Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For entries of other participants and the themes for the year, head over to her site. This week's theme is about crime families. The first thing that comes into my mind about crime families are mobs, and I don't think I've seen a lot of movies involving mob families, so there are the picks that are off the top of my head.
The Godfather - I watched this as a blind spot pick in the first year I participated and I loved it. I have yet to watch the sequels.
The Family - This is a weird movie. The whole family is in hiding because they turned witnesses against a mob, but it was kind of half that, and half 'getting along in their new life'. The action parts were interesting, but as a whole this was a dud.
Mickey Blue Eyes - While the mob family isn't the focus here, it does play a big part in this movie because of the character's soon to be father-in-law. James Caan was the saving glory of this movie. This was also during Hugh Grant's run as a romantic comedy lead, but not one of his memorable movies.
I've only seen The Godfather. It's great. I love it. And I love Part II even more. See it.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm going to make it one of my blind spot choices next year if I don't get to it before the year ends.
DeleteI've only seen The Godfather. The Family is kind of popular so far, That was on Brigit's list too!
ReplyDeleteI'm adding Godfather Part 2 to my blind spot list for next year if I don't get around to it soon!
DeleteI think Godfather will probably be showing up a great deal today and while I don't count it among my favorites it is an awfully good film. I'll second Dell's statement that Part II is even better though Part III us a major letdown.
ReplyDeleteThis is the second time I've seen The Family referenced and with that cast I guess I'll have to give it a look.
Mickey Blue Eyes was a pretty standard affair but Caan was the standout and Hugh Grant is always disarming.
I reached back a little further for mine.
Bonnie & Clyde (1967)-Seminal, trend-setting drama of the criminal pair who terrorized the heartland during the depression with Clyde’s brother and his wife. Stylish and ultra-violent this made Warren Beatty a major player in Hollywood, a star of Faye Dunaway, moved Gene Hackman considerably up the ladder as Buck Barrow and won Estelle Parsons a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as Buck’s screeching wife Blanche.
White Heat (1949)-James Cagney stars as Cody Jarrett a psychotic gangster with a mother fixation in one of the best crime noirs of the 40’s. An utterly ruthless man who thinks nothing of gunning down an unarmed man he is prone to violent headaches, an incipient signal of total madness, that can only be soothed by sitting on Ma Jarrett’s (a chilling Margaret Wycherly) knee as she strokes his head. Sent to prison after being caught during their last job Cody is a targeted man both by the undercover agent (Edmund O’Brien) who has been planted to befriend him and one of his henchmen (Steven Cochran) and Cody’s grasping wife Verna (Virginia Mayo) who want to take over the gang. Breaking out he sets out to reassert his dominance during the robbery of a chemical plant payroll but things spiral out of control leading to a fiery climax. Classic Cagney.
Ma Barker’s Killer Brood (1960)-Exploitation version of the Barker clan headed by the ruthlessly murderous Ma (Lurene Tuttle). Revisionist in the extreme showing the gang working with John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson though there’s no proof that they knew any of them in reality. Still it’s a trim little crime caper with Lurene Tuttle, who usually played sweet best friends and sensible mothers, having a grand old time tearing into the merciless and deranged mastermind. She rules her boys with an iron fist mocking any sign of weakness and not sparing the corporeal punishment to all if she thinks it necessary.
I haven't seen any of those, but I do want to check out Bonnie and Clyde.
DeleteThe Godfather is a popular one this week!
I picked The Family and actually quite enjoyed it...they loved each other in a real f-up way. The Godfather is actually a given. I have never seen Mickey Blue Eyes and might one day on tv.
ReplyDeleteI found the whole thing with Dianna Agron and the teacher (and her actions afterwards) really weird and threw me off the movie. The action-packed parts were good though.
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