The Big Lebowski- a whirlwind in Coen History

After watching the three Coen Brother's films in class, numerous other Coen brothers film clips, and then watching "The Big Lebowski", I am impressed at how they can make at least four different films that were successful, and yet they all are in different categories. "Fargo" under a murder, crime, drama category, "No Country for Old Men" a thriller mystery action film, TBL as a pothead innapropriate comedy and "Raising Arizona" as a more apropriate humorous film. Although they all are very different in their own ways, there are numerous similarities between some of them.

the link I found highlights some of these differences and correlations.

http://lookingcloser.org/movie%20reviews/A-G/biglebowski.htm

the link here talks about typical Coen attributes: "Sometimes they're philosophical, sometimes merely entertaining; yet, they always write memorable dialogue, and they coax the best performances out of great actors."

This reviewer (Jeffrey Overstreeet) hit my opinion head on, there is always a memorable dialogue in my mind. I recall some quotes from RA, many from Fargo, and also from NCFOM, and some hilarious ones from Lebowski. This is a pretty agreed upon stance on Coen Brothers reviewers but i don't agree with the second part of the statement reguarding best performances.

I do not think Jeff Bridges had his best performance in BL, according to IMDB, Bridges had 4 oscar nominations by the time this review was written (2002), of which he won none of them. Now i realize that BL was not set out to win awards or anything, but clearly Bridges "best" was not brought out for this film.

The Coen Brothers in my opinion really like to re-use actors and actresses in many of their films, even more than other directors do. Just searching under steve buscemi displayed his appearences in at least five Coen films: Hudsucker, Millers, Barton Fink, fargo and Lebowski. Some roles are larger than others but nonetheless they are acting roles in Coen films. Also John Turturro stars in O Brother, Millers Crossing, The BL, and Barton Fink. I will save you the time of not discussing peter stormare, John Goodman, frances mcDormand etc. I really think its a good idea for directors to reuse their actors because it helps build up their identity and make them more of a household name when they have overlapping characters.

Like many other coen characters, I really like "dude", and my laziness is in training to become as prominent as his. I do think that Overstreet is correct when he mentions how BL is a mish mosh of scenes that they couldnt include in them in earlier movies. there are way too many stange out there scenes that are sometimes funny but unnecesary. Also unnecessary is the amount of swearing that is in the film. I have zero problem with foul language but i feel that it is just pointless to have so much swearing that serves little or no purpose. Much of the swearing is directed at Steve Buscemi, or donny in the film. Donny is barely allowed to talk in the film with out having bridges or goodman swear at him. which is ironic in that in fargo, he couldn't stop talking and peter stormare just sat there and looked at him and beat him up and killed him. I have included a youtube clip of how steve buscemi is interjected numerous times with profanity and rudeness showing his complete night and day change from his vocal roles in Fargo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgW7RpJfeto

Steve Buscemi has earned zero respect from walter and dude and they dont care about his opinion or anything he has to add to the conversation. However they do pay him tribute and respect in the end of the film after his death when they release his ashes into the pacific ocean air, even though they refrained from paying for the 180 urn to contain his ashes.

The Szporn Ultimatum
Mitch Rymes, John Hasbargen, Erik Heim, Elliot Hursch, Dan Swendsen
Paying tribute and showing respect to Sergio Leone is the foundation for our final fourth quarter project. Our short film will incorporate some of Leone’s signature style, or “Leone-ian” elements. Many of his films had a damsel in distress in his spaghetti western motif films, so we also will have a female who needs rescuing. In addition to that element, we will also portray death playing a large role in the film like he used in his and also we will incorporate a “wronged hero” much like Sergio did.
Opening scene is Jason Szporn relaxing in a Midwest suburb, one that is not too different from Edina coincidentally. He receives a phone call instructing him that he must travel back in time to the spaghetti western times to save a female who is in severe life-threatening trouble and he could alter the future for the better by doing so. In the second scene, Jason is seen traveling back into time where he arrives and immediately kills people. He suddenly has turned into a person who has little mercy and remorse for the men he kills and is solely focused on rescuing the damsel. His confrontations with his enemies are gruesome and numerous. Unfortunately, zombies also cross his path, but luckily he has his gun(s) nearby. By artistically using Leoneian cinematography, the film displays awesome conflict scenes that emphasize the importance of Jason’s mission. Of course in the end, Jason returns from the Sergio spaghetti western days into present time after saving the damsel, his wronged personality no longer a important issue.

