Posted on 08/11/2011 10:50:44 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
Just a minor correction; they did not REmake True Grit.
Thanks. I was reading some of the comments at the link. And they said the same thing.
“Most overrated Coens brother film: No Country for Old Men. The last 15 minutes destroyed the film.”
Reply...
“If you hated the ending of “No Country”, I assume it’s because of how anti-climactic it seems, but they were just following the book on that one. Novels aren’t constrained by Hollywood expectations like big shootouts and car chases, and I’m glad the Coens stayed true to the source material and offered a quiet and introspective ending. I had chills when it went to black after Tommy Lee Jones’ last line.”
And...
“That said, I haven’t liked much of their work. I loathed “No Country for Old Men.” I can’t fault them entirely, though, because it was based on a book.”
Me: This being the case... Since when do Hollywood movies ever follow the book? If the Coens failed to script an ending, then it was just laziness.
True Grit...the scene near the end with the horse giving out....wow. I thought it was about how tough life was back then, out where they were. You had to make it on your own....grit. It really hit me hard.
The wickedest thing they did was put the message “This movie was based on true events” at the beginning of Fargo. It wasn’t. They know it.
The blurring of fact and fiction is evidence of a growing insanity in this culture.
No Country For Old Men, and True Grit, were filmed near where I grew up. They make me homesick...
But, No Country... reminds of that transition, where good old country boys were being overtaken by the new reality of the world. Very sad movie, indeed. A loss of innocence in our country’s history, or another one, as there have been a few.
A Serious Man was a big step away from all that -- back to their own actual roots. They ought to go further in that direction -- urban, more or less contemporary, semi-comedic, what they actually know -- but they've also been moving in the direction of big budget studio features.
See # 42. Now I do understand the ending to “No Country...”. I don’t like it, but I understand it.
And I agree with you about the ending to the Coen’s True Grit. Much better than the original. Especially the wild horse ride, the loss of Mattie’s arm and how that changed the rest of her life, and the stronger emphasis on Rooster’s death.
But. I still disliked the hillbilly dialogue. As I said way upthread: The Coens got hooked into the hillbilly dialogue themes in most of their movies. It worked in Raiding Arizona and O Brother. It failed with True Grit.
The wickedest thing they did was put the message “This movie was based on true events” at the beginning of Fargo. It wasn’t. They know it.
The blurring of fact and fiction is evidence of a growing insanity in this culture.
Then what did they do to it? What do you call it?
What struck me about True Grit was how similar it was to the original (except for the ending).
Some of the actors even looked like the actors in the original. The guy who played Ned Pepper looked just like Robert Duvall to me.
Barton Fink remains my absolute favorite
True Grit...Not impressed.
One of my favorite exchanges from Raising Arizona:
Ear-Bending Cellmate: ...and when there was no meat, we ate fowl and when there was no fowl, we ate crawdad and when there was no crawdad to be found, we ate sand.
H.I.: You ate what?
Ear-Bending Cellmate: We ate sand.
[pause]
H.I.: You ate SAND?
Ear-Bending Cellmate: That’s right!
I saw it in the theater as a kid, and it’s still one of my favorite films to this day. I like most of the Coen brothers’ other films, but especially The Big Lebowski, Hudsucker Proxy, and the Ladykillers (which I thought was seriously under-appreciated).
“You’re Mr. Lebowski. I’m the Dude, so that’s what you call me. Or maybe His Dudeness, or Duder, or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.”
Forgot to add this. Great role for Albert Finney!!!
Barton Fink is one of my favorite movies. A stunning piece of filmmaking, IMHO.
That rug really brought the room together...
Barton Fink is great. I was reading some interesting essays on that film the other day. The Coen’s never spoon feed you. They leave you with stuff to wonder about. Miller’s Crossing is like that, too.
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