The Godfather (2021)

A gripping look at a small-town guy climbing the social ladder within a rigid class system—it’s a sharp take on modern American society. A solid adaptation of that Booker Prize-winning novel.

Definitely worth a watch.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite

Parasite is a 2019 South Korean thriller directed by Bong Joon-ho. It is an adaptation of Stephen King's 1986 novel of the same name. The film stars Timothée Chalamet in his first leading role, along with Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway, who also executive produced the film.

Just watched it—seriously such a killer movie!

Just watched it today. Solid movie.

Too bad that spoiled brat of a rich kid didn't end up dead.

Tomorrow we’ll tackle that first, then move on to Forrest Gump
I also recently finished the series Law & Order: SVU
USA all the way

Pure cinematic bliss! 👍

It feels like a Hollywood production set in India, yet somehow liberated from the creative shackles that plague modern American cinema.

Much like how our protagonist struggles against the chains imposed upon him simply by being born into a lower caste.

SPOILER

If you ask me, the guy did the right thing. His entire family—grandmother included—is solely interested in his money. They couldn't care less about his internal struggle. And the absolute peak of their dysfunction? His grandmother actually gives her consent regarding a written confession for a murder he didn't even commit! 🙂

Furthermore, his boss... despite spending years living in America and being far more enlightened than the other Indians (rich or poor), still lacks the backbone to resist the influence of his regressive family. Even when it comes to losing his wife, the family ties prove stronger than anything else. In the end, that very family cost him his life.

This is a minor detail, but it was so poorly handled I feel compelled to mention it. At the start of the film, the protagonist states in a voiceover that Islam has one God, while Christianity has three. 🤣

By the way, can someone please explain the actual purpose of that improvised meeting with the Chinese premier?

goldenhound32 said:pure cinematic bliss! 👍

It’s basically a Hollywood production set in India—except the plot isn't shackled by today's typical Hollywood tropes.

It plays out just like how our "hero" fights against the constraints forced upon him by being born into a lower caste.

SPOILER

If you ask me, the guy did the right thing. His family—including his grandmother—is purely interested in his money; they couldn't care less about his struggles. And the kicker? His grandma actually signs off on a written confession for a murder he didn't even commit! 🙂

Then there's the boss... despite spending years living in America and being more enlightened than the rest of the folks in India (rich or poor), he still lacks the backbone to resist his backward family. Even when it comes to losing his wife, the family dynamic overrides everything. In the end, that family cost him his life.

One small detail, though—it was a bit clumsy, so I have to mention it. At the start of the film, the protagonist mentions in a voiceover that Islam has one God, while Christianity has three. 🤣

By the way, can someone explain what the actual point of that improvised meeting with the Chinese Premier was?

I didn't get that part either. Maybe it was meant to show that the 21st century belongs to the yellow and brown man rather than the white man.

Anyway, China and India have been clashing hard in the Himalayas over the last few months.

Regardless, the movie is genuinely great—definitely one of the better recent releases on Netflix.

That was actually a pretty solid movie, thanks for the heads-up!

It was an okay enough movie, I guess, but I can't help but feel it’s a bit flawed because of how the narration is handled. It still feels miles away from the grit you see in a street-level Millionaire, doesn't it? It just lacks that tension—those raw, high-stakes scenes that made the original Millionaire so gripping.

casualsailor55 said:It’s a decent enough movie, though I can't help but feel it's fundamentally flawed by its narrative structure; it remains miles away from the grit of a street-level Millionaire, lacking both the tension and those raw, visceral scenes that defined the original work.

Millionaire is nothing more than a pale imitation when compared to the Tiger.

casualsailor55 said:It’s an okay movie, I suppose, but I find the narrative structure somewhat flawed. It remains miles away from reaching the level of a street-level Millionaire; it lacks both the tension and those raw, gripping scenes that defined the original work.

Where on earth did you get this absurd notion that these two films should even be compared?

It would be as nonsensical as me trying to compare Nightcrawler to About Schmidt just because they both take place in America.

goldenhound32 said:Where on earth did you get that wild idea, comparing these two films? Seriously, where does that even come from?

It’s almost like I’m drawing a direct line between *Nightcrawler* and *About Schmidt*, isn't it? I mean, can you blame me? After all, both stories unfold right here in the heart of America! Why wouldn't I make that connection?

