Billy Brown character, despite producing the same trademark New York whine. His whine here helps give the impression of a lost rich kid, or alternatively, as his long-suffering partner Miranda (Maribel Verdú) puts it: “like a genius, but without enough accomplishments…” The highlight of Tetro, however, comes not in its titular character, nor in the aged pen that brought him to the screen, but in a newcomer called Alden Ehrenreich whose infectious performance as Bennie, Tetro’s younger brother and the film’s protagonist, is quite wonderful. He is an actor who was apparently discovered by Steven Spielberg, and  one who I expect to see a lot more of in the future.

Tetro is a story of two estranged brothers who know little of one another but who share a certain common hatred towards their family – more importantly their father – and perhaps, on top of that, some kind of common artistic gift. This main premise helps evoke strong memories of Coppola’s Rumble Fish, which not only centered on a story between two brothers but also helped unearth no small amount of young acting talent in the likes of Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, and Nicolas Cage. As with Rumble Fish, Tetro is shot in sumptuous black and white with a dash of consciously placed colour, in this case to signify those scenes in the film that depict the past – just as we view our own memories in colour, whether they be in the form of photographs or home videos. The other colour comes in the form of a handful of over-exuberant fringe characters, who manage, along with the film’s theatrical encounters, heightened emotional drama, and underlying humour, to give Tetro the sense of a stage play or theatre piece. That is without mentioning the abundance of spot-lights in the film, a motif of sorts: those that Tetro runs every week at the local theatre club,  and those that eventually come to symbolise the car headlights of his pained past. While a neater effort than Coppola’s last film, Tetro suffers once again from the director trying to do too much. Not only does he not know when to stop, but Coppola also manages to take a warm, humble idea – a gentle stroll through downtown Buenos Aires – and turns it into a work of grand scale that lacks all kinds of foundation. An epic family drama that almost immediately spins out of the director’s control, resulting in a deeply flawed third act that does nothing but drag. While it’s easy enough to appreciate Coppola’s ambition here, I don’t imagine Tetro will receive much fanfare when it’s released stateside in the near future, and is more likely simply to be remembered as the film that introduced us to a fresh-faced future star.

Our Rating:

Now that Thanksgiving has passed and its officially Christmas season (my roommates have already set up our tree and started playing Christmas songs), I thought I’d share a few of my favorite holiday movies.  Now some of you might not agree with me, seeing as how I’ll be completely ignoring “A Christmas Story” and will be including some rather non-traditional films, but to each his or her own.  For me, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without:

5. The Godfather Trilogy:

Ok ok, not exactly the warm, fuzzy feelings type of movie, but it’s always on loop Christmas Day.  And lets face it, they’re really good movies.

4. Love Actually:

Its a recent movie, so i’ts not one many of us have grown up with.  But who can deny that this is a great movie about love, family and friendship during the holidays?? Plus, who DOESN’T love Hugh Grant?

3. Elf:

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”  This is a pretty recent one too, but who can resist a cutesy Christmas movie coupled with the antics of Will Farrell?  It’s not just cheesy cute, but really funny, which makes it a holiday winner.

2. The Santa Clause:

I’ll admit it: I used to really love this movie because I had a crush on one of the elves, but it’s actually a great turn around story – the humbug dad becomes the epitome of Christmas spirit.  Plus, Santa’s workshop at the North Pole is full of fun and imagination.

1. Home Alone:

“Buzz, your girlfriend, woof.”  Need I say more?  Ok, yeah, I probably do.  ”Home Alone” brought 12-year old fantasy to life – being without your parents for a few days.  Ice cream, pizza, staying up late, jumping on the bed, it’s what every pre-teen hoped they’d get for Christmas: a few days without rules and full of fun (minus, Harry and Marv).

What are YOUR favorite holiday films?

Someday – and that day may never come – I’ll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, accept this justice as gift on my daughter’s wedding day.

Tom. Can you get me off the hook? You know, for old times sake?

There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer

I don’t feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies

I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse

A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man

Mr. Corleone is a man who insists on hearing bad news immediately

Oh, Paulie? You won’t see him no more.

