Sophie's Choice (1982)

#91, added in 2007 replacing My Fair Lady

I think I missed something. Like, the point of this movie, for example. It's one of the most-hyped movies I've ever heard of (note: it's possible I've heard so much about it because I grew up Jewish studying and commemorating the Holocaust). Of course it's the first Oscar Meryl Streep won, based on a novel, Kevin Kline's first film, etc. There are many great things about the movie, don't get me wrong. But overall, I didn't like it at all.

The entirety of Kevin Kline's role is extraneous. I'd almost say the same for Peter MacNichol's character. Stingo (worst name of all time, made me cringe every time they said it) narrates the whole movie, Kevin Kline acts crazy the whole time (albeit a major plot point) and Sophie barely says anything until the last half hour. It's like someone forgot that the title is "Sophie's Choice". I didn't know much about the movie before watching it but the soundbyte description was "a mother has to choose which of her children is killed in Auschwitz." After the first hour of character development, story lines, backstories, montages, etc. I began to wonder when the main concept would factor in. In case you watch it and spend the whole movie wondering the same thing, I'll save you the trouble: not till the last 15 minutes. HELLO?? Literally the first hour and a half is the three of them falling in love, becoming best friends, running around Coney Island, fighting, making up, having picnics.... It's like two completely separate films were spliced together. At some point Sophie opens up to Stingo and tells him about her experiences in the war. We see this in a flashback and Meryl Streep has never been better. I wanted more of that and less of them flouncing around Brooklyn. Peter MacNichol does an awful Southern accent which made me want to turn off the movie altogether. He's actually pretty good in this other than his accent but that's hard to get past which makes him annoying. He's never been one of my favorites (funny on Ally McBeal but annoying as well, interestingly evil on 24 but annoying as well; see the pattern?) and my opinion of him hasn't changed much after this.

The exception is Meryl Streep. It's like she stepped out of the most incredible movie ever made and landed in this. It is truly one of the most incredible performances of all time. Her accent is spot on the entire time and, having spent a lot of time with Russian families growing up, I can attest that her mannerisms are impeccable. It's more than the actual accent; the way she crafts her phrases is perfect. If you didn't know who Meryl Streep was you'd swear she was Polish. Also mind-blowing is her acting in other languages. Yes, accents are difficult. More difficult, in my opinion, is making another language you don't actually speak come off with true emotion. I've had some practice with French, German, Hebrew, Spanish... it's incredibly difficult to focus on getting the words out and have them mean something. I really could go on all day about how inspiring she is. If it weren't for her performance I'd wonder why the movie made the AFI list at all. It carries the movie to that extent.

I'm having a hard time making a final decision about the film and whether or not I'd recommend it. It really is worth it to sit through it just for Meryl Streep but it's not an easy process. Overall I say any actor needs to watch her work in this one but make sure you're well-rested, hydrated and stretched out first. It's a tough one to get through.

The Godfather Part II (1974)

unchanged #32

I have a confession to make: I didn't like this one nearly as much as the first. I actually finished this a few days ago but I haven't gotten around to writing about it yet. The past few days have also given me some time to collect my thoughts. There's no question that it's an achievement. It's a big, big film and it's very impressive in a lot of ways. Coppola is a master and everyone in the film is excellent. The non-linear storytelling and parallel time periods is fascinating and I love films that use those techniques well. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to love.

However. It feels much more spread out than the first and I liked that Part I told a very neat story with a beginning middle and end. That's sort of ironic considering Part II takes place before and after Part I but it still has a complete arc. Part II covers A LOT of ground and it felt very thin at parts. There was a lot going on and many, many different characters that I couldn't keep straight (who was in the first movie, who reappears both before and after the first movie, who's doing business with whom, who's stabbing who in the back, etc. [not to mention all the Italian names I can't remember]). Plus, love him though I do, there's only so much time I can watch Pacino silently debate with himself. Seriously, half this movie is him thinking pensively, staring into space just off camera. I wanted a little more story development and fewer plot twists, some more solid action and some better dialogue. It's interesting that it won Best Screenplay and Best Picture and the first didn't because Part I had this beat easy.

ON THE OTHER HAND: De Niro. Period. Unbelievable. He barely said one word in English and I bought it. The transition from poor, hard-working immigrant to vengeful killer made perfect sense. And most incredible of all, I think, is how closely he plays it to Brando's characterization. They're the only two actors to ever both win awards for playing the same character in different movies.

Diane Keaton is also great. I'm not a big fan of hers but that's because I've only ever seen her post-Woody Allen where everything she plays is EXACTLY. THE. SAME. Funny sometimes, but always the same. She was really good in both movies, I think.

And I gotta give some love to Pacino. He really is amazing and he was great in this movie just as he was in the last one. It's just different and I think he had much more to work with in the first film with his transition into the family business.

Bottom line: worth seeing, not as good as the first, didn't make me want to keep watching for Part III (which will take some time anyway because it's not on the list). Good work, FFCopp!