barton fink, hoodsucker proxy, fargo, a simple plan

x in the city

classic films

they don't make **** like this no more do they,

3d films.. lolz

quarryman

Just watched Barton Fink on tg4. As with at all Cohen films it was compelling but ultimately disappointing with it's vague unsatisying ending. I shouldn't have bothered staying up...

duckworth

quarryman wrote: »

Just watched Barton Fink on tg4. As with at all Cohen films it was compelling but ultimately disappointing with it's vague unsatisying ending. I shouldn't have bothered staying up...

Horses for courses I suppose, it's one of my favourite movies of all time. The ending is only vague in terms of direct plot - there's plenty of specific meaning in it if you care to go looking.

I understand why people hate it though. I suspect you'd hate last year's 'A Serious Man', which I think is close to a masterpiece.

It's not typical of the Coens though - there's three I can think of with weird endings (might be one more I'm forgetting). The other 10 or so have regular endings.

MrSir

I believe it's Coen.....

stimpson

Hudsucker Proxy is fast catching up with the Big Lebowski as one of my most watched films. Mostly for the snappy dialog and the fact that it allowed me to forgive Tim Robbins for Shawshank. And for Paul Newman. And...I think I'm goign to watch it again tonight.

"You know. For kids!"

MisterAnarchy

Try to watch "The Square" an Australian film ,its a bit like a Simple Plan.
Very good movie.

LittleBook

I think the only Coen brothers film I really didn't enjoy was The Ladykillers and that could be simply because I loved the original so much ... or maybe there was more to it, I should check again.

duckworth

LittleBook wrote: »

I think the only Coen brothers film I really didn't enjoy was The Ladykillers and that could be simply because I loved the original so much ... or maybe there was more to it, I should check again.

Nah, it was sh1te. I also thought Intolerable Cruelty was crap too. I'm looking forward to True Grit, but I'm not keeping my hopes up, seeing as the only two bad films they've ever made have been remakes.

bnt

I also saw Barton Fink last night, for the first time - and I wish I had seen that before I saw A Serious Man, since I can definitely see a shared context between the two. In both cases not being Jewish puts me at a disadvantage, since both films touch on the Jewish experience, implicitly and explicitly. That sense of slowly building existential horror ... :eek:

mikhail

The reference to "A Simple Plan" in the thread title, is that a slip? Did the OP mean "A Serious Man"? (I remember confusing both of these titles with "A Single Man" at one point.)

duckworth

mikhail wrote: »

The reference to "A Simple Plan" in the thread title, is that a slip? Did the OP mean "A Serious Man"? (I remember confusing both of these titles with "A Single Man" at one point.)

Maybe, but his point was they don't make them like that any more, and A Serious Man was released here in January.

I've no idea what he meant though, since the Coens are making some of their strongest work ever nowadays.

'3D lolz' indeed - I'll drink to that.

Miguel_Sanchez

duckworth wrote: »

Nah, it was sh1te. I also thought Intolerable Cruelty was crap too. I'm looking forward to True Grit, but I'm not keeping my hopes up, seeing as the only two bad films they've ever made have been remakes.

Intolerable Cruelty wasn't a remake was it?

bonerm

x in the city wrote: »

3d films.. lolz

Agreed. Most of my favourite films are 2d.

jwilldub

it's not a remake, but interestingly it's the first film they made which wasn't based on their own idea/script

BopNiblets

You forgot Millers Crossing! :eek:

PKen

BopNiblets wrote: »

You forgot Millers Crossing! :eek:

One of the best Gangster movies ever made. I like the way it deals with the Irish and Jewish experience in organised crime in America. The genre is usually dominated by the Italians. My favourite Coen Brothers film. 'Blood Simple' comes in a close second. 'Oh Brother Were Art Thou' was disapointing plotwise, but the soundtrack was excellent.

Chad ghostal

mikhail wrote: »

The reference to "A Simple Plan" in the thread title, is that a slip? Did the OP mean "A Serious Man"? (I remember confusing both of these titles with "A Single Man" at one point.)

I think he was referring to 'Blood Simple', the first (?) Coen brothers film (also fantastic btw) or maybe he was just talking about 'A simple plan' the Sam Raimi film.. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120324/

Valmont

stimpson wrote: »

Hudsucker Proxy is fast catching up with the Big Lebowski as one of my most watched films.

Sold! The Hudsucker Proxy it is!

trustno1

I love all the Coen's films - including Intolerable Cruelty 'you're exposed'!!.. I love the dialogue and Catherine Zeta's character. My least favourite would be Hudsucker as I couldn't stand Jennifer Jason Leigh in it at all. Their best (for me) would be Fargo 'the heck do you mean?', followed closey by No Country for Old Men 'Just how dangerous is he' 'compared to what, the bubonic plague?' and I just have to throw O Brother in there as well 'I'm a Dapper Dan man!!'.

Must check out A Serious Man which I have not yet had the chance to see.

Mickeroo

stimpson wrote: »

Hudsucker Proxy is fast catching up with the Big Lebowski as one of my most watched films. Mostly for the snappy dialog and the fact that it allowed me to forgive Tim Robbins for Shawshank. And for Paul Newman. And...I think I'm goign to watch it again tonight.

"You know. For kids!"

Whats wrong with Shawshank?? Maybe you meant Howard The Duck

stimpson

Mickeroo wrote: »

Whats wrong with Shawshank?? Maybe you meant Howard The Duck

It's no 1 on imdb top 100. Probably because it's cheesier than a quattro formagio with extra gorgonzola. Can't stand it.

ferguson

trustno1 wrote: »

I love all the Coen's films - including Intolerable Cruelty 'you're exposed'!!.. I love the dialogue and Catherine Zeta's character. My least favourite would be Hudsucker as I couldn't stand Jennifer Jason Leigh in it at all. Their best (for me) would be Fargo 'the heck do you mean?', followed closey by No Country for Old Men 'Just how dangerous is he' 'compared to what, the bubonic plague?' and I just have to throw O Brother in there as well 'I'm a Dapper Dan man!!'.

Must check out A Serious Man which I have not yet had the chance to see.

brilliant

Mr Marston

Ah, whilst I love the Coen brothers' films, I am not really a fan of these films with cryptic endings and "deep underlying themes"; namely, Barton Fink, A serious man and NCFOM. Although NCFOM gets a bye, as it's one of my favourite films and the end is taken directly from McCarthy's book.

It's just that I sense quite the air of pretension surrounding them. People seem to try to read too much in to things and quite often find things that aren't really there. I sometimes think the Coen brothers are taking the piss so people will come up with wild extravagant theories to explain essentially nothing. The "hat in box" story as quoted above seems to lend some credence to this! I like films to be intelligent, but the sort that require quick comprehension rather than deep, studious thought. Don't get me started on the types who apply the latter to those in need of the former. They were out in their droves after Inception!