Wednesday, July 7, 2010

#12: Joel & Ethan Coen


- “One of the pleasures of movies is creating a world . . . it gives you a license to do certain things.”

They may be among the preeminent visual stylists of this era, but it’s hard to deny that the greatest asset the Coen Brothers possess is their unparalleled writing talent. They are equally adept at writing the crass stoner comedy of The Big Lebowski or the casual philosophical wit of A Serious Man. They can write traditional drama equally as well, creating situations and dialogue in Blood Simple and No Country For Old Men. Then, of course, are their famed hybrids, films like Fargo or Barton Fink that aren’t straight comedy but aren’t straight drama either. All of their films have an undeniable “Coens feel” to them, but each one is varied from any of its predecessors. It’s easy to imagine that their scripts are so well written that directors need simply to follow them to a tee and positive results will ensue. In fact, I’ve heard as much in interviews. I remember seeing John Goodman talking about the making of The Big Lebowski and how the screenplay was so spot-on that no one dared change anything about it… even down to following the stutters and cadences that were written directly into the script.

Still, it’s impossible to deny the visual flair that their films boast. And I don’t say this in a Malick-like way, where every film just looks spectacular. Instead, each Coens film is unique, with an appearance that seems to perfectly fit the story being told. Blood Simple captured the gritty, B-noir feel of the murder plot. Fargo lets the snow whites of South Dakota wash over everything. The noirish The Man Who Wasn’t There boasts the best black and white cinematography of recent years. As a modern western of sorts, No Country For Old Men allows the landscape to be shown off through dusk-like lighting and photography. These are just a few examples, but it substantiates what I am saying. They are definitely more than just talented writers who happen to direct/produce.

Even when they are playing it straight though, there is a certain wit or cynicism lying just beneath everything. Like Billy Wilder before them, it’s easy to imagine Joel and Ethan sitting behind the camera with a sly grin on their faces. They are two of the few filmmakers where I have never once thought that they might be taking themselves too seriously. Perhaps they really do, but it never comes across that way to me as a viewer. Their films often seem to aspire toward a deeper meaning – or, perhaps, people are just quickly to look for such interpretations – but they never lose the sense of genuinely enjoying what they are creating.

My top choice is immovable, even if it is far from being their most critically-lauded or brimming with powerful statements. The Big Lebowski is so entertaining, I don’t care, and I still maintain that Walter Sobchak is one of the greatest character creations I’ve ever seen.

1. The Big Lebowski (1998)
2. Miller’s Crossing (1990)
3. Barton Fink (1991)
4. No Country for Old Men (2007)
5. Fargo (1996)
6. The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
7. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
8. A Serious Man (2009)
9. Blood Simple (1984)
10. Burn After Reading (2008)
11. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
12. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
13. Raising Arizona (1987)

18 comments:

  1. More of my favorites, Dave. They get condemned for a "superior" attitude toward their subjects but that may just be the inevitable reaction from some quarters to a satiric temperament. It's interesting that you invoke Wilder when I might think Sturges, though the Coens are greater pictorial stylists than either. They went through a dry spell for a few years but their recent work shows them back at full strength. I'm really looking forward to Bridges in True Grit. For now, my list goes like this.

    1. Fargo
    2. Miller's Crossing
    3. The Big Lebowski
    4. O Brother Where Art Thou?
    5. No Country For Old Men
    6. The Hudsucker Proxy
    7. A Simple Man
    8. Blood Simple
    9. Burn After Reading
    10. Raising Arizona
    11. Barton Fink
    12. The Man Who Wasn't There
    13. Intolerable Cruelty.

    Never have brought myself to watch The Ladykillers. It looked hopeless from the start.

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  2. My top 10 Coen Brothers......

