So it looks like there is going to be a new Coen Brothers film this year: Inside Llewyn Davis which is completely finished but in need of a distributor. I don't know what has happened to the filming of Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policeman's Union, which sounded awesome, but which may have slipped into development hell (for the moment we'll have to be content with Michael Chabon's screenplay for, er, John Carter of Mars. Ahem). Inside Llewyn Davis is the story of New York's folk scene of the early 60's set in and around the village. I've read one or two stories from bloggers who say that the Coens showed the final print to family and friends over the holidays and it was reported to "very unlike any other Coen brothers film" which might not be a bad thing.
...
I've been a somewhat obssessive fan of the Coen Brothers since high school when I caught Blood Simple at the Queens Film Theatre in Belfast, and I've seen every one since; here therefore is my attempt at a rating of their filmography in the standard A,B,C,D,E,F format. A is a classic. B is very good. C is good. D and E are sometimes watchable. F is basically unwatchable. And remember, as the Dude says, this is just, like, my opinion, man...
1984 Blood Simple B
1987 Raising Arizona A
1990 Miller's Crossing A
1991 Barton Fink A
1994 The Hudsucker Proxy E
1996 Fargo A
1998 The Big Lebowski A
2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou? E
2001 The Man Who Wasn't There F
2003 Intolerable Cruelty F
2004 The Ladykillers F
2007 No Country for Old Men B
2008 Burn After Reading D
2009 A Serious Man C
2010 True Grit B
2013 Inside Llewyn Davis
Is there a pattern here? Yeah I think so. If you were to draw a Venn diagram with John Turturro, Steve Buscemi and John Goodman as the sets then the intersection of these sets usually represents the higher rated films. Inside Llewyn Davis stars John Goodman but also Justin Timberlake so make of that what you will...
I've been a somewhat obssessive fan of the Coen Brothers since high school when I caught Blood Simple at the Queens Film Theatre in Belfast, and I've seen every one since; here therefore is my attempt at a rating of their filmography in the standard A,B,C,D,E,F format. A is a classic. B is very good. C is good. D and E are sometimes watchable. F is basically unwatchable. And remember, as the Dude says, this is just, like, my opinion, man...
1984 Blood Simple B
1987 Raising Arizona A
1990 Miller's Crossing A
1991 Barton Fink A
1994 The Hudsucker Proxy E
1996 Fargo A
1998 The Big Lebowski A
2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou? E
2001 The Man Who Wasn't There F
2003 Intolerable Cruelty F
2004 The Ladykillers F
2007 No Country for Old Men B
2008 Burn After Reading D
2009 A Serious Man C
2010 True Grit B
2013 Inside Llewyn Davis
Is there a pattern here? Yeah I think so. If you were to draw a Venn diagram with John Turturro, Steve Buscemi and John Goodman as the sets then the intersection of these sets usually represents the higher rated films. Inside Llewyn Davis stars John Goodman but also Justin Timberlake so make of that what you will...
36 comments:
This one does look interesting.
Another name you may want to add to the Venn diagrams in Sam Raimi who was quite involved in e early movies.
John
Yes! I loved his little cameo in Millers Crossing as the fedora wearing gunman who attacks one of Leo's clubs.
I guess I won't make it as film critic in your universe. I actually like O Brother and Ladykillers. I did not like Fargo. My god, what's wrong with me?
As usual, I dissent from your high opinion of the Coen brothers (while admitting I have missed a few of the movies on your list but insisting I would probably not survive doing the amount of drug it would take to make me like The Big Lebowski). But I give you props for zinging the hugely overrated O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I don't have much to contribute to this conversation that I haven't contributed before, but I do think I should watch Raising Arizona again and see if it is as good as I remember it. Fargo left me a little cold, but I might like it a bit more now. O Brother had the handicap of having George Clooney in it, but on the other hand, the music was good.
Blood Simple was my intro to these two so I'd have to bump it up to an A maybe for sentimental reasons but anything with M Emmett Walsh in a main role is an A in my book.
Blood Simple gets an A in my book possibly for sentimental reasons as it was my intro the C Bros. M. Emmett Walsh is simply too g.d. funny.
I also like watching movies of The Coen Brothers. I think the movie Inside Llewyn Davis will be Rated A.
RT
Well everyone's entitled to their opinon arent they?
I do suggest that you watch the Alec Guinness Ladykillers and you might get what a travesty the remake was.
Peter
O Brother irritated the hell out of me. And to see The Culture suddenly embrace roots music in the wake of the film irritated me even more.
Seana
"Fargo left me a little cold"
Nice one.
Its probably best not to watch Raising Arizona again. Just keep those happy memories.
Although I think I've seen it half a dozen times.
Sean
My God he was good in that.
Blood Simple was so terrific. And I loved the fact that when they brought out the directors cut it was two minutes shorter. The opposite of a Ridley Scott directors cut.
Anti
I think it sounds very intriguing.
My best puns are always inadvertent.
