The Best Coen Brothers Films: From Fargo to the Dude Abides
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Best of the Coen Brothers
A brief overview of the best Coen Brothers films, as well as general thoughts on these amazing writers and directors. From Fargo to O Brother Where Art Thou, their films show a wide variety of skill and subjects. I am a huge fan of these talented writers & directors, whose IMDB page shows perhaps the most eclectic collection of fantastic movies I've ever seen from one director or pair. Please rate this lens to let me know how I'm doing :)
Coen Brothers Fun Facts and Trivia
Fun facts on the Coen Brothers, two of the best directors in the business
The Coen Brothers have an incredible following of fans that puts these directors well past the "cult" status. If "No Country for Old Men" is your first introduction to these amazing writers and filmmakers, then here's an article sharing some fun facts and trivia about these brothers.
-Although both brothers would co-write, direct, and produce, up until recently they would split credit.
-Joel Coen would always get full credit for directing.
-Ethan Coen would get sole credit for producing.
-Both graduated from the same undergraduate college, Simon's Early Rock College, before each went a different direction for another bachelor's degree.
-Joel Coen actually went to film school at New York University after Early Rock.
-Ethan Coen earned a degree in philosophy from Princeton University.
-Actress Frances McDormand, who has appeared in five Coen Brothers films and was strongly applauded for her amazing performance in "Fargo," is actually married to Joel Coen.
-The brothers have often been nicknamed "The Two Headed Director" because you can ask a question on set to one Coen, then to the other, and get the exact same answer.
-Their first full length film, "Blood Simple," is sometimes credited with helping to usher in the era of independent films.
-John Turturro, long one of the Coens' favorite actors, directed his first film "Romance & Cigarettes" after the Coen Brothers agreed to pt up the money to produce his film.
-Ethan Coen had a collection of short stories published, "Gates of Eden."
-The soundtrack to "O Brother Where Art Thou" won a Grammy.
-These brothers are sometimes referred to as the Kings of Indie Filmmaking.
These are just a few fun facts about these amazing writers and directors.
No Country for Old Men: Best Coen Brothers Movie Ever?
Early results from IMDB suggest so
So I watched the trailer, I saw the previews, and I was extremely excited to go see No Country for Old Men, the newest Coen Brothers movie based on the book by Cormac McCarthy. It looked fantastic, and all I can say is, WOW.I love Fargo, I love The Big Lebowski, and O Brother Where Art Thou, but in my opinion this is the best movie the Coen Brothers have ever made. The early feedback from the Internet Movie Data Base seems to confirm it.
With almost 12,000 people voting so far, No Country for Old Men has sky rocketed to the #23 best movie of all time with an 8.9 rating. If this rating continues with more votes, it will become one of the highest rated movies of all time. Only three movies are above an 8.9, and those are the top three: Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, Godfather Part II.
This movie is fantastic, and in excellent company, indeed. There are few movie psychopaths who have ever been as terrifying as Anton Chigurh, and what a story, what a cast--what a movie!
It's hard to say it's the best only because so many Coen Brothers movies are so good and so different, but this has to be right up there, especially with the ending. This film was extremely original, creepy, and has moments that just leave you feeling like you narrowly avoided a near fatal accident yourself ("Well done, my friend!").
This is an experience, and if you haven't seen this movie yet, you're really missing out.
Is "No Country for Old Men" the Best Coen Brothers Film Ever?
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New Coen Brothers Movie "No Country for Old Men" Released!
Here it comes! After a long wait, the new Coen Brothers movie is being released in limited theatres this week, which will be followed in late November by a large scale release of "No Country for Old Men", based on the award winning novel by Cormac McCarthy.This looks like a remarkably dark film, and has that flair that the Coen Brothers are renowned for. This film also has an excellent cast, with Tommy Lee Jones and Woody Harrelson playing great side roles.
I love the comedies with their swirls of darkness, the satires on corporate life that start with a hilarous suicide, and even the darker movies (such as Barton Fink). The Coens amaze me at their variety of films, and with a great cast based on an amazing novel, this upcoming film, "No Country for Old Men" has me as excited for a film as I've been in a long time.
IFC Coen Brothers News
Great interview with Joel and Ethan Coen on adapting "No Country For Old Men" from a novel to a movie.
curated content from YouTube
I Love Coen Brothers Films
Strange, Funny, Tragic, Brilliant!
Films done by the Coen Brothers are often among my favorites. From "The Big Lebowski" to "O Brother Where Art Thou" to "Fargo," the range and scope of these films are often amazing.
There are several trademarks to Coen Brothers films, which often involve kidnapping, strange main characters, and weird fixations on circular objects. The Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan, always work together and have a favorite group of actors who reappear repeatedly in their films, including Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, John Turturro, and Frances McDormand.
