What are You Watching? [2023] Please Rate 1-5
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If you like Buscemi you'll definitely want to see the Coen's Fargo movie...he has one of the leading roles.
I haven't seen any of the Fargo TV series...it's not by the Coen's. The movie is entirely different and predates the series.
PS:
Sorry to hear you didn't much like The Big Lebowski. I guess you have to be a certain sort of twisted to really like it...it's a 5/5 for me.
It's in part a spoof of the Bogart film The Big Sleep. If you've never seen that, it will confuse you much more than Lebowski lol.
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Really good book, really good movie - watching The Ipcress File on TCM. 5/5*
The Billion Dollar Brain is up next - it's okay, but I'll have to record it - have to watch Van Der Valk on Masterpiece Mystery!
The Billion Dollar Brain is up next - it's okay, but I'll have to record it - have to watch Van Der Valk on Masterpiece Mystery!
Last night I watched the 2nd of my Cohen Brother's boxset, namely a film called A Serious Man.
Well the first 8-10 minutes were in Yiddish so the F/F button was much applied. Once we were talking English (and in the 20th century) I started to get the gist of what was happening....which wasn't a great deal if I'm honest.
Clearly this film was aimed at folk with an understanding of Hebrew customs and mannerisms of which I confess am totally ignorant, so a lot of the supposed humour was wasted on me. It also had lengthy music interludes as per the first film I watched (is this a Cohen brother's hallmark?) which were again bypassed.
The blurb on the disc case proudly asserts "Brilliantly Funny" and "The Cohen's Finest Film Ever". I would beg to differ.
I'm afraid all I can offer is a withering 2/5.
Jay.
Well the first 8-10 minutes were in Yiddish so the F/F button was much applied. Once we were talking English (and in the 20th century) I started to get the gist of what was happening....which wasn't a great deal if I'm honest.
Clearly this film was aimed at folk with an understanding of Hebrew customs and mannerisms of which I confess am totally ignorant, so a lot of the supposed humour was wasted on me. It also had lengthy music interludes as per the first film I watched (is this a Cohen brother's hallmark?) which were again bypassed.
The blurb on the disc case proudly asserts "Brilliantly Funny" and "The Cohen's Finest Film Ever". I would beg to differ.
I'm afraid all I can offer is a withering 2/5.
Jay.
I didn’t realize until now that the intro scene wasn’t supposed to have subtitles, as I watch all my movies with subtitles! Definitely changes the feel of that scene, doesn’t it? I wish I could rewatch it with fresh eyes without the subs to see how I would interpret.
This is by far my second favorite Coen brothers movie, I interpret it as a modern retelling of the book of Job - a godly man is tested endlessly by things outside his control, and he maintains the righteous path. When his faith finally flickers and he gives into temptation, he is then punished with a divine impunity that changes his reference point on what is and is not a true misfortune. After all, what’s a cheating wife or a crappy neighbor in the face of a cancer diagnosis?
We see the same story reflected in his son, who’s chased by the faceless bully throughout the film, until the very end when he faces an oncoming tornado - suddenly, this faceless terror is just another kid when faced with the power of nature, rather than the threatening hulk he initially appears to be.
I don’t know if there’s a moral to the movie, but I always interpret it as being that things could be so much worse, and to stop feeling like all these minor issues in our life are some grand test, but rather minimal speed bumps that we stress too much about until we face true hardship that dwarfs our previous problems. In a word - perspective.
Anyway, this is not to diminish your opinion, I just love talking about this movie when it comes up. I think it’s great and when I watched it with a group of friends, it was roughly a 50/50 split between those of us who adored it and those who couldn’t stand it.
Looking forward to your next review Jay! It’s always great fun watching someone run through a filmography.
Unfortunately, a much better introduction to the Coens films for you would have been to first watch 3 that you don't have: Fargo, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, and No Country for Old Men.
IMO you owe it to yourself to see those even if you don't like any of the ones you have.
