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Capone Tolerates INTOLERABLE CRUELTY!!
Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
This is coming out the same day as KILL BILL. I don’t care if this is a lesser-than-average Coen Bros. film. The fact that they have a movie coming out the same day as Tarantino should make this a banner fucking month ahead, eh, kids?
Hey, everybody. Capone in Chicago here with a review of the latest from the Coen Brothers, two of the most reliable S.O.B.s in recent film history. On the day I saw this film, I'd actually started in a line for an early screening of the latest Woody Allen film. Some nice lady came up to me and said, "I have an extra pass for INTOLERABLE CRUELTY. Would you...?" Grab, entrance, popcorn, seat.
This film also marks the Coens return to a Hollywood-financed production, which I know has some people worried. While INTOLERABLE CRUELTY has some true Coen Brother moments, characters, and humor, it does not rank among the finest works (I'll let the peanut gallery argue over what those are). The fact that there are four names listed as screenwriters (including Joel and Ethan) might have something to do with what's lacking here, but more it's the sense of So What that I got while watching it. Sure, I was glad to see the Coens reunite with two of their best leading men (George Clooney and Billy Bob Thornton); yes, I was glad to see Catherine Zeta Jones looking sexier than I've ever seen her; of course, supporting players like Geoffrey Rush and Cedric the Entertainer absolutely nail their performances. But something's missing here, and I think most of you will agree.
INTOLERABLE CRUELTY is sort of the opposite of a bedroom sex comedy; its a serial divorce romp. The film opens with Geoffrey Rush's television producer Donovan Donnelly (you'll notice many "clever" names in this movie) walking in on the tail end of his wife cheating on him. He is clearly in the right when divorce time comes, but he's no match for superstar lawyer Miles Massey (Clooney), a suave, well-dressed man with blinding white teeth (which he is constantly checking out in any reflective surface available), Massey takes Donnelly for all that he's worth against all odds. Next we meet Gus Petch (Cedric) a private dick whose specialty is barging into bedrooms with a video camera and capturing cheating husbands in compromising positions. His slogan: "I'm gonna nail your ass!" Indeed. In this case, Gus barges in on the hotel room of one Rex Rexroth (Edward Herrmann), extremely rich husband to Marilyn Rexroth (Zeta-Jones). Unfortunately for her, Rex hires Massey and screw her out of a single cent. Needless to say, Marilyn is royally pissed and she begins to hatch a plan to crush and humiliate Massey. He of course is madly in love with her.
I don't want to get too much deeper into the story because there are some genuine surprises and plot twists that are worth preserving. They involve Thornton, who plays Marilyn's next rich husband, a Texas oil baron named Howard Doyle (of Doyle Oil; see how clever that is?); and a legendary document known only as the Massey Pre-nup. Clooney shows an extraordinary range here. He's going for broke. His heretofore unseen comic timing is perfect, his machine-gun delivery is a knock out, and his body language is screamingly funny. Zeta-Jones is also a live wire in this role. She simmers with evil-doing more than she boils over (which is good). I want to talk more about Thornton's performance, which at first seems like a little too generic cowboy. It isn't until much later in the film that you realize the brilliance of his work. You'll see, you'll see.
The problems with INTOLERABLE CRUELTY lie in its second half. Some of the attempts at humor simply die. There's a courtroom exchange between Clooney, his associate, and a client about appearing before a certain judge that isn't funny for one second and goes on far too long. There are sequences involving a marital lawyers convention in Las Vegas that are drawn out and added nothing to the film. My feeling is that this could have been as bile-filled and vicious and WAR OF THE ROSES. Instead, we get a very PG-13, watered-down piece that turns goodie-goodie far too quick.
