1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Burn After Reading

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Cosmo, Sep 8, 2008.

  1. I loved this movie. I thought it was rather bizarre. I just couldn't get over how well Clooney and Pitt played their parts. I can't wait to see it again.
     
  2. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    Rounders is a fun movie. I don't know that it's a good movie. Malkovich overdoes it big-time, to the point where he's a cartoon character. I enjoy the film, but not because of John.

    I like the ending of NCFOM. Love it, actually. Not sure how else it could have ended while still staying true to McCarthy's message. You don't have to stay true to the story, but I think you do have to stay true to the message.

    Looking forward to Burn After Reading.
     
  3. Cosmo

    Cosmo Well-Known Member

    Just got back from watching Burn After Reading.

    I really enjoyed it. As GB said earlier, I didn't even think of the whole Pitt-Clooney Oceans 11-12-13-infinity dynamic because they were so good in their roles here. Pretty dark stuff, but I kind of love the overriding message at the end that

    SPOILER ALERT













    The people at the top of the CIA sort of lack, um, knowledge and basic intelligence.

    And Frances McDormand was great, as usual. She's always been one of my favorite actresses, especially in Almost Famous.
     
  4. GB-Hack

    GB-Hack Active Member

    Continuing Cosmo's spoiler, while this is not one itself, J.K. Simmons was absolutely pitch-perfect in his role.

    Just so, so funny.
     
  5. sportsgopher

    sportsgopher Member

    Fuck yeah, man. The ending in NCFOM is outstanding.
     
  6. Simon_Cowbell

    Simon_Cowbell Active Member

    1. Fargo
    2. Blood Simple
    3. No Country for Old Men
    4. Raising Arizona
    5. The Big Lebowski

    Never got into Miller's Crossing
     
  7. Frank_Ridgeway

    Frank_Ridgeway Well-Known Member

    Saw it today. Wife was disappointed, I thought it was good entertainment and nothing more. I'd watch it again when it hits cable. I don't think we're talking Oscars here, although Pitt (among others) did good acting jobs.
     
  8. jimnorden

    jimnorden Member

    Nobody says the f-word better than Malkovich's character in this movie. movie itself was good times. no real heavy lifting but lots of fun.
     
  9. Frank_Ridgeway

    Frank_Ridgeway Well-Known Member

    Yeah, that nails it pretty well.
     
  10. CentralIllinoisan

    CentralIllinoisan Active Member

    Burn After Reading has some really subversive commentary on how America values a person's appearance over their true character; very well-played in that regard.

    Though Clooney felt out of place at first, but settled into his role very nicely, as did Brad Pitt -- who made me miss him when his character wasn't on screen.

    The Coen Brothers are slowly becoming my favorite filmmakers. They consistently create thoughtful, at worst quirky, fare they throw themselves into headlong. No frugality of authenticity with them; when you watch their films, you see they have created a three-dimensional world in which their characters truly inhabit. Their best film is Fargo, which I declare a modern masterpiece of mood, character and plot development. Not far behind is No Country For Old Men, the front-runner for best movie of this decade.

    The Coen Brothers rarely miss, and when they don't nail it, the duo gets major points for trying something different or original. Consider Burn After Reading all of the above.
     
  11. Chef

    Chef Active Member

    [​IMG]

    "Aces full, Mike."

    Love Rounders.

    Oh, and when the boys get together to play cards, someone invariably walks into the room, and yells out....."So, you have my money?"
     
  12. STLIrish

    STLIrish Active Member

    I'm surprised at how uniformly bad the reviews I've read of Burn have been, given the Coen Bros. and the cast. But I'll probably see it at some point. I like the Coens (and thought the ending of No Country was perfect).
    I'm not sure how to possibly compare Big Lebowski and No Country (or Fargo and O Brother), but I'd rank them like this:

    1: Lebowski
    2: No Country
    3: Fargo
    4: O Brother
    5: Millers Crossing
    6: Raising Arizona
    7: Barton Fink
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page