curious to see how this one will turn out - if youre like me the decision is a difficult one - as for the choices not available in the poll: i liked barton fink as much as anybody ive met and i know a lot some people loved the big lebowski (i certainly didnt), but lets be real... they dont match these four flawless films my choice: o brother where art thou? put aside that raising arizona is one of the most brilliant comedies ever and that fargo is a clever gem and that millers crossing is so tense and so beautiful to look at - not only was this movie an absolute revelation the first time i saw it, but i simply cannot tire of this perfect ode to homer - almost everytime it comes on (with directtv is often) i pick it up wherever it is and watch it again... and again - george clooneys best work and overall acted to the T by a superior cast - naturally the superb classic american music adds to the flavor, but coen brothers efforts are generally very atmospheric efforts - never more so than with o brother (and that truly is saying something) - i could have said a lot more but i dont want to ruin a second for anyone who may have missed it to date if you havent seen it, get it quickly and shut the damn lights off
Nice work leaving the best one (Lebowski) out of your poll. Next time, don't assume that the rest of us have taste as poor as yours.
You left out two of the top three out of your poll if you ask me... My top five: 1. The big Lebowski 2. Fargo 3. Barton Fink 4. Raising Arizona 5. The man who wasn't there
1. The Big Lebowski 2. Blood Simple 3. Miller's Crossing 4. Fargo 5. Barton Fink 6. O Brother, Where Art Thou? 7. Raising Arizona 8. The Hudsucker Proxy 9. The Man Who Wasn't There I was just thinking of starting this poll myself, but I would have included more choices. "Intolerable Cruelty" is their next film and I'm higly looking forward to it. Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
wow im happily surprised to see so much support for millers crossing - ill admit the apparent popularity (excellence?) of lebowski is lost on me - i honestly didnt think anybody would pick it - based on reviews, awards, box office, video/dvd sales and my conversations about these movies with other people TBL clearly dont match up with the other four... in any event, consider it to have 4 votes
yeah because the four i listed are abysmal cinema and the simple fact that ive started a coen brothers discussion only reinforces your idea of my trough tastes
I can easily see how mainstream critics, movie audience and academy voters wouldn't get TBL's brilliance but I was honestly surprised to see some Cohen Brothers fans not like the movie (most of the people I know did love it, fwiw). TBL is, like all Cohen Brothers flicks, not for everyone, and whether it should be ranked with the others is, like with all movies, a matter of opinions. Some people find greatness in movies that others don't see - there's no hard science to it.
I loved it from the first time I saw it. I'm also fond of it because I was the A&E editor for my college paper and my movie reviewer did alot of great reviews on a wide variety of movies, but her review of TBL won the statewide award for best opinion piece in college newspapers in Oregon.
I edited my post to say that TBL is "not for everyone" rather than "an acquired taste" because I loved it from the first minute. The cast is great, particularly Goodman and Hoffman, and the writing is fantastic. Plus, it features two of my favorite songs, the Gipsy Kings cover of "Hotel California" and Kenny Rogers' "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)".
FYI for anybody who didn't already know, "Miller's Crossing" and "Barton Fink" finally come out on DVD May 20th.
I'm heartened, and a little surprised, to see so many in support of The Big Lebowski. That too is my favorite. Strangely for film, Lebowski deals with issues of language and how they shape our view of reality that are more often acquainted with literature. The film pays as much careful attention to it language as Fargo, but it's also outlandishly funny in the way of the early Coen grotesques. It's the only film in their repoertoire that really combines those two elements. Thanks to the wonderful script, it works.
Had MC preordered since back in the day. See it's a question of ethics. For those TBL, it's a really good movie, maybe even great, but, for me, Miller's Crossing is razor sharp and excells in about every way a film can: great script, great acting, great cinematography, great score, and that certain other something you just can't put your finger on. Wake Up Bomb, you should be a bit nicer to bluedaddy. Friends is a mental state.
Out of curiosity, what did all y'all Coen Brothers aficianados think of The Man Who Wasn't There? I haven't seen it yet, although it's top of the list for the next time I get a free night and rent a movie.
Superb job by Billy Bob Thornton ("I just cut the hair") and the cast, really recommend it. And the black and white film treatment is just luminous. Worth watching just to see Ed Crane blow smoke rings...