2031 - Fargo: season one

I write season one assuming that there will be a second season based on the quality of this and what I’ve been able to find online.  This series could have been so bad, instead it’s at least as good as the film it was inspired by - and who knows…. it could be better in some regards…. Noah Hawley has nailed the tone set by the Coens, yet he also makes it uniquely his own.  This features one of the best ensemble casts of any series ever.  From somewhat newcomer Allison Tolman to season veterans Billy Bob Thorton, Oliver Platt, Colin Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Adam Goldberg, to some awesome Canadian stand-outs Shawn Doyle, Joshua Close, Carlos Diaz, and Rachel Blanchard… but the stand-out for me is Martin Freeman.  It’s absolutely a career highlight - the transformation he goes through is nothing short of stunning.  

The entire season stands on it’s own and is quite serialized - each episode begging you to watch the next.  I found very few faults with the series in general outside of… (SPOILER ALERT) if both Lester and Malvo died, how did were the events depicted exactly as they occurred as is stated in the opening credits?…  (END SPOILER).

So if you haven’t dug into this and you’re a fan of the Coens work, this is a must watch.  I’d say it’s almost like a marriage between Fargo and No Country For Old Men.  I loved it, and I can’t wait for season two.

1956 - Inside Llewyn Davis

Before throwing down my own thoughts I read some awesomely varied reviews - people that love and hate the film.  I'm in the former category.  I'm not a Coen apologist - I hated Ladykillers, and I was meh on A Serious Man.  Everything else has been enjoyable for me, and many of them are among my favourite films.  Say what you will about the Coens - they've got a distinct voice, and in this particular film they know exactly how to use it.  In lesser hands a film like this would meander and be boring as shit.  If you described the plot to anyone I'm sure it would turn them off seeing the film (to be fair - there isn't much of a plot - that's not what this one is about) but it's the execution here and it gets top marks.  We spend time trying to get inside of the main character, and see what makes him tick, see what others see in him, why he annoys others (Carey Mulligan is goddamn fantastic here, every time she emphasizes a word here it makes me smile, and John Goodman's mocking of Lewis' genre of music of fantastic).  This is a film that's purely about the journey with little to no thought about the destination.  If you like the Coens and you like folk music - this one is a no brainer (I'd be remiss to not mention a sequence in the middle featuring Oscar Isaac recording a song with Justin Timberlake and Adam Driver that is comedy gold.  So delightful.).  I wasn't familiar with Isaac as an actor before but he's on my radar big time.
Not everyone will love this film - some will dislike it immensely.  As mentioned, I'm of the former mentality.  Give it a whirl yourselves!

1482 - True Grit

I've been a little hit or miss on the Coens in the last few films. There have been a lot of stuff that I liked about them, but none of them completely won me over. And then comes True Grit, not a remake of The Duke's, but an adaptation of the same source.
This film is full of brilliant actors that are invisible, hidden inside of their characters. Bridges, Damon, Pepper, Brolin, and the extremely talented young Hailee Steinfeld make this possibly the best casted film this year - or at least he best acted. This is a film where every performance, big and small, is a work of art - even the smallest of characters.
The production design, costumes, make-ups, just the way that the men's mustaches are stained ever so slightly from tobacco, the attention to detail is startling. Deakens does some of his best work behind the camera here.
I was surprised just how accessible this film was made, how satisfying. I've always liked the Coens, but when I walked into this film I had no idea that I was about to watch their best film to date - and that's what this is. I can't imagine it won't get the attention that it deserves.
Do yourself a favor and see this film.

1392 - A Serious Man

The Coens always tell stories that are, at the very least, interesting. I don't pretend to know enough about Judaism to get all the jokes and ideas, but this film was entertaining from beginning to end. The irony is a lot of people online say, "but what was the film about?". I think truth is that it's about trying to figure out what things are about.
Bad things happen to good people and vice versa - it's whether we pick up and continue or not that decides who we are as a person.
The performances from relatively unknowns, were extremely entertaining and enjoyable. Despte my tremendouse respect for the Coens, I've been a bit hit and miss with them latetly. I think that, in a broad sense, they amuse themselves first and the audience second, or worse, they amuse themselves for the sake of the audience.
If you like the Coens and/or you know a fair amout about Judaism then this is probably the flick for you!

1187 - Fargo

I haven't watched this in a long time and decided that since my wife is about the same level of pregnancy that Marge is in the film, now would be a good a time as any to show it to her. I find that I'm enjoying the Coen's films a little less as I get older and discover a deeper world of cinema. I think what the Coen's do really well is strong characters and interesting premises and set-ups, but that after a certain point their stories just lose a little steam. I think their films suffer because of it. In the end I'm no longer wowed, perhaps because I've seen them over and over, but I'm just left with a bit of a 'meh' feeling . I really enjoy Fargo because of the world and the characters. If you haven't seen this film, you really should. It's one of the Coen's best films. I'm a little worried to re-visit some of the other Coen films I used to love for fear that they'll be deminished. Alas.

1133 - Burn After Reading

I've been excited for this film for quite some time. The story idea sounded wonderful, especially with the promise of the Coen's doing the execution. The early set pictures of Pitt in a bike helmet and suit were confusing in the way that makes you geek-giddy about what it could possibly mean.

I like the Coens. However I also believe that they're the kind of filmmakers who could care less about what their audience wants and expects. They make movies for themselves and if we like them too, that's just icing on their cake. That being said I found myself bored with this. None of the characters were that likable in any way that made me want to root for them. There's some shocks, but they're carefully planted. Sure we get our big starts playing goofy over-the-top characters, but as we learned with their 'The Ladykillers' that doesn't always make for a good film.

A disappointment for sure. I can't even recommend a rental on this unfortunately.

1131 - Intolerable Cruelty

I've been looking for love/rivalry reference films and I forgot how much I enjoyed this one. It's not perfect, no, but I think it's greatly undervalued by many Coen fans who dismiss it as a simple romantic comedy, which I suppose it can be labelled as, but it's more of a screwball comedy, and with it's cast of fantastic character it's a solid one.

Clooney is Cary Grant, and Zeta-Jones doesn't make you wonder for a second how this man could possibly fall under her spell. With some fantastic back-and-forth banter you've got to pay attention to catch all the wonder jokes in here. Some questionable plot points, but entertaining nonetheless. Really really dying to see 'Burn After Reading' now.