I'm not sure I should admit this, but here goes: I love Coen Brother's movies. Yep, you read that right. I love them. They are weird, twisted little dark tales that are often quite violent. Not puppies and sunshine, but, knowing these two are involved is enough for me to go see the show. They have a very dry humor and they are brilliant. Who else could have made the "Odyssey" into "O Brother, Where Art Thou"? Which was - by the way - the movie that made me realize how many of their other movies I liked. If you haven't' seen it -- RUN to the store to get it. And, when you're done watching it, check out the rest of the information I have for you here on this wonderfully talented and quirky duo.
A Brief Glance At Joel And Ethan Coen
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are four-time Academy Award winning American filmmakers. For more than twenty years, the pair have written and directed numerous successful films, ranging from screwball comedies (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy) to hard boiled film noir (Millers Crossing, Blood Simple, The Man Who Wasn't There, No Country for Old Men), to movies where genres blur together (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink and Burn After Reading''). The brothers write, direct and produce their films jointly, although until recently Joel received sole credit for directing and Ethan for producing. They often alternate top billing for their screenplays while sharing film credits for editor under the alias Roderick Jaynes. They are known in the film business as "the two-headed director", as they share a similar vision of their films. Actors can approach either brother with a question and get the same answer.
The Movies of The Coen Brothers
Blood SimpleA rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man. But, when blood is involved, nothing is simple.
©1984: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, Samm-Art Williams
Raising Arizona
When a childless couple of an ex-con and an ex-cop decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintupelets, their lives get more complicated than they anticipated.
©1987: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe
Miller's Crossing
Tom Reagan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.
©1990: Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Jon Polito, J.E. Freeman
Barton Fink
In 1941, New York intellectual playwright Barton Fink comes to Hollywood to write a Wallace Beery wrestling picture. Staying in the eerie Hotel Earle, Barton develops severe writer's block. His neighbor, jovial insurance salesman Charlie Meadows, tries to help, but Barton continues to struggle as a bizarre sequence of events distracts him even further from his task.
©1991: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner, John Mahoney
Coen Brothers Movies from Amazon
The Usual Characters
Okay, it's a bad play on words, but, read on and you'll see it makes sense.
In addition to similarities of wit and style, there is a recurring pool of actors that the Coen's work with in their films. If it ain't broke, don't fix it - these combos work. The list (I may not be inclusive here) includes: Michael Badalucco, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Frances McDormand, Jon Polito, Stephen Root, and John Turturro. The Movies of The Coen Brothers - continued
The Hudsucker ProxyA naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.
©1994: Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman, Charles Durning, John Mahoney
Fargo
Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of pregnant Marge Gunderson.
©1996: William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Kristin Rudrüd, Harve Presnell
The Big Lebowski
"Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.
©1998: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Three stumblebum convicts escape to go on a quest for treasure and meet various characters while learning where their real fortune lies set in 1930s Deep South.
©2000: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter
More Coen Brothers Movies from Amazon
The Movies of The Coen Brothers - the last group of them
The Man Who Wasn't ThereA laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.
©2001: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Katherine Borowitz
Intolerable Cruelty
A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.
©2003: George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer, Edward Herrmann
The Ladykillers
An eccentric, if not charming Southern professor and his crew pose as a band in order to rob a casino, all under the nose of his unsuspecting landlord: a sharp old woman.
©2004: Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons, Tzi Ma
Some More Coen Brothers Movies from Amazon
The Newest Coen Brother's Movie
No Country for Old MenViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.
©2007: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem
IN THEATRES NOW!!!
Some Available Soundtracks
![Raising Arizona / Blood Simple: Original Motion Picture Soundtracks [2 on 1]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZPVA8RXAL._SL75_.gif)
Coen Brother's Fan Notes
Let me know which is your favorite Coen Brother's movie, or which one you hated, or just leave a note to say hi.
splendidbaker wrote...
Love the Big Lebowski - after 52 viewings I still laugh my head off! Keep up the good work.
Posted January 16, 2008
BigJim wrote...
great coen brothers lens, gp. thanks for lensrolling my raising arizona squidflix.
Posted December 20, 2007
KimGiancaterino wrote...
It's great to have these movies listed in one place. I adore Fargo, which I've seen about 10 times. Wonderful lens!
Posted September 23, 2007
rksmythe wrote...
My two favorite Cohen Brothers movies are Blood Simple and Raising Arizona. Blood Simple is a film-noir classic and Raising Arizona is just plain funny.
Posted September 07, 2007
Monteath wrote...
Hi, I love Coen Brothers movies, as well. I think for me Barton Fink ties O Brother Where Art Thou, though Lebowski is close. Great lens, I would love your feedback on my Coen Brothers lens, as well.
Posted September 04, 2007
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