The Coen brothers-ability to create charismatic characters

In all three of the films we watched, there was one or more characters that held a certain "magnetic" personality. (dictionary definition for charismatic). The Coen brothers seem to have the amazing ability to conjure up characters with whom the audience feels and connects with.

In "Raising Arizona", H.I. and Ed are both characters who come off as friendly and ordinary people. Even though they do the extraordinary thing of stealing a baby, the Coen brothers still make them seem as loveable characters and almost pass the baby stealing as a a sort of humorous plot but only in search for the "perfect Family" that the Mcdonough's so badly want... another attribute that makes the characters more likable.

Jerry Lundegaard, an auto-insurance salesman, also is depicted as such a loveable character in that all of the audience loves William H. Macy. His accent and friendliness make his character appeal to the average viewer. Again, even though he is doing such a horrible activity like fixing to have his wife kidnapped in "Fargo", the Coen brothers again can make the illegal activity irrelivant to the characters in the film. We still love how Jerry carries himself and how everything just goes to crap for him.

lastly, in "No Country for Old Men", Tommy Lee Jones character is charasmatic in that his persona is so sad and depressing towards the end of the film, that the viewer wants him to be happy and we begin to feel sorry for him. This one being the smallest of the three films, but still being charismatic, the Coen brothers really spark emotions with the two long dialogue sequences involving Tommy at the end of the film. We really start to side with him and his cop profession. its hard to have the movie end on such a sad note

very fun unit and i wish we could do "Big Lebowski" and even more Coen Brothers films. Best unit of the year!!!

Akira Kurosawa...... a mysterious director

After finishing three of Kurosawa's most decorated films, I now know why men like George Lucas and Coppola, would help finance his projects. I feel like Kurosawa liked to leave things mysterious on purpose. He wanted to have people guessing and debating the truth vs. the imaginary.

Throughout all three movies, there was one scene that jumped out at me the most, and it just happened to be one that contained this tool Akira loved to use. The scene was the final scene from "Ran".

In this scene, "Tsurumaru", a blind Japanese man, is alone on a large precipice, with an orange/pink sky in the backround. The scene's first shot consists of an extreme longshot establishing the cliff, sky and isolation of Tsurumaru. He is indeed a blind man, left alone next to an extreme cliff with only his blind walking rod, and a rolled up scroll with a painting of Buddha on it. The painting was given to him by the last person to leave him alone in assurance that the painting would watch over him and keep his defenseless self safe.

As the scene continues, the next shot is a medium range shot that portrays him slowly walking up to the edge and when he feels the edge with his walking rod, he becomes scared and fidgets and accidentally drops his painting over the edge. The film ends shortly thereafter following a long panning shot of the sky after he drops the painting.

In doing this, I feel Kurosawa is not only trying to cause controversy by ending the movie at a point where not all problems are patched up, but also in doing this scene, I feel he is making a religious statement.

I don't know if Akira is a religious man, but I feel he may have intended to show that if we lose Buddha or God in our life, that we will be in a world-of-hurt with a lack of their presence. By having Tsurumaro drop his religious portrait, and then ending the film, the director appears to me that he is saying we are lost in our lives without the guidance of a god in our lives. Which Tsurumaru was after he dropped his portrait.

All three respectable movies. Fun unit

Shallow Hal- the last Farrelly brothers installment, but not the worst, only because there are no bad Farrelly brothers films

The film "Shall0w Hal" (2001), by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, is in my opionion, in the top ten funniest movies of the new century.

I want to start off by saying that the Farrelly brothers did an excellent job of putting their important message into the film, which is to look past the outside and evaluate a girl by whats on her insides. Leave it to the overlooked film directors who are viewed as nonsensicle goofy guys to incorporate the key message.

