ZymeAddict on 31/7/2009 at 08:08
Quote Posted by fett
In my book, these guys just can't go wrong, really - even Fargo (which IMO was a bit of a mess) was top notch story telling with characters more compelling than most directors dare to use on the big screen.
To tell you the truth, the thing I liked the most about
Fargo the first time I saw it was the opening credits, which are just plain awesome:
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmCUYG2xuHI) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmCUYG2xuHI
The rest of it I wasn't too enthusiastic about, mostly because of the annoyingly exaggerated Minnesotan mannerisms of the characters.
I liked it more the second and third times I watched it, though.
Taffer36 on 31/7/2009 at 08:15
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
It seems like a lot of people just don't get the Coens but I adore their worldview.
Hmm? Aren't the Coen brothers like... super-popular and famous?
I'm a huge fan of what I've seen so far from them. And this concept of exploring the fulfillment or the perception of the fulfillment/enjoyment of our life is one that I am endlessly fascinated in.
Scots Taffer on 31/7/2009 at 10:32
Quote Posted by Taffer36
Hmm? Aren't the Coen brothers like... super-popular and famous?
Sure, they're absolutely monstrous huge now, but they've been more of a cult favourite (and critical darling, of course) for a long time.
suewan on 31/7/2009 at 10:42
The Big Lebowski continues to be my favourite film of all time. There is just something about it that makes me feel solid again. I can't explain it.
rachel on 31/7/2009 at 11:11
Quote Posted by Stitch
but
Ladykillers is mediocre at best, the sort of film that has nothing redeeming beyond the highlights shown in the trailer.
This. I'd even go so far as saying it has nothing redeeming whatsoever. Remaking a golden Alec Guiness comedy with fart jokes was abysmally stupid.
Intolerable Cruelty is pretty funny, though somehow I never think of it as a Coen film, perhaps because it oesn't have as many dark undertones as others have. There are some perfect-timing comedy moments in there.
fett on 31/7/2009 at 13:54
Clearly, they both bear repeated viewings but there's a lot going on in both and they were a bit of a twist for the Coens. I have to say that regardless, I never get bored with them no matter what they do, and that's refreshing these days when it's all sequels and tv-show movies. I just thought LK was a cool gig for Hanks and I still laugh my ass off every time they throw another body onto the barge.
Rug Burn Junky on 31/7/2009 at 15:22
While we're at it, can I just register a complaint on Burn After Reading?
They only had the shitty 8oz orange juices on set when they filmed in my neighborhood. It was hardly worth stealing from their craft services table.
This is the big time, boys, get your caterer to stock the 16oz Tropicanas.
Angel Dust on 1/8/2009 at 00:37
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
That said, I actually got around to seeing
Intolerable Cruelty last year and found to be a cynical yet farcical comedy that for some reason lacked punch (and I suspect that reason might have been Clooney, but I didn't try hard to pin down what the problem was).
I think the problem with
Intolerable Cruelty was that it was the Coen's picking up someone elses script and finishing/tweaking it. I love the work that Clooney does with the Coen's, even if the films he's been in haven't been the strongest, as it brings out a Cray Grant like goofiness in him and I hope the relationship continues.
Personally I admire the Coen's greatly but their output can be more than a little hit and miss. Granted their misses are not disasters on the level of
Transformers 2 or anything but it's maddening that the film-makers who made the likes of
Fargo (my wife and I's personal favourite),
Blood Simple,
No Country For Old Men,
Barton Fink can just as easily make disappointingly slight films like
Burn After Reading,
The Hudsucker Proxy and
Intolerable Cruelty. I guess that wild inconsistency is part of their charm though! I'm not sure at all how
A Serious Man is going to fit into the Coen canon but I'll be sure to check it out.
Taffer36 on 1/8/2009 at 03:15
Burn After Reading disappointing? What?
Actually, now that I think about it, this new movie looks closest to Burn After Reading than any of their other films, both in style and in delivery.
Angel Dust on 1/8/2009 at 03:50
Quote Posted by Taffer36
Burn After Reading disappointing? What?
I think you'll find
slight was the operative word in that sentence. I got a few laughs out of it and the performances where good but overall I didn't think it hung together very well and the whole thing felt very flimsy and slapdash. I know lots of you guys on here liked it but I thought the Coen's aim was a bit off for this one.