There are some classic Coen elements here to be sure. An asthmatic hit man named Wheezy Joe, a prancing European concierge, and a great cameo by a certain BUBBA HO TEP/EVIL DEAD star that is doubly riotous if you know a little about his acting history. But something isn't clicking here. Maybe things are moving too fast or the lines are too silly, but more than that, the movie is missing dark edges and subtle nuances we've come to expect from such master fillmmakers as the Coen Brothers. As much as you need someone to cheer for, you need someone to root against. And just when you think you've found that person, they go schizo on you and turn nice. Where's the fun in that? INTOLERABLE CRUELTY is hardly painful to sit through. There are so many attempts at humor per minute that a few are bound to make to chuckle; I know I did. But I couldn't escape the feeling that these folks were trying way too hard to make me laugh. Still, the top-notch talent involved in the making of this movie keeps it from falling flat on its face. Coen devotees will be both pleased and disappointed. Fair-weather fans may consider skipping this one. I was going to begin the review by saying I was torn, but the fact is I shouldn't be by a film by these two directors. This could have been great, and it simply isn't. But that doesn't mean it's not worth seeing. Maybe I am torn...
CaponeIt’s funny. Only Joel is ever actually credited as the director of their films. Joel and Ethan co-write, and Ethan produces, but it’s Joel who is the credited director. Most people simply think of them as one directorial coherent unit, though. I think they just leave that strong an imprint as a team. At any rate, I want to see this one right after KILL BILL. Same day, if possible. I’m flying on the day of release, but that’s why God created midnight shows...
"Moriarty" out.
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He gained my respect with that role, and has been making wise artistic decisions since. He could have ended up taking the same path as Harrison Ford, since his ER days, but not necessarily with as much success as the latter. Mr. Clooney's more eccentric choices will continue to get me to the movie theatres. See ja!
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I dont see how it cant be atleast worth the price of admission. They made magic with clooney in O Brother. I will watch this before kill bill, Quinten still strikes me as a bit of a blowhard hype machine.
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She looks damn good in the trailers!
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Clooney rules.
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Sep 23, 2003 7:07:05 AM CDT
Something I learned from the Harry Knowles School of Writing:
by eraser_x
The quick brown [Kill Bill] fox jumped [Kill Bill] over the [Kill Bill] lazy [Kill Bill] dog [Kill Bill]. [Kill Bill]
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Sep 23, 2003 7:56:17 AM CDT
A mediocre Coen Brothers film is STILL better than more than hal
by fart_master_flex
Word to big bird!!
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The Coen brothers would single handedly dominate any list of "top-films-of-all-time-that-should-have-made-it-onto-all-the-other-lists-but-didn't". Big Lebowski = greatest on-screen appearance by a weasel ever.
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Actually, it
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matrix revolutions is coming soon!
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Just like the guy said we'd probably end up arguing over the Coens best films and although I love them all deeply ( I haven't seen the Hudsucker Proxy) for me it's Blood Simple and The Big Lebowski. These basically cover the whole spectrum of the Coen brothers films.
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Sep 23, 2003 8:37:53 AM CDT
Harry, you forgot to work in a reference to how much Revolutions
by minderbinder
Hope this one is decent, I'll be seeing it opening day...Kill Bill can wait (unless I have it on VCD already)...
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Sep 23, 2003 8:50:07 AM CDT
Allright, hotshots, I'm on the scene. Let's start the Coen quoti
by jquintana
"WALK, you phony!"
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Sep 23, 2003 9:03:39 AM CDT
Funny thing is I've seen several Coen Bros. films recently...
by big bad clone
I found I still love Raising Arizona best. I think Fargo and The Man Who Wasn't There tie for second for me. The rest are just plain brillant in too many different ways to list in top ten format. Big Lebowsky v. The Hudsucker Proxy? Too incredibly different, but great movies. I was worried about this one until I saw that Billy Bob is in it. I'll be there.
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I can stop white knuckling the arms on my chair and hopefully, once Oct. 10 is over, I can finally poop better. To have Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Intolerable Cruelty, two movies by bar-none the best moviemakers in cinematic history, come out on the same day is like...its like...well needless to say, I'll have to change my shorts several times. Dear god I hope none of you are sitting next to me in the theater...you might get messy. Okay...enough of me being disgusting...You say "Intolerable Cruelty" isn't the Coen Brothers best work...that's fine, I've pretty much set myself up for that, but in all honesty, and I speak for most die-hard Coen fans, if Joel and Ethan were to make a movie where Ethan stared at you while Joel farted on a snare drum in the background for five minutes...well, it would be better than most of the shit that's come out in the past year or so. Oct. 10 can't get here soon enough!!
