Top 100 Movies: Jack Bauer, The Dark Knight, and The Coens
Posted on April 2, 2008
Filed Under Top 100 Movies | 1 Comment
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No. 58 - Young Guns (1988)
Man I loved this flick when I was growing up. Must have seen it 50 times. Plus, its got Jack Bauer and John Locke. Well, kind of.
No. 57 - Batman (1989)
Remember the hype surrounding this flick? Saw it at a sneak preview - one of the best movie-going experiences I have ever had.
No. 56 - Fargo (1996)
Greatness. Although, after seeing No Country for Old Men, Fargo is now my third favorite Coen Brothers’ flick.
Tags: batman, charlie sheen, coen brothers, emilio estevez, fargo, frances mcdormand, jack nicholson, kiefer sutherland, kim basinger, list, michael keaton, no country for old men, steve buscemi, top 100 movies, william h macy, young guns
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10 Reasons You Should See No Country for Old Men
Posted on November 29, 2007
Filed Under General Movie Lists | 5 Comments
Regular readers of this blog know that I am a big fan of the Coen Brothers and couldn’t wait to see No Country for Old Men. Well, I had to wait a while to see it (family obligations over the holiday), but I did finally see it this week.
I was a little worried that this flick wouldn’t live up to the hype, but it did - the Coen Brothers are back! If you haven’t seen it and/or are on the fence about seeing it, here are 10 reasons (in no particular order) why you should. Don’t worry, any spoilers contained in this list are minor. That being said, I do discuss the ending in very general terms at the end of the list. You have been warned.
1. The Story
The story is a given, but special mention is necessary. For those of you who don’t know, No Country for Old Men is based on the book of the same name by Cormac McCarthy (in fact, much of the film is taken word-for-word from the book). I haven’t read the book, but plan to do so.
This is more than just a suspenseful crime/chase movie. There are several themes running through this flick. I am not going to discuss those here because it is so interesting to see everything develop on screen. Plus, I hate spoilers and want to keep them to an absolute minimum for those who haven’t seen this movie yet. Simply put - this is storytelling at its best.
2. Javier Bardem (Anton Chigurh)
One of the best all-time villains, period. Anton Chigurh is a killer with his own ethics and principals which, stay with me here, at times you can understand and at times you have no clue what is going on in his head, which makes him one of the scariest villains ever put on screen. Sometimes there is just no explanation why someone is the way they are and Chigurh is one of those people.
Bardem is excellent in this flick. You can’t take your eyes off of him. Great performance.
3. Josh Brolin (Llewelyn Moss)
Josh Brolin has elevated his game. Brolin shows some true acting chops as Llewelyn Moss, the “lucky” guy who finds $2 million in the desert after a gun battle that left everyone dead. There is nothing over the top about this performance - he is cool, collected and you believe that he is capable of getting himself out of the mess he created.
4. Tommy Lee Jones (Sheriff Ed Tom Bell)
Tommy Lee Jones has a tendency to over do it, but not in this flick. He is perfect as the Sheriff wanting nothing more than to save Llewelyn from certain death, all the while trying to understand what has become of his “country.” Probably my favorite performance by Mr. Jones.
5. The Slow/Interesting/Exciting Start
No Country starts slow, but not really. The Coen brothers do an amazing job of setting the story in motion, developing tension and creating some real thrills as No Country gets rolling.
6. Figuring It Out on Your Own
Don’t you hate it when filmmakers feel the need to tell you everything? As if the audience is too dumb to figure things out. There’s none of that here. The filmmakers take you on a journey and allow you to figure things out on your own. Movies like this are fun to think about, dissect and discuss.
7. Tension/Suspense
There are some INTENSE scenes in this flick during which you will be on the edge of your seat and/or gripping your arm rest. The Coens’ film-making is brilliant in this regard - sometimes you see what’s coming and sometimes you don’t. Either way, you will feel your heart pounding in your chest.
8. The Supporting Cast
From Llewelyn’s wife Carla Jean (played wonderfully by Kelly Macdonald) to the various interesting characters along for the ride, you genuinely care about these people - especially when they come face-to-face with Chigurh . It doesn’t matter whether they are on screen for three minutes or the length of the film, you can’t help but feel for them knowing what you know about this psychopath.
9. Necessary Violence
Violence is essential to this story. That being said, in certain flicks a little violence goes a long way. The Coen Brothers do an amazing balancing act and show just enough violence to get their point across without it becoming gratuitous.
10. The Ending
You will either love it or hate it. I loved it because it brought everything into focus for me. Others hated it which, to be honest, I can also understand. Either way, it’s still a great ride.
If you’ve seen this flick I’d love to hear what you think. If you haven’t, hopefully you will now. Here is a different trailer than I originally posted if you need more convincing.
Tags: anton chigurh, coen brothers, cormac mccarthy, javier bardem, josh brolin, kelly macdonald, llewelyn moss, no country for old men, sheriff ed tom bell, tommy lee jones, villains
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Top 100 Movies: No. 78 - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Posted on November 14, 2007
Filed Under Top 100 Movies | 5 Comments
I am a huge fan of the Coen Brothers and it shows - three of their flicks made it into my Top 100 Movies. The first, of course, is O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which is loosely based on Homer’s “The Odyssey.”
Like most Coen Brothers’ movies, O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? has some great (and memorable) lines (”Damn! We’re in tight spot!”) and a stellar cast. However, standing above the rest is George Clooney. He delivers his best performance by far and in doing so proved that he could be funny outside of The Facts of Life and interviews. Seriously, you have to hand it to him, he paid his dues and is now a huge star.
In addition to Clooney and the great lines (and yes, a great story and cast), O Brother, Where Art Thou? features one of the great all-time theme songs - I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow (the video is below the trailer).
Man, now I’m really excited for No Country for Old Men!
Tags: coen brothers, george clooney, homer, i am a man of constant sorrow, lines, list, movies, no country for old men, o brother where art thou, song, the odyssey, top 100
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Man That Looks Good!
Posted on October 18, 2007
Filed Under Anticipated/Upcoming Movies | 2 Comments
Is it me or are there a lot of movies releasing this fall/winter 2007 that look exceptionally good? I don’t think its just me, but just in case it is, I thought I would put together a list of the ten flicks that are in theaters or will be in theaters between now and the end of the year that I can’t wait to see.
These movies are in order of their release dates, but if I were to pick one that I am especially excited to see, it would be No Country for Old Men, the new Coen brothers flick. Let me know which of these you can’t wait to see (if any) and/or if there are others you would have included in this list.
The Darjeeling Limited (Now Showing)
Michael Clayton (Now Showing)
We Own the Night (Now Showing)
30 Days of Night (October 19)
Rendition (October 19)
Dan in Real Life (October 26)
American Gangster (November 2)
No Country for Old Men (November 9)
Lions for Lambs (November 9)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (December 21)
Tags: 30 days of night, american gangster, anticipated movies, coen brothers, dan in real life, michael clayton, no country for old men, rendition, the darjeeling limited, upcoming movies, walk hard: the dewey cox story, we own the night
