The Offer (Paramount+, April 28) - Dramatization of Making of The Godfather

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

3 hours ago, Augustus said:

The only thing I find distracting is about this show is that somehow Goode sounds like his nose is completely stuffy.

Goode is all right. He's played quite a range of characters over his career thus far. Some better than others, but he's all right in my book. Apparently he took some guff for taking on a Scottish accent in The King's Man, and I'm thinking to myself, where were you all when he was playing an Irishman in Leap Year with Amy Adams? I agree with the folks who praise his acting in The Imitation Game, I thought he did well there.

[atomheartbevo 89649]

On 5/6/2022 at 12:18 PM, Not a cat said:

So how factual is this story?  Without spoilering, thinking about the scene in episode 4 with the owner of the house.  If so, holy shit.

5 hours ago, Augustus said:

I don't know if that scene reflects actual history, but so far everything I've googled has either been what really happened, or it was dramatized in a very reasonable way to reflect what really happened.

Lot more factual than I expected, but like Augustus said, they've fudged some things in reasonable ways - Brando did do some kind of transformation on film as a pseudo audition that wowed everybody, but they filmed him at the request of the studio head/owner, and who was actually there was slightly different (Coppola was definitely there).

They were initially denying 60+ locations until Colombo backed them, then they magically got access to all of those places.

The house thing wasn't as dramatic/horrifying, at least as far as Ruddy, etc. know - the owner wanted them to fix some things for free, for access.  But then again, given all of the crazy shit around Colombo, we'll never actually know.

[billfromlaketravis 11458]

7 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Lot more factual than I expected, but like Augustus said, they've fudged some things in reasonable ways - Brando did do some kind of transformation on film as a pseudo audition that wowed everybody, but they filmed him at the request of the studio head/owner, and who was actually there was slightly different (Coppola was definitely there).

They were initially denying 60+ locations until Colombo backed them, then they magically got access to all of those places.

The house thing wasn't as dramatic/horrifying, at least as far as Ruddy, etc. know - the owner wanted them to fix some things for free, for access.  But then again, given all of the crazy shit around Colombo, we'll never actually know.

Why was Colombo the mafia fixer? He was a boss sure, but he really didn’t have a background in show business. 

[Mach 1 1677]

I'm really enjoying this show.

Did Paramount just not bother marketing it?  The only thing I've seen is a billboard that was so bland I didn't give it a second thought.  Only reason I watched the show was because of this thread.

csb/ I was invited to a party at Evans' Beverly Hills house a year or so after The Kid Stays in the Picture.  Buddy of mine worked for Sirius and they had just given him some kind of radio show, so they threw a party.  When we were walking up to the front door Jack Nicholson walked out and lit a cigarette.  He looked up and said "Fucking rain" (just started sprinkling) then flicked his cigarette and walked right back in behind us.

It was cool poking around the house I saw in the movie.  Evans was swarmed with people so never got to speak to him, unforunately. Only odd thing I recall was Dick Van Patten giving the primary speech about Evans, how great he is, yadda yadda.  I thought, Could there be a more polar opposite personality to Evans, the dad from Eight is Enough?

Apparently they've been very close friends for some time.  Go figure.

/csb

[mchookem 16327]

this is interesting from Evans' wiki page, since lots of folks here appreciate BCS...

• Evans served as the inspiration for a Mr. Show sketch, in which Bob Odenkirk portrays God recording his memoirs, dressed as and speaking like Evans. Odenkirk also attributes Evans as his primary influence on his portrayal of lawyer Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad.^[38]

[atomheartbevo 89649]

3 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Why was Colombo the mafia fixer? He was a boss sure, but he really didn’t have a background in show business. 

Him starting/running the Italian-American Civil Rights League, which was really about denying or downplaying that the Mafia existed, at least the way the public perceived it, was why he was so close to Ruddy.  He was trying to have a say in The Godfather the movie because the book was so huge at the time.  They were tired of the Jimmy Cagney type of gangster movies.

[Hozz 1017]

This is a tremendous show.  The guy playing Coppola I had only ever seen as the uncle on Goldbergs.  He's cast really well here.

[TonyTexas 10510]

I’m liking the show but I’m a sucker for anything Godfather,  far and away my favorite movie. I don’t love the Al Ruddy character. As often happens when the main protagonist is also the source material and an executive producer, it feels somewhat like a vanity project. 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21898]

No new episode today?

[Deej 76759]

I cant wait for Ruddy's secretary to fall for Roy Kent. 