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I love it when they have a character repeat lines or a aprticular word, in the context the results are hilarious. Some faves:
"We're in a tight spot!"
"Bonafide"
"Fishmongers" -
1. Raising Arizona
2. The Big Lebowski
3. O Brother Where Art Thou
4. Miller's Crossing
5. Blood Simple
Ya mopes. -
I think I'd have to agree with Big Bad Clone to an extent. I reckon Miller's Crossing is the BEST Coen movie, just amazing dialogue, great performances and a rich as hell story. Love it love it love it. But my fave is a tie between Raising Arizona which i used to watch every day when i got home from school when i was 10 and Big Lebowski which kept me chuckling for three stoned years at uni. Very different kinds of humour - Tex Avery style in Arizona is inspired and they did A LOT with what must have been a fairly limited budget. That prologue is genius. Nic Cage has never been this good. Lebowski, well, has there ever been a match of character and actor as perfect as Bridges and the Dude? By far the funniest of their movies, brilliant character based comedy, hilarious one-liners and physical comedy and an ultimately pointless story, brilliantly structured - and what does it mean? More than is first let on, I'll wager... To be fair though, i think Fargo is a very atmospheric non-thriller thriller, with pitch-perfect performances throughout, O Brother is a crazy melange of styles and references with Clooney finally earning his stripes and The Man Who Wasn't There kind of completes a wonderful noir trilogy of Blood Simple, Fargo and this film, something much more profound than their other films, beautiful in appearance and intent. Cruelty looks okay, i think they were due a bit of a failure, but lets not forget Hudsucker was very frowned upon when it came along and now looks absolutely fine. I'm gonna see it, it can't be as disappointing as Reloaded (he-heh, had to do it!) but i doubt think its gonna rock as much as KILL BILL (ditto). They haven't made a BAD film yet, and i don't think this will be it. That's my two cents.
ps, if anyone wants an argument about America and Britain in Iraq and Afghanistan, i watched a brilliant documentary by John Pilger last night - Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror.
Under Secretary of State for America: "Are you a member of the Communist party?" Hilarious and frightening...
@you know how to whistle dont you?@ -
Sep 23, 2003 10:03:52 AM CDT
Just Rambling (cause I'm a Coen Head from the way back...not rea
by the feral kid
No body has really went over the influences of this yet but from where I'm standing, it is looking like they took the material and are bending it towards a semi-warped screwball Preston Sturges romantic comedy ala "The Lady Eve," which is fine with me considering the fact that "the Lady Eve" has one of the funniest most inspired oddball sequences ever ... that's right, you guessed it - THE HORSE!!! It didn't hurt that Henry Fonda's comedic timing in that movie is ... damn. If you haven't seen that particular film or any Preston Sturges, do yourself a favor, he's one of the Coen's biggest influences (Hudsucker Proxy and O, Brother Where Art Thou? are the two most vivid examples of this. And if you go into the movie, (granted, I haven't seen it but I'm pretty good with guessing how things will be - except for "the Man Who Wasn't There," wow, that movie, I wasn't expecting what I got - one of the most complex Coen Brother flicks) and you sort of are in that "the Lady Eve" frame of mind I bet it'll be a lot better - and there was no villain in that movie either. But that's just my opinion but still, the 1950's Tex Avery wood burned titles on the end of all the commercials, that's got to sort of clue you in to the whole sort of ... moon shoot they are going towards.
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1. Raising Arizona
2. Big Lebowski
3. Fargo
4. Hudsucker Proxy
5. Miller's Crossing
6. Barton Fink/The Man Who Wasn't
7. Oh Brother Where Art Thou
8. Blood Simple
"Y'all hear that? We're usin' code names!" Quentin who? -
...pity about "To the White Sea." That whole ... whatever it was, got me back into James Dickey (yeah, I thought it was a better idea to insert the James there instead of not). That would have been a stunning movie, I know that. And barely any dialouge? Damn. Anyway, I consider "the Man Who Wasn't There" to be one of their most original films (which of their's isn't, I mean, really?) so I guess we'll just have to wait for the no-holds-barred approach. "The Ladykillers" is a hilarious movie and though I expect something more mainstream like "Intolerable Cruelty," I do have a lot of hope considering they wrote the whole thing, their idea and ... well, it is set in Mississippi and that's going to give Roger Deakins another reason to shoot a beautiful movie - I do expect "the Ladykillers" to be one of their most delicious looking films but in a career that includes "Miller's Crossing," "Barton Fink," and ... who am I kidding, all their movies look great. By the way, what in the hell happened to Barry Sonnenfeld. And oh yeah, there needs to be a seedy chinese style theatre in LA that just plays "Barton Fink." That'd be something. I'd make a sure enough pilgrimage for that.
