Godfather
I watched all three Godfather movies this week - two on Saturday and the third Tuesday evening. Obviously, the first Godfather movie is a classic. A great movie. I love its meandering pace, and it's interesting to see the transformation of Micheal from "that's my family, that's not me" into a full fledged gangster.

The second movie is also pretty good, but way too long, in my opinion. The second continues to follow Michael's life as he builds up his wealth with Las Vegal casinos. The movie also flashes back to tell the story of how Vito, the original godfather, ended up in America and how he gained his power. Interesting to know, but not necessary. The movie also takes us to Cuba for a confusing sequence of events. I'm still not sure if Hyman Roth was Michael's friend or enemy, or why there was rioting in Havanna. The powerful ending of the movie had Michael commiting an act that he would regret for the rest of his life.

Godfather Part III is just a confusing mess. This time, we pick up Michael after he's sold all of his casinos and has become a very wealthy man. The movie tries to tell us how Michael is involved with business deals with the Catholic Church. We see that his health if failing a bit, his son has become an opera singer, and his daughter has fallen in love with her cousin. The best scene involved Michael confessing his sins to the soon-to-be Pope. Very powerful. Beyond that, I'm confused. Who killed the Pope and why? What happened to Immobilare? Why did Michael give up his control over the family? Who tried to kill Micheal and why? Who killed the old men in Sicily? I don't know!!! Maybe I just wasn't in the proper frame of mind for this movie. The only thing I got out of it is that Michael lived to be an old man, and died of natural causes in Sicily. Good for him.