True Grit [2010] and future plans

The fourth Coen brothers movie on my list was their latest, True Grit, released in 2010, and based on a novel by Charles Portis (and another movie starring John Wayne) which is new for me, because all the films I saw were written by them, not adapted. [was Fargo adapted or just based on a true story? I can't remember; anyway]. It tells the story of Mattie Ross, a stubborn 14 year old girl who hires an old, mean sheriff to revenge the death of her father, by catching and surrendering Tom Chaney, the murderer, to the authorities. What's the catch? She is going with him into the land of the Indians.  


Again, this film is very different from the other Coens pics and I love that; you never know what to expect from the brothers in terms of storyline, but you know you will always get amazing cinematography, great dialogue, strong characters and peculiar situations and people. True Grit falls perfectly into those lines and turns out to be an entertaining movie, with good intentions, multiple layers and good old time action and fun, to top the visually beautiful scenes and the great acting. 


Speaking of it, the casting is fantastic, especially when it comes down to the two leads, Reubeun Cogburn, played by Oscar winner Jeff Bridges, and Mattie Ross, played by the young Hailee Steinfeld, who, weirdly enough, was nominated for awards in the Supporting role category- her part was as lead as a role can be (stupid phrasing, but you get my point). Matt Damon did his job, but I found his character and his portrayal of it to be a little annoying and exaggerated. 


I liked the fact that the film was pretty straight-forward, tough, with attitude and funny, sarcastic lines, and I especially loved the sequence of scenes at the end- Mattie being attacked, the appearance of Cogburn and La Boeuf, shooting at 120 m, falling etc etc; it was exciting, fun to watch and nicely done. 


True Grit was a very good movie that I enjoyed. If you will ever do a Coens marathon or plan to see some of their movies or if you just like westerns or if just like good movie or if you like Jeff Bridges/Matt Damon/Josh Brolin- get this film now and see it, you will not be dissappointed!


Overall, the Coens marathon was a huge surprise for me- I did not expect to like their movies so much! Each one is unique, with distinctive features and qualities, but all have several key points that make the project better every time, and by now, if you have read my posts, you know them: script, characters, casting, cinematography- any film who excels in these points can be called a great one, so I guess it's safe to say the Coens always do an amazing job! They are now in my favorite directors, but mostly scriptwriters, category, and I can't wait to see Inside Llewyn Davis (written and directed by them, now filming in New York, with Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Garrett Hedlund, Justin Timberlake and John Goodman), and Gambit, set to be released in 2012, written by the brothers, but directed by Michael Hoffman.


If you're curious about future plans, I plan to do a mini Herzog marathon soon, and then a huge Stanley Kubrick one, with, hopefully, all of his movies (I sure need to watch them, it's embarrassing how many I haven't seen already). Honestly, I have to admit, I am terrified by Herzog, especially his earlier, feature film work, as I saw some trailers and synopsis and they don't seem something I would particularly enjoy, but I will be brave and try- maybe it's not so bad!

So, tell me, did you like my Coen brothers posts? what do you suggest I should do next? any (light) recommendations for the Herzog marathon? 

A Serious Man [2009]

My third choice for the Coens marathon was "A Serious Man", their 2009 film about the complicated life of a Jewish physics teacher. I have to admit I am not familiar with the religion, so forgive me if I make any mistakes....or actually, if I don't touch upon that topic at all.

Let's start with the beginning- what did it mean? why was that scene there? What is the connection between evil lurking a family or superstition and the story of Larry Gopnik? I can see a faint relationship between the two, but still, that scene was unnecessary for me.

The story of "A serious man" is pretty simple: a man burdened with many problems who seem to appear all at the same time, making him feel confused, saddened, desperate and in search of answers, answers which he tries to get from three different Rabbis in age in experience, with no success.  His wife wants to divorce him, although he hasn't done anything wrong and she has already found a replacement; his son is high most of the times and steals money from his sister and father; the daughter is a normal teenager who doesn't give a crap about family or school; one of his students is threatening to sue if he doesn't get a passing grade on his midterm; Larry's brother, Arthur, gets into to trouble because of his betting and other bad habits and the story could continue.