Based on your reactions so far, I'd advise to save Barton Fink for last...good chance you won't be thrilled with that one either (I love it, but I don't think you will).
I do think you'll like the rest of the ones you have better than what you've seen so far though. I'd suggest trying Burn After Reading next.
Researching the Fargo series.
New season coming Nov. 21.
I'd give it a solid 4
New season coming Nov. 21.
I'd give it a solid 4
Actually the first part of the film did have subtitles, but as I have difficulty in reading them, especially so when they are microscopic, I generally pass them by. That said, in this instance I was aware that a story was being told in another time that was to be repeated in the time of the film itself.
Brian, No Country for Old Men rings a bell so I shall try to find a copy. Regards Fargo, I've only seen the first 3 seasons (I think it was 3) of the series but someone told me there is a film with the same title, also by the Cohen brothers, which I find a little confusing.
Regards the humour style, I guess it's partly down to what you grew up with on the TV or visits to the cinema. Naturally most of what I saw as a kid was made over here with the occasional US efforts.
For example, Abbot and Costello was regularly on TV at weekends when I would have been about aged 8-10. I laughed out loud with my sisters but not at the dialogue, none of us could understand a word the little guy said, it was the slapstick that humoured us. Pretty much the same with the Three Stooges.
As per your suggestion, Burn After Reading is the next to be watched
Jay.
Some of the Fargo series were good, but I forget which.
Fargo the movie, though, is superb. 5/5
Fargo the movie, though, is superb. 5/5
The Coens (they spell it without the h btw) had no involvement in the TV series as far as I know. Their movie predates the series (I assume the series was inspired by the movie, but it's unrelated).
Trailer for the Coens' Fargo movie:
Just got done watching final destination 5,I an into horror right now tis the season....give it a 4 just for the ending it ties it together
Last night I watched a recording I made last week of a film called In Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith.
Apparently based upon a true 'rags to riches' story it was a pretty entertaining yarn though much predictable in places.
In my view the star of the show was the sweet young kid who played the protagonist's son. He was so natural and so unlike many US child actors that seem to try too hard, so no surprise then that I read this morning that he is the real life son of Will Smith!
A well deserved 4/5.
Jay.
Apparently based upon a true 'rags to riches' story it was a pretty entertaining yarn though much predictable in places.
In my view the star of the show was the sweet young kid who played the protagonist's son. He was so natural and so unlike many US child actors that seem to try too hard, so no surprise then that I read this morning that he is the real life son of Will Smith!
A well deserved 4/5.
Jay.
Well, I just bought a triple box set consisting of 'No Country For Old Men', 'True Grit' and 'Shutter Island''. It was actually cheaper than just buying the first film on its own
The first 2 are Coen brothers (thanks for the spelling correction) but not sure of the third.
Onwards & upwards.
Jay.
Withnail and I
I've seen the film many, many, many times and it's easily one of my favourites.
It's about a couple of ne'er-do-well, out of work actors and what they get up to in the dying days of 1960's London. It stars Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths and Ralph Brown. Each of them gives a truly brilliant, memorable performance.
If you've never seen it then you really do owe it to yourself to watch it at least once. When magazines are compiling their greatest British movies of all time lists it's always in the mix.
So quotable and funny but with such a sad, poignant ending. Great soundtrack, as well.
5*/5
"I can never touch raw meat until it's cooked. As a youth, I used to weep in butchers' shops!"
- Uncle Monty
Trailer:
I've seen the film many, many, many times and it's easily one of my favourites.
It's about a couple of ne'er-do-well, out of work actors and what they get up to in the dying days of 1960's London. It stars Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths and Ralph Brown. Each of them gives a truly brilliant, memorable performance.
If you've never seen it then you really do owe it to yourself to watch it at least once. When magazines are compiling their greatest British movies of all time lists it's always in the mix.
So quotable and funny but with such a sad, poignant ending. Great soundtrack, as well.
5*/5
"I can never touch raw meat until it's cooked. As a youth, I used to weep in butchers' shops!"
- Uncle Monty
Trailer:
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