This movie I feel is often overlooked by my friends, critics, and people I talk to about movies. I don't know why people would look past the humor of the always solid Farrelly boys. This one did not dissapoint. Using much of the same type of humor from their other movies, "Shallow Hal" brought me to loud laughter dozens of times throughout the couple of hours. Gwyneth Paltrow, who is never looked at for her comedic qualities, I feel did an excellent job creating laughter and sorrow. She did a nice job in her overweight suit too. Also, i'm not usually a fan of Jack Black at all, but in this film, I loved him. He was sustainable and actually funny. Not too much over the top humor, only more less-forced laughs.

I think the favorite part of the film was when Jack Black (Hal) and Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), are at a restaurant and she orders numerous, numerous food items and Hal gets very excited with his date because he is really tired of " ...the girls who just order a crouton and a glass of water". I just loved that line because it was funny, but also talked about how he doesn't notice her large size, only he loves her inner beauty.

Hitchcock- neat guy

With the end of our Hitchcock unit in the books, my opinions on the guy have changed.

Although I didn't really know that much about the guy, I wasn't a fan because none of his films really appealed to me, however, now that I have gathered more knowledge on the legend that is Alfred Hitchcock, I now respect what he has done in the film industry much more.

Never have I watched movies where there is so much debate about plot, characters and what the director's intentions and meanings were between students. He sparked thinking on more than just one level, thinking on a very analytical basis.

The way that Hitchcock sparked emotions in our class was thoroughly impressive. Students felt suspense, fear, scared, sad, happy, relieved etc.

My favorite movie of Alfred's that we watched was "Rear Window", because I was confused, impressed, dumbfounded, enthralled, and overall, a big fan of the film.

It seems strage that a man who made movies so long ago, is still watched in Film classes and even mimic(ed?,ked? not sure of the spelling) in Vanity Fair Magazine by people many years later. A true testament to his power, success and influence on film of today.

The Farrelly Brothers- "Stuck On You". Amazing

The film "Stuck on you", is the most recent Farrelly brothers movie and stars Matt Damon, and Greg Kinnear.

One of my favorite aspects of the movie, is how creative the idea is. The conjoined twins film idea seems like such excellent foundation to a movie. Also, the directors added everything in the movie that i wanted out of it. I was sittin there watching the movie, hoping that they would play football, and they did, baseball, and they did, and golf which they did too. Furthermore, they added the scene where one of the brothers answers the home phone and claims that the other brother is not there, a true comedic moment by Peter and Bobby.

The struggle between the two brothers and their seperation is portrayed by the directors perfectly. They do not overexagerrate the the operation but it still plays an important role without being disrespectful to conjoinded twins across the country.

The comedy in this film is textbook Farrelly brothers, with crude hilarious jokes that are not afraid of going too far. A signature aspect of theirs.

Farrelley Brothers: Dumb and Dumber- Best comedic movie ever??????

Starring Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey, Dumb and Dumber is easily one of the top three funniest movies I have ever seen.

One of the many glorious aspects of the film is that is provides entertainment on numerous levels. A standard movie-goer might watch the movie and just push it aside and immediately reject it as any sort of respectable piece of artwork. However, in doing this, they would be overlooking a brilliant film and its countless memorable shots and execution of cinematography etc.

First of all, being that the movie is a comedy, the filming aspects of the film are already viewed with a disadvantage, but the cinematography and editing are very underrated. During the traveling montage, one of my favorite shots occurs and it is when the camera is several hundred feet above their "Sheepdog" in a helicopter I believe. This helps show how big the country is that they are traversing and also how small these two 'dumb' men are.

Another aspect of the film that does not get the credit is deserves is the music and sound effects and overall noise. From the amazing introductory song of "Boomshakalaka", the film sets the song standard high and follows up with "Mary Moon", "Mockingbird", "I knew that she would make me happy". Furthermore, sound effects play an enormous role in this comedy. The Farrelley Brothers did an excellent job with Lloyd's (Jim Carrey) noises throughout the film. From his run-ins with atomic peppers, to being sprawled out on a jetway, to suffering from a beatdown by a certain "Seabass", to even an intense fighting scene where he excavates a man's heart.

All in all, the film Dumb and Dumber exceeds expectations for people from all walks of life and really is the Farrelly brothers in a nutshell. Amazing movie.

