• Member Since 2nd Jul, 2012
  • offline last seen 8 hours ago

Avenging-Hobbits


A nerd who thought it would be cool to, with the help of a few equally insane buddies adapt the entire Marvel Universe (with some DC Comics thrown in for kicks) with My Little Pony...wish me luck

More Blog Posts1733

  • 130 weeks
    2021 movie

    I arise from the grave exclusively to say that the 2021 MLP movie was lit. I’m hyped for G5

    1 comments · 447 views
  • 175 weeks
    Opening Commissions

    I know it probably looks weird, considering my inactivity, but I figured I'd at least try to motivate myself into writing again by sprinkling in commission work. Also, I'm in a bit of a money pit, and will be moving relatively soon, so I figured I should try to supplement my income.

    There's gold in them thar smut, after all.

    Read More

    0 comments · 662 views
  • 246 weeks
    Area Man Not Dead, Just a Lazy Bastard

    Okay, I feel I should say that no, I am in fact, not dead.

    Sorry to disappointed.

    Life has been busy, chaotic, and generally messy, but the good news is that since MLP is about to enter its final series of episodes, I figure I should just sit it out, and let the series end, before beginning my attempts to reboot any of my projects.

    Read More

    4 comments · 907 views
  • 353 weeks
    Perhaps I should undergo a reincarnation

    Its been tugging at me, but I've been seriously considering of reinventing my account.

    Basically, I'd create a new account, and then focus on that revised version of Harmony's Warriors I mentioned in my last blog post, and post it to that new account.

    Read More

    7 comments · 1,728 views
  • 362 weeks
    Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.

    First things first, I'm not dead.

    I've just been working on other things, and generally trying to collect my thoughts regarding Harmony's Warriors, since I've hit a horrific dry-spell.

    After much thought, and talk with the venerable and honorable nightcrawler-fan, I've decided it's best to do what's basically a low-key reboot/refurbishing of the Universe.

    Read More

    9 comments · 1,296 views
Sep
21st
2015

Review: The Godfather (1972) · 12:55am Sep 21st, 2015

Coppola’s magnum opus continues to remain one of the definitive films about the Mafia, the American dream, and simply one of the greatest films ever made, outright.

A sprawling, 3 hour meditation and examination of the Corleone family, The Godfather serves as a study of not only the dynamics of mid-1940s Italian mob families, but also a study on such varied topics as manhood, the American Dream, greed, ambition and vengeance.
It is often said that this film romanticizes the mafia life, but once you actually sit and watch the film, you realize that statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Far from glamorizing, The Godfather instead paints the mafia’s existence as an epically tragic path towards self-destruction and self-alienation, all under the guise of ‘protecting the Family’. Coppola constructs a film that plays out like a grand opera, a heavy weight of melancholy hovering over it while sorrow ebbs underneath it, highlighting the eventual destruction that this life brings to those who live it.

Coppola is a master at his craft, and his direction here is magnificent. Avoiding flamboyance or melodrama, he instead lets every scene breath and speak for itself, constructing them perfectly. At the same time, he extracts incredibly dynamic and immersive performances out of all of his actors. Every scene weighs with emotion and power, and the final shot, an incredible understated image of a door closing, is one of the most emotionally raw and impactful moments of cinema.

All of the acting performances, from the mighty Marlon Brando to Al Pacino to James Caan to Robert Duvall, are exemplary, and each embodies their characters perfectly. Brando’s performance is remarkably understated, his voice a now iconic low rasp as he manages to completely capture your attention as the elder Vito Corelone. On the other end of the scale, is James Caan as the violent and impulsive Sonny Corelone, who’s complete lack of self control and lack of foresight leads to his violent demise. But the real star here remains Al Pacino, who’s performance is a fascinating steady transformation from the one most likely to go the straight and narrow, to a clinical murderer whose eyes burn with a fierce intensity as he fully embraces the evil within him.

The film, of course, would be nothing without Gordon Willis’ incredible cinematography, with colors heavily steeped in black, to the point where it almost overwhelms the frame. It fits the film perfectly, helping enhance the film’s aura of darkness and melancholy. And this aura is further enhanced by Nino Rota’s heavily romantic and gothic score, which has rightly gone down as one of the greatest ever crafted.
In many ways, this review is only skimming over the complexities and nuances of this film, which can be best explained in dozens of essays and papers, and many people have. But suffice to say, this film rightly stands as one of the greatest ever made, and a pinnacle of cinema and storytelling.

5 out of 5 stars.

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