Favorite Coen Bros. Movie?

Started by Satcho9, January 09, 2003, 03:50:07 PM

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ReelHotGames

I have to step in with Fargo, for the woodchipper alone it has my vote, but this is one of Buscemi's best plus Macy and McDormand and you have a beaut of a trifecta

But all their work is so damn fine it's hard to choose, Barton Fink is a masterstroke as well  :?:
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picolas

Quote from: michael alessandroBarton Fink is a masterstroke as well  :?:

:?:

dufresne

such a tough fucking decision but i say Miller's Crossing.

and Roger Deakins is the fuckin' man.
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children with angels

I'd have to go with the Fink: it feels to me like their most personal work, and it's the one I can connect with most (probably because I like to fool myself into thinking I can write). It also has one of the greatest last images of a movie ever.

Though: The Big Lebowski is the funniest film ever made.
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Satcho9

I just watched Hudsucker Proxy again last night for the fist time in a while.

One Word: Brilliant.

I love this movie, not as much as Lebowski. But this is a tour de force of directorial skills. Very well done.

Ernie

Quote from: Satcho9I just watched Hudsucker Proxy again last night for the fist time in a while.

One Word: Brilliant.

I love this movie, not as much as Lebowski. But this is a tour de force of directorial skills. Very well done.

I'll be seeing Hudsucker for the first time Saturday on IFC, can't wait. It looks so awesome. I fucking love Jennifer Jason Leigh. Lebowski is my favorite as of now.

bonanzataz

I used to love Hudsucker when I was a little kid. It was one of my favorites. I haven't seen it in years and years and years.
The corpses all hang headless and limp bodies with no surprises and the blood drains down like devil's rain we'll bathe tonight I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls Demon I am and face I peel to see your skin turned inside out, 'cause gotta have you on my wall gotta have you on my wall, 'cause I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls collect the heads of little girls and put 'em on my wall hack the heads off little girls and put 'em on my wall I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls

Him

dude, you should check it out again, there are loads of little things which i've been picking up recently. actually, it's been the most fun picking out their influences from the movies of the thirties, forties and fifties.

for example the newspaper gal setting up barnes for a fall is obviously mr. deeds goes to town, but...

the character of amy archer is based more on rosalind russell's character from 'his girl friday' hence her being a 'fast talking' career gal - howard hawks famously sped up all the dialogue in his movie. also the bit where she barks out answers to a crossword devisor is taken from this movie.

in the sweet smell of success, burt lancaster's character is called j.j. hunsecker - not only an inspiration for mussburger (although obviously his name goes to hudsucker - who's middle initial, by the way, is j.) but also for j. jonah jameson in spider-man, which was invented about six or seven years later.

'sure sure' is a line used by clark gable's editor in 'it happened one night' as is such and such '...is the bunk' which is a phrase used by a heavy working for claudette colbert's dad.

there are countless other references, a couple of which escape me right now. oh yeah...

the movie starting with norville up on the top of a building about to jump off is from another movie with gary cooper in it, but i can't for the life of me remember what it is.

and of course the super-natural aspect of it is very capra-esque, like the snow.

almost forgot this one...what was the name of that early paul newman character? hud? could this explain why the board chant 'long live the hud?' - even after hudsucker has thrown himself out of the window?

here's another little tidbit - according to joel silver, uncredited producer on the movie, ethan coen wanted to play tim robbin's part, tested for it, failed, and sulked to the extent that he mouthed tim's lines as he was acting them on set!

oh yeah, i recently found out that sam raimi was the second unit director on the film, but i didn't find out by checking the credits. watch the scene where norville's taking the blue letter up to mussburger, and the receptionist, on seeing it, screams. the camera crashes in on her screaming face, and then on norville's panicked mug.  knowing that sam had a hand in writing it, i said to mum 'if sam raimi didn't direct that shot, i'll eat my shoe.' anyone who's seen the evil dead movies will realise this is sam's speciality shot.

Him

with regards to my favourite coen brothers film, i have to say it's probably either miller's crossing or the hudsucker proxy. i didn't find fargo as funny as maybe i should have (actually i found blood simple funnier) and thus it left me a little cold (snarf!). and whilst the big lebowski is really funny, i almost felt it was a piss-take of the private eye genre (although they probably didn't mean it as a piss-take, more a reverential send-up), a genre i hold in such high regard that again, i just didn't enjoy it as much as perhaps i wanted to. but miller's crossing is meaty, complex, utterly compelling and despite it being overtly a gangster film, i think it could pass as a private eye movie as well.

and as you've probably guessed, i'm a bit of a golden age nut, so hudsucker, with it's reverential (more so than big lebowski) tone and unabashed sentimental optimism combined with broad humour gets my vote as well.

a thought has just occurred to me. are the coen bros. the slyest spoof makers of all time? a lot of their back catalogue (with the exception of, i guess, raising arizona and maybe fargo) is based firmly in the past and it's all very referential. whilst they're obviously more talented and intellectual than the makers of scary movie 2, there's a case which could be made...who wants to answer it?

Satcho9

Quote from: The Walking Clichehere's another little tidbit - according to joel silver, uncredited producer on the movie, ethan coen wanted to play tim robbin's part, tested for it, failed, and sulked to the extent that he mouthed tim's lines as he was acting them on set!

What!? I cannot imagine this movie with Ethan playing the role of Norville Barnes. Its something new everyday that blows my mind. I wonder if thats for real or just a joke??

ShanghaiOrange

The Big Lewbowski definately, followed by Barton Fink if only for the (highlight for spoiler) apocalyptic ending. I love every movie they've made.
Last five films (theater)
-The Da Vinci Code: *
-Thank You For Smoking: ***
-Silent Hill: ***1/2 (high)
-Happy Together: ***1/2
-Slither: **

Last five films (video)
-Solaris: ***1/2
-Cobra Verde: ***1/2
-My Best Fiend: **1/2
-Days of Heaven: ****
-The Thin Red Line: ***

Sigur Rós

I've  got to say The Big Lebowski i'm simply in love with the The Dude, Walter, The Jesus, Donnie etc. I saw it yesterday and damn it's was even better then the million other times i've seen it! :-D

Oh! And goddamn is love those nihilists!

cine

Everybody has good choices but did a lot of you miss "Fargo" when it was released?? That's my favourite Coen Bros. film with "Blood Simple" in second place. I'm not surprised at the cult status of "Lebowski" or some of his other ones, but I mean "Fargo" didn't rack up 7 big Oscar nods and 2 wins (Best Actress and Best Writing) for nothing.. All favourites aside as well, the best Coen Bros. film is "Fargo" anyway.

chainsmoking insomniac

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Derek237

I kinda liked O Brother the best. But then again I've only seen 3 Coen brothers movies.  :roll: