Transcript of 70mm’s The Godfather: Part II (1974) Episode.
SLIM Hey, it’s your old pal Slim and this is 70mm, a podcast for film lovers. Every Monday I sit down to talk about recently watched movies with my dear friend and artist Danny Haas.
DANNY There’s a moment in this when Brad Pitt starts smoking a cigarette, he does it quite a bit in this film. And he licks his lips… and his lips are the wettest I’ve ever seen a man’s lips on cinema.
SLIM And our own spiritual advisor, Protolexus.
PROTO Wet Ass Lips list coming soon…
SLIM We’re kicking off sequels month with The Godfather Part Two! The first Godfather set the bar so high, but is the second one better than the first? Let’s find out… now.
[70mm theme song ramps up, plays alones, fades out]
SLIM We have bigger fish to fry right now.
DANNY Let’s fry ‘em.
SLIM Literally breaking news that came in our Discord this week. I was getting at’d, Hosts at’d, in two different channels. @hosts, @hosts, @hosts… That apparently with the success of our episode last week Dirty Dancing, there’s news that it’s happening again. There’s going to be a new Dirty Dancing. Jennifer’s coming back. Danny, do you have the inside dish on this news?
DANNY The article is quite sparse on details. But yes, you’re right, everything you said is what the article said. [Danny laughs] She’s coming back! Dirty Dancing 2.
SLIM That’s it? That’s all we know? We don’t know if she’s got like a dance school at the club or anything?
DANNY She’s returning to Kellerman’s.
SLIM We have another four years before this movie comes out.
PROTO Never left.
DANNY Oh I like that.
SLIM Ohhh, she stayed there.
DANNY She’s the instructor now.
PROTO Her and Swayze, they’ve been dancing for 30 years.
SLIM What do you want to see out of a Dirty Dancing 2, Proto?
DANNY Jennifer.
SLIM In three years when it comes out?
PROTO I would like to see in an evolution of the coital shrug. [Danny laughs] I mean, they need to innovate this dance. It’s top tier, but they need to they need to go further.
SLIM How do you go further and maintain a PG-13 rating?
PROTO I’m not a producer — just an ideas guy. [Slim laughs]
SLIM I mean, if they even if they innovate any harder, we’re not gonna be able to cover that on that show.
DANNY Excuse me?
SLIM You heard me. We’re not going to be able to do it! Let’s talk about The Northman. The biiiig movie all around the world.
DANNY Did you see it Slim?
SLIM I didn’t see it. But I know one host I know one host went to see it. I know one host did.
DANNY Who?
PROTO Name him.
SLIM Protolexus, spiritual advisor, the creator of VGER the supercomputer who loves movies, who this movie.
DANNY Talk to us.
PROTO I did I saw The Northman I think was Monday night. I went I texted my my little bro. I said, Hey, bro, you want to go see this movie, The Northman and he said sure. So we caught an eight o’clock showing and he said that he had he didn’t know anything about this movie. As we’re walking in. He said he didn’t even see the trailer. And I said you better buckle up. So that was great. We had a great time. I gave this movie four stars. When I saw the trailer for this you know, I really was from the trailer. I got the vibes that this was going to feel like a Hollywood action movie. Have you guys watched the trailer?
DANNY Mhm. The first one.
PROTO Okay. I can’t remember —
DANNY Slim, did you watch it?
SLIM I’m not going to answer it because I know Danny wants me to answer it so he can get pissed but I’m not gonna say anything. [Slim & Danny laugh]
PROTO The trailer feels to me it feels like a normal Hollywood action type movie. But I was pleasantly surprised that it’s very much a Robert Eggers movie. This like if you were afraid that this wouldn’t have his formula from like The Witch and The Lighthouse. Don’t worry. It’s very much his movie.
SLIM Just put us I just put a screenshot and chat breaking news. We’re breaking a lot of news this episode. The Northman is now in the fourth slot of Proto’s favorite films on Letterboxd
PROTO Yeah, I would say it’s maybe my favorite movie I watched this year so far. So I put it in there.
DANNY Amazing.
SLIM Yeah, just passed All That Jazz. Every week Proto’s having a new favorite movie of the year over All That Jazz. And if you do the math, it doesn’t make any sense because All That Jazz is five stars, The Northman’s four… Playing by his own rules.
PROTO I’m not doing math with movies, man! [Danny laughs] Like, this is more of just a feeling. You know? I just wanted to change things up and say, “Hey, I like this movie. I had a good time.” I’m not afraid to say it! Some people, they’re living in fear. I know you’re out there. Don’t be afraid.
DANNY I will say after the first trailer and the movie poster… I have no desire to see this movie.
SLIM Oh, that first Dune poster, right?
PROTO Well that’s good, no one cares. [Danny & Slim laugh]
DANNY
Speaking of trailers. How about that Downton Abbey trailer, Proto?
PROTO Oh my god. Talk to us. What? What is going on at AMC theaters? Listen, I have to sit through 25 minutes of trailers to begin with. I’m at the 25 minute mark and then they drop. I don’t even know how to describe this. Don’t know what it is. I’ve never watched the show. I will. Now I will never watch the show. I was I almost left the theater. I was so out of sorts. Like I’m sitting getting ready to watch a Viking epic tale of revenge. And I’m watching like I don’t even the Brits like dancing, you know? I’m gonna stop because I don’t know what I’m gonna say now.