Do The Tight Thing

In the film "Do The Right Thing" by Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson plays an important reoccurring role that helps add meaning to the movie. I find that the word "tight" or cool defines Jackson's persona in the film very accurately. He is portrayed as a smooth talking radio DJ who can turn words into a flowing river. But he adds more to the conflict than just another cool cat, Samuel represents the theme of the entire movie. As the film starts, he begins to narrate the setting and set the stage for the film, and as the movie continues, he helps emphasize the tension between the cultures by literally narrating it in front of him on his street. Lee can basically indiretly narrate the film with out having someone read over the scenes and come across in a completely different and less effective method. In addition, Jackson is indeed part of the racial tension theme himself but is portrayed as more of a narrator than contributor.

The Battle of Crap

The Battle of Algiers was horrific. I did not like any aspect of the movie. All of it was lame. Looking past the lack of color and subtitles that were prevalent with every frame, I still do not like any aspect of the movie. In no point in anywhere of Pontocorvo's incoherent rambling did he make any smidgen of entertainment for me. The movie dragged on. I did not like the acting, the very fake simulated gun fights from 20 feet away that somehow never killed anyone, or the torturing. I was not impressed with his controversial topic and boring representation of it. Each scene seemed like the last, only it was in a different ally. There was little change througout the movie and the conflicts were disapointing to me, after hearing about the problems in Algiers. All in all, the movie made me want to hold a small handheld torch to me chesthair and roast my man-sweater.
1/2 thumb up, a generous half of a thumb too.

memento?... yes please, do you have the fruit flavored ones?

My feelings on Memento were not as highly reguarded as everyone else's were.

In my opinion, Christopher Nolan tried to get TOO artsy and cute with the movie.

Even after being educated on the scenario of the film, I was still lost in the plot, characters, setting, and side plots about Sammy Jankis. I dont even want to imagine the people who went into this film blind and knew nothing about it. The idea is a rather neat and original and creative one, but I feel Nolan overplayed the idea and stretched the theory too far, to where it became confusing and starting to lose its meaning and story. The whole black and white and chronological and reverse chronological order thing totally flew over my head. Also, I missed little details to the movie that were key, i.e. the change from colored to black and white, or the change of Jankis to Lenny in the asylum. All in all, the idea was a good one, but was portrayed way too over the top for me to like it.

1 thumb up

Kiss Me Lamely

Kiss Me Deadly did not fulfil any expectations I had for it. In fact, it made me mad. The entire plot led up to those two horrific endings?? First of all, a name as cool as "Mike Hammer" should never be given to such a person who can not meet the requirements of a genuine "Mike Hammer". Granted, he was cool, but not 'Mike Hammer' cool. Also, every clue that Mike found lead him on a giant goose chase where he would just miraculously come across a innocent person that would certainly tell him the absolute truth. I feel, that this was rather farfetched and unlikely. In adition, the girl that was suposed to be so pretty, the one tortured to death, wasn't even pretty!! I mean, come on if your going to explicitly call her gorgeous in the film, she better darn well be easy on the eyes!! This all leads me to the ending(s). Both of which did not entertain me, or in my opinion top off the movie. The atomic bomb ending just condused the heck out of me and the the screaming or shrieking of whatever that was made me scared. In addition, the run into the ocean ending didnt tell me what the heck the entire movie was all about, but in retrospect, neither did the a-bomb ending. Both had nothing to do with what the box was all about and the government and the girl in the trench coat. What a disapointing noir.
1/2 thumb

Indemnity Indemnity

After watching the film Double Indemnity, my perspective on film noir has changed dramatically

Only knowing about noir from class discussions, by views on the style were mixed, in that i was thinking it was going to be one of the cliche P.I. films in a half lit room with a venetian blind in the backround with a smoking investigator resting his feet on the top of his desk. I was somewhat right and somewhat wrong. The film did live up to its reputation by having very limited lighting and dramatic shading. Practically the entire film was engulfed with the concept of half-lit faces and shadows strewn across the black and white screen. Also, the film portrayed the noir characteristic of mysterious murder. The murderers involved were indeed very dark, selfish people again living upto noir standards in being compelled by money and the power it brings with it. Smoking also very prevalent throughout the film, perhaps a symbol of the dark, desparage that smoking's conotation brings.

decent movie i give 3/4 thumb

The Caddyshack Gopher > Groundhog day groundhog

Groundhog Day in my opinion was far better than the previous romantic comedy we watched.