Leave the gun. Take the cannolis.

But I’m a superstitious man. And if some unlucky accident should befall him – If he should get shot in the head by a police officer, or if he should hang himself in his jail cell – or if he’s struck by a bolt of lightning, them I’m going to blame some of the people in this room, and that I do not forgive.

Barzini’s dead. So is Phillip Tattaglia — Moe Greene — Strachi — Cuneo — Today I settle all Family business, so don’t tell me you’re innocent, Carlo.

It’s a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.

Cyber-Monday Super Sale!! 

Save 5%-20% Off Your Order!*

Take 5% off $25.00-$49.99, 10% off $50.00-$74.99, 15% off $75.00-$99.99 and 20% off $100.00 or more!* Monday, November 30th ONLY.

* $25.00/$50.00/$75.00/$100.00 minimum order is before shipping and/or taxes. Order must contain $25.00-$100.00 or more of product. Discount does not apply to trades. Discount will be automatically applied to your order once minimum amount has been reached. No coupon code required.

Sale is one day only – Monday, November 30th, 2009.

Mr. O'brien

I’m in the mood for ambitious fiction. Earlier this year I was blessed with a run of incredible reads,  topped off by Yvegeny Zamiatin’s masterpiece, We.

Mr. Zamiatin

Since then I’ve taken on more projects that inevitably have eaten into my reading time, and I am becoming more zealous in my quest for inspired reads. Ambition is the only flavor my literary palate wants to taste right now. I’m hungry for books that make me break out the booksdarts and re-read for pure pleasure. I want prose and plots that cause reactions, page turners that remind me how lucky I am to know how to read.

I’m compiling a list (in no particular order) of ambitiously written books and additions are requested in the comments section! I’d love suggestions for a 2010 reading list…

Mr. Baldwin

The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

The Inferno by Dante

Morvagine by Blaise Cendrars

Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller

Candide by Voltaire

The Electric Koolaid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

Black Boy by Richard Wright

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf? by Edward Albee

Bowl of Cherries by Milliard Kauffman

The Whapshot Chronicle by John Cheever (as well as many of his shorter works)

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

The Iliad by Homer

If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino

Her by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

The Twits by Roald Dahl

Lolita by Vladamir Nabakov

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Monkeywrench Gang by Edward Abbey

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Stranger by Albert Camus

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Peanuts by Charles Schultz

Mr. Abbey

more:

Bluebeard/Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

The Aeneid by Virgil

The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

His Dark Materials Series by Phillip Pullman

At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’brien

White Noise by Don Delillo

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

The Watchmen by Alan Moore

More..?

“Essentials” lists abound, especially online; the shoes a man “must own,” books he “must read,” places he “simply must visit.” Most of the enumerated essentials are anything but. Some change daily.

Still, some things are much closer to mandatory than others. For instance, always vote your conscience and inform your choice; don’t be swayed by irate volume. Exercise. Also, cultivate a preference for the tasteful and refined over the loud and garish. Appreciate family, friends, and food. Read good books.

Be polite. Ask other people about themselves, and listen to their answers.  

A step further from necessary, but still likely good ideas: watch The Godfather. Go to museums. Develop at least a passing knowledge of the mechanics of guns. Spend time outdoors.

And if there’s still time: know the difference between a sport coat and a blazer. Pick up squash. Reconsider how often wearing socks is really necessary. Wear clothes that fit. Don’t wear square-toed shoes; you’re not a ninja. Don’t wear athletic shoes with pants, and invest in some good stationary.   

Though not essential, some of these things are close, and all are worthwhile.