I love good movies, I love unconventional movies, and I love unique movies--you can probably see why I'm such a fan of the Coens :) When you have cult classic film makers becoming so popular that their movies remain strange, but their popularity goes main stream, you know someting is going right. Here's my list of their elite eight, done in chronological order.
1987: "Raising Arizona" --A great cult classic starring Nicholas Cage in one of the strangest and unlikely love stories ever. This is one of those rare movies that seems to get more and more popular the more time that passes.
1990: "Miller's Crossing" --A step away from the strange and dark comedies, "Miller's Crossing" is rated a 7.9 by viewers on the IMDB web site and is considered one of the smartest and most original gangster movies ever made.
1991: "Barton Fink" --This was my first introduction to the Coen Brothers, when I was twelve. And people wonder why I'm so strange. A very dark and strangely brooding film, you will never see a scarier John Goodman.
1994: "The Hudsucker Proxy" --An independent film with Tim Robins, a fantastic satire that flopped at the box office but found a huge following after being released to video. This movie is to corporate life what "Office Space" and "Clerks" are to the jobs they display.
1996: "Fargo" --This movie is one of the classics. A very dark comedy, this film caught the love of viewers and critics alike. Winner of two Oscars, this film made the Coen Brothers household names to film lovers.
1998: "The Big Lebowski" --A huge favorite among film students and English majors, this is one of the strangest but highly regarded films. "The Dude" is the main character, and his misadventures in the bowling lane and out make for an incredible viewing experience.
As I mentioned on my recent freelance writing blogpost, I absolutely love the Coen Brothers, and this was one of my all time favorite pages to put together. Now if I could ever see the Coen Brothers work on a post apocalyptic movie I would be in heaven!
There are several trademarks to Coen Brothers films, which often involve kidnapping, strange main characters, and weird fixations on circular objects. The Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan, always work together and have a favorite group of actors who reappear repeatedly in their films, including Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, John Turturro, and Frances McDormand.
I love good movies, I love unconventional movies, and I love unique movies--you can probably see why I'm such a fan of the Coens :) When you have cult classic film makers becoming so popular that their movies remain strange, but their popularity goes main stream, you know someting is going right. Here's my list of their elite eight, done in chronological order.
1987: "Raising Arizona" --A great cult classic starring Nicholas Cage in one of the strangest and unlikely love stories ever. This is one of those rare movies that seems to get more and more popular the more time that passes.
1990: "Miller's Crossing" --A step away from the strange and dark comedies, "Miller's Crossing" is rated a 7.9 by viewers on the IMDB web site and is considered one of the smartest and most original gangster movies ever made.
1991: "Barton Fink" --This was my first introduction to the Coen Brothers, when I was twelve. And people wonder why I'm so strange. A very dark and strangely brooding film, you will never see a scarier John Goodman.
1994: "The Hudsucker Proxy" --An independent film with Tim Robins, a fantastic satire that flopped at the box office but found a huge following after being released to video. This movie is to corporate life what "Office Space" and "Clerks" are to the jobs they display.
1996: "Fargo" --This movie is one of the classics. A very dark comedy, this film caught the love of viewers and critics alike. Winner of two Oscars, this film made the Coen Brothers household names to film lovers.
1998: "The Big Lebowski" --A huge favorite among film students and English majors, this is one of the strangest but highly regarded films. "The Dude" is the main character, and his misadventures in the bowling lane and out make for an incredible viewing experience.
As I mentioned on my recent freelance writing blogpost, I absolutely love the Coen Brothers, and this was one of my all time favorite pages to put together. Now if I could ever see the Coen Brothers work on a post apocalyptic movie I would be in heaven!
How's the Coen Brothers Movie List So Far?
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And last but not least . . .
The Final Three (Drumroll Please...)
The most recent two that really stick out for the Coen Brothes are:2000: "O Brother Where Art Thou?" -- A fantastic movie whose sound track won a grammy for best sound track. Starring George Clooney as one of three escaped convicts, this is a re-writing of Homer's "The Odyssey" set in the American South. A one eyed Bible salesman, a blind prophet, great slap stick, and one of the best soundtracks around. What more could you want? Other than a cow on the roof of a cotton shed?
2001: "The Man Who Wasn't There" --Billy Bob Thorton in one of his strangest roles, and that's saying something. A black and white film that is a strange change of pace, not meant as a comedy, but involving a scene with a UFO that is side splittingly funny because of its strangeness.
2007: No Country for Old Men is a brilliant and dark film based on the novel "No Country for Old Men." Amazing psychopaths, great cinematography, and top notch acting take an intriguing and amazing story and the end result is one of the best movies by the Coen Brothers yet.