SLIM He’s about to go off uncut! Dale’s behind the glass. He’s doing the cut off motion to pro he says this before we get in trouble. Downton Abbey, I’ve also never seen Downton Abbey but it seems like they have a very vociferous fan base. One of our hosts might be in that fan base.
DANNY I am yes I’ve seen every episode saw the movie very excited about this next one.
SLIM New friends that joined the Patreon this week, Caroline and David, you can do the same at 70mmpod.com or patreon.com/70mm, get access to our dear friends in the VHS village discord or just discounts on prints and uncut apps so we have a very sizable vault of exclusive we’re only episodes and smoke signals just went in there there’s a lot of a lot of requests for us to open up the new tier again for supporters to choose their own episode.
PROTO I just saw this picture from Paul pronto after the noise with the college
SLIM My god. So the main event this episode you know this is sequels month. The Godfather Part Two, all nearly four hours of The Godfather Part Two and I’m not sure Danny hasn’t drop the art yet as of live recording, but it’s top three Danny art.
DANNY Oh god, thank you.
SLIM You’re looking at it right now in your pod app. Top three art. Okay? This is not a game.
DANNY I’m not playing around.
SLIM To anyone who thinks this is a podcasting game… [Proto rings his bell] [Slim & Danny laugh] Danny what did you watch his week?
DANNY I watched… Well, I had the bad idea of restarting my Bond train.
SLIM Oh god.
DANNY And I fired up 1983’s Octopussy…
SLIM I’m not sure that’s gonna make the final cut.
DANNY And Octopussy was terrible. I gave it one star. And every time I am seeing Roger Moore on screen I don’t understand how these movies kept going with him.
SLIM He’s a dud.
DANNY He’s a dud! He’s so bad at it. And this movie express x especially the clown makeup the gorilla suit. It’s insane the insanity in this movie. Anyway, I don’t I don’t know if I continue. I jump saying that but it’s bad.
SLIM Was me not playing Apex one night. Yes. You need to go back into bondage. Here.
DANNY I needed to hurt myself.
PROTO Danny has no watchlist, all he has is this James Bond journey. This is the problem!
SLIM This is what happens when you can’t maintain Watchlist. I will say that John Glenn directed this and several letters. He directed protos boy, Timothy Dalton’s movies don’t best and he also did. Let’s see license. Let’s see, I said that one of you to a kill. So that one you know has the famous Christopher Walken character in the soundtrack. I can’t stop talking about it. I’m sinking apologize for continuing James Bond.
DANNY Dear friends at Action Danger Pod. Is that how you say it? Action? Danger? [Slim laughs] What is it?
SLIM Austin!
DANNY Austin Danger! [Danny laughs] I can try to think of when they was Austin Danger Pod did a talk on any of Jones. I was wanting to watch some treasure hunting movie and Uncharted hit streaming. gave it three stars. It could be five stars if it didn’t have the two main actors on it. But um, it was good. It was a fine treasure hunting movie. That’s about it.
SLIM Three stars. We read from Danny’s Uncharted review. “I will say I was passed when they had a rip off Indiana Jones line — nuns. Why did they have to be nuns? But then they actually reference Indiana Jones. So I let it slide.”
DANNY I let it slide. I don’t know what they’re doing. Man.
SLIM I’m struggling to see Danny’s movie choices here with with sans apex. It’s it’s causing pain.
DANNY Let me tell you my third one then. Oh god. 1996 is Sleepers. Yeah, directed by the one and only Barry Levinson. I came across this because I was looking at the actors and Godfather Part Two. And I recognize the guy. Where’s he at now? Bruno Kirby. I want to see what else Bruno Kirby was in. But Bruno was also in sleepers with Pacino again. So I was like I’m firing up sleepers. It’s got Minnie Driver, Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman. Al Pacino. And it’s fine. It’s a fine movie. I thought it was going to be better but there’s a moment in this when Brad Pitt starts smoking a cigarette he does it quite a bit in this film. Ken he licks his lips and his lips are the wettest I’ve ever seen a man’s lips on cinema? And I couldn’t stop thinking about the entire movie. It was it was insane to me. I don’t know what it was. I just couldn’t get over it.
SLIM Danny’s had more quotable moments this episode than in the last 20 episodes. [Slim laughs] BYOG.
DANNY Listen, Slim pulled the plug on Apex quite a bit on me this week. So I’m just flailing about.
SLIM He’s a changed man!
PROTO Yeah, that is going to be an art. I wonder if it was intentional because like I’m licking my lips right now. And I can’t get them to —
DANNY There’s a glissen to the wet lips that Brad Pitt has it’s it’s glistening in this light. You got to see it
PROTO Wet ass lips list. Coming soon.
SLIM Oh my god, it’s almost time for the Godfather Part Two. I actually made me real quick. The Batman hit HBO Max. Very very recently April 18. Yeah, and I fired up that bad boy. Still five I’m sorry so four and a half stars. I was about to say five and a half stars for the first time ever my god photo of Brad what is going on with his hair and lips in this photo telling you very unattractive IMO. So I had a great time rewatching The Batman had my headphones on. Mamma Mia.
DANNY Are you in an headphone job? Nice.
SLIM Roku pro remote my friends after that Annihilation ep. Santa great. The Batmobile scene obviously very great. Had a great time. Should we get into the Godfather Part Two someone needs to someone needs to kick this off allegedly the greatest sequel of all time. Allegedly. The greatest movie of all time. Kicking off sequels month. Sequels month officially kicked off and just to set the stage for later this episode. Proto’s the first pick for next week.
DANNY I’m done being first picks.
