Retreading Ground: The Best Coen Brothers Movie

I can't rank them, but NCFOM, Fargo, Miller's Crossing, The Big Lebowski, and Raising Arizona would be my top five.

 

Oh, he's great in it. Goodman, too. And they aren't even the ones who got award love for their roles. The guy who played the studio head did (blanking on the name right now).

John Goodman has quietly had a hell of a film career, from "Barton Fink" through, most recently, "The Artist."

 

Besides the general weirdness and is-it-a-dream stuff, one reason that I think that "Black Swan" and "Mulholland Drive" are apt comparisons to "Barton Fink" is that all three films make a screeching turn on a dime, tone- and plot-wise, about midway through or so.

 

Friends off.

I've openly voiced my disdain for Lebowski, and I'm not nearly smart enough to have enjoyed NCFOM. My 1 and 1A are Raising Arizona and Fargo. I haven't seen their entire catalog, but they're very hit or miss for me.

 

I think Fargo best achieves all levels in their films:
-- great characters, from Macy's loser husband to the over-bearing father-in-law to Buscemi's kidnapper, not to mention Marge
-- great dialogue,
-- great black humour (Love the scene where Buscemi buries the money and sticks the ice-scraper in the snow so he can find it -- the camera pans to show miles of the same snow and fencing
-- some intense drama -- that scene where Stormare chases down the witnesses in the car and kills them; Stormare killing Buscemi
-- and a plot that could be real-life.

 

1. Fargo
2. No Country For Old Men
3. Raising Arizona
4. Big Lebowski

*Never saw Miller's Crossing or Barton Fink

 

Some of you ought to check out "Barton Fink." I'd love to hear what you think about it, though I'm afraid of overselling it too much. It's a film that really hit the sweet spot of what I like personally.

 

The Coen brothers got just about the only good performance he's ever had out of Nic Cage in "Raising Arizona." For a guy who has become a total hack, it's amazing to think he had that performance in him. Love that film.

Fargo, Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, Raising Arizona, Oh Brother, with No. 2 through No. 5 changing depending on mood and recent viewing. Fargo, like Sic said, combines just so much great acting — especially Macy — that it's nearly in a class by itself.

Slept through much of Black Swan and haven't seen the rest, which is just kind of crazy considering how long many of them have been out.

 

Only one mention of 'O Brother, Where At Thou?' Huh.

 

I haven't seen Miller's Crossing, though I'm told by someone who knows my taste in movies that I would love it.

I really enjoyed True Grit and The Big Lebowski, but beyond those two, I've found the Coen Brothers to be wildly overrated.

I saw Raising Arizona when I was younger and I remember not hating it, maybe even enjoying it, but I barely remember anything about now except Nic Cage's hair and Randall Tex Cobb tearing ass on a motorcycle. It was terribly memorable to me the way it was to some here.

 

'Fargo' and 'No Country' are their best work, by far, in terms of filmmaking technique and overall quality. I admit 'Burn After Reading' is not for everyone, but damn if that movie doesn't make me laugh from beginning to end. Plus it has a lot to say about our culture.

Coens might be the best filmmakers working today, right there with Tarantino and just above others like Ang Lee Soderbergh, Fincher, etc.

1 Fargo
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Burn After Reading
4 True Grit
5 Raising Arizona
6 The Big Lebowski
7 Blood Simple
8 O Brother, Where Art Thou?

 

Holly Hunter was a great foil for Nic Cage in that film.

Interesting that O'Brother soundtrack was a huge hit and spawned several touring country/bluegrass shows.

Lebwoski is a cult classic.

Fargo may be my favorite, but I just love William H. Macy.