Those are my eight favorite Coen Brothers films. I own about half of them, and am hoping to eventually own everything they've done. Feel free to comment--I would love to hear about your favorite Coen Brothers film or scene.
Shirts for the Lebowski Fans
Shirts with Coen Brothers themes from Cafe Press
Make a statement. Remember, the Dude abides. Or if you're a little darker, remind everyone that they're your Friend-O.
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Best Quotes by the Dude from The Big Lebowski
Vote or Add as you see fit
The list starts with my favorite quotes by The Dude in The Big Lebowski. Feel free to vote them up or down, or add any if I've blatantly missed one! Remember: these are quotes ONLY by the Dude, not just any character.
Not the rug--it really ties the room together.
Probably the most overquoted line of all time.8 points
Mr. Treehorn treats objects like women, man!
Five years later, I still crack up every time this more...5 points
http://www.movie4download.net/
Movie4Download.Net - Movie Library of over 5500 Ti more...0 points
bollydb.in
latest bollywood movies - Bollywood movie wallpapers, more...0 points
Trampolines
Trampolines Exercising on trampoline is the most excellent more...0 points
Amazing Spoof of Man of Constant Sorrow
Great job to the Huntsville, Alabama, Fire Department
The firefighters of Huntsville, Alabama, put together a really amazing spoof of "Man of Constant Sorrow." You should really rank their video on YouTube. Great job, guys!
curated content from YouTube
Some of the Best Among Hundreds of Great Quotes
"What's This?" (Holding Bowling Ball) "Obviously you're not a golfer."
The Big Lebowski5 points
What's wrong with getting hit by a train? Lots of respectable people have been hit by trains."
O Brother Where Art Though3 points
Walter Sobchak: Nihilists! Fuck me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos.
The Big Lebowski3 points
"Who cares about the fifth Earl of Bathsdrop and Lady Higgenbottom and... and... who killed Nigel Grinchgibbons?"
Barton Fink0 points
More Coen Brothers from Amazon
Beyond the Films
Lesser known films, books about film making--the other great stuff here that maybe you didn't know about.
A Couple Good Links About Coen Brothers and Their Films
A Little Variety
Various links of interest on Joel and Ethan Coen and their movies.
- Joel Coen, IMDB
- IMDB is one of the best web sites for movies, actors, and directors. This is Joel Coen's biography on IMDB.
- Good Blog
- A good, detailed blog, on the Coen Brothers films and other movie related news.
- Academic essay
- Not sure I agree with this assessment, but it's an interesting study if you're into the academic studies of film.
- Interview about Barton Fink
- An interview with the Coen Brothers about their film Barton Fink, one of the darkest Coen Brothers films but one that I think is heavily underrated and underappreciated.
- BBC Coen Brothers Profile
- A pretty solid blurb about the Coen Brothers films and the brothers themselves.
- Ethan Coen's IMDB bio
- Joel usually gets credit directing, and Ethan writing, but the two collobarate on everything: they even have the nickname: "The two-headed director."
- Coen Brothers Fan Club
- Great Coen Brothers fan club site that offers a lot of background information, as well as up to date news.
- Best Place to Buy Coen Merchandise
- Hilarious t-shirts, mugs, magnents--I think there's even a Lebowski thong in there somewhere!
- No Country for Old Men
- This is the official web site for the newest Coen Brothersfilm, No Country for Old Men.
- Film Festival Honors Coens
- This must have been a huge honor!
- Brad Pitt IMDB Lens Study
- Lens looking to see which Brad Pitt character might be the toughest of them all.
10 Funniest O Brother Where Art Thou Quotes
Some of the best in a movie full of 'em.
If you haven't seen O Brother Where Art Thou you should. I could've made a top 50 list with this one.10) "Gopher, Everett?" "No thanks, Delmar. 1/3 of a gopher would only arouse my appitiete w/out bedding it." "Oh you can have the whole thing. Me and Pete ran across a whole gopher village..."
9) "You ruined my life!" (while being choked) "Again, I do apologize for that, Pete."
8) "Lots of respectable people get hit by trains."
7) "And we were banned for life from Woolsworth's. I don't know, Everett was that all of them or just that one?"
6) "You will see things, wonderful to tell--like... a cow...on the roof of a cotton house."
5) "What a small world, spiritually speaking. You sold your soul to the devil, these two soggy sonsofabitches just got saved, I guess I'm the only one who remains unaffiliated."
4) (At a KKK rally) "The color guard is colored. Who made them the color guard?!"
3) "You stole from my kin!" "Who was fixin' to turn us in." "You didn't know that at the time!" "So I held onto this until I did." (Pause) "That don't make no sense!" "Pete, it's a fool who looks for logic in the realms of the human heart."