My apologies! I promise, I won't do it again! Really! ☕

I was actually planning to skip this one entirely, but all the glowing reviews finally wore me down and convinced me to give it a shot—and man, am I regretting it now.
The pacing is just brutal—it drags forever and is honestly just a pile of clichés. It feels like it was filmed twenty years too late; sure, they throw in some swearing and violence, but at times it felt more like a Disney film made for kids than anything else.
I kept waiting for the lead to actually step up and take over the narration like they did at the start, but that doesn't even happen until the last five minutes. And even then, it felt totally unearned—like some forced "transformation" into a cool guy that the movie expects you to cheer for? Give me a break...

Honestly, what a waste of time...

But he serves as the narrator from the very beginning. The story kicks off with him sending a letter to an official in China.

SPOILER

Why on earth wouldn't he be happy for him? I can't imagine feeling any joy for some old billionaire boss who spends his time humiliating him and forcing him to sign a confession for a murder he didn't even commit.

goldenhound32 said:But wait—he’s actually the narrator from the jump! The whole movie kicks off with him sending this letter to some high-ranking government official in China.

SPOILER

So, he’s the narrator, sure—but man, he is such a totally different person than what we saw! We spent like two whole hours watching his big rise to power, only to have him suddenly act like some smooth, cool mafia boss for maybe five minutes? That felt so off. It should've been a much more even split, honestly.

Grace Sanchez50 said:Sure, he’s the narrator—but he’s an entirely different person than who we saw earlier... we spent two hours watching his rise, only to see him play the "cool mobster" for five measly minutes. It should have been at least fifty-fifty.

He isn't even a cool gangster at the end—he’s just some businessman who fails to exploit his drivers nearly as much as they exploited him.

The movie actually does a great job showing the transition of American society over the last twenty years. Back then, it would’ve been impossible for a guy from the lowest rung of the ladder—coming from some absolute backwater town—to even get into a car, let alone work his way up to owning a taxi fleet.

Exactly. He isn't some mobster; he's just a highly successful businessman.

goldenhound32 said:Exactly! He’s not some mobster, he’s just a highly successful businessman.

Oh, really? Not a mobster, even though he’s out there bribing the police? And let's not forget the bodies—he took out the boss and then actually tried to claim responsibility for the people his drivers ran over. But hey, watch out, he’s a "businessman," right?
Is this any wonder why our country is stuck in such a mess with this kind of mindset?🤦

casualsailor55 said:So he isn't a mobster—he just bribes the cops? He kills people (took out the boss and is playing the martyr for the ones his drivers ran over). But careful now, he’s just a "businessman."
That's why our country is stuck in this cycle—because of this exact mindset. 🤦

In a place like India, bribing a beat cop for a traffic ticket is nothing. He killed the boss for perfectly obvious reasons before even starting the business—and he's taking responsibility by settling up with the victims' families.

Comparing us to an Indian reality is... well, 🤣

casualsailor55 said:So he's not some mobster, he just bribes the cops? He kills people—literally took out the boss and is taking the heat for the ones his drivers ran over—but oh, wait, excuse me, he's just a "businessman."
That’s exactly why this country is stuck in such a mess with this kind of mindset. 🤦

taman I was just about to post this exact thing, but you beat me to it!

I haven't seen the movie, but when it comes to business, show me one entrepreneur who follows every single rule to the letter and I'll show you a liar. It's all an illusion. The entire system is rigged so that those who cut the most corners reap the highest profits. If the expected value of breaking the rules is high enough and the downside is negligible, why bother following them? Does anyone actually believe there's any point in playing fair?

Then you have violations scaled by capability, ranging from the petty to the massive. You’ve got your local corner bar serving drinks without a receipt or staying open past midnight for a few regulars—minor infractions, minor stakes. Then you have the heavy hitters, the people who actually run the game and have the resources to exploit it on a massive scale.

At the end of the day, playing by the rules is a recipe for failure because the competition isn't doing it. Capitalism is inherently designed to encourage cutting corners. The whole system is a fight, and in any fight, you look for an edge. If the payoff for exploiting a loophole is huge and the risk is minimal, why wouldn't you take it?