My favorite part of the movie was by far the editing. It was ingenious. For example, when Bill Murray asks the random pretty lady who her 12th grade english teacher was, the editors chose to immediately jump right to the next day encounter between the two. This made me laugh quite hard, along with the rest of the class.

Again the editing was very humorous and effective when there is a series or "montage" of Phil getting slapped. This helps illustrate the point that he is trying so hard to sleep with his co-worker but is unsuccessful. Also, the suicide montage was another excellent display of editing by the makers of this film because it makes a funny, yet serious and very time efficient point of Phil's state of life. The editing takes away from the normal extreme seriousness involved with suicide and gives it a lighter side that we can laugh at.
All in all, I enjoyed the movie and i give it 1.25. thumbs.

Bringing up Baby,Baby,Baby, Baby

My feelings on the film Bringing Up Baby are mixed. The acting jobs were pretty good, the costumes and setting and props were above average and the cinematography was decent. However, my questioning of the movie comes about in the plot category.

I use that strange headline for my blogpost because there was so much darn redundancy, so much darn redundancy in the movie. In almost every scene there was bound to be a David copying/following Susan moment, or a Susan following/copying David moment. They were always either chasing George, pursuing Baby, looking for the bone, or running away one right behind the other... Always.

Aside from the redundancy of the film, it was also very predictable. Whenever David fell or tripped, a viewer could automatically know the other one was gonna do the same thing, or vic versa. He falls over a curb... she does too, he falls down a rock face, so does she. He's up high on a ladder precariously, so is she.

My overall feeling about this movie is that it probably was way above average back in its prime, but that type of humor is obsolete. Rating: 1/2 thumb

Once Upon a Time in the West

Once Upon a Time in the West was an excellent movie, furthermore, it can be compared to another excellent movie: Goldeneye. Perhaps better known as one of the more recent James Bond films.

The comparisons start with the protagonists: Charles Bronson and Pierce Brosnan. Aside from having similar last names, each character portrays resembling attitudes and body language. Never in either movie do we see Harmonica or James lose their cool. They are both always very calm and relaxed, or dare i even say "reluctant"??? Being very ridiculously good looking is also in each actors playbook. Suaveness is a lifestyle for Bronson and a way of life for Bond. Just like in this picure above, Harmonica always has a cool and calm look on his face and rest of body.

In addition, the two brunette bombshells are very good with the ladies. A must if you want to be a western movie protagonist and essential to be called a "Bond". Also, each actor comes with their own theme song. For Charles Bronson, its his own jazzy harmonica tunes, and for Pierce Brosnan, its the signature Bond tune.

this last picture is for the viewing pleasure of our very own Dave Matyi.

dave: save the cat calls for class so you dont wake up your parents

Journal

Having never completely viewed one of the most famous movies in all of film history, this journal gave me an excellent excuse to watch the old, dusty copy of The Wizard of Oz (1939). I have only watched snippets of the movie on television and heard it referenced tens of hundreds of times throughout my life. So now finally, i have watched the film start to finish and am now Oz literate.

Directed by Victor Fleming, The Wizard of Oz as everyone knows is about a girl named Dorothy who is played by the hometown hero Minnesotan Judy Garland. As the story progresses and the plot expands, I began to realize in my own basement that my body was the only thing actually in my bottom floor, my head and imagination had long dissapeared into simpler times; my childhood. I have heard somewhere that The Wizard of Oz brings out the child in everyone who watches it, a detail I have never lived until now.

Just like how a war movie can take your thoughts into a defferent realm, or a sad song captures your fellings about a topic, and even how a sighint of toy flys a person off to a different time in thier life, the Oz did this to me. A fantasy land that i dreamed of as a child, floated into my mind like a mirage in my slummy basement.