[atomheartbevo 89649]

16 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

No new episode today?

Thursdays.

[atomheartbevo 89649]

Another solid episode, and holy shit the actor they cast as Joe Gallo looks like him

[billfromlaketravis 11458]

Uh, did we watch a deleted scene at the dinner? 

[billfromlaketravis 11458]

Breath it in folks. This might the best depiction of the Second Colombo War we get on screen. 

[Frank Erwin 203]

On 5/8/2022 at 5:28 PM, Mach 1 said:

I'm really enjoying this show.

Did Paramount just not bother marketing it?  The only thing I've seen is a billboard that was so bland I didn't give it a second thought.  Only reason I watched the show was because of this thread.

csb/ I was invited to a party at Evans' Beverly Hills house a year or so after The Kid Stays in the Picture.  Buddy of mine worked for Sirius and they had just given him some kind of radio show, so they threw a party.  When we were walking up to the front door Jack Nicholson walked out and lit a cigarette.  He looked up and said "Fucking rain" (just started sprinkling) then flicked his cigarette and walked right back in behind us.

It was cool poking around the house I saw in the movie.  Evans was swarmed with people so never got to speak to him, unforunately. Only odd thing I recall was Dick Van Patten giving the primary speech about Evans, how great he is, yadda yadda.  I thought, Could there be a more polar opposite personality to Evans, the dad from Eight is Enough?

Apparently they've been very close friends for some time.  Go figure.

/csb

Read The Kid Stays in the Picture.  Van Patten was quite the poon hound in his early years.

[henrygandorf 29189]

i am loving this show and perplexed by the mediocre reviews it has received.

being an evans fan, i had read then watched "the kid stays in the picture" but seeing this makes me realize how out of the loop he was (as he should've been) on the day-to-day production shit, not to mention all the real life mafia/movie overlap.

shows like this told by one of the principals (ruddy) tend to glorify his badassedness, which it definitely is doing, but i find myself not caring about that at all.

[Augustus 3061]

I was on Paramount+ or whatever it's called last night, watching the last Star Trek, and I saw The Godfather on there before I clicked off and thought,  "I'll just watch that great opening scene with Bonasera."

Couldn't turn it off.

Such a masterpiece in every detail.

[Augustus 3061]

In the scene where Michael lays out his plan to kill Solozzo, we can see Michael surrounded by the others in the room.  The camera begins to slowly zoom on him.

So he's surrounded by family--blood and mafia family--but by the time he says, "I'll kill 'em both," he's all alone on the screen.

Great way to visualize how his decision to cross the line eventually cost him everything, and left him all alone.  Hadn't ever thought of that before.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

On 5/17/2022 at 12:44 PM, Augustus said:

 Hadn't ever thought of that before.

Rep to your entire post, but I also want to highlight this last sentence. In essence, you describe what I may love the most about the question  'what is a classic?' to me. Regardless of whether it is a film or a novel or any other form of creative expression, the magic of the piece is it becomes personal, a revelation with each visitation. Within various genres of literature, art, film, and music there are many that I return to again and again.

Whether it is something new in my own history, growth, or experience plus other's --such as your observation creating an 'aha' moment-- that creates this result probably matters more to me than whether the creator even had the intent to engender such a response or if something was happenstance. That, to me, is the beauty of art. The eye of the beholder as it were.

Thank you for your post about that scene.

 

Sorry, not sorry,  for the derail.

[Augustus 3061]

15 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Rep to your entire post, but I also want to highlight this last sentence. In essence, you describe what I may love the most about the question  'what is a classic?' to me. Regardless of whether it is a film or a novel or any other form of creative expression, the magic of the piece is it becomes personal, a revelation with each visitation. Within various genres of literature, art, film, and music there are many that I return to again and again.

Whether it is something new in my own history, growth, or experience plus other's --such as your observation creating an 'aha' moment-- that creates this result probably matters more to me than whether the creator even had the intent to engender such a response or if something was happenstance. That, to me, is the beauty of art. The eye of the beholder as it were.

Thank you for your post about that scene.

 

Sorry, not sorry,  for the derail.

Couldn't agree more.  Very well said.

[atomheartbevo 89649]

Michael Gandolfini With a Texas accent.

[atomheartbevo 89649]

On 5/12/2022 at 10:22 PM, billfromlaketravis said:

Breath it in folks. This might the best depiction of the Second Colombo War we get on screen. 

When all is said and done, if you pulled out the real-life mafia war stuff, it could be used to make a 3-4 hour movie/mini-series.

