The Godfather vs. Goodfellas (1 Viewer)

[Holadem]

Well, to those who can't seem to understand why one might prefer a movie they acknowledge is inferior to another one, it is called Objectivity.
Will you ALL honestly tell me that your wife looks better than say... Salma Hayek or [insert bombshell of your choice]? I didn't think so... But for you she does, tho if you are objective, you might acknowledge that Salma Hayek is simply a better looking woman.
That will be Godfather for me btw, I never understood all the fascination with Goodfellas. I guess I will have to give it a second chance.
WHOA!!! You are not gonna believe this, someone is playing the Godfather track as I am typing this! I am in a computer lab. Freaky!

--
Holadem - not to take anything away from your wife...

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Rob, it's not contradictory at all. Citizen Kane is perhaps the greatest movie ever made, but I'd rather watch Saturday Night Fever.
SNF is high up on my favourites list and I DO think it's a terrific movie, but I'm not under any delusions about it being one of the best films ever made.

I think I see the point that you are trying to make. But, I don't really think that your analogy applies here. We are talking about two movies dealing with the mob, how families are affected by being in the mob, etc. That is a big stretch from comparing Citizen Kane to Saturday Night Fever, two completely different films dealing with completely different subject matters. Apples and Oranges.
I think Goodfellas and The Godfather are similar enough that they can be compared head to head, and if you think one is the better film, it would/should follow that it would be the one you prefer!
Just my opinion!
[Edited last by Rob Tomlin on October 25, 2001 at 05:05 PM]

 

[george kaplan]

I can only speak for myself, but when I rate a film, I do it in two dimensions. First, how is it as a work of art, and secondly, how is it as entertainment (how much fun it is to watch).
I suspect that many people might be doing the same thing, only subconsciously. When people say that a movie is 'better', they might be talking about it as art. When they say the 'prefer' a movie, they might be talking about it as entertainment.
Now my entertainment rating is a far more subjective rating than my art rating. I'm not saying that my rating of a film as art is purely objective, but it's a lot closer. I'd expect to agree with others on the 'art' question a lot more than on the entertainment question.
As an example, I'd rate Lawrence of Arabia pretty high on my 'art' scale, but I personally don't enjoy it, so it's low on my entertainment scale. On the other hand, I wouldn't rate Summer Rental nearly as high on the 'art' scale, but I find it a lot more entertaining and fun to watch.
In other words, Lawrence of Arabia is the 'better' movie, but I'd rather watch Summer Rental any day of the week.
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13-time NBA world champion Lakers: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001

 

[Reginald Trent]

I wrote: "The Godfather is the best gangster movie ever, PERIOD."
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Ashley Seymour wrote:
Ib]The Godfather[/b]is the best MOVIE ever made.
I never looked at The Godfather as a gangster movie. That would be like saying that Citizen Cane was the best movie about newspaper publishing, or Casablancawas the best movie about nightclub owners, or
The Graduate was the best movie about college graduation.
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OK, I won't call it a gangster movie if you can tell me what genre The Godfather is closer to than gangster.

 

[Gabe D]

.

I know what objectivity is, I just don't think it has much to do with art appreciation. If there was an objective correct answer to this question, we wouldn't have to rely on a poll. And since the answers given can only be subjective, I find the self-conflicting opinions odd. "I thought it was an excellent film, but I didn't like it." To me, that doesn't make any sense.
Let me make it clear, however, that I'm not actually confused. I'm only trying to make a point. I understand that people judge things on more than one level. I personally don't include movies among those things. If I like it, then I think it's good. It's a very simple system.
-Gabe

 

[Henry Gale]

Once Upon A Time In America

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Once Upon A Time In America

Thanks for playing Jim. You are the weakest link. Goodbye!

 

[Henry Gale]

...but I prefer Bugsy Malone

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Ok, that was funny!

 

[Tom-G]

Very difficult to choose. Both have their great qualities. The Godfather has the element that makes "The Sopranos" great--it's about the family (not the mafia "famiglia").
GoodFellas is so damn good. The camera work, the dialogue, the acting, the editing. It's close to flawless as a film can get. Same thing can be said about The Godfather.
Damn, I love both movies, but I'll have to give the edge to GoodFellas. I watched it 23 times in the summer of 1996.

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As for the bad rap about the characters--hey, I've seen space operas that put their emphasis on human personalities and relationships. They're called "Star Trek" movies. Give me transparent underwater cities and vast hollow senatorial spheres any day. --Roger Ebert on The Phantom Menace
AIM: Aureus91 / DVDs / ICQ: 58566493

 

[Tom-G]

Walt, almost everything is debatable.
GoodFellas does deserve to be mentioned in the same breth and it is most definitely one of the best films of the '90s.
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As for the bad rap about the characters--hey, I've seen space operas that put their emphasis on human personalities and relationships. They're called "Star Trek" movies. Give me transparent underwater cities and vast hollow senatorial spheres any day. --Roger Ebert on The Phantom Menace
AIM: Aureus91 / DVDs / ICQ: 58566493

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

I thought this was The Godfather vs. Goodfellas.
If it still is, I'll take Goodfellas.
Bruce
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Welcome aboard the Satellite of Love

 

[Dalton]

Hey Walt,
I respect your opinion but I enjoyed Goodfellas more than the Godfather. I feel it does belong in the same breath as GF. Goodfellas seemed more fast paced than GF. I don't dispute that the GF is a great film, I just prefer Goodfellas.