    1. Fargo
    2. No Country For Old Men
    3. The Man Who Wasn't There
    4. Barton Fink
    5. Blood Simple
    6. The Big Lebowski
    7. A Serious Man
    8. Burn After Reading
    9. Miller's Crossing
    10. O Brother Where Art Thou

    Brilliant Stuff. My favorite line in the Big Lebowski......."I didn't blame anyone for the loss of my legs. Some chinaman took them from me in Korea". How about "Its a show dog, it's got papers". Great movie to see with friends during my college days. The best stoner comedy ever. "You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways dude". Thats how great these guys are that Lebowski only comes in 6th on my list.....M.Roca

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  3. 1) Barton Fink
    2) Miller's Crossing
    3) Fargo
    4) No Country for Old Men
    5) The Big Lebowski
    6) Blood Simple
    7) O Brother
    8) The Man Who Wasn't There
    9) The Hudsucker Proxy
    10) Burn After Reading
    11) Raising Arizona

    The top three, for me, are all true masterpieces, imminently rewatchable examples of superior filmmaking. I love No Country, but have found it to not hold up quite as well as I'd hope on repeated viewings, which is interesting to contrast with the other masterpiece released around the same time, There Will Be Blood, which I have found only grows in richness on repeated viewings. The Big Lebowski is great of course, but I really kind of got sick of it after being unable to attend a party without having 100 people constantly quoting from it and throwing the dvd on for the umpteenth time. Probably unfair, but it is what it is. It probably would have ranked in the top 2-3 for me at one point.

    I still can't believe I haven't gotten around to A Serious Man yet. I need to get on that.

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  4. 1. No Country for Old Men (2007)
    2. Barton Fink (1991)
    3. Fargo (1996)
    4. Miller’s Crossing (1990)
    5. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
    6. The Big Lebowski (1998)
    7. Blood Simple (1984)
    8. A Serious Man (2009)
    9. Burn After Reading (2008)
    10. Raising Arizona (1987)

    "The Man Who Wasn’t There" is next to watch.

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  5. Hi there. First-time poster, though I've been following your blog for a month or so and really enjoying your countdowns (even though most of the entries only make me realize how badly I need to catch up!). Anyway, the Coens being among my very favorites, I thought I'd post my list:

    1. Fargo (1996)
    2. The Big Lebowski (1998)
    3. Barton Fink (1991)
    4. No Country for Old Men (2007)
    5. The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
    6. A Serious Man (2009)
    7. Miller’s Crossing (1990)
    8. Burn After Reading (2008)
    9. Blood Simple (1984)
    10. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
    11. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
    12. Raising Arizona (1987)
    13. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

    The top three are somewhat interchangeable I guess, depending on the moment, although Fargo has occupied the top spot for a while now. Jerry Lundegaard as portrayed by Bill Macy is easily one of my favorite characters ever.

    Again, great blog that has turned me on to a few gems I could have easily overlooked. I'll try and comment on some already existing entries, and will of course be eagerly awaiting the rest of this countdown!

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  6. Fargo remains the Coen's best work IMO. They have created some of the most unique characters in modern film. Marge Gunderson, Jerry Lundergaard and Lebowski to name a few. Visually, as you mention, their work is stunning and as writers there are few today who are better. Interesting enough my ranking of their films, except for Fargo has changed over the years most significantly with Raising Arizona continually dropping down and Lebowski moving up.

    Fargo
    No Country for Old Men
    The Big Lebowski
    Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
    Barton Fink
    Blood Simple
    A Serious Man
    Raising Arizona
    Miller's Crossing
    Burn After Reading
    The Man Who Wasn't There
    Intolerable Cruelty
    The Ladykillers
    The Hudsucker Proxy

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  7. Well, Dave, your passion is almost convincing. But these are two directors whose films have never worked for me. Anyway, here's how I would rank the few of their films I've seen

    1. Fargo
    2. O Brother Where Art Thou
    3. A Serious Man
    4. No Country For Old Men
    5. The Big Lebowski

    Cheers!

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  8. Yes, I'm a cynic. Yes, I love shaggy dog stories. But damn it,these guys are brilliant and easily my favorite American filmmakers currently working. They're doing better now than they ever have, and even when they make a deliberate pointless movie (Burn After Reading), they make it so well and so funny that it beats most of what comes down the pipe any given year.