SLIM The Godfather Part 2, 1974. Proto, can you kick things off set the stage for our discussion tonight?
PROTO Several years have passed since the events of part one, with Michael expanding the family’s business interests in Las Vegas and Kuba, filling a vacuum that he created. His Empire has expanded, but his problems have only gotten more complicated. After a failed assassination attempt against him, Michael seeks to tie the loose ends, removing enemies and finding who betrayed him. At the same time we see his father Vito as a child, flee from Sicily, come to New York, and begin to build his empire. As vetos family grows and his influence increases, Michael’s inner circle shrinks. Can Michael continue his father’s legacy? Or is it the end of the Corleone family? The Godfather Part Two you?
SLIM Michael Corleone! My thanks to Michael Corleone!
DANNY
He wasn’t finished Slim.
PROTO No, that’s it. He got it.
SLIM I’m nailing it. I am nailing it.
PROTO What’s did that guy have in his throat?
SLIM Michael Corleone!
DANNY Gravel.
SLIM Big donation! Stand up!
PROTO It was like he took like three Swedish Fish and then like got them stuck like halfway down his throat.
DANNY Very specific.
SLIM This is according to VGER The Godfather Part Two members, VGER is this you’ve seen the NASA computers in those like warehouses. It’s just the the walls but it’s a computer pedal built the supercomputer loves movies. We tabulate all our patrons, ratings and letterbox. This is a 4.6 for my car supporters right now. Do you believe it? See what the first one is? The Godfather is sitting at a 4.680 My God very close. Very close. Now, I cannot remember what we said previously, but I know several of us have not sat through Godfather two. So I would imagine still first viewing right Danny?
DANNY Yeah, this isn’t my first time and I I had to hold off after the first watching when the 50th stuff came out because we were planning on doing and I was dying to jump in part two. No one would shut up about it. The best best sequel of all time. It’s better than the first one. Bullshit. Yeah.
PROTO Now since the first one yeah, there’s a lot of cultural references and stuff that I know you we said as we were watching it you guys recognize was it the same with this one? Do you feel like you knew some of this going into it already?
DANNY What I knew the Vito storyline from pop culture, but that’s about it.
SLIM Vito for sure. Simpsons, I knew of what was the guy’s name that Di Nero killed? Was that character’s name? The black, the white? The whites? Yeah. So I knew that storyline from The Simpsons because there was a flashback of Don Homer was Homer wearing that outfit going through the streets.
DANNY Oh god.
[clip of The Simpsons plays]
SLIM And instead of getting gifts he was getting like there was a donut guy handing doughnuts to home.
DANNY Amazing.
SLIM So some most of pop culture of this era, I’ve learned from The Simpsons in some way, shape, or form. I think as as I was younger, I didn’t have a desire to see this or later in life was because there was like flashbacks to olden times. As a younger person. I was like, I don’t want to watch that. That’s boring. So I kind of like blocked out most of Robert De Niro storyline. What about you, Danny, because I’m gonna We’re like we teased the idea of doing too and someone had said something about De Niro. But you were like, shut up. I don’t want to know anything.
DANNY Well, um, when when the 50th came around, they did like a cast group photo with Pacino and Diane Keaton and all them. Dinner was in it. And I was like, oh, De Niro’s in the first godfather. I have no idea. And then when I found out he’s not until the second one people start talking about like, Please don’t tell me I have no idea who dinero is in this entire storyline.
SLIM He’s withholding your Godfather spoilers.
DANNY Yeah, you know But let me get into my first bit. Okay. Okay, can I jump into it real quick? Number one, I have a gripe with this film, not not necessarily because of the length of this movie, I don’t mind a long movie. I wanted an entire film of just De Niro as Vito. That storyline was like a chef kiss I couldn’t. I wanted I hated when it went back to Michael and the storyline that was going on with him. I really just wanted it to stay with Pacino for a lot of because Pacino looks amazing. And he’s I loved him in that role. But there was also some really great cinematography in those scenes with him I got or two shots that I felt it in my chest like, This is amazing. It’s simple, just the shot of him painting him walking across the rooftops, following the dawn in the street, like that shot is incredible. But then, after he kills him spoilers, the walk back through the street with the fireworks, and people celebrating and him just realizing, you know, just becoming the, you know, the next Dawn of this village. And so my gripe is, I just wanted to separate movies out of this, I didn’t want, I didn’t like flashing back and forth. I wanted to just stay in one storyline and just keep it at that storyline, even if it was like, we did the veto stuff first. And then intermission hit and we jumped to Michael or something like that. I don’t know. There’s something about the jumping back and forth. That bothered me. Because I think I just wanted more out of each scenario than having to have them both be shorter stories. I don’t know if that makes any sense. But that’s where I was kind of at for this viewing.
SLIM Wow. Proto, what about you?
PROTO I had the same experience when I watched this the first time. So this is my second viewing. Yeah, and I was —
SLIM We’re starting this episode off like Episode 91… [Danny & Proto laugh]
DANNY I know, this is bad territory.