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Saw the documentary, Pilger is a sensationalist but the subject matter was excellent and it made me a little nauseous to think that I was not totally against the conflict prior to the war beginning. Frightening as well that senior White House staff still see Red wherever they come up against any kind of political criticism.
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....I couldn't believe it from the trailer, but his conspicuous absence from this review seems to confirm. Are you saying there is NO John Goodman cameo in this movie!? A Coens movie without Goodman is like, well, a Coens movie without Turturro. ...On my top five backstage banter list, Jeff Bridges recalling one morning on the Lebowski set, he was sitting next to Goodman and asked, Hey, when do we get the pink pages? Goodman slapped him on the back, smiled and said, "You're in Coen Land now, brother. There ARE no pink pages."
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Sep 23, 2003 10:33:23 AM CDT
Greatest Coen Brother's Speech (and One of the Best of All Time,
by the feral kid
"I'm talkin' about friendship. I'm talkin' about character. I'm talkin' about ...hell, Leo, I ain't afraid embarassed to use the word - I'm talking about ethics. You know I'm a sportin' man. I like to lay the occasional bet. But I ain't that sportin'. When I fix a fight, say ... I pay a three- to-one favourite to throw a goddamn fight. . But every time I lay a bet with this sonofabitch Bernie Bernheim, before I know it the odds is even up - or worse, I'm betting the short money. . . The sheeny knows I like sure things. He's selling the information I fixed the fight. Out-of-town money comes pourin' in. The odds go straight to hell. I don't know who he's sellin' it to, maybe the Los Angeles combine, I don't know. The point is, Bernie ain't satisfied with the honest dollar he can make off the vig. He ain't satisfied with the business I do on his book. He's sellin' tips on how I bet, and that means part of the payoff that should be ridin' on my hip is ridin' on someone else's. So back we go to these questions - friendship, character, ethics."
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1. O' Brother
2. Fargo
3. Miller's Crossing
4. Hudsucker Proxy
5. Big Lewboski
Revolutions kicking your ass on November 5th! -
You've obviously never been to Wisconsin, Mori. Only thing you'll find after 9:30 is Rocky Horror, and that's only on Saturday. It is my new home's Achilles heel.
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I'm just gonna go find a cash machine...
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Seems like I heard once this is a remake of a movie Sir Alec Guiness was in.
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Sep 23, 2003 11:40:54 AM CDT
RiskeBiz, That's their next film, "The Ladykillers," very funny
by the feral kid
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"Well, which is it? You want I should freeze or get down on the ground? If'n I freeze, I can't rightly drop, and if I drop, I'm-a gonna be in motion. Now, if-" ~~~ "SHUT UP!!!" ~~~ "*Okay*, then."
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Sep 23, 2003 11:56:52 AM CDT
Saw this months ago, test screening, HYSTERICAL: THINK WAR OF TH
by mentallymariah
very cool funny black comedy, the trailers make this film look dumb, but definately check it out guys, I saw it at a test screening and thought it was one of the funniest films to come out in a long time! FOR TRUE WICKED BITCHY BLACK COMEDAY with CATHERINE ZETA JONES playing a GOLD DIGGING BITCH, this is one for the books! If you like movies with Bitchy Zingers and Colorful Charecters..you will like this one!
