coen brothers — Imported Blog — Your Site Title

New Folder
New Index
New Index
New Page
New Page
New Page
New Folder
Sign In My Account

Street Address

City, State, Zip

815-212-6346

ANGELINAMANZUK@YAHOO.COM 815-212-6346

New Folder
New Index
New Index
New Page
New Page
New Page
New Folder
Sign In My Account

October 11, 2013 Eimear Fallon

Watched: Intolerable Cruelty

This wasn’t what I was expecting.
OK, part of why that’s the case is that I’d never heard this referred to as a “romantic comedy” before, so the sense of peril by the end was very real to m… — Watched: Intolerable Cruelty

This wasn’t what I was expecting.

OK, part of why that’s the case is that I’d never heard this referred to as a “romantic comedy” before, so the sense of peril by the end was very real to me - given that a lot of people tend to die in the Coen brothers’ films, often after a big comedic buildup, that could have been a viable ending.

That said, to have that not be the case was immensely satisfying, and actually feels like a twist given their background. This was a wonderfully clever film with an ending that wasn’t overly-sweet, and George Clooney and Catherine Zeta Jones act it out of the park.

Clooney in particular is really manic at points in this film and dishevelled in a way I haven’t seen him before. He also ruins a public speaking engagement, so Up In The Air might have been a nod in that respect.

All in all, while I’ve loved most of the Coen films I’ve seen, no film has brought me on an emotional ride like this one. About as unconventional and brilliant as romantic comedies get.

Tags film, All The Films I Watched In 2013, coen brothers, intolerable cruelty

Comment

May 12, 2013 Eimear Fallon

Watched: Raising Arizona

Observations:

This is not the Coen brothers’ masterpiece.
The tone felt a little off in this one. There was still the same characteristic Coens weirdness - the funny spikes that usually provide welcome relief to the … — Watched: Raising Arizona

Observations:

This is not the Coen brothers’ masterpiece.

The tone felt a little off in this one. There was still the same characteristic Coens weirdness - the funny spikes that usually provide welcome relief to the disturbing small-town dramas they usually write - but instead of that drama, there was a stab at comedy, filled with slapstick and over-the-top characterisation and bad accents. (Yes, Fargo had bad accents too, but they felt a little more contained; here, they’re all over the place.)

There was something about the fact that Holly Hunter has one of those faces you can’t help but care about - when you see her crying, even if the music in the background is stripped-down bluegrass, you’re laid low. There were too many moments in this where I felt like I was supposed to be laughing, but wasn’t.

That said, there were good moments. The bank robbery with John Goodman and William Forsythe was fantastic; the tension during the kidnapping was perfectly executed; Nathan Arizona’s speech at the end is delivered perfectly by Trey Wilson.

There was a film that came out last year called Gambit - it was adapted (poorly) from a screenplay that the Coen brothers wrote, and it felt like someone trying desperately to write a Coens-ish script and having limited success. This had the same air, despite the fact that it’s definitely their film.

Not a wasted 90 minutes, but I’m not sure what to make of it all.

Tags raising arizona, nicolas cage, coen brothers, film, holly hunter, john goodman, All The Films I Watched In 2013

Comment

May 5, 2013 Eimear Fallon

Watched: Fargo

Observations:

This was my first time watching this, and I’m not sure why (given I’ve loved every other film the Coen Brothers have done). It’s brilliant.
I sometimes forget that people in Minnesota actually talk li… — Watched: Fargo

Observations:

This was my first time watching this, and I’m not sure why (given I’ve loved every other film the Coen Brothers have done). It’s brilliant.

I sometimes forget that people in Minnesota actually talk like people in Minnesota. It’s such an odd accent, an odd set of mannerisms, and it seems somehow out of place in the US. They played up the Dutch-ness a little here, but it still feels very local.

Is there any dispute that Frances McDormand steals the show in this film? It’s such an understated, brilliant performance - the slow drive in the penultimate scene is powerful because of a split second, and it’s masterful acting.

Not that the supporting cast is bad - Peter Stormare is suitably creepy, William H. Macy is laughable to the point of tragedy, and Steve Buscemi is Steve Buscemi - he rarely misses, and he doesn’t here.

It’s only around now that I’m starting to see quite how tied up Carter Burwell is in the Coen Brothers’ world - those grand orchestral notes, the sombre minor tone… they keep cropping up, again and again. It feels like a thread through their work, which is nice. (The one exception to this, although Burwell still scored it, is True Grit, which has more of a Western feel to it. But that’s understandable, given the subject matter.)

This feels like an epic packed into a few disparate settings, a lot of snow, and ninety minutes. There’s this “wow” feeling that you don’t usually get from films as succinct and small as this.

I can see myself going on a Coens binge soon.

Tags fargo, william h macy, frances mcdormand, film, All The Films I Watched In 2013, coen brothers

Comment

Thanks for visiting, we look forward to hearing from you.