PROTO I was blown away by the dinero scenes. The first time I saw it, I think watching it again. I think this is like my favorite dinero performance. Yeah, anything else that I’ve seen, like I didn’t really love like, I wasn’t like a De Niro, like super fan or anything. It was like, you know, he’s a good actor. But when I saw him in this, there’s something about the way. I mean, there’s just something about the way he acts in this that is just amaze the voice. The delivery review. Yeah. And there’s just like, so there’s amazing scenes that are true to the character in the first movie. And De Niro was able to pull them off and just amazing ways that the scene of of them eating pasta, and him telling them like, Hey, I’m gonna handle it, you know, like, you pay me 50 bucks, don’t worry about it. I’m gonna take, I’m gonna take that scene, and then also the scene where he actually goes in and talks to the dawn. And because I didn’t remember, I was like, Wait, how is he going to do that? How is he going to convince this guy, but the way that he talks and the reasoning that he uses, and the way that he buys time, it’s just incredible, like, oh my god, that scene and then De Niro just looks amazing with the slicked back hair.
SLIM The shot after the dawn gives him like 100 bucks. And then he like respects his guts, and doesn’t doesn’t kill them. Like always try to find some work. He pinches his cheek before he leaves. And there’s a shot of De Niro, looking left at the camera, and you’re just like, in awe of the beauty of that shot. The whole movie is like that, but the use of shadows, and also just sexy ass people like dinero fantastic looking.
DANNY And one of the things that I do appreciate about the back and forth with De Niro and, and the Michael storyline is the kind of juxtaposition of they are about the same age coming into being Dons of their families. And the difference that each how they’re both different in how they run their families how it almost feels like even though veto, you know, kills the black hand or whatever that guy’s name was. There is something about his calmness and like his poise, and he kind of doesn’t lash out. But Michael We’ll always feels like he’s gonna explode like he’s just a different way that he carries himself as the dawn and I do like that’s the one thing I like about the back and forth is the comparison of the two the Father Son in both of a Don role.
SLIM Danny just covered all three of my points. This is his revenge episode. [Proto laughs]
DANNY I’m so sorry. [Slim laughs]
SLIM Traynor in chat insane denier love when Nicolas Cage got blasted for the same look and Moonstruck
DANNY There’s no way you can tell me De Niro looked anything like Nick Cage in Moonstruck.
SLIM Different levels.
DANNY I’m going to ban him.
SLIM Should we ban trainer from chat tonight?
DANNY It’s close. It’s very close.
SLIM Give him a timeout after that. Insane comments. Back to the kind of just the idea of the prequel. So for those just joining for the first time. Yes, we’re watching Godfather Part Two for the first time if you’ve made it that far, thank you if you haven’t shut off and given us a bad review. We’re just people like you like you and your friends. We’re gonna go each house has three points. We’ll go round robin. So my first one is about the prequel sequel stuff. 1974 doing not just like a prequel, but a prequel and a sequel, in the same movie. This is like, insane to me. This happened, this was allowed. And I think I just briefly looked at the Wikipedia that Coppola was given just like insane creative control. It’s just mind blowing to me that this is a movie. And it worked. And it’s considered allegedly, one of the greatest movies of all time and the best sequel of all time. It’s just like mind boggling to me that it’s it exists in its current form. You know?
DANNY What also feels crazy is how perfect the first Godfather is, to be able to follow it up with a film like this. But also to be willing to innovate in the way that Francis did with the prequel, telling Vito mixed-in with continuing the storyline from the first movie. It just feels like next level filmmaking.
PROTO I wish I knew how it unfolded in the book. Like was it told in the same way or was it more linear? The storytelling I really don’t know. Right. But I wonder if you know Coppola, if this was like his invention of just a way of, of just showing these two storylines side by side,
SLIM Right. Proto, what’s your number one?
PROTO I really love the opening sequence. So it starts with a young Vito in Sicily, he’s nine years old, his his father is is killed, and they’re they’re having a funeral or for him a procession down the street and then there’s gunfire and vetoes older brother, it’s his older brother, right? His older brother gets killed. Yeah, his older brother gets killed and then Vito goes with his mother. And she’s pleading for, like, vetoes life to be spared. And they’re like, no, she gets blasted, and veto has to run for his life. Nine years old, gets gets, you know, in the cover of darkness, gets escapes the city and gets shipped to the to the US and lands on Ellis Island. I like I like that idea. Like this is your experience with life as a nine year old boy. Like hello, I’m in a different country. I don’t speak the language. I’m nine years nine years old. Just like that it there’s like so much to take in of like thinking about this experience. And just even like what what he would think about life in the world. Like this, this like, like this is shaping how he understands the world to begin with, which I think is fascinating to see how you know, the man veto grows up to become but even that, like I want more like who was his mentors, like? Who raised him like there’s just like so much that I want to know more about kind of like Danny said, I wish there was a whole movie of just the story.
SLIM I was thinking about this when he is sitting alone in the room. And Danny did this amazing, deep fake of Ian has veto through the window another incredible shot by the way in this film. But he’s sitting alone in that room after coming through Ellis Island and I was thinking about how like, I often make fun of myself for being like an idiot and not knowing things but like, you get so sucked into modern technology TV shows. Stupid ass ghost adventure shows. If you don’t think about legit immigration on Ellis Island ever in your day to day for most people, right? But like this is real life. People coming over and immigrating into the US around this time and making a life for themselves with nothing. And they built their own lives over decades like this. It’s just insane to think about, like looking back, like we just don’t think about that stuff day to day at least I don’t. And it’s just great to just have that like memory back into your dumb skull.
PROTO Yeah, I also love that scene too. I think some of the best scenes in this movie to me and I feel like I’m I’m realizing this more when I just see it in movies is scenes that have a lot of people in them that are setting a time period of just like really impressive that scene where they’re there’s the lines at Ellis Island for them to be registered and inspected to enter the enter the country. Like that is so good at just creating atmosphere and making this this feel real seeing all those people waiting in line all in costume. And then another one of like the parade, later in the movie. And then there’s another party scene with a ton of people like there’s a lot of scenes that have a ton of people moving parts, and scenes like that. It just makes the movie feel so much more real to me. And I just appreciate those scenes I like I would just, I’m just fascinated how they how those scenes are shot. And just like the work that goes into making those scenes happen. I would just love to see you know more about that.