I just watched the opening of season 3 of Downton Abbey, which wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be. Unfortunately, I was watching it sandwiched in the middle of an extremely anxiety ridden episode of Eastenders which showed the whole square coming together after a fun fair accident, bringing out the community in the way that only Eastenders can, and inadvertently putting paid to the idea that keeping a big country estate going was some kind of worthy project. Well, except for future film and TV endeavors. I'm thinking BBC and Julian Fellowes are happy that that particular structure wasn't razed during some sort of austerity measure.
This kid almost gets it completely right with his neat little video compilation.
Seana
I'm waiting for the Attlee government to come in 45 and tax the shit out of the plutocrat bastards. Thats an episode I'll enjoy though it'll lack some drama admittedly.
Well, don't worry, I'm sure Bates will still be in jail and his wife will have almost finally exhausted the list of people who might of have had some intimate knowledge of his wife's intentions.
I'm surprised you don't have more sympathy for the Irish chauffeur's speaking truth to power schtick, although frankly it wears a little thin, especially since all he really wants is for Lord Crawley to call him Tom instead of Branson. And why would they name a supposedly sympathetic family Crawley anyway? Dickens never would have, but I suppose he had a better ear.
Coincidentally, we just caught the last 1/2 hour of The Big Lebowski on cable and I just had to keep watching to hear one of my all-time favourite lines (Dude to Walter):
"Everything's a fuckin' travesty with you, man"
I actually liked The Man Who Wasn't There.
you may be surprised with timberlake, I was when I watched alpha dog.
Yes, Raimi's acting cameos are usually funny, but I mean his 2nd unit direction and general behind the scenes help.
I do have to admit, I've never really understood the Coen brothers movies. They all seem too phony to me.
Seana
I think the Irish rebel's storyline is pathetic. The upper class are so sympathetic and understanding to a degree which is utterly anachronistic. These aren't toff's, they are time travelling saints.
The worst characters in the show - ie. with the redeeming qualities of gentleness, wit or humour are all below stairs which reflects Fellows' privileged boarding school life experience.
Mark
You're right and he was pretty good in The Social Network.
Macca
I may have seen TBL the most of all the Coen brothers films. Its especially fun to watch it here in Seattle where marijuana has been legalised and the home of the Seattle 7.
John
Fake you say?
I think I just noticed a mistake in the above still.
As you can see the subway sign Davis is walking past is in Helvetica.
But Helvetica didn't become the standard in the NY subways until the late 60's after the Worlds Fair in Queens. Llewyn Davis is set in the EARLY 60's.
This article delineates the history of NY subway fonts for those geeky enough to be interested:
http://www.aiga.org/the-mostly-true-story-of-helvetica-and-the-new-york-city-subway/
although the camera may be positioned to miss that Helvetica sign on the back and capture the non Helvetica sign on the side.
um...
clearly this is one of those things that only I will be interested in in the whole world.
Deb,
You probably know about this already but if not:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/world/europe/klemens-von-klemperer-dies-at-96-wrote-of-nazi-era.html
Are the Coens the best US filmmakers?
Miller's Crossing=great entertainment.
Liked No Country - great photography & Tommy Lee Jones. But Jones' own 3 Burials of M. Estrada is similar but better, IMO.
Kate
Well I dont know about the best. I don't think they're quite up there with David Lynch and Paul Thomas Anderson when they're on top form.
Hi Adrian and other lovely people,
Just back from my first day back at work for a while. Ended it by doing another interview for that podcaster from Portland, Oregon about that ancient treasure loot from my neck of the woods.
Thanks for the Klemp link Adrian, I haven't looked at it yet. Edmund de Waal, potter + writer of Hare with the Amber Eyes, bought some of the Klemps Meissen collection - the stuff that was being stolen by the Nazis and was smashed to smithereens by a direct hit from an allied bomb on the truck carrying it (Dresden and all that), then painstakingly glued back together for its backstory value. God, I must write this stuff down properly eh?? Not while cooking tea after a long work day.
Coen Brothers - I love Raising A, No Country for Old Men, Fargo - but also like Oh Brother! - and care not a jot when folks get to hear about music they wouldn't otherwise know or encounter. Look at me - what I know about drum and base could now be written on the back of a postage stamp [since 2008 I have worked as a Fire Steward in the Dance Village at the Glastonbury Festival every year - just got my letter through - wooo).
One of my stories that I am procrastinating about writing (all here in my head) takes place at Glasto. It is a pretty amazing experience.
Deb
I'm a pinched and easily upset music snob so it was probably just sheer jealousy on my part that T Bone Burnett got all the credit for discovering that blue grass stuff on Oh Brother.
Portland you say? That's where I am right now. Although only for another hour or so.
Jamie rang me just after he got out of bed this morning! (so 4pm my time)I told him about your reposting his blog. He was pleased, to say the least.
His podcast, I mean..
Very interesting obituary, thanks, will now look up on family tree.
What were you doing in Portland?
Deb
Just having a quick visit. Nice down there but strangely colder than Seattle.
score for 'Burn After Reading' - I'd forgotten I had seen it, which says it all
One odd thing about that first Downton Abbey sequence is that the Irish former chauffeur says exactly what he thinks, but then is forgiven because some rival spiked his drink. It seemed entirely plausible that he would say the same thing stone cold sober, since he had more or less in previous scenes.
As to fonts, apparently you are not the only one...
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