2) "Well I'll be a sonofabitch. Delmar's been saved!"
1) "Mrs. Hogwallop up and R-U-N-N-O-F-T."
Disagree? Leave me a comment and let me know your personal favorites, among the many choices this movie offers.
Best of the best Coen films?
Hard to choose, but here's my humble opinion.
If I had to choose among these eight Joel Coen movies and bring them down to three I would say for me number one would be Fargo, which would barely edge out The Big Lebowski, and follow that with Miller's Crossing at number three.That said, Barton Fink is a personal favorite of mine, very dark and very bizzare. I also think The Man Who Wasn't There has the best "What the heck?" scene from any Coen Brothers film, but O Brother Where Art Thou? is stunning and has the best soundtrack by far (and on any given day I might make this one my choice for third over Miller's Crossing, just depends on my mood).
I think every Coen Brothers film is more than a movie, it tends to be an experience. Ethan Coen's book of short stories, Gates of Eden is also worth checking out if you're really into the experimental, cutting edge short fiction.
You really can't go wrong with these guys. Every movie they do has a strong point of some kind, even if it is, you know, for kids :)
Coen shirts and other great stuff
Barton Fink! Barton Fink!
The official trailer to Barton Fink
One of John Goodman's freakiest roles, and very well done.
curated content from YouTube
Great Coen Brothers Stuff on Amazon
One of the best places to find Coen Brothers stuff cheap
List of Every Coen Brothers Film
Vote on your favorites!
True Grit (2001)
movies online more...4 points
Free movies
free movies0 points
Reader Input on the Coens
Glad to hear what everyone thinks!
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sarahrk
Jan 24, 2012 @ 11:14 am | delete
- Big Lebowski is my fav.
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smicks
Nov 24, 2011 @ 11:13 pm | delete
- Cool lens,coen bro's rock, O brother where art thou? - Fav :) My mrs loves this one too, I think it might have something to do with clooney,but hey! at list I get to watch a film more than once in my house.
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filmic
Jul 30, 2011 @ 4:04 am | delete
- fantastic lens. Love the Coens. Hard to go past Big Lebowski as it's one of the funniest movies of all time - we studied the Fargo script in film school, a film for filmmakers. Blood Simple has some amazing scenes though.
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JCEverett
Jun 27, 2011 @ 4:14 pm | delete
- It's always good to read about the men behind the scenes. Thanks for the lens.
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bikerchickie
Jun 23, 2011 @ 1:46 pm | delete
- I've been a fan of the Coen brothers ever since I watched Raising Arizona as a child. I've seen most of their movies (I think No Country for Old Men is the only one I haven't seen... yet) and could watch them over and over again. It's hard to name a favorite, but I think I'll go with Oh Brother just because George Clooney is so freakin' perfect in it.
Great lens!
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sushilkin Apr 25, 2011 @ 8:30 am | delete
- Thanks for sharing your knowledge here. Contribute your like - PRAY FOR JAPAN
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sharpturn
Apr 24, 2011 @ 3:11 pm | delete
- I am also a fan of the Coen movies. Fargo is my fav.
This lens has been Blessed!
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DogToys
Feb 11, 2011 @ 2:47 pm | delete
- Will check some of these out.
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BunnyFabulous
Feb 10, 2011 @ 8:27 pm | delete
- You wrote quite a bit about my favorite Coen brothers films, and have intrigued me with snippets of the others that I now am really motivated to watch. Great lens!
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blueangel85
Feb 1, 2011 @ 1:23 pm | delete
- Nice lens !
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News, Rumors, and other Discussion
- Stark Sands Joins Coen Bros' Inside Llewyn Davis
- The Coen Brothers have crafted such a diverse and distinguished filmography that every new movie of theirs is inevitably one worth anticipating. As such, we've been following casting news on their next effort, Inside Llewyn Davis, very closely.
- Braodway star Stark Sands joins Coen Brothers' “Inside Llewyn Davis”
- More musically inclined actors are lining up for the Joel and Etahn Coen's next project, 1960s set folk music drama ?Inside Llewyn Davis.? Deadline reports Broadway and screen actor Stark Sands has joined the cast that already includes Justin ...
- 'The Dude' to abide at local 'Lebowski' screening
- Fans of the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski will have the chance the meet the real-life "Dude" at a special screening of the 1998 cult comedy at the Manship Theatre, to benefit the Louisiana International Film Festival. In the film, Jeff Bridges plays ...
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Monteath
Hello all. Starting a new job that I love in Texas after spending the last four years in Alaska. I get to write for a living beyond freela... more »
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