SLIM I was thinking about that today in the parade like how great it looked. And I was also thinking about if this is done today, it would be CGI BS and it’ll just look like a fantastic Beasts movie. Walking around New York City in 1940. And just look dumb!
DANNY It’s true. Getting dommed. It’d be Vito looking at the dome.
SLIM The Disney dome.
DANNY Of Statue of Liberty
SLIM Mandos special effects people walking around. Danny what’s your number two?
DANNY Number two, this was like a minor kind of not minor but the addition of adding Vito’s wife, I don’t remember her name, having her be a part of the backstory as well with Pacino. Excuse me, yes, Di Nero. how it kind of showed her coming up with veto in becoming the crime boss that he is or the mafia don and how she kind of knows everything that kind of go like she gets the apartment back for that girl she knows what Vito is capable of to get the apartment back for them and also I mean in then you see her at the end we jump back to the future back to the whatever I don’t know what I’m gonna want to say like that but I’m sorry and she’s like mad at the sister and she’s just kind of more gritty and real than Kay is as the wife of the dawn and how she’s not accepting really of where Michaels at in this life and it’s it was interesting on how I just I liked the story of both wives and the fleshing out more of Michael’s mother and then more of K and K going through an insane storyline herself in this film of you know fit or not not faking the abortion but the Michael fakeout have an abortion but or the miscarriage and then her actually have an abortion like a storyline is nuts yeah but anyway so yes, I really liked the the both wives kind of aspect of these two Don’s
SLIM Yeah, I’ll run says Carmela. I loved the young Carmela as well. What a catch and just the relationship over time as him becoming the Don Vito that we all know and Is it is it my turn I mean, this leads into my next one, but it’s just Michael It’s Michael and present day compared to how Vito did it when he was younger, and I loved vetoes, storyline of becoming, but like beloved in the town, or what he did to take out Don Homer, and everyone just like, you know, they’re giving them free stuff. They’re asking Him for help. And he’s like, just like kind of like legit helping. They don’t really allude to him doing anything bad to make sure he gets his way. So I’m not really sure if that is actually happening behind the scenes yet, or people are just afraid that that might happen. But I love seeing that. And then modern day Michael. He is crumbling as the dawn. Like I loved Michael in the first movie, loved his journey. Oh, there’s the other Dawn Homer Grazi in chat, but every decision he’s he’s making I think it might have been Hannah, someone in chat potentially said his acting in this movie might have been a result of PTSD from the war, which I didn’t even consider. But every decision he’s making, it’s just kind of like saw Looks like you as the dawn is kind of sock, like you’re making all these hard decisions like even Fredo, which we could eventually get into. But at the end of the movie, what a effing depressing end to this movie, sitting him sitting in the chair, older Gray, and thinking back on his life and just the current state of the family business and the family and him. He’s got no wife. He had his brother killed. He’s kind of got like nothing. Yeah, it’s just, it’s just crazy, the book end of the two storylines, and that this was the end of the journey for 15 years. You know, this, this could have been just potentially the end of The Godfather story. I was I thought it was crazy.
PROTO Yeah, what I found so compelling about him as he’s very hard to read in this movie. And the decisions that he make, he made they almost didn’t seem consistent is almost it seemed like Michael didn’t really know what choices he wanted to make. There’s, there’s some great like, Pacino has some great delivery. And there’s points where I like, I didn’t know what’s going to happen next. So when his sister at the beginning of the movie, they’re in Lake Tahoe, having a big party. And she comes in with this new guy, and she’s like, I’m gonna marry this guy. And Michael looks at her and she says, If you marry this man, and he like pauses for a long time, and I was like, I’m like, what is that disappointment? You disappointed me? Just like its delivery of that was was so was so good, but also so cold at the same time. I’m like, lifeless. Like there. Yeah, there’s something so and then like that just like, builds and continues on throughout the movie. There’s a great moment though. Where he forgives Fredo where he comes out, and he greets him. I think it was I forget where that was. But was that at the funerals? Yeah. Yeah. And he creates them, but then he’s like, you know? Oh, no, I think that’s before because then he doesn’t tell the guy don’t kill. Oh, I forget.
SLIM Yeah, it was before the funeral. He tells Rocco. You know, don’t touch him until my mother dies.
PROTO Yeah, so like that. It seems like oh, like that’s a real touching moment. But he’s still going to have him killed. And then the other scene where at the end, where Kay is at the house, with the kids, and they’re like, and they’re like, you know, you got you gotta leave Kay. Because Michaels coming back and Michael comes in. She’s standing at the door. And I don’t know what she’s really I don’t know if she wants to be like, welcome back or accepted. But the way she’s like looking at Michael, with like, anticipation of like, what are you going to do? What are you going to say? And then he just closes the door on her. Oh, my God. Brutal!
SLIM You were talking about a Carmela. But a lot of this comes back to him lying to her at the end of the first movie. Yeah, I wonder how different it would be if he tells her and maybe almost tries to replicate his parents relationship. Right? You know, you could assume that Carmelo kinda was wise to everything that was happening or chose to be ignorant, but knew, but that decision, you know, ends in disaster.
