Repost: Inside Llewyn Davis (April 8th at the CWRU Film Society Strosacker Auditorium)

[INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS screens Saturday April 8th at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm at the CWRU Film Society Strosacker Auditorium.]

Review by Pamela Zoslov

“The film doesn't really have a plot. That concerned us at one point; that's why we threw the cat in.”

That's what Joel Coen, one-half of the Coen brothers, has said about their latest offering, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS. It's the kind of dismissive statement we've come to expect in Coen Land, where deep analysis is considered laughable. In 2001, I wrote in a profile of Ethan Coen:

With the Coens, it’s easy to fall into the trap of overanalysis. They long ago confessed their infatuation with the novels of James M. Cain and Dashiell Hammett, but Ethan says critics overestimate their literary influences. 'They read too much into it,” he says. 'We’re presumably these movie brats. They mention movies that we’re supposed to be influenced by, which we haven’t seen.' No doubt that’s because the Coens’ movies revisit and reinterpret a wide range of popular film styles. 'To be fair, we seem to invite that kind of exegesis, especially with Barton Fink. But you do stuff because it feels good for the story. There’s no code.

Ranking the Coen Brothers 17 Films

 This last week saw the release of HAIL, CAESAR!, the 17th feature film from brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. For the last 32 years, the Coen brothers have assembled a filmography that includes every type of genre there is. Their output is compelling, creating work that is accessible to the masses while never compromising its quality to do so (save for a film or two). The brothers make movies in and about America. Most share the narrative: the folly of man, particularly in the pursuit of greed. Underneath that narrative simmers humor, tragedy, gripping dialogue and beautiful photography to create an experience unique to the Coen’s.

Ranking their films (not including their wonderful short-film in PARIS JE T’AIME) is a fool's errand. Of their 17 films, 10 can be considered classics or masterpieces (not to use the term lightly), and the rest an assortment of fine filmmaking. Often, mood determines the Coen brothers film I need that day, or maybe that year. The past decade of Coen brother releases still feel fresh. The Coen’s produce work that grows and matures on you. They give you so much to think about that there is no right way of compiling this list (in the pursuit of ranking their films, you’re sure to offend a few). Having seen HAIL, CAESAR! only a day ago, its inclusion is perhaps absurd. But like any good Coen brothers character, I’ll proceed on despite my own absurdity.

Hail Caesar

Review by Bob Ignizio

The Coen Brothers have long shown a fascination with old Hollywood. Classic cinema runs through the veins of almost all of their films, sometimes subtly as in their neo noir debut BLOOD SIMPLE, sometimes more overtly as in their homage to Hollywood screwball comedies THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, or in straight up remakes of classic films like THE LADYKILLERS and TRUE GRIT. But no Cohen Brothers film to date has given them the opportunity to celebrate old movies and old movie making techniques to the extent that their latest effort, HAIL, CAESAR!, has.

Bridge of Spies

Review by Bob Ignizio

Lawyers, especially those defending clients who are almost certainly guilty of serious crimes, tend to get a bad rap both in real life and in the movies. But in the first section of BRIDGE OF SPIES, director Steven Spielberg and screenwriters Matt Charman and Joel and Ethan Coen present what amounts to a defense of the oft maligned defense attorney.

Played by Tom Hanks in full on Jimmy Stewart mode so you know he’s a good guy, insurance attorney James B. Donavan doesn’t really want to defend accused Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance). He’s convinced, however, that it’s his patriotic duty to do so, so as to insure that the Soviet Union and the world at large can see that even a Russian spy caught at the height of cold war paranoia is still given a competent and vigorous defense in a court of law. But not too competent and vigorous.

Repost: Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (opens in Akron April 10th at the Nightlight Cinema)

[KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER opens in Akron on Friday April 10th exclusively at the Nightlight Cinema.]

Review by Pamela Zoslov

I was immersed in the first season of Fargo, the television series based on the Coen Brothers' landmark 1996 film, when KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER fell into my hands. The film, directed and co-written by David Zellner and his brother, Nathan,, explores FARGO's influence from a new angle: the supposedly true story of a Japanese woman who froze to death in pursuit of the buried ransom money shown in the movie. It's strange, isn't it, that the Coens' bleak, snow-swept Minnesota landscape, with its bland, folksy inhabitants, has inspired its own mythos, still resounding nearly twenty years later.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (opens in Cleveland April 3rd at the Capitol Theatre)

[KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER opens in Cleveland on Friday April 3rd exclusively at the Capitol Theatre.]

Review by Pamela Zoslov

I was immersed in the first season of Fargo, the television series based on the Coen Brothers' landmark 1996 film, when KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER fell into my hands. The film, directed and co-written by David Zellner and his brother, Nathan,, explores FARGO's influence from a new angle: the supposedly true story of a Japanese woman who froze to death in pursuit of the buried ransom money shown in the movie. It's strange, isn't it, that the Coens' bleak, snow-swept Minnesota landscape, with its bland, folksy inhabitants, has inspired its own mythos, still resounding nearly twenty years later.

Unbroken

Review by Joseph Anthony

There has never been a shortage of World War II stories coming out of Hollywood – PATTON tearing through the scenery of Africa, a rescue mission in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, the weight of the Holocaust in SCHINDLER’S LIST, or the beaches of the Pacific Theater in LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (the list goes on).  This year, Angelina Jolie directs the true story of Louis Zamperini in UNBROKEN, based on Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 novel of the same name.

Zamperini’s story is absolutely incredible, the kind of story that has to be told. He is inspiring, strong, and – though he is of Italian descent – oozes the American spirit. Zamperini was raised in Torrance, California with his Italian family where he is bullied because of his heritage. As a result, he embraces a loner lifestyle. Eventually Zamperini turns his anger into fuel, going on to be one of the best high school track runners in the country and eventually participating in the Olympics in Germany.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Review by Pamela Zoslov

“The film doesn't really have a plot. That concerned us at one point; that's why we threw the cat in.”

That's what Joel Coen, one-half of the Coen brothers, has said about their latest offering, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS. It's the kind of dismissive statement we've come to expect in Coen Land, where deep analysis is considered laughable. In 2001, I wrote in a profile of Ethan Coen:

With the Coens, it’s easy to fall into the trap of overanalysis. They long ago confessed their infatuation with the novels of James M. Cain and Dashiell Hammett, but Ethan says critics overestimate their literary influences. 'They read too much into it,” he says. 'We’re presumably these movie brats. They mention movies that we’re supposed to be influenced by, which we haven’t seen.' No doubt that’s because the Coens’ movies revisit and reinterpret a wide range of popular film styles. 'To be fair, we seem to invite that kind of exegesis, especially with Barton Fink. But you do stuff because it feels good for the story. There’s no code.