Victor Fleming used sound extensively in the film throughout. Whether it was the flying monkeys, or the sound of Dorothy's voice while she skipped to the castle, the music and sound, in my opinion took center stage in the impressive category for the flick. The sound effects of the characters and the witches really made the movie of that time period stick out to me as one ahead of its time. and also make it a movie still referenced over 60 years later.

My Darling Clementine post

In the movie My Darling Clementine, Wyatt Earp is very much the stereotypical westerner for various reasons.

One of our very first encounters with Mr. Earp is when he suddenly appears to be the only one brave enough to stop a drunken crazy Native American. He shows poise and courage, just as all cliche heros do. Even though we do not know Earp yet, Ford still conveys him as someone who can be trusted and a man who viewers side with.

Also on a lighter note, when the Earps attend the dance with the rest of the town, obviously Earp is going to be an amazing dancer. All main charasmatic westerners are excellent dancers.
Even though we never see him work on his dancing, he is definately going to have sweet moves because he is Wyatt Earp, Sheriff extroardinaire.

Rosebutt

Orson Welles uses sound in his movie "Citizen Kane" to help convey emotions and thoughts to viewers. Throughout the film, he utilizes numerous sound techniques that helped "Citizen Kane" become such a household film.

In the beginning, Welles introduces a song that will play repeatedly throughout the film. This is know as a musical motif. The catchy tune is played in different volumes and speeds so that it is not too noticable that the song is reoccuring. He also uses the song to startle the viewers by suddenly turning it on extremely loud and unannouced. He uses this tactic later in the movie when he shows a bird making a very loud screech unannounced that startles the crowd.

Not to be overlooked is the singing of Kane's ex wife Susan. The sound she makes is portrayed as beautiful by some, but not as pretty by others. Orson combines her singing with the drama of Kane's life to stir up feelings.

Directed by Frank Darabont, The Film Shawshank Redemption won me over with a thoughtful plot and amazing narration. The movie was made after a book by Steven King.

The main character Andy Dufraine, played by Tim Robbins, is a man who was sentenced to do two life sentences for two murders in a prison named "Shawshank". Dufraine is a man who is extremely bright and quiet. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, or Red, the movie takes on a somber mood with his relaxing mood and "in prison" sad mentality. Almost immediately, others notice how smart Andy is and they begin to trade for him helping them out. One of the jailguards, has Dufraine do his taxes for him in return that he brings him a six-pack of beer, a six pack that Andy never touches and only gives to Red and his other friends. Soon all of the guards recieve help from the brilliant Dufraine.

Throughout the movie, there is narration about the feeling of being locked up and what it does to a man. This is very interesting to me because Morgan Freeman and the director do an amazing job and instilling chills and lonelyness in the viewers. He even states "In prison, a man'll do almost anything to keep his mind occupied". I really enjoy this quote because of how realistic it must be.

As the plot continues, Andy starts to work with the warden to do alot of his paperwork. However in doing so, he agitates the warden numerous times and in one occasion, he plays classical music on the loudspeaker over the entire courtyard and prisoners stand in awe, while the camera which is located way up in the air next to the the speaker looks down on everyone of them just staring up at it in awe that there is music being played over the speakers. For this unruly, behavior, Andy has to spend a month in solitary confinement, an amazingly horrific lifestyle kept in a 24-hour dark room with no bathroom, little food and even fewer commodities.

One of the most sad moments in the film is when Brooks, the former senior fragile librarian for the prison, who now is being bossed around by a grocery store manager, hangs himself in an appartment building that he stayed for a while. However, on a lighter note, Red travels to the same room and carves his name in the ceiling, right next to where Brooks carved his before putting the noose around his neck.

As other smaller stories unravel, the main plot is focused on two things, Andy escaping, and Red getting parolled after 40 years.

The director did an excellent job on this movie and the cinematographer did even better. My favorite shot, is the crane shot of Andy Dufraine immediately after crawling through a sewage pipe to escape the confines, of Shawshank standing in the rain holding his hands up like a man who hasnt breathed free air in 20 years (my picture on top of post). The movie was amazing and really makes a person think about life after watching it and noone will have trouble remembering the amazing stories of Andy and Red.