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1- Miller's Crossing (Brilliant on ALL levels. Why can't the Coen Bros go back to the caliber of this type of powerful work occasionally. I recommended this film to sooo many people, I should get a check from 20th CF.), 2- O' Brother (Funny, creepy, and just a plain ole good time. GREAT score.) 3- Big Lebowski (I can't really explain why I like this film so much.) 4- Hudsucker Proxy (I think this film is very underated and overmaligned. Visually brilliant and a great performance by Robbins.) 5- Raising Arizona (Funny, funny film.) 6- Fargo (I haven't seen this one in a while so I bet this one will go up a little as a result of my new found interest in all thing Coen.) 7- Barton Fink (Strange little number that probably takes some more viewings to get the power of it.) 8- The Man Who Wasn't There (Not bad. Doesn't really have that Coen Bros. magic but an ok pleaser.) 9- Blood Simple (A bad Coen Bros movie is better than most of the shit out there. This one does show off some later-to-be-realized talent.)
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Sep 23, 2003 12:06:57 PM CDT
"The doctor described Ed's insides as a rocky place - where my s
by weedymcsmokey
OK - screw that top five list, Hud, here's the real deal: 1) Miller's Crossing 2) Big Lebowski 3) Raising Arizona 4) Barton Fink 5) Fargo 6) O Brother Where Art, Thou 7) Hudsucker Proxy 8) Blood Simple. Geez, but these films are so close you could switch them all around and wouldn't offend me - except Miller's Crossing is number 1, undisputed.
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Capone, have you ever SEEN "O Brother Where Art Thou"! Clooney was a riot, and his timing was superb.
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That is far and away their best picture. Combining what they do best: intriguing characters, black and obscure comedy and dark, thrilling and violent moments.
Then its
2. Raising Arizona
3. Blood Simple
4. Miller's Crossing
5. Oh Brother -
Sep 23, 2003 12:35:49 PM CDT
If CZJ isn't going to get naked, why put her in a comedy like th
by sexybeast
I mean come on, this is a role that requires nudity at some point.
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Sep 23, 2003 12:48:33 PM CDT
COEN'S BEST: #1 Fargo (their painfully funny & devestating mast
by ralph cifaretto
Those are the top 4, hands down. #5 - #8 ---- The Big Lebowski ("He uses objects like WOMEN man!") Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? ("Ohhhh DEATH. OHHHHHHH Death.") Blood Simple ("That's the test of true love!") The Hudsucker Proxy ("Sure, Sure!") The Man Who Wasn't There (never really dug this one.)
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Sep 23, 2003 12:49:13 PM CDT
Every time there is a talkback about the Coens, at least a dozen
by pumpymcass
Personally, I don't see the genius in it. In fact, I think it is second only to Hudsucker Proxy as my least favorite Coen film. I know you're curious so: 1. Fargo 2. Blood Simple 3. Big Lebowski 4. Barton Fink 5. Raising Arizona 6. The Man Who Wasn't There 7. O Brother, Where Art Thou? 8. Miller's Crossing 9. The Hudsucker Proxy. Obviously, I love the film noir aspect of their pictures the most. Fargo and Blood Simple are two of the most inventive film noir thrillers of all time. I would think that people who love Miller's Crossing would love The Man Who Wasn't There because MC is like a direct send-up of 30's gangster movies like TMWWT was a direct sendup of 40's film noirs. But very few people seem to be rabid fans of that picture. I guess I just need someone to give me a heads up as to what is so great about Miller's Crossing. Peace!
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even a lesser effort from the Coen brothers is head-and-shoulders above the usual tinseltown drivel (or that hack Tarantino). BTW, don't forget to join the WESLEY CLARK FOR PRESIDENT IN 2004 juggernaut: the four-star general, first in his class at West Point and a Rhodes Scholar, now outpolling Bush. Join the team to make George W. a one-term loser just like his daddy! http://www.americansforclark.com
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You should first read the Dashiell Hammett story "The Glass Key," which is more hard-boiled than Miller's Crossing but it's the closest Hammett story to the movie. (P.S. There's a movie of The Glass Key that pops up on AMC every now and then.) When I first saw Miller's Crossing I was dissapointed at how far it had divereged from being a true Hammett story, but I learned to love all the differences, the whimsy and humor that the Coen's bring. The dialouge is usually sprightly in a Coen's movie, but in Miller's Crossing, the characters almost have a language of their own. There's no translation of the slang, you just have to figure it out for yourself. And it's one of those rare Coen films ( yeah, I said it) where the story lives up to the characters. So often a great character - like Jeff Bridges' The Dude, like Jennifer Jason Lee in Hudsucker, - gets stuck in a story that goes no where, there's no dramatic arc for the character. That said here is the list - Miller's Crossing - Raising Arizona (their funniest) -The Big Lebowski (Bridges is amazing, I wanted to see the Dude and Jesus again in a movie about bowling) - O Brother Where Art Thou (again, Clooney, Nelson and Turturro's characters were better than story) - Fargo & The Man Who Wasn't There - Blood Simple.
