DISCLAIMER: Since this is the Coen brothers we're talking about, this list could change quite a bit once I get to rewatching a couple of the films. Or even just one of them
Anyways, without further ado...
Serious men.
Eh, for me, this is the only film of theirs where they feel "out of their element" (sorry).
Clooney is actually pretty charming here, Cedric the Entertainer is solid in a supporting role, and a has a darkly funny death scene with Wheezy Joe. The rest is just a forgettable screwball comedy that doesn't even feel like a true Coen brothers film, and it's worth noting that the ending isn't even memorable, as that is something the Coens are simply masters of.
The Hudsucker Proxy
Some good production design, and a couple of good performances by Robbins, Leigh and Newman, however the film feels like a swing-and-miss by the bros, since you'd think the screwball comedy would be right up there alley. The ingredients are there for an enjoyable outing, but the execution is off. Not without merit, but really just forgettable.
The Man Who Wasn’t There (3)
This one I'll admit does have a great performance by Billy Bob Thornton and GREAT black-and-white cinematography, but unfortunately, the dryness of this film just didn't do it for me. I honestly do feel a little bad for ranking it this low, but as I mentioned earlier, a rewatch could improve things for me here. Not quite my tempo, but the last thing I'd call this film is "disposable."
Miller's Crossing (3.5)
Another film I ought to re-watch. The Coens really create a good sense of atmosphere, and the acting across the board is pretty good. I don't remember the story itself being all that vivid (and even a bit bland) the first time I saw the film, but again, a re-watch is in order soon. Good production design though.
Blood Simple
A solid debut by the bros. Getz isn't great as the male lead, but the performances by McDormand, Hedaya and especially Hedaya really elevate the film. One can really it as a precursor for one of the Coens films that shows up at the bottom of this list.
Hail, Caesar!
Maybe a "light" one for the bros, but if any of them can pull off a good love letter to Hollywoods' Golden Age, it's them. Everyone in the cast really gets their time to shine, with Ehrenreich, Swinton and Fiennes among the standouts. McDormand, Hill, and even Dolph Lundgren are memorable in their cameos. Some truly great scenes, such as the religious leaders, "would that it were so simple?" and Mannix slapping some sense into Whitlock in his office.
Billy Wilder would've been proud.
True Grit
I don't like the film as much as others may do, as a couple of the performances are rather "eh". Steinfeld I think is solid though, and Barry Pepper is quite memorable in his cameo, and I kind of wish he had Damons' part as well. Nevertheless, the film is watchable enough and has truly great cinematography, with the action scenes being quite entertaining. The film just didn't quite come to life for me, but there's still some entertainment here.
Burn After Reading
Reaches higher heights than the film right above this this one, mainly due to John Malkovich, J.K. Simmons and especially Brad Pitt. The story does feel a little uneven, but boy, Pitt really elevates a lot of it. A fun film, and I'd like to see Malkovich and Pitt reunite with the Coens one day.
The Ladykillers
One of their most underrated?
Seriously, although I haven't seen the original, I thought this was a funny film about a group of robbers who meet their biggest match yet. Hanks is a delight to watch as the charming yet scheming ringleader, the other criminals are quite memorable (especially Wayans and Simmons) and Irma P. Hall as the "villain" who starts to catch on to the boys. Not a bad choice for a film to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
A Serious Man (4)
As one of the reviews about the film said when it first came out, this is the type of movie that you get to make after winning the Oscar. The brothers really make a fascinating film here in their adaptation of the book of Job, as it manages to be darkly funny while holding enough dramatic weight.
Michael Stuhlbarg is a revelation in the lead role, the rest of the family is funny whether their roles are small or large, and the film has great production design that goes hand-in-hand. Also, I really like the ending for the film, and I'd even consider that amongst the best of the Coens, which is saying something.
Raising Arizona
Another fun film from the early days of the bros. Nicolas Cage is a hoot in the lead role of Herbert and would prove to be a sign of things to come for the then-young actor. Holly Hunter is good as well and strikes up quite the chemistry with Cages' character. The story and the ending are even rather moving, as Cage and Hunter really pull you in with their desire to raise a baby, despite their "unorthodox" methods of trying to do so.
As one of the reviews about the film said when it first came out, this is the type of movie that you get to make after winning the Oscar. The brothers really make a fascinating film here in their adaptation of the book of Job, as it manages to be darkly funny while holding enough dramatic weight.