    1. No Country for Old Men
    2. Barton Fink
    3. A Serious Man
    4. Miller's Crossing
    5. The Big Lebowski
    6. Fargo
    7. The Man Who Wasn't There
    8. O Brother Where Art Thou
    9. Burn After Reading
    10. Blood Simple
    11. Raising Arizona
    12. Intolerable Cruelty
    13. The Hudsucker Proxy
    14. The Ladykillers

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  9. Wow, your list is eerily similiar to my own. I love these guys and they've cranked very few duds over the long career. My faves:

    1. The Big Lebowski
    2. Miller’s Crossing
    3. Barton Fink
    4. Raising Arizona
    5. Fargo
    6. The Hudsucker Proxy
    7. The Man Who Wasn't There
    8. No Country for Old Men
    9. Blood Simple (2009)
    10. O Brother Where Art Thou?
    11. A Serious Man

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  10. Dave:

    On the Coens. I find it difficult to overlook their disdain, not to say contempt, for most of their subjects. But indicative of “no good deed going unappreciated” they might at least have been kinder to the post World War II generation (The Man Who Was Not There). Not only was it bad Coen, but it was bad Cain and as my English friends might say: bad form. Had that generation not succeeded in its endeavors, the Coens and many of us might never have seen the light of day. (And, of course, the Coens were not there.)

    I liked Blood Simple, was (and am still) smitten with Frances McDormand. I was taken with the confusion of every character not knowing what the other was doing and why. Skip to Fargo which was very good in spite of the Coen’s endless ridiculing of their former neighbors. I liked the look of The Man Who Was Not There at least. But if the Coens wanted to know how to handle Cain they had only to study Wilder, or even Tay Garnett. Or better yet, read Cain, who certainly understood and appreciated the common man. Ridicule was not in his lexicon.

    Speaking of which, the Coens seem a couple of fraternity boys trying to outdo each other in a Ridicule contest. They might be well cast among the less agreeable characters in Patrice Leconte’s Ridicule. In films, I am comfortable with cynicism, satire, skepticism and regret. Two of my idols (e.g., Wilder and Sturges) used any or all with aplomb. As does Woody Allen. But when the camera rolls, ridicule to me is an unwelcome guest.

    I watch each of the Coens new endeavors as issued and Burn before Reading lends itself to a remark best not stated. Thank you for allowing what I hope is civil disagreement. If, and when, we cross the Wilder bridge, I suspect we will be hand in hand again. Best.

    Gerald

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  11. Finally, someone I've seen all the films of. Actually, I haven't seen A Serious Man yet, but it's in my queue. How do I decide a ranking? The ones I love, I love equally. As you can see, I tend toward the comedies. There are a few Coen films I didn't like, Barton Fink was great until the lady lost her head, then the movie seemed to lose it's bearings. The Hudsucker Proxy and Intolerable Cruelty seem to be missing that "something" that pushes a film to the next level. The Ladykillers was really lacking that spark. Fargo must have caught me off-guard with it's violence and darkness, because I only watched it once and didn't like it. I should watch it again because I remember great parts to it.

    1. Raising Arizona
    2. O Brother Where Art Thou?
    3. Miller's Crossing
    4. The Big Lebowski
    5. Blood Simple
    6. The Man Who Wasn't There
    7. Burn After Reading
    8. No Country for Old Men

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  12. Count me as a fan Dave, even if your overall placement and estimation is higher than what I would access them with. Ethan Coen particularly, has been moving into different forms to display his philosophical stories (working in the theatre) and the past year's A SERIOUS MAN can well be regarded as a masterpiece. I do see it now as their greatest film.

    1 A Serious Man
    2 Fargo
    3 No Country For Old Men
    4 Brother Where Art Thou?
    5 Burn After Reading
    6 Blood Simple
    7 Barton Fink
    8 Miller's Crossing
    9 Hudsucker's Proxy
    10 Raising Arizona
    11 The Big Lebowski
    12 The Man Who Wasn't There

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  13. Samuel - The Sturges comparison fits too... all of these directors brought a bit of levity to at least parts of everything they did. Even the deadly serious sections of Wilder and Coen work is interspersed with some comedy. I am also hoping that True Grit is up to the level of their best.

