The Godfather Part II

Tali: The Godfather II picks up several years after the first one - Michael is now the Don of the Corleone family and is wildly successful at controlling casinos in Nevada and elsewhere. This film has all of the same bloodlust, rivalries and thirst for power that the first one has, only for some reason I found it to be more interesting and worthwhile. Perhaps it is also the splicing with the origin story of Michael's father, Vito (played by an almost unrecognizable Robert De Niro) which gave the story some depth for me. Don't get me wrong, this was a good movie and I liked it more than the first one.. but I still don't get it. This movie is ranked #32 on AFI's best films of all time (the first one is #3) but I am just not getting it. Perhaps my attention cannot be held for 3+ hours. Who knows. 77/100.

Leo: It's hard to top, or even come close to the critical success of a movie that's rated 1-3 on most top all-time movies, but this one usually manages to grab a seat right behind it. I personally enjoy this movie a bit more because it adds a bit more politics (she says abortion, bro) and depth to the story, even if I think the first movie is slightly more well-done. Robert DeNiro and the old Italian-American storyline is definitely my favorite part of the movie and it makes you appreciate the first one much more. There's too much to say about this 3 hour movie to go into too much detail, but the nuanced story-telling, pacing, and script only add to the incredible storyline and atmosphere put into play from Coppola's directing. Again, I hope this number doesn't insult the family. Leometer: 95/100.