Leave the gun. Take the cannolis.

I love mobsters, especially in masterful cinematic portrayals. The characters and lifestyle are just fascinating. I love The Godfather for it's classic timelessness. The story is just so so good. And I'm pretty sure Diane Keaton's hair is the only mistake in an otherwise flawless film.

I think I'm mostly fascinated by the sense of normalcy in the mob life. It's a different world, so different, and yet life goes on much the same. It's a really just a different set of rules.

As we all know, I also love The Sopranos, for its very different but also excellent take on mobsters. The modern, sometimes ironic twists on the business, the updated lifestyles and the dark comedy. It has to be a black comedy--it couldn't be any other way. No movie or TV show after The Godfather can be dead serious without falling completely short of the mark. I think the best thing The Sopranos does is not try to be The Godfather. It's fun to see the little roots that The Sopranos takes from the film. But it really is more of a tip of the hat and an acknowledgement that there can never be another.