    M.Roca - My favorite bits in Lebowski are the toe bit that you quote and also at the bowling after the disastrous money exchange when Donny asks, "How did the drop go?" and Walter responds "Pretty good, Dude's car got a little banged up."

    Drew - Definitely make a point of watchin A Serious Man. If you look below, Sam rates it as their best film and even if I rate it lower it's only because it obviously will take more than one viewing to fully take it in. I have never tired of hearing the best of The Big Lebowski, but I can understand where you're coming from.

    Nostromo - A good list and I am a big fan of The Man Who Wasn't There.

    Jerome - Thanks for stopping by and thank you very much for the compliments! Our Coens lists are ordered a bit differently, but we seem to have similar favorites. Definitely keep checking in on the countdown and leaving your thoughts!

    John - Yes, their creations of memorable characters is definitely one of their qualities that stick out for me. Raising Arizona is one that has nowhere to fall on my list as I have never liked it.

    JAFB - No problem, the blogosphere would be incredibly boring if we all agreed. Thanks for being a sport and still joining in on this one anyway!

    Jake - I can't say that they're my favorite American filmmakers still working, but of their generation they are certainly my favorite. I agree that they had a wonderful decade in the 2000s, and I even shocked myself by putting three of their filsm in my Top 50 of the decade.

    J.D. - I have never been able to warm to Raising Arizona, but aside from that one, you're right, we do have very similar rankings.

    Gerald - I'll have to disagree here. I see nothing wrong with what they did in The Man Who Wasn't There, as I didn't in anyway see it as demeaning. Were they poking fun at an era or generation? Sure, but I have no problem with it. I don't think it was meant to be a Cain or Wilder story, but was rather a Coens quirky take on a similar plotted tale. If you went into it expecting a straight noir, I can understand the feelings, but I don't for a second think that was what they were going for. I didn't see out and out ridicule for a generation as you seemed to... their characters in that film were, to me, so obviously unique that I just never thought it would be read that way. I certainly am not saying you're wrong, if that's how the movie felt to you, just bringing up how it played for me.

    Retro Hound - I own Raising Arizona, but I just can never warm up to it. It just isn't funny to me, which is disaster for a movie that is nothing but a straight comedy. I haven't seen The Ladykillers but have never heard anything good about, so I'm guessing that I haven't missed much.

    Sam - I definitely remember your love of A Serious Man and it's one that I like but still don't have a complete handle on. I need to watch it again, and fortunately since I have the Blu Ray here next to the DVD player, I can do so at any time.

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  14. Dave:

    You are correct of course. I let a pet peeve elongate and obfuscate my commemt. It was bad form. I thank you for your courteous and gracious response. Best.

    Gerald

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  15. Gerald - No worries... airing out pet peeves is part of the fun of lists and countdowns like this!

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  16. Gotta join in the fun...

    Rankings:

    TOP TIER (Masterpieces)
    Fargo
    Blood Simple
    A Serious Man
    Barton Fink
    Miller's Crossing

    MIDDLE TIER (Lotsa fun)
    Raising Arizona
    O' Brother Where Art Thou?
    The Big Lebowski
    The Man Who Wasn't There
    Burn After Reading

    OVERRATED
    No Country for Old Men

    DON'T EVEN BOTHER (Oh, Brother!)
    The Hudsucker Proxy
    Ladykillers
    Intolerable Cruelty

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  17. I love the ultraviolence of No country for old man simply awesome!

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  18. ´

    Right after Quentin Tarantino, the Coen Brothers are the second most overrated names in the business, I guess.


    Sure, 'Miller's Crossing' has beautiful settings, good actors, and I still have the DVD in my collection; but the film is so cliché-ridden, so over-styled; nearly everything has alreday been told before and similar or more convincing in several other gangster or mafia flicks.


    Ask for example Jonathan Rosenbaum, top critic of the Chicago Reader...


    http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/millers-crossing/Film?oid=1061244


    ....or Vincent Canby, reviewer of the New York Times:


    http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0CEFDB1630F932A1575AC0A966958260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes



    ´

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