DANNY And that’s like, that’s a very that’s to your point, Proto, Michael, and Pacino is sort of his performance and that scenery closes the door. You can’t read him like you can’t read how he’s gonna react. Okay? He’s very poised, very coming down with his his scarf. And I didn’t know I was like, is he going to hit her again? Because when you hit her that first time, I was I it was very rough to watch and I’m like, please don’t. Please don’t hit her again. But the closing of the door was so cold.
SLIM Ron points out of mirrors the editing of the previous film, but I’m not when she went in on him. And she says that it wasn’t a miscarriage. I aborted your son. I thought was his mother one of you on this earth? Oh my God!
[clip of The Godfather Part II plays]
DANNY
Insane. That delivery was amazing. And I really thought he was going to kill her right there. I was like this is the end of Kay.
PROTO Especially because there’s also like the hinting of Anthony and like something not being right with Anthony’s their son, which seemed to be like a riff within their marriage as well where she is like he needs help and Michael’s like, he’s fine but isn’t I’m I vaguely remember wasn’t there like a line in the first movie saying that either like Vito or Michael didn’t talk and for like the first five years of their life? Am I imagining that?
SLIM Sounds right. Ron says Anthony’s there Fredo because there were issues with freedom everyone. Boy Tran, look how frail turnout turnout great. Proto, what’s your number two?
PROTO Man, we’ve hit on a lot of different stuff. The stuff in in Cuba those scenes are amazing that hospital building what like this like it’s like a outdoor hospital. These these open air walkways with like courts in the middle all like marble. What the heck is going on? That building was gorgeous. Yeah. And then again, just like I was saying before that those scenes like that big party scene there because it’s it’s the new year. It just looked looked fantastic. But I also was like kind of confused again. Even though I’ve seen this before. I was kind of confused as to what the heck was going on in this movie. Like did you guys feel like you were tracking with all the story points?
DANNY No.
SLIM I was not tracking at all with the deal that Michael was trying to protect. And also the one character that really wanted him to to end the deal. The, let’s say was named so Hyman Ron’s like, the main villain. But Frank wants him to end that business relationship because they’re like moving in on his territory. I had to Rewind a few times. I even went back today to like clear up some things that I was curious about. So yeah, it didn’t it wasn’t as easy to follow as the first one it was seems like a little bit more complicated, where maybe just a little bit faster. Even though the move is almost four hours long.
DANNY I thought I was watching a chess match. It was hurting my brain trying to figure out every little detail but also like who’s Michael playing? Like, who is he being truthful to this time? Who is he lying to? When’s he gonna kill Fredo? Like I’m just like, my brain was like working overdrive in the Michael scenes, because there’s just so much everyone is playing everyone and it’s wild.
SLIM Yeah, like right off the bat. He says that it was a Hyman made the attempt on my life. Right. And I was like, is he just trying to trick Frank or is he trying to trick Fredo? Like, I didn’t know who was responsible? Because he has that meeting with Hyman and they seemed kind of buddy, buddy. But Michael was playing him at the time.
PROTO Yeah, he was just trying to suss out who betrayed him. Like he pretty much lied to everybody.
DANNY They tried to find a Fredo.
SLIM How about that Senator in that brothel, the dead woman on the bed?
DANNY I started a new Letterboxd list because of that scene.
SLIM Excuse me.
DANNY I haven’t kept working on it but dead bodies breathing. There’s going to be my my list I’m making on letterbox because I see it. I look for it. Every time there’s a dead body in a movie. I look for them breathing and so I started a list so if anyone wants to send me movies, like the I started with Godfather Part Two as dead bodies breathing in movies.
SLIM Michael Corleone. What’s your number three, I think Danny number three.
DANNY The Fredo stuff was my kind of number three, I really I actually really liked that storyline I liked I also also liked that he killed them. I liked that that kind of how it played out, because Fredo has been given chance after chance after chance of not being an idiot. And he just as he was told by Michael in the first film, like never go against the family. And he does it multiple times and then almost gets Michael and Kay killed because of it. And he says he doesn’t understand but I love the scenes with Fredo I’m the he’s performance and this is so good. And when he starts yelling at Michael in the house in Tahoe Yeah. And the shaking I’m like, please don’t yell at Michael. He’s about to explode on anybody at any moment. Please don’t yell at Michael.
[clip of The Godfather: Part II plays]
DANNY I don’t know, I love the Fredo stuff. I liked how it ended. I mean, I don’t like that he died but I do like that’s how to kind of wrap it up it made sense to me.
SLIM I felt bad for Fredo at the end of this movie when he’s fishing yeah with the son. You know, keep them at home or something cut them off from telephone lines.
PROTO Yeah I don’t know like would Vito have killed his out his his brother if something like that happen?
SLIM He had his his friends from the olden days were still alive in the first movie right? Or at least one of them like he didn’t he didn’t turn on his buddies, he didn’t have brothers.
PROTO Yeah, yeah, I don’t know. I didn’t really like I mean honestly by the end of this, I mean, I don’t like Michael at all. He does turn Yeah, he’s just awful by the end of this like there’s nothing likable about him. I remember having this experience at the the first time I watched this, it’s just like that final shot of him just sitting alone like good riddance, Michael. You suck. Get off my screen.
DANNY Well, let’s say was, I agree. It’s so hard. But also I find myself in a weird spot like really disliking Michael but also wanting him to succeed still, and it’s frustrated because I’m like, I still want you to come on top come out on top but you’re still a piece of shit.