Michael Stuhlbarg is a revelation in the lead role, the rest of the family is funny whether their roles are small or large, and the film has great production design that goes hand-in-hand. Also, I really like the ending for the film, and I'd even consider that amongst the best of the Coens, which is saying something.
Raising Arizona
Another fun film from the early days of the bros. Nicolas Cage is a hoot in the lead role of Herbert and would prove to be a sign of things to come for the then-young actor. Holly Hunter is good as well and strikes up quite the chemistry with Cages' character. The story and the ending are even rather moving, as Cage and Hunter really pull you in with their desire to raise a baby, despite their "unorthodox" methods of trying to do so.
The Big Lebowski (4.5)
The cult classic to end all cult classics. A parody of 40s/50s neo-noir films, the Coens deliver with a very quotable sendup of those films. Jeff Bridges is great as his most iconic character to date, John Goodman is a riot in the intense, yet moronic Walter Sobchak, and the rest of the ensemble is also great in just illustrating the criminal underworld of Los Angeles.
One thing I want to mention that I love about the film is that Walter is proven to be correct about everything in the main mystery of the film, where one could've easily just shrugged it off as Walter rambling. The film also has many great scenes that are still quoted heavily twenty years later: anything with Donny, the final showdown between the boys and the nihilists, confronting Larry, the dream sequence, "I hate the Eagles", "Mark it zero!" etc.
*Watches film again* Wait...is that David Thewlis?
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (4.5)
One of the best road trip movies out there, the Coens hit a home run with that genre in this comedic sendup of The Odyssey (who claim that they've never read it.)
Clooney is quite good here as the leader of the runaway prisoners, who probably doesn't use 100 percent of his brain, along with Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro rounding out the prisoners. The soundtrack is also quite memorable, as is John Goodman (among others) in the rest of the ensemble. As much fun as the film is, the film is also quite moving in its more dramatic moments, with the highlight being the prisoners crying before they are set to be hanged at the end of the film.
The cult classic to end all cult classics. A parody of 40s/50s neo-noir films, the Coens deliver with a very quotable sendup of those films. Jeff Bridges is great as his most iconic character to date, John Goodman is a riot in the intense, yet moronic Walter Sobchak, and the rest of the ensemble is also great in just illustrating the criminal underworld of Los Angeles.
One thing I want to mention that I love about the film is that Walter is proven to be correct about everything in the main mystery of the film, where one could've easily just shrugged it off as Walter rambling. The film also has many great scenes that are still quoted heavily twenty years later: anything with Donny, the final showdown between the boys and the nihilists, confronting Larry, the dream sequence, "I hate the Eagles", "Mark it zero!" etc.
*Watches film again* Wait...is that David Thewlis?
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (4.5)
One of the best road trip movies out there, the Coens hit a home run with that genre in this comedic sendup of The Odyssey (who claim that they've never read it.)
Clooney is quite good here as the leader of the runaway prisoners, who probably doesn't use 100 percent of his brain, along with Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro rounding out the prisoners. The soundtrack is also quite memorable, as is John Goodman (among others) in the rest of the ensemble. As much fun as the film is, the film is also quite moving in its more dramatic moments, with the highlight being the prisoners crying before they are set to be hanged at the end of the film.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (5)
You want comedy? The title character can help you with that. You want a contemplative drama about show business? Maybe the journeyman Impresario and his "meal ticket" know a thing or two about that. You want to see someone get lucky out on the gold trail? Well, The Prospector wishes the same.
A wonderful smorgasboard of what the Coens have to offer, and you could look at is a "greatest hits" of sorts for the Coens' filmography, as you could see why they are great as they are in this anthology film. Once again, the cinematography for each segment is outstanding, along with a great ensemble (shame no one got praised in awards season, although that seems to be the case with anthologies.) The film even achieves quite a bit of heart with "The Gal Who Got Rattled", as the brothers once again prove they're quite capable of anything.
Inside Llewyn Davis
One of their most introspective films, the Coens treatise on the folk scene in New York's Greenwich Village is a film that's grown a lot on me, and I already liked it the first time around. Oscar Isaac is a revelation as the title character, as he walks a tightrope between being a jerk and making the character watchable, which is as difficult as it sounds.
As per usual for the Coens, the technical aspects of the film are great, with Delbonnel not skipping a beat as Deakins replacement this time around (especially with some great shots in the road trip section of the film.) Besides Isaac, everyone else in the film is memorable, with John Goodman as a grizzled, yet funny jazz musician, Adam Driver as a hilarious backup singer, and F. Murray Abraham as a dry-as-toast music executive.