Sources close to the Coalition have revealed that Tony Abbott quoted The Godfather during talks with Malcolm Turnbull last night.
In presenting the beleaguered Opposition leader with an ultimatum, Abbott said: “I’m going to make you an offer you can’t refuse… or you can, but you’ll be fired or replaced by Monday,” sources close to the conversation said.
If the revelations are true, it will confirm suspicions that the devout Catholic has plans to turn the Coalition into a racketeering, muck-raking posse of criminals who will drag Australia back at least one century, possibly two.
James Smithies, a film psychologist, said: “Anyone who has ever used this quote has usually gone on to an extended period of organised crime followed by a rape and then murder, so I suspect people should be afraid.”
Sources close to Turnbull said that it was unlikely Abbott would go down well with voters as he hadn’t done an apprenticeship with Channel Seven’s Sunrise.
“In Australian politics, it helps to have what we call the apron charm,” a source said, “which means that housewives should be able to picture you operating furiously between their thighs, with David Koch watching.”

ok we were obviously very busy getting wasted at naousa this past weekend so there was no time for a Sunday Music.

I am just posting this late version with a Slash’s solo

Enjoy

check this too

VERDICT:
10/10 Bloody Cannolis

Might just the greatest movie ever made and still holds up as the best in the trilogy.

The Godfather is about clean-cut war hero Michael Corleone – of the Corleone mafia family – who returns home only to find himself getting his hands dirty after an attempt is made on his father’s life by a rival family.

Couldn’t really think of a fitting Thanksgiving movie to write about considering I haven’t seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles in ages, but since I feel like AMC is inevitably going to have a Godfather marathon going today, this’ll do.

This is one of those situations where I probably won’t have much to say because there’s only so much you can write about something that’s near-perfect. With that being said, here it goes.

For starters, the acting’s phenomenal. Marlon Brando – who had already established himself as one of the greatest actors of all-time – in what might be the greatest role of his career as Don Vito Corleone. Won the Oscar for it, no one was surprised. Al Pacino in his break-out role as Michael Corleone – one of the few times where he rocks it without going “HOO-WAAH!” all over everyone’s ass. A nice change of pace for Al.

Robert Duvall, James Caan, Talia Shire, Abe Vigoda, and a slew of other side characters that are all great and just as memorable as the next. I could go on, but for fear of dragging on like a bastard, just trust me, everyone here is out of sight.

But the reason I like this movie far more than its sequels (not counting Part III, no one counts Part III) is because Coppola makes this movie about family that happens to be in the mafia, rather than the other way around. Yeah, a lot of people get whacked here – which isn’t all too family-like – but you also really get the sense that these Corleones legitimately care for each other. Sonny protecting his sister from getting her ass whupped, Michael moving his father’s hospital bed, Vito trying to keep Michael out of the family’s affairs, Michael’s entire character arc – every time the Corleone’s make a move, they’re doing it for the good of their family, and that’s something you don’t really get in Part II, at least not in Michael’s story. There’s such great development here for every single character that it doesn’t take long for you to get connected and feel like a part of the family yourself – another thing you don’t really get in Part II, at least not in Michael’s story.

Another thing worth noting is that all the violence and the shock factor this movie had going for it back in ‘72 still holds up impressively well today. The horse’s head, Michael’s shootout in the restaurant, Sonny at the toll booth, the legendary baptism montage – there’s a lot of ‘em (and they all kick ass). I feel like a lot of movies that made people gasp in the ’70s don’t really have the same effect today as they did back then, but somehow The Godfather managed to change all that and will probably still have people going “Good lord!” for years to come while still feeling totally authentic. Well done.

Look, if you haven’t seen The Godfather, you really don’t know what you’re missing. The script is practically perfect on every front. The dialogue is quotable beyond belief and the plot line is only complemented by the flawless pace-setting that Coppola moves it along. The acting – timeless. The directing – incredible. And, man, just such a great, complex, and entertaining story that makes three hours go by in a flash.

Not sure that it’s my favorite movie of all-time, but its easily in the top 3 and it might just be the closest thing to a perfect movie you’re going to find.

If you guessed Caroline Sumner, then you guessed RIGHT! Congratulations, your prize is a link to a really cool article about the links between Shakespeare and The Godfather (which, by the way, I only just saw and am now completely obsessed with).

Click here to claim your fabulous prize!

Seriously, do read it. It’s pretty cool.