SLIM I missed the quintessential like reveal where Michael realized that it was Fredo like when he says hello. Yeah, when he like references Oh, yeah, we were here before this is his spot. I totally missed that. Yeah, I have conflicting vibes about Fredo. I mean, it’s a famous scene when it popped up on screen you know, you’re like up there it is. The big moment. My number three… let’s see Michael flailing around depressing ending. Honorable mention for the great deaths. Love when everyone got shot on screen in the face or like it just looks so… I don’t know. You just It looks real almost. Right. But the way people die on screen the way the guy got shot down, Homer got shot and he’s just like frozen. On screen. He’s like not even falling. Oh my God looks great. But my last point, which I love back to Nero, Nero is amazing storyline when he goes to CCOs estate to try to buy the olive oil. You know, I want to get in the olive oil business. And he gets a loan with this guy. After all these years, he gets his revenge for his family and takes that knife up his stomach trash. Yes, dude. That’s the scene of the movie. God you decades of work? And he finally gets a moment alone with this guy. Holy hell. I loved that.
DANNY I liked how hard it looked to cut someone in the stomach like that. I’d never try that that look tough.
SLIM Geez. I mean speaking of like, funny, funny deaths, but Rocco they Michael asked, like, do you think we could kill hymen when he comes off the airport? Or comes off the airplane? And they’re like, it’s it might be difficult, but I think we could do it. The guy just does it in plain sight and gets murdered right away. That’s your plan? I’ll do it. I’ll just die. Yeah,
PROTO What if I just run up to him and shoot him? And just run?
SLIM I’ll sprint away, I might make it. Geez, what a moron.
DANNY What was the guy that was on trial? Frank Frank the sound Frank May when he was getting choked. was almost took me out of the coma started laughing. It was amazing. Listen to him die. Almost I was nobody was saying
PROTO That scene also makes it confusing as well, because the assassin says he says like this is from from Michael Corleone. And as the viewer, you don’t know who’s killing him. So you just assume that it’s him, which kind of throws off your whole tracking of what’s going on in this movie. So it’s like a really interesting choice to not only throw off or just to throw off your viewer in that way with that line, like giving no no insight that it’s the the other faction that’s trying to kill him.
SLIM And then also that old man assassin, Is he the worst assassin in history? That guy stinks.
DANNY The guy that choked out Frank was from the other people but pretend to say there was some
SLIM Yeah, it was on purpose. They wanted to kind of like, set things in motion. Uh huh. So they lied when they said that. Oh, Ron points out some of the actors didn’t return because they wanted so much money. I also read them I felt like some of them wanted control over their own lines. And they just like more brought back up like crazy demands coming right back in the film. Let’s see. So I guess honorable mentions and rating from Proto.
PROTO Honorable mentions. I love Robert Duvall in this again. The scenes where him and Pacino were talking Italian to each other. I mean, do you know that character he’s the only one who doesn’t fail Michael pretty much the only one in the family. And he’s the adopted brother.
SLIM He doesn’t come back for the third movie, which kind of sucks.
DANNY Excuse me? Why?
SLIM That’s not a spoiler. Acting choices, or actor not signing contracts. He decided not to come back.
PROTO Wow. Yeah, so I really enjoyed his performance. I mean, Robert Duvall always nails it. So my rating for this? I still love the Vito Robert De Niro stuff. I wish we had a whole movie of that. And honestly, while watching this, I kind of dreaded any scene that we’re going back to Michael. A lot of it’s like, beautiful. But, man, I remember this the first time like I really just felt, I hate saying this, but I felt like the runtime of this movie. It just like feels very long. I don’t really enjoy the Michael stuff as much especially as the movie goes further and not because I don’t like the character. I don’t like where things are going. And like the ending is such a downer in this. And I just wish I had more Vito. So I’m at three stars. [Danny & Slim laugh]
SLIM The greatest sequel ever made. Three stars.
DANNY Wow.
SLIM Wow. Danny, honorable mentions?
DANNY I had to Duvall down. Yes. Um, I had to instantly look up the Tahoe house to the property 2020 It went up for sale for $5.5 million. We saw that I logged into our 70mm Pay Pal to see if we could swing it and we couldn’t sell it. Just the fact that that place exists. I got to see it. Gotta see it. I loved this film. I had a great time watching it. It is long. I don’t think it’s better than the first movie. But I’m still at five stars for this film. I enjoyed it so much. The Vito stuff, the Di Nero stuff is top tier cinema. Like top tier. Every every second of it. I just wanted more.
SLIM Holy smokes. The greatest sequel ever made, quote, sequels month. Honorable Mentions. I thought Connie loved radiant in this movie. Michael sister I thought she looked fantastic. Let’s see the gown. The gown that guy? Oh the groan, so when he meets Don Homer. In the like Cafe the old guy just makes a grown noise that cracks me up. I might drop it in here if it’s loud enough, but he sounded like a zombie. Don Homer wearing the code as a cape just cracks me up. Like what a lost art, wearing coats as capes.
DANNY But his scar on his neck. That was something else.