You want comedy? The title character can help you with that. You want a contemplative drama about show business? Maybe the journeyman Impresario and his "meal ticket" know a thing or two about that. You want to see someone get lucky out on the gold trail? Well, The Prospector wishes the same.
A wonderful smorgasboard of what the Coens have to offer, and you could look at is a "greatest hits" of sorts for the Coens' filmography, as you could see why they are great as they are in this anthology film. Once again, the cinematography for each segment is outstanding, along with a great ensemble (shame no one got praised in awards season, although that seems to be the case with anthologies.) The film even achieves quite a bit of heart with "The Gal Who Got Rattled", as the brothers once again prove they're quite capable of anything.
Inside Llewyn Davis
One of their most introspective films, the Coens treatise on the folk scene in New York's Greenwich Village is a film that's grown a lot on me, and I already liked it the first time around. Oscar Isaac is a revelation as the title character, as he walks a tightrope between being a jerk and making the character watchable, which is as difficult as it sounds.
As per usual for the Coens, the technical aspects of the film are great, with Delbonnel not skipping a beat as Deakins replacement this time around (especially with some great shots in the road trip section of the film.) Besides Isaac, everyone else in the film is memorable, with John Goodman as a grizzled, yet funny jazz musician, Adam Driver as a hilarious backup singer, and F. Murray Abraham as a dry-as-toast music executive.
Barton Fink
Although this and Inside Llewyn Davis are about neck-and-neck for me, this is a terrific film that gets better the more I think about it. There are many things that are simply excellent about the film. Take the production design, which is the best you'll see in any film, as the hotel is downright eerie and claustrophobic, compared to the pristine look of the studios and Lipnicks' mansion. This provides a great contrast between Finks' writers' block and the suits that just want boxing picture from him.
Take the acting, where Turturro and Goodman deliver career-best performances as the frazzled playwright Fink and the friendly-at-first-sight "Charlie Meadows". Michael Lerner also makes the most out of his mile-a-minute spewing Jack Lipnick. And of course, Steve Buscemi as the bellhop.
Take even the ending, which is actually quite perfect in my mind, as we see Fink take a breather from the hell that he gets trapped in: having to write films that won't get produced, as well as the hotel.
A great all-around film on all fronts.
Although this and Inside Llewyn Davis are about neck-and-neck for me, this is a terrific film that gets better the more I think about it. There are many things that are simply excellent about the film. Take the production design, which is the best you'll see in any film, as the hotel is downright eerie and claustrophobic, compared to the pristine look of the studios and Lipnicks' mansion. This provides a great contrast between Finks' writers' block and the suits that just want boxing picture from him.
Take the acting, where Turturro and Goodman deliver career-best performances as the frazzled playwright Fink and the friendly-at-first-sight "Charlie Meadows". Michael Lerner also makes the most out of his mile-a-minute spewing Jack Lipnick. And of course, Steve Buscemi as the bellhop.
Take even the ending, which is actually quite perfect in my mind, as we see Fink take a breather from the hell that he gets trapped in: having to write films that won't get produced, as well as the hotel.
A great all-around film on all fronts.
No Country for Old Men
A true masterpiece in my book, even though it took me quite some time for me to arrive to that conclusion, as I recall feeling a bit cold when I first saw it.
Javier Bardem is downright chilling as Terminator-meets-Hannibal-Lector hitman Anton Chigurh, as just his mere presence suggests that everyone in his path will meet an unfortunate fate. Josh Brolin is a revelation (the Coens have a knack for that don't they?) as the "action hero" Llewelyn Moss, who gets WAY more than he bargained for when he finds a bag of money out in the desert. Tommy Lee Jones is also great, as the humorous, yet pensative Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, who attempts to track down Moss and protect him from evil. Everyone else in the cast ranging from the sardonic Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson) to the brave Carla Jean Moss (Kelly MacDonald) is also great.
One thing I love about the film is how the action scenes in the film are directed. The first example is when Moss is discovered by men who are looking for the bag of money and Moss runs into the river to escape from the men. It's a great piece of more overt action.
The second example being the main chase scene between Moss and Chigurh, which is a perfect combination of intensity (Moss waiting in the hotel room while Chigurh is in the hall) as well as overt action once again (the two of them chasing each other out in the streets).
As you'd expect from Roger Deakins, the cinematography is excellent, as the film has many great shots of the Texan country, while still creating a sense of dread in the more urban scenes of the film.
Lastly, I'd be remiss not to mention the ending of the film, as we see Sheriff Bell recount a story that goes hand-in-hand with the plot/theme of the film. It is well-delivered by Lee Jones, yet rather haunting.