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Best = Big Lebowski. just too damned funny. Incredible script and acting from all involved.
Worst = Crime Wave. they wrote it with Sam Raimi, who directed. Bruce Campbell is in it, and was supposed to be the lead role until studio meddling derailed that. Hard to find movie, and should stay that way. This flick sucks and blows at the same time. coulda been a classic if Bruce was allowed to star in it. -
I like the names, cool idea. I'm sure all the reviewers will bitch about it. It may not be a top notch Coen Bros. movie, but i'll bet it's still better than Anger Management.
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As for Quentin's actual movies, and calling him a hype machine, I remember his first BIG film was Pulp Fiction, then everyone wanted to know him. His second noted-by-the-public film was Jackie Brown. Was it overhyped? I dug it the most. I must suck too? maybe. And yeah, he totally hypes his friends and the audience up for a faster movie. But they still rock. And as for "Dusk Till Dawn"...it wasn't all his. Forgive the man. I forgive the Coens no matter what!
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The I.C. web site has comments from the Coen bros regarding I.C. Check out intolerablecruelty.com>legal precedents>production notes. Joel's comments on Deakins being their closest collaborator (hell yeah), someone whom they wouldn't consider working without.
ETHAN: "It's more of a 'glam' thing than certainly we've ever done before."
JOEL: "For us, it's trying something a little bit different but I wouldn't call it unique exactly."
JOEL:"In almost every other movie we've ever done, we've had particular actors in mind when we wrote the parts. Since we didn't write this originally as something we were going to do ourselves, that wasn't the case here."
1. Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, Lebowski, Fargo, Hudsucker, Man Who Wasn't There, O Brother, Blood Simple 2. The Naked Man, Crimewave 3. Johnny Skidmarks ;) -
The Hudsucker Proxy is *vastly* underrated. Brilliant set design, Robbins is hilarious, and it has JENNIFER JASON LEIGH'S SWEET ASS IN PERIOD COSTUME!!!
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Sep 23, 2003 8:43:21 PM CDT
"The dingus...operates on the same principal that keeps the eart
by frankdrebin
I can, and will, quote HUDSUCKER all day: "Next year, I move up to parcels." "The King And I? **SMACK** Oklahoma?" "Hey, buddy, when's a sidewalk fully dressed? When it's Waring Hudsucker." Sure, sure, it drags in the last act, but it's got cameos from Peter Gallagher and Bruce Campbell, and a mailroom right out of BRAZIL ("Jesus, Mary and Joseph! A Blue Letter!"),
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Top 5 Coen movies ever each with two quotes.
1. The Big Lebowski- Shut the fuck up Donny!, Obviously you're not a golfer
2. Fargo- Total silence, Oh yah!
3. The Hudsucker Proxy- You know for kids, Does this suit look mannish to you?
4. Raising Arizona- Everybody freeze everybody get down on the ground, Son you got a panty on your head
5. O Brother Where Art Thou- Damn we're in a tight spot, It's a fool who looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart
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The Coens have stated in interviews that they split up the credit on Blood Simple because they felt the money men at the time would be less likely to finance a film with two directors. Despite the fact that they have continued to split up the director and producer screen credits, they both co-produce and co-direct all on of their films.
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Sep 23, 2003 10:59:34 PM CDT
RetroStyle, that is BY FAR the best line in that movie!!
by iamjacksuserid
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Sep 23, 2003 11:30:35 PM CDT
"Why do you say you feel...*trapped*...in a man's body?"
by osmosis jones
"Well, sometimes I get the menstrul(sp?) cramps *real* hard."
