director 05: coen bros. films

masterpiece. absolutely astounding. this is easily the best film ive seen in the last year of my life and one of the best i have ever seen. gabriel byrne puts in an astounding performance as does finney, the story was perfect with each twist, and the themes of loyalty and morality were present to a degree rarely captured in a movie. the cohens put in their best script and directing job in this film all should see. this is the best mobster flick i have ever seen bar none.

i originally had intended to rate this a bit lower on first instinct, but the more time that has passed since watching it the more ive realized that this is easily one of the funniest comedies i have ever seen in my entire life. i very rarely hand out a perfect rating like this, but this really is a comic masterpiece. the characters are phenomenally constructed disfunctional lunatics, and the actors played them all perfectly. The script was beyond clever as a perfectly woven story about nothing. Many people seem to dislike the films pointlessness, i feel that this is the magic and brilliance of the film. malkovich was hysterical and pitt gives a performance for the ages in a rare comedic role for him. even clooney was hilarious throughout the entire film. this cements the coens as the most versatile director in hollywood, if that hadnt already been cemented. its been 25 hours since ive seen this and its already becoming one of my favorite and most highly quoted movies ever. oh, and the cinematography was astounding.

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.

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.

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 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.

although this flick got a little uncomfortable at times and is not one of the coen's better films, it is clever and different and absolutely hilarious at parts. a very different comedy with a solid performance by cage.

a really solid opener for the coens. a demented murder story with a great final 30 minutes that saves the film from a slow start. the script was well crafted and this is worth the watch for coen fans.

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.