Blind Spot: The Godfather (1972)

Phew, I can’t believe I nearly fell behind before I’d even begun! Just where has January gone? Nevermind, because last night I finally found the time to sit and watch The Godfather. Err, why did no one warn me it was nearly 3 hours long? My attention span struggles with 2! Several tea breaks later…

I’m going to come out and say this now. This review is not going to do the film justice at all. It’s a brilliant film, I know that, and yet there was just too much going on for me to follow. For anyone who hasn’t watched The Godfather (which I guess is no one) follows the struggles of the Corleone family following Don Vito’s decision to give up his position as head of the family. That’s about as descriptive as I can be without getting something wrong.

So, let’s try and assemble a review without making myself look like a twonk. Despite it’s length, and I did feel every minute, every scene counts and there isn’t anything that I think could be left out. It wouldn’t be fair to say I was bored, but I constantly lost track of who everyone was, what family or group they belonged to, and who was being killed and why. That’s no fault of the film though, and I’m sure with a couple more viewings it’ll be clear as day and I can truly appreciate it. Has anyone started watching Game of Thrones without reading the books first and felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of characters? That’s how I felt.

Due to the age of the film, I didn’t think anything could really shock me, but some scenes were actually quite alarming. The horse’s head scene had me cringing a little, and the murder at the toll booth gave me a start, but the event at the restaurant leading to Michael’s need to leave was surprisingly chilling. I was completely on edge, and I might have stopped breathing for a while!

Despite my confusion, I really enjoyed watching The Godfather, and I can’t decide whether I should re-watch it or just move straight onto Part 2. Perhaps I’ll read a write-up by an actual professional and clue myself in first! I hope this isn’t a sign for the rest of my Blind Spot choices, but only time will tell…

So, apologies for this rather brief review, but I promise to re-visit it sometime in the near future, with a clearer head on my shoulders. Bring on February’s Blind Spot! Wait...sweet JESUS it’s 195 minutes long! What have I gotten myself into?!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 6 Elf (2003)

How can Christmas ever go by without watching this bit of movie gold.  I actually hated it the first time I watched it, but I learnt to love it for what it is. I had a funny experience seeing this in the cinema. It was my brother's 8th birthday and my Mum and I took him and a group of his friends. What's wrong with that you ask? It was the middle of January. To this date I don't know why it was still showing!

Buddy the Elf a normal sized human is raised in the North Pole as an Elf but his size wreaks havoc on the small community.  Soon he is sent to the US to find his real father but finds it harder to fit in, in the real world than he anticipated.

This is by far the silliest, most random, off the wall Christmas movie going but that is what I love about it.  You have to watch it with no expectations and try to switch your brain off completely so you just see the funny side of it all.  I'm not a huge Will Ferrell fan, in fact I usually hate films he is in (don't shout at me but I really dislike Anchorman, I think its massively overrated and not in the least bit funny!) but this tugs on my Christmassy heart strings and some of the one liners in it are amazing. "Santa's Coming? I know him" probably more about how it's said than the actual lines haha!

I love Will Ferrell already, but it's definitely the over the top 'ness' of it all that makes Elf so funny. It's so quotable as well, I really can't help but shout 'I know him!' when the name Santa is mentioned!

The story is ok, but it is overshadowed by Ferrell's overpowering verbal and physical comedy, much of the time the story is forgotten over an elaborate comedy sketch.  For me, that may be what makes it likeable, it's extremely easy to watch, you don't even really need to follow the story just enjoy gag after gag.  The escalator scene being my personal favourite:

Not the greatest story on Earth but certainly an entertaining jaunt perfect for watching while wrapping presents or with family (safe for kids as well as Dad, the train and planes!)

This is one of my personal favourites and I hope I can find to watch it this year before the big day!