SLIM There’s a scene where Michael comes home. And Kay is doing something she’s sewing and he just slowly decides not to degrade her. Thought that was incredible scene. Just so much said in that moment of just nothing happening. Um, everyone getting killed in the wrap up. That’s just classic golf. I love that classic, depressing ending. I agree. I do not like this more than the first godfather. Very good. Four and a half stars. For me for the Godfather Part Two. I am anxious to watch the third one. I’m excited. I really want to watch the third one. I mean, so but I will not be picking it. So I’m just shutting it down. Right now. I’m picking Godfather Part Three for sequels. Now I pick right now. We’ll say Megan manava game dinero stuff is the best part about the I agree. De Niro looks incredible..His body fat percentage. I mean, he’s got the ideal man’s body. Looks great. Let’s see, what do we got next on our list here? We gotta get two emails. I think our VMs think we have let’s see, do we have any we have missing? People, people, people, people who? We do have an email, you can shoot us an email 70mmpod@gmail.com. Use the link on 70mmpod.com. It comes in from Scott Marvel.
DANNY Talk to us Scott.
SLIM “Hey, 70mm pod gang, love what you do. You guys are always thinking of themes for whole month’s worth of viewings. Hear me out for November: Hanksgiving. Four films of the nicest guy in Hollywood, Tom Hanks. Or for December, Merry Chris-mas. One film from each: Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pine, Chris Evans and Chris Pratt.”
DANNY No.
SLIM Just thinking ahead. That comes from Scott Marvel.
DANNY I’ll do a Chris Pine month. That’s about it.
SLIM I’d love to rewatch Star Trek.
PROTO That December, that’s a cursed idea. [Slim laughs] I never want that idea brought up again.
SLIM Proto’s using his executive branch powers to veto that Month theme. Never seen it done.
PROTO I’d pick a Tom Hanks movie though.
SLIM Tom Hanks. It’s been a while since we saw his fro of hair from You’ve Got Mail. The everyman in that movie, right?
PROTO He’s me. He’s you.
SLIM Alright. Sequels month rolls on. And now we’re at the part of the show where people are sweating a little bit getting, nervous. There was a list that a magazine pointed out this week of a best 100 Best sequels ever made. A lot of buzz and our Discord about people say and then prime I think might you might have even said your movie was on that list. Is that true?
PROTO That is true. My movie was on that list.
DANNY Goodness.
SLIM I’m ready. You had the first pick. You had the first pick!
PROTO I had the first pick. Yeah, I also said I also said last week that my pick is a sequel to a movie that we’ve done on the show. And I said that no one would pick it. But I did get a DM this week.
DANNY Ohhh, was it Art?
PROTO It was Art.
DANNY I knew it. Son of a —
PROTO Art was the only one who figured that who figured it out as far as as far as I know.
SLIM As far as your DMs go.
PROTO As far as my DMs go. So I picked a movie… I think it was in 2020. I picked a movie. In the Mood for Love from Wong Kar Wai. He has a he has a trilogy in which In the Mood for Love is the second movie. The sequel, and the final movie in his trilogy is a movie called 2046 that came out in 2004. And that’s my pick. We’re going back to the Wong Kar Wai well.
DANNY Oh my goodness.
SLIM Are you still in the mood for love? Women enter and exit a science fiction authors life. Over the course of a few years after the author loses the woman he considers his one true love.
DANNY Excuse me.
PROTO I’ve watched two Wong Kar Wai movies since we did In The Mood For love. I we I think we all give that three stars I think we all gave in three.
SLIM I remember we were in the midst of a Pocket Cast feature. And we had a ton of people try our show for the first time so that was probably a shell shock for people.
PROTO Yeah, but I watched two of his other movies, the Chungking Express and Fallen Angels. And I love those movies. I thought they’re amazing. I think Wong Kar-wai is a genius. So I’m excited to watch this for the first time.
SLIM Pinkies out, next week. 2046 good pick. I’m still stunned. I’m looking at a letterbox right now. David Erlich fivestars Kev five stars. Host of the action pod cost any from her from earlier.
PROTO My boy, Ben Sandburg. My brother’s clicked on it just says his days of being wild in the mood for love and 2046 the greatest trilogy of all time. Yes.
SLIM This feels like a Sandberg pick.
SLIM Matt Buchanan, podcast Godfather himself. Two stars.
DANNY Interesting.
SLIM Sean Fennessey, three and a half stars. Wow. Okay. Next week. This is streaming anywhere that we say that yeah. Not streaming. Oh god, I might have to go to library to get this one off. Holy cow. Everyone go to their local library make sure just watch doesn’t even have anything.
DANNY It’s a $40 DVD on Amazon right now. One left in stock.
SLIM Oh my God, he might he can we travel a DVD around in seven days to the host of this show?
DANNY Where’s possession at?
PROTO I gotta say who won our Godfather trilogy? Yes. So for leading ladies, we had the VGER bets whoever whoever whoever had the most winnings after the four movies and predicted our star ratings and what the the the average stars would be would win the box set and pretty much you had to you had to you had to be you had to win every week to stay in competition it seemed like and at the end here with over 28,000 views your coins is… Traynor.
DANNY My goodness.
PROTO Traynor in the Discord. He won it all.
SLIM Congratulations Traynor. The VGOshies she’s did it again. This is the future of currency. Pardo is on the forefront of the future of our society with the VGER coins.
PROTO Yeah, this is a centralized infinite, worthless token that can be easily replicated and is not unique in any way. It’s going to change the world.
SLIM Just like the real Bitcoin. Congratulations Traynor, congratulations to pro for building a new legal betting construct inside of Veeder this week, but so next week, 2046. Wong Kar-Wai. Any closing thoughts Proto?
PROTO I guess I have to watch the Godfather Part Three, I haven’t seen it either. Should I save it in case somebody picks it or should we all just watch it on our own?
DANNY I’m not picking it. I love you guys. I’m not picking it
[70mm theme songs ramps up, plays alone, fades out]
