Tough one; think I’d be hard pushed to choose between Fargo and No Country for Old Men.
Favourite Coen brothers movie?
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Musings on the byways of popular culture
Musings on the byways of popular culture
Tough one; think I’d be hard pushed to choose between Fargo and No Country for Old Men.
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Big Lebowski in top spot, Raising Arizona not far behind. Plenty of honourable mentions though not many from this century.
Raising Arizona by a short head from Miller’s Crossing.
I’ll go the other way round. Both excellent though. Fargo third.
Fargo, for Marge’s humanity in an inhuman world and Jerry’s bad decision after bad decision.
Good question…Fargo’s probably the most perfect, The Big Lebowski is the one I’ve spent the most time with, and The Hudsucker Proxy is the one that’s furnished me with the most stock phrases that can be deployed as random exclamations (“Muncie!”, “I’ll bet my Pullitzer”, “You know, for kids”). But right now, I’m going for Inside Llewyn Davis, which matures and improves with repeated viewings like nothing I can remember seeing in the last twenty years.
I need to watch Inside Llewyn Davies again, was slightly disappointed when I first saw it.
Need to watch O Brother, Where Art Thou? again too, as only seen both once.
O Brother Where Art Thou is probably the only Coen Brothers film I actually really like.
Fargo – OK
Big Lebowski – OK+
No Country for Old Men – OK++
Not seen all of them, but beyond those 4 never (knowingly) seen any of the others.
Same list of the only 4 Coen brothers films I’ve seen*, but my order of preference is
1) Fargo
2) The Big Lebowski
3) No Country For Old Men
4) O Brother Where Art Thou
*I should make more of an effort, I know.
Favourite not best = O Brother Where Art Thou
Best = Fargo
Writing down the dialogue and getting the casting spot on from a novel that is perfect = No Country For Old Men
Miller’s Crossing, or Inside Llewyn Davis.
Mmm difficult. Either “Fargo” or “The Man Who Wasn’t There”. Old Man and O Brother hot behind. Wasn’t fussed about the Big L – need to see it again as its popularity is a mystery to me – I obviously missed something.
Try a bifter as the film starts.
Fargo which apart from being my favourite Coen Brothers film is also one of my all time favourite films.
Just thinking about this post are the Coen Brothers the Becker/Fagan of the film world?
Yep, a tough choice. Loads to choose from, though I was disappointed with the last one.
I’ll go for The Big Lebowski though, if only for the scene where John Goodman smashes up the car. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in a cinema.
Not suitable for work:
Big Lebowski is the only one I have seen more than once, so I guess that’s the answer. Have been slightly disappointed with everything since NCFOM, Hail Caesar most of all.
Raising Arizona. They even made Nicholas Cage watchable.
Oh come on. Even if you don’t like Nicolas Cage, he’s never ‘not watchable’.
I like Fargo and The Big Lebowski plenty but it’s definitely O Brother Where Art Thou for me.
And not even just because of Swoony Clooney.
It made me laugh hard as hell (still does, every time I watch it) and that soundtrack is one of the greatest in the history of cinema (OOAA).
Millers Crossing or Fargo, but I have a real soft spot for Hudsucker Proxy (which is probably my most watched Coen Brothers film)
I own blu rays of my favourite 4, so in order I’d say O Brother, followed by Miller’s Crossing, The Big Lebowski and Fargo.
I actually watched Hail Caesar for the first time the other day and made the missus watch the song and dance routine with Channing Tatum. Best bit of a film I have seen in a long time. Absolutely wonderful, particularly when I read about Tatum’s nerves on agreeing to do it. It’s on youtube if you haven’t seen it and I recommend you do. It won’t spoil your later viewing of the movie.
I’m not seeing nearly enough love here for Blood Simple. Offhand, I’d struggle to choose with certainty from it, Fargo, Lebowski, Raising Arizona and OB,WAT.
Since I’ve seen none of these for quite a while, I salute you Native for giving me the excellent idea of watching them all again so I can be sure…
Of the ones I’ve seen, in order, from brilliant to refuse to ever watch again, it’s so bad:
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Raising Arizona
No Country for Old Men
Miller’s Crossing
The Big Lebowski
Fargo
Intolerable Cruelty
Burn After Reading
The Man Who Wasn’t There
It was going to be Raising Arizona first, until I was reminded of OBWAT – beautiful film, wonderful music. I haven’t seen anything after Burn After Reading, and that I stopped watching because I hated all the characters – I’m revisiting it, but it’s a painful experience – George Clooney shouldn’t play people like that – yuck!
Burn After Reading is a perfect example of how well the name ‘Brad Pitt’ works as rhyming slang.
I haven’t seen all of them I have to say. But Fargo I’ll vote for as their best because Frances McDormand is just so fucking good in it. They get accused of prizing plot over character but Fargo was a perfect mix of both.
No Country For Old Men is a bloody close second though. A film as perfectly cast as The Godfather and I don’t say that lightly. The scenes between Josh Brolin and Kelly MacDonald are FABULOUS.
Lebowski is third for me. Mainly because of Jeff Bridges. I think I like the Cohens best when an actor fights their way through their mannerisms and nails a character. That’s what these three films all have in common I think.
I liked Intolerable Cruelty more than most and really liked Burn After Reading. Nevertheless I’m with the consensus that Big Lebowski is the best, Fargo a very close second; OBWAT next for the ideas and the soundtrack; followed by the hilarious Raising Arizona and the not very funny NCFOM.
Like choosing your favourite child. Millers Crossing is the one I could watch again and again.
Oh Brother Where Art Thou has the lot – great acting, script, storyline, music, humour and some seriously fucked up shit going on.
Big Lebowski is just flat out funny and freaky – Don’t fuck with the Jesus!
Burn After Reading for some funny scenes between Pitt and McDormand, but less so for the Clooney stuff
I hadn’t realised, until last night, that they were also screenplay-ers for hire. Watched the Angelina Jolie helmed Louis Zamperini biog ‘Unbroken” A good story but not a very good film, seemed very stilted and had a technicolor feel, even b&w. And then, as some godawful cheesy song came up on the credits, there was Joel and Ethan as reponsible for the screenplay.
Dude, really? You need to ask?
I like:
Miller’s Crossing
Barton Fink
Fargo
The Man Who Wasn’t There
No Country for Old Men
Inside Llewyn Davis
Disappointed in:
The Big Lebowski (after reading hundreds of quotes from it over the years, I thought I was going to love it. I somehow didn’t)
Fell asleep in:
Blood Simple
Can’t remember if I’ve seen or not:
O Brother Where Art Thou
Must see sometime:
Bridge of Spies
Absolute garbage:
Burn After Reading
I’ve seen “Burn After Reading” seven times and I never tire of it. Over-the-top Malkovich steals the show. Gurning Clooney and dumb-ass Pitt not far behind.