[billfromlaketravis 11458]

12 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

When all is said and done, if you pulled out the real-life mafia war stuff, it could be used to make a 3-4 hour movie/mini-series.

We need a Third Colombo War series. It spanned about a decade of you include Wild Bill’s murder at the very, very end. Need more 1990’s mob stories make it to film. 

Edited May 19, 2022 by billfromlaketravis

[billfromlaketravis 11458]

Gandolfini’s son as a Texas oil millionaire because…???… good agent/name recognition I guess. 

[VirginiaLonghorn 4771]

40 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Gandolfini’s son as a Texas oil millionaire because…???… good agent/name recognition I guess. 

Enough vowels in his last name …

[billfromlaketravis 11458]

A Wild Bill Cutolo show would be awesome. Imagine all the Gotti charm with brains. He was definitely in the wrong family. He’s probably still  on the street if he was with the Genovese Family. 

Despite their size, voids in leadership, and very public wars the Colombo’s did well for themselves. The Godfather, gas tax scam, and the concrete connection. Even got a piece of Lufthansa. Allegedly. 

 

[wild_turkey 3159]

We watched the first 6 episodes over the past week and we’re enjoying it. The Godfather has always been one of my favorite movies but I realized how little I knew about the background.

My only small complaint is that Miles Teller seems to be pretty flat in his acting. Not a lot of range of emotion from him, even when you would expect his character to be worked up over something. Maybe that’s how Al Ruddy actually was, I dunno.

We also took this opportunity to rewatch The Godfather and we’re about an hour in The Godfather part 2. Used to be a yearly watch for me but it’s been a few years.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

2 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

My only small complaint is that Miles Teller seems to be pretty flat in his acting. Not a lot of range of emotion from him, even when you would expect his character to be worked up over something. Maybe that’s how Al Ruddy actually was, I dunno.

You've highlighted what I would imagine is likely a very difficult thing for a professional actor playing a living/real person in a dramatic interpretation. How much is too much on one side of the line or the other?

[atomheartbevo 89649]

15 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

Maybe that’s how Al Ruddy actually was, I dunno

Real life 91 year old Al Ruddy

 

[atomheartbevo 89649]

21 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

Maybe that’s how Al Ruddy actually was, I dunno

Watching that interview above, sounds fairly close to him, complete with direct quotes.  

[Deej 76759]

8 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

You've highlighted what I would imagine is likely a very difficult thing for a professional actor playing a living/real person in a dramatic interpretation. How much is too much on one side of the line or the other?

 

[Deej 76759]

8 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Real life 91 year old Al Ruddy

 

That's a damn good looking 91. 

[Trey3216 15346]

I’ve been highly impressed with the show thus far.   Even my wife, who I can barely get to sit through the movies, is thoroughly enjoying it and now wants to watch the movies due to seeing how hard it was to make.   
 

Chambers is absolutely nailing Brando, and I think Matthew Goode has been brilliant as Evans.   Dude playing FFC has been equally impressive.   Great job by Paramount+ on this one.   

[atomheartbevo 89649]

16 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

Dude playing FFC has been equally impressive.  

Yeah, I had only seen him in the Harry Potter prequels, and he's been fantastic as FFC.

 

[Loose Stool 112]

Great show!  Amazing to see how all this went down.

Why isn't Paramount pimping this more?  It's excellent.

[billfromlaketravis 11458]

Michael Franzese’s review is pretty predictable. He claims he was right in the middle of everything, of course. He really likes the show with the exception of the portrayal of Joe Colombo. “Joe was no buffoon!”

Sounds like Franzese was in school during the Second Colombo War, but kind of getting involved in the life. His father Sonny was likely the Colombo Family underboss at the time. 
 

Link : 

 

[atomheartbevo 89649]

3 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Michael Franzese’s review is pretty predictable. He claims he was right in the middle of everything, of course. He really likes the show with the exception of the portrayal of Joe Colombo. “Joe was no buffoon!”

Sounds like Franzese was in school during the Second Colombo War, but kind of getting involved in the life. His father Sonny was likely the Colombo Family underboss at the time. 

The whole series has been great, but given that Godfather has to end filming at some point and then we get the premier, etc., I would love for them to continue on with the cast and crew and just follow the Colombos for a S2.

[billfromlaketravis 11458]

8 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

The whole series has been great, but given that Godfather has to end filming at some point and then we get the premier, etc., I would love for them to continue on with the cast and crew and just follow the Colombos for a S2.

That be terrific. Ribisi has aged up to the point where he’s in the mafia administration sweet spot. The young punk roles are in his rear view. 
 

I’m pretty certain we see Colombo get shot in Columbus Circle in June 1971. The Godfather was released in March 1972. 

[Texzilla58 4733]

Michael Franzese’s review is pretty predictable. He claims he was right in the middle of everything, of course. He really likes the show with the exception of the portrayal of Joe Colombo. “Joe was no buffoon!”
Sounds like Franzese was in school during the Second Colombo War, but kind of getting involved in the life. His father Sonny was likely the Colombo Family underboss at the time. 
 
Link : 
 

Franceze gets into Joe Columbo’s assassination on one of the mafia documentaries. He was there. He showed the mob how computer crime could be far more profitable than street crimes.

We’re 3 in and enjoying it. I’ll likely have to rewatch to catch all the historical references. Love seeing all the different movie sets like Ruddy going to see Redford on the active Butch Cassidy set to talk about Little Fauss and Big Halsey. And references to Paint Your Wagon, which was horrible.

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

15 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

That be terrific. Ribisi has aged up to the point where he’s in the mafia administration sweet spot. The young punk roles are in his rear view. 
 

I’m pretty certain we see Colombo get shot in Columbus Circle in June 1971. The Godfather was released in March 1972. 

SPOILER! 

I'm also watching 11/22/63, so don't spoiler what happens to Kennedy please.

[Texzilla58 4733]

SPOILER! 
I'm also watching 11/22/63, so don't spoiler what happens to Kennedy please.

Well it sucks. Stacy Abrams as Connelly is a horrible reach.

[henrygandorf 29189]

On 5/23/2022 at 7:20 AM, atomheartbevo said:

Real life 91 year old Al Ruddy

 

only a few minutes into this, but i've often heard reference to his claim that "movies that are torturous to make, often end up the best, whereas movies where everyone is having fun, people get lazy and the project suffers."  i wish i could remember the movie, but it's been 10+ years since it came out.  but there was some movie with a pretty impressive cast, and all these stories came out about how everyone got along, and how it was like a vacation, and they all had such a good time.

and one of the producers (who wasn't on set) said something to the tune of, "glad you guys had fun, because everyone who paid to see this movie got sick."

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

1 hour ago, henrygandorf said:

whereas movies where everyone is having fun, people get lazy and the project suffers.

Counterpoint: Caddyshack.

[henrygandorf 29189]

8 minutes ago, Cheeseweasel said:

Counterpoint: Caddyshack.

caddyshack had all sorts of drama.

nobody knew if the chevy-murray scene would even be able to happen.

[Herpa Derpa 6125]

I also heard the gopher repeatedly holed up in his trailer and fucked up the day's production on multiple occasions. Typical Hollywood diva.

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

31 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

caddyshack had all sorts of drama.

nobody knew if the chevy-murray scene would even be able to happen.

But it did. And the project didn't suffer. Just the director. (RIP Harold)

[henrygandorf 29189]

12 minutes ago, Cheeseweasel said:

But it did. And the project didn't suffer. Just the director. (RIP Harold)

counter counter point - every adam sandler movie.

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

Just now, henrygandorf said:

counter counter point - every adam sandler movie.

Counter, counter, counter point. Every Adam Sandler movie is just an excuse for Sandler to get his friends together and get shitfaced. Whatever movie comes out is merely ancillary.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

2 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

only a few minutes into this, but i've often heard reference to his claim that "movies that are torturous to make, often end up the best, whereas movies where everyone is having fun, people get lazy and the project suffers."  i wish i could remember the movie, but it's been 10+ years since it came out.  but there was some movie with a pretty impressive cast, and all these stories came out about how everyone got along, and how it was like a vacation, and they all had such a good time.

and one of the producers (who wasn't on set) said something to the tune of, "glad you guys had fun, because everyone who paid to see this movie got sick."

Cannonball Run?

[Deej 76759]

6 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

only a few minutes into this, but i've often heard reference to his claim that "movies that are torturous to make, often end up the best, whereas movies where everyone is having fun, people get lazy and the project suffers."  i wish i could remember the movie, but it's been 10+ years since it came out.  but there was some movie with a pretty impressive cast, and all these stories came out about how everyone got along, and how it was like a vacation, and they all had such a good time.

and one of the producers (who wasn't on set) said something to the tune of, "glad you guys had fun, because everyone who paid to see this movie got sick."

Counterpoint: Smokey and the Bandit