cinematographer: roger deakins

one of the best made movies of all time, not one to watch over and over, but well done with brilliant acting and heart wrenching checks into reality. wonderful film.

absolutely sensational. this is perfect movie making at its best. the entire film the only thought that kept going through my mind was on how well this film was made. deakins cinematography was beyond genius, the script was amazing, and the performances were perfect for the characters. the scene in the town hall near the end was one of the best scenes of any film ever made, and the twists that the coens gave to the odyssey were creative and well designed. above all, not enough can be said about the soundtrack. throwing in a character based on blues legend robert johnson was also a stroke of genius. another near masterpiece by the coen bros.

this was an astounding film. it was dark but funny, disturbing but engaging. its not often that movies about hitmen and drug money become masterpieces, but this is one. the end was chaotic and then anticlimatic in a strange shift in momentum, but in all the movie was near perfect. tommy lee jones was really good even though his character was the least necessary to the plot. a great movie.

denzel plays rueben carter better than rueben carter plays rueben carter

without question, this is a film i could see myself raising the score on over time. this is a deeply brooding and thought provoking film that carries along with no clear plot until the end, when suddenly it all makes sense. this alegory of the life of Job takes a unique turn, pondering the question, "what if Job had failed?". deakins cinematography was wonderful and the unknown actors really delivered in a film that many will hate because they dont get it, but one that should be embraced for the vision of telling a thousands of years old story with a great glimpse into morality and suffering. the coens have done it once again.

a parable of the human condition, this film is profound because it is a resounding warning shot against the motivations of its characters rather than a glorification or empty telling of their feelings about life. the film does well to give its audience the understanding that both characters are incredibly wrong about most everything they say. the film portrays the reality of what most people go through as they wallow through life trying to find meaning, purpose, and value in every place except for the one place that they can truly find it. dicaprio's character is selfish, but in the end loving and hopeful that things can change. winslet's character is the darkest form of subtle evil and much worse than only selfish. as far as the film outside of the script, everything was done very well. the acting was perfect but lopsided in that the first hour belonged to winslet and she outshined everyone else, but in the second hour she fades a bit as dicaprio takes over the entire film with a stunning performance. michael shannon also turns in an amazing performance. the cinematography and art direction were also great, the musical score was a little too similar to one of mendes' other films but it was still solid, and the directing of the film was great. the film struggles from unlikeable characters and a depressing purpose, but in all else it was near flawless.

underrated, very well made and intriguing

this is a great film. i was ready for it to be slow because it is a play converted to the screen, but the characters were so captivating that it worked. hoffman was amazing putting in one of the best performances of the year and streep, davis, and adams were also great. i love that the film only gives us the same info that streep and adams are given, leaving us with the same amount of doubt that they had about the truth of their accusations. the diologue was powerful and insightful, and as a Christ follower the philosophies of the major characters were great to think through. one of the best films of the year.

this was a strange but very entertaining movie. john goodman steals the show with an amazing but simple performance and turturro gives his best performance as barton fink. the twist near the end was actually clever and intersting and the way that the coens used the hotel as a character was brilliant. great film.

this was a good flick to watch, but it had some problems. positively, brad pitts performance was top notch and the film was interesting. it had more of a documentary feel than a movie feel but it didnt detract too much. negitively this story was told very unclearly. much was barely eluded to with little or no explination, even things that seemed important. in nearly three hours you would think that they could have given a fuller picture of some things. in the end i would recommend this film, especially to anyone interested in jesse james, it wasnt as great as it could have been but it was very good. the cinematography may be the best of the year.

this is a great flick. one of many strong efforts by the coen bros. with the strong cinematography of roger deakins. the acting was the high point of this film with the actors pulling off their roles with a lot of character. the story was well told and side bars to the story were well placed and clever. great flick.

although this film is a bit more panned than most coen films, i dont feel that the criticisms are deserved. this is definitely not a run of the mill romantic comedy. it was phenomenally well written, well shot by deakins, and well performed by each of the actors. a worth while film.

a cult comedy classic, this film has a subtle humor and a brilliant cast. the diologue was excessive and a bit annoying at times, but there were moments of genius and the working of the plot was great. not nearly one of my favorite coen films, but a very funny movie and highly recommended.

this is an excellent movie. denzel does a great job as usual of taking a decent movie and making it better with his on screen presence and the plot was great. tony shaloub was also cool and him being middle eastern as an FBI agent in a movie were the bad guys are all middle eastern was a cool dynamic. great movie.

very good film

great flick. mel was good and they had good chemistry together

when one gets past the opportunist and pointless 30 minute long soft core porn sequence at the start of the film, the story picks up greatly and becomes slightly engaging. the problem was that this sort of film has a chance to truly inspire and only being slightly engaging isnt really god enough. its a good film without doubt, with solid acting and an interesting story line, but this film faces harsher judgement because of its acclaim and it doesnt hold up. easily the least deserving oscar nom of 2008, it is also not winslets best performance of this year as she was more involved in revolutionary road. she was still very good as she always is, but despite the fact that i really enjoyed this film i was disappointed following its press.

while this is my least favorite of the coens films, i still enjoyed it. some of the deaths at the end clearly got out of hand, but the humor was fun, the story was enjoyable enough, and the film was made well. not great, but a solid watch for a night of escapism.

terrible, maybe even half a star. boring and pointless, shows the depravity of war rather than the glory, which doesnt make for a good film to watch. makes marines look less like heroes and more like silly high school kids. this may be realistic but that doesnt make it a good film to watch. i only gave it 1 star because jamie fox was good in this one.