Poor Larry doesn't get a break and I felt for him- I empathized, and I wanted to make everything go away, especially since most of his obstacles were approaching him with high speed and at the same time. How can a person cope with that? You would think Sy's unfortunate ending and Danny's bar mitzvah would make things better, but that wasn't the case. As the first Rabbi said, Larry is "..looking at the world, at (your) wife with tired eyes".

Yet again, the Coens have written a great story with meaning and different layers and subtleties that talk about human nature and life. I loved the idea behind the script, but I felt the ending didn't help too much- maybe that was the point? maybe the ending suggested that these situations don't have an ending and that life isn't easy? My first reaction after seeing it was to be surprised and a little bit angry, as I didn't get it, but now, if I think about it, it does make sense. The two men sure do create weird, yet very intelligent and appealing stories- they're quite special and I love them; in my case, from now on, anything they do, I will see it, as I know I am in for a treat.

Two other great things that I like about their movies are the cinematography and the soundtrack- always on point, always beautiful and appropriate. Also, the casting is amazing each time, they pick the perfect people and I don't know if it makes sense, but it feels like the script and the direction just takes out the best in an actor, it makes them better somehow.

In this film, I loved seeing some familiar faces from my childhood repertoire (movies from the 80s or 90s I used to watch at home, on TV, with my dad), like Richard Kind (Arthur), Adam Arkin (divorce lawyer) or Fred Melamed (Sy). As for the main characters, Michael Stuhlbarg is a class above the others as Larry, the sweet teacher who tries to survive through the "storm"- he was believable, interesting, and I could relate to him; I was a bit shocked to see he wasn't nominated for an Oscar for this role. Another standout was Richard Kind, who played the innocent brother, plus Melamed gave Sy Ableman a touch of craziness that made the role ten times more fun to watch than it was probably on paper.

Overall, I must say I really liked "A serious man" and it's definitely one of my favorite Coen brothers movie. The interesting thing is that each Coen film is so different from one another, especially in storyline, but somehow, each time, it delivers in all points and each one is beautiful and fun to watch. I can't really say which one I like more, they are special in their own way and all deserve attention. I'm very intrigued by these filmmakers, as they are truly distinctive in the cinema world.

Last stop (probably): True Grit- review coming soon! [I already saw Old country for old men and don't plan to revisit it soon]

Fargo [1996]

Continuing my mini marathon of Coen Brothers movies, I decided to go with Fargo, one of their classics and another favorite of many cinephiles out there.

It tells the true story of Jerry, a small town sales executive, who hires two men to kidnap his wife in order to get the money from the ransom, so he can pay off his debts. It all goes wrong fast, as the two do more than they are asked to, and the persistency of Marge Gunderson, a pregnant sheriff  from Brainerd, who desperately tries to solve the murders in her town, leads to a bloody, tragic ending.

Again, the best things in a Coen brothers movie are the characters. Each one is unique, with a special spark, or if not with a spark, at least with a loveable trait or flaw that attracts the viewer, like it or not. Jerry (wonderfully played by William H.Macy) is just a sweet, naive guy, with rather good intentions, if you stop thinking about the kidnapping thing for a moment; he never expected this to happen or the situation to escalate so much- it just shows that people should not believe everything they see in movies (a kidnapping never ends well).

Other two Coen regulars take central stage: Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare (also seen in Big Lebowski and probably others, as well), as the two men who quickly derail off the plan and start shooting people. Although you would think Carl is the slower one, the more reasonable guy, by the end you see he is bad to the bone, but just prefers to keep it calm most of the time. Gaer, on the other hand, is a ruthless killer and isn't afraid to show it or, just I say, not show it. Both gave good performance, although I was more impressed by Peter Stormare; I feel like Buscemi basically plays the same character in almost all his movies, with slight differences.