Fargo
A true masterpiece in my book, even though it took me quite some time for me to arrive to that conclusion, as I recall feeling a bit cold when I first saw it.
Javier Bardem is downright chilling as Terminator-meets-Hannibal-Lector hitman Anton Chigurh, as just his mere presence suggests that everyone in his path will meet an unfortunate fate. Josh Brolin is a revelation (the Coens have a knack for that don't they?) as the "action hero" Llewelyn Moss, who gets WAY more than he bargained for when he finds a bag of money out in the desert. Tommy Lee Jones is also great, as the humorous, yet pensative Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, who attempts to track down Moss and protect him from evil. Everyone else in the cast ranging from the sardonic Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson) to the brave Carla Jean Moss (Kelly MacDonald) is also great.
One thing I love about the film is how the action scenes in the film are directed. The first example is when Moss is discovered by men who are looking for the bag of money and Moss runs into the river to escape from the men. It's a great piece of more overt action.
The second example being the main chase scene between Moss and Chigurh, which is a perfect combination of intensity (Moss waiting in the hotel room while Chigurh is in the hall) as well as overt action once again (the two of them chasing each other out in the streets).
As you'd expect from Roger Deakins, the cinematography is excellent, as the film has many great shots of the Texan country, while still creating a sense of dread in the more urban scenes of the film.
Lastly, I'd be remiss not to mention the ending of the film, as we see Sheriff Bell recount a story that goes hand-in-hand with the plot/theme of the film. It is well-delivered by Lee Jones, yet rather haunting.
Fargo
I could honestly flip between either of these films, and it would pain me to deny the other spot.
Anyways, the Coens show why they are the masters, as the dark comedy genre is one that is very hard to pull off.
Once again, the acting is great, as we see Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) unfoil a kidnapping plot that could not have gone more wrong, orchestrated by Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy). The criminals played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare are also very funny.
What I think makes the film really great however, is that not a single scene is wasted here, and even has a great detail added to each of them. Take for example the first scene where Lundegaard meets with Carl (Buscemi) and Gaear (Stormare). We see the beginning of the plot being laid out, but what I love here is that Carl and Gaear are already annoyed that Jerry was running late. This provides a great payoff when they decide to go AWOL later on in the kidnapping plan.
Take the lunch with Mike Yanagita scene. Although it can be taken as superfluous at first glance, it actually proves to be the scene where Marge starts to second-guess her first meeting with Jerry. It's outstanding screenwriting, where the Coens rightfully won their first screenwriting Oscar.
Of course, the films' cinematography is...you guessed...it great, as all of the outdoor snow scenes are terrific. However, a technical aspect of the film that stood out to me more on rewatch is the score by Carter Burwell. It is excellent work that amplifies both the comedy and the dramatic intentions of the film.
What is you favorite Coen brothers film? The least? Answer off in the comments below.
Could you do PTA and Lynch as your next two.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would love an Ingmar Bergman (Post-1951) ranking at some point.
There's a PTA ranking in the drafts as we speak :)
DeleteI could cover Lynch soon after I watch Dune and Inland Empire
And I'll go ahead and put Bergman on the docket, though it'll be awhile
Yah I'd be hard pressed not to put "Fargo" or "No Country for Old Men" at the top of the ranking. Honestly, the Coens are among my favourite directors working today. I've enjoyed nearly every film of theirs that I've seen, and there are a couple I could find myself watching/quoting indefinitely i.e. "The Big Lebowski".
ReplyDeleteWhat would be your top 10 performances in the Coen Brother's films?
Not in any particular order
DeleteJavier Bardem in No Country for Old Men
Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis
John Goodman & John Turturro in Barton Fink
Tim Blake Nelson in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
John Goodman in The Big Lebowski
Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi in Fargo
Holly Hunter in Raising Arizona
I'm more of a No Country For Old Men guy, myself, but Fargo is definitely up there along with the Coen's very best. Also, kinda sad to see True Grit so low, but oh, well.
ReplyDeleteOut of curiosity, have you watched Noah Hawley's Fargo miniseries? I'm still on season 1, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it right now. Kind of a cool tribute/spirit sequel-spin-off-ish thing to the original.
I could easily flip between NCFOM and Fargo/
DeleteI have not seen the series, since I mainly focus on films. However, I am planning on catching up on TV soon, so I'll check it out eventually!
Really would recommend a rewatch of Miller’s Crossing!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to add that to the "Rewatch" list, alongside Jackie Brown
Delete:o