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Sep 23, 2003 11:35:00 PM CDT
"it CAN work...it WILL work...(chewing cigar) its WORKIN' ALEADY
by imageburn13
FISHH! FREESH FISSH! we'll be hearing from this kid...and I don't mean a postcard!" Barton Fink is undeniably their most subdued masterpiece, but stick that right next to Millers Crossing, Fargo, Fucking Lebowksi, and Hudsucker Proxy and I'll be damned if you don't have perfect 10's across the line. I'm throwing rocks tonight!
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Oh if Bruce puts in a cameo as Renaldo the movie would be worth seeing just for that. Not that I thought Crimewave was all that great, but it certainly had it classic moments.
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Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink ("He's a MAN! We wrestled! -You're a sick fuck, Fink."), O Brother, Big Lebowski ("8-year olds, dude"), Arizona, Hudsucker, Fargo, Man who wasn't there, Blood Simple.
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Hey ya!
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By some coincidence, my favorite Coen Brothers movies are their "B" movies: Barton Fink, Blood Simple and O Brother Where Art Thou. Of course that would include The Big Lebowski, but unfortunately I can't quite get with that one. It's soooooo close, but there's something mean-spirited and unpleasant about it in the end. In my opinion, Barton Fink is their masterpiece. But then I'm a screenwriter, who's had plenty of writer's block of my own, and I'm a big fan of both Faulkner (the basis for Mayhew) and Clifford Odets (who Fink is based on). Plus I love the idea that they wrote the whole film simply because they were blocked on "Miller's Crossing". How amazing is that? People say it's hard to understand, but all you have to do is realize that Fink is LITERALLY going through WRITER'S HELL. Think 'Hotel California'. And John Goodman as the aw-shucks Devil himself is sheer brilliance. Of course the box has a head in it - the whole film is debating the life of the body (just enjoying pleasure) and the life of the head (lofty intellectual pursuit, but also self-involved reclusiveness). By having Fink carry the box to the beach at the end, I think the film is saying that he is freeing himself to enjoy life - keeping his head in the box where it belongs. When she asks him what's in it and he says I don't know, it means he has lost all his pretentious notions of creativity and he's ready to start fresh, with no claim to wisdom, just a curiosity and willingness to observe and learn. He's been through the crucible and he's better for it. It really does make sense once you look at it as one long metaphor. Even the Coen Bros. themselves, with their usual flippant sarcasm, claim to not know what it's about, but I don't believe them for a second. "Raising Arizona" has always been too self-consciously "wacky" for me, "Miller's Crossing" a tad too dry... And I can't believe how many people on here think "Blood Simple" is their weakest film. I think it's a perfect little gem. I guess it's not flashy enough for the youngsters. Damn kids! -
Sorry, George, but I agree with the writer who said that he was brilliant in "O Brother"; I also think that that was the ONLY thing that he has been good in on the big screen so far (I have high hopes for this one tho'). And yes, I know that the Elmore Leonard-lite "Out of Sight" has its supporters, but trying to get Doug Ross from ER to create sexual tension with Jennifer Lopez was like trying to crack a boiled egg with a sponge. (Watching him giggle his way through the love scenes was enough for me!) Sometimes, however, these actors can pull an unexpectedly great performance out of nowhere, and this sounds like it could be one of those times. Let's hope it is "O Brother" and not "One Fine Day" for the Cloon!
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Sep 24, 2003 3:29:15 PM CDT
"You put me in an awkward position, vis-a-vis my progeny."
by alanna banana
1) O Brother 2) Raising Arizona 3) Big Lebowski 4) Fargo
...yeah I have to see the rest. -
Eh. I'd say Barton Fink is more...how would you say...thematically speaking...more about the Life of the Mind vs. the Life of the Body, High Art vs. Low Art, Wrestling Pictures vs. Fruity Plays, Earth vs. Water. Barton is punished for choosing the dame over the orphan, the life of the body (sex) over the life of the mind (writing). Barton chooses Mayhew's path. He...doesn't...listen. Barton at films end is confused by the Coen Brother's decision to show us (and him) the life of the mind ala fruity art film. In many ways it's self-referential to the Coen brothers as well as their critics.
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Of all thier brilliant films, I have to side with Millers Crossing as their finest, over the top characters, fantastic dialog and beautiful cinematography, everything. Easily my favourite film. If thier next falls short in any way I'd see it as a spike not a trend.
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