Of course, the star of the movie is Frances McDormand, who rightfully won an Oscar for her interpretation of Margie Gunderson, a pregnant sheriff who is willing to do anything to learn who are the killers who disrupted the peaceful life of her town, Brainerd. She perfectly mixes the strength and toughness of a cop, with the sweetness and grace of a woman, and most importantly, never gives up and keeps pushing her way through paper work, hookers, phone calls, and uncooperative men. It was so refreshing and surprising to see a woman triumph and catch the bad guy without a kick-ass attitude, stunt work, swearing or mad eyes; she just did her job, in a calm, respectful way, and still managed to come out with the main suspect in hand. I loved that and the more I think about it, the more I love Marge Gunderson as a character: she has spunk, a spark in her eyes, although she is just a simple woman doing her job. Those Coen brothers are amazing in creating memorable individuals.

Another great thing that the script transmitted and I appreciated it, but was saddened by, was the idea of stupidity and superficiality that you can find in small towns like Brainerd or Fargo. These people don't actually think; they go on with their lives without searching for a meaning or asking themselves if what they are doing is the right thing. For them, it's just about putting one foot in front of the other and surviving. Sometimes it makes me go crazy, as I feel they are missing so much, but other times I wish I was just like them. Like Thomas Gray once said, sometimes "Ignorance is bliss". They are just happy in their own indifference and simplicity and you can't argue with that.

Fargo was more serious than Big Lebowski, but it did feature some laughable moments; the number of "Yeah"s spoken during this movie was getting pretty annoying by the middle of it, but I understood, and it gave a sense of reality to the script.

All in all, Fargo is a very good movie, with great characters, a tragic story and a very strong female lead. I really enjoyed it and I recommend it whole heartly! Next Coen movie: A serious man or True Grit (I haven't decided yet)!

The Big Lebowski [1998]

It's time for a new mini-marathon: the Coen brothers! First in line: The Big Lebowski!

Written by the two famous brothers, and directed by Joel Coen, the movie tells the story of Jeff Lebowski, a careless, lazy guy from LA (who likes to be called Dude), who gets mixed up in a shady business, as the other Jeff Lebowski, his older millionaire alter-ego, asks him to help get his much younger wife back after she is kidnapped. The plan derails and insanity occurs, as everything goes bad, and more people than necessary intervene.

I liked the movie. All the main characters (Dude, Walter, Donny, Maude) are well written and the supporting cast is very entertaining (John Turturro and the Nihilists, with Flea as a member, were particularly funny). I admired the fact that, although the Dudeness seemed like a stupid, lazy, out of this world loser, he was actually the only one who thought straight during those crazy moments and knew something was wrong most of the time; he was smart, smarter than Walter or Donny. Some call this Jeff Bridge's role of a lifetime, one that he will be remembered by his whole career, and I must agree. There is just something about his carefree, chilled, honest performance that makes the film ten times better. John Goodman, as the extreme pacifist, bowler and Lebowski's best friend, was particularly good, giving one of his best performances. I was annoyed most of the time by his character and his stupidity and stubbornness, but he complimented just fine with Jeff Bridges and Steve Buscemi's characters. (p.s. Does Steve Buscemi die in all of his movies? I just saw another Coen brothers film with him, and I know at least 2 or 3 others movies where he has the same fate). Other peculiar individual was Maude, played by Julianne Moore- strange character, weird accent, but she made it work; she always does, Julianne is fabulous in mostly everything. Special mention has to go to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, as the assistant of the millionaire, who always shines on screen, for some reason, at least for me, anyway.

The story flows smoothly and offers great laughs and an interesting situation, although I must admit some scenes were a bit off key (Dude's dreams of flying or dancing with Maude). The progressive involvement of third party people, like Maude or Treehorn, was a bit too much and it complicated the story, but it brought some great scenes; the only problem was that, in the end, the mix up was not actually fully explained or resolved, but I guess the Dude doesn't really care enough to want to know, right?  I thought the parking lot segment with the Nihilists was very funny, until that tragic moment, of course, and my favorite scenes are the ones at the bowling area or the one with the ashes.

Overall it was a very good movie and I understand the hype over it. Supported by a great cast and hilarious lines, Big Lebowski is a classic cult movie that should not be missed!

Favorite quotes
"You see what happens, Larry?"
"That rug really tied the room together"
" I still jerk off manually"
"The Dude abides"

p.s. I really want a White Russian now!