• Books
• Music
• Movie
• Food & Drink
• Other

Items mandys consumed in…

May, 2008

1. Friday 16

   ---

   

   Finished consuming…

   House of Stone — 1 person

   Worth consuming!

   
   
   
   
2. Sunday 18

   ---

   

   Finished consuming…

   The Godfather (Widescreen Edition) — 8947 people

   Worth consuming!

   
   
   
   

Entries about these items

A review of "The Godfather (Widescreen Edition)" — 1 year ago

WORTH CONSUMING!



In retrospect, I cannot believe that it has taken me 35 years to see this brilliant film. I’m glad I waited until it came onto DVD though, as the quality was awesome.

This film hasn’t aged one day and the production was superb.  In fact, if I didn’t recognise the very young faces of Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall then I might have mistaken it for just another episode of Sopranos.

The Godfather is the quintessential mafia story and some might say that all that came afterwards was just mimicry.  In my mind, it takes a masterpiece like this to inspire the great works that follow and can you blame anyone for taking inspiration from a film like The Godfather?

Major Awards
Academy Awards 1973
Best Actor – Marlon Brando
Best Picture
Best Screenplay
Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role – James Caan, Robert Duvall & Al Pacino; Best Director – Francis Ford Coppola.
BAFTA Awards 1973
Award for Film Music – Nino Rota
Nominated: Best Actor – Marlon Brando; Best Supporting Actor – Robert Duvall; Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles – Al Pacino.
Golden Globe Awards
Best Director (Motion Picture) – Francis Ford Coppola
Best Motion Picture (Drama)
Best Motion Picture Actor (Drama) – Marlon Brando
Best Original Score – Nino Rota
Best Screenplay – Francis Ford Coppola & Mario Puzo
Nominated: Best Motion Picture Actor (Drama) – Al Pacino; Best Supporting Actor (Motion Picture) – James Caan.
Grammy Awards 1973
Best Original Score – Nino Rota

And finally… Al Pacino as Michael Corleone:



Wasn’t he lovely?

Add a comment



Why I recommend "House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe" — 1 year ago

WORTH CONSUMING!

This is one of the best books I have ever read.  It is riveting and nearly impossible to put down.  I would highly recommend it.

House of Stone is written by Christina Lamb, an English journalist.  In the opening passages I wasn’t too sure if I trusted this author yet as I thought she was exaggerating (this is the scene where she describes a city’s main market as reduced to rubble).  I then turned the page to see a photograph depicting the rubble and it was there that my hesitation and disbelief dissolved.

The author takes the life story of two very different Zimbabweans and she chronicles this against the backdrop of the major political events of the past 45 years. She also interweaves the history of Zimbabwe dating back over a hundred years, to when the country was first colonised.  The protagonists are a white educated male born into a wealthy farming family and a poor black female with only a primary education who hailed from an underprivileged rural background.

The book is incredibly informative and yet it is never laborious or dry.  This is a book that took me through a range of emotions from shock and horror to disbelief and sadness.  I thought I had very strong beliefs about Zimbabwe before |I read this book.  I thought I had a very politically left position on matters there and I was convinced Mugabe was an evil man and that gross human rights violations were taking place.  The truth is that I had no idea and that my mind could not have even conceived how bad things really are there.  The point is not to discuss my politics but that knowledge is power and I would urge everyone to read this book so that they too can get an idea of what is going on in Zimbabwe and once armed with the truth, they can act accordingly.

1 cheer | Add a comment