list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Fargo on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Fargo/93104/default.aspx Title: Fargo
Year: 1996
Director: Joel Coen
Plot: Filmmaking siblings Joel Coen and Ethan Coen both embraced and poked satirical fun at their rural Minnesota roots with this comedy-drama-thriller that earned seven Oscar nominations, winning for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. Frances McDormand stars as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant police chief whose affable, folksy demeanor masks a whip-smart mind. When a pair of motorists are found slain not far from the corpse of a state trooper, Marge begins piecing together a case involving a pair of dopey would-be kidnappers, Carl (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear (Bergman stock player Peter Stormare). They've been hired by Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), a car salesman under the thumb of his wealthy, overbearing boss and father-in-law, Wade (Harve Presnell). Jerry's raised some money illegally through a petty scam he's run on General Motors and he's about to get caught. When Wade sours a business deal that could save his son-in-law's hide, the desperate Jerry hires Carl and Gaear to kidnap his wife and hold her for ransom. Things go predictably wrong and a series of murders occur, with Marge, waddling along behind her enormous belly and ever-hungering for an all-you-can-eat buffet, hot on the trail of the killers. Although the credits for Fargo state that the film is loosely based on real events, the story is entirely fictional, the claim being just an ironic jibe on the part of the Coens. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 107
Number of Lists: 138
Number of blog posts: 15
Number of discussion threads: 26
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:55:48 GMTFargo1996Joel CoenFilmmaking siblings <a href="/players/P____85375/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Joel Coen</a> and <a href="/players/P____85372/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ethan Coen</a> both embraced and poked satirical fun at their rural Minnesota roots with this comedy-drama-thriller that earned seven Oscar nominations, winning for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. <a href="/players/P____47305/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Frances McDormand</a> stars as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant police chief whose affable, folksy demeanor masks a whip-smart mind. When a pair of motorists are found slain not far from the corpse of a state trooper, Marge begins piecing together a case involving a pair of dopey would-be kidnappers, Carl (<a href="/players/P_____9838/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Steve Buscemi</a>) and Gaear (Bergman stock player <a href="/players/P____68555/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Peter Stormare</a>). They've been hired by Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), a car salesman under the thumb of his wealthy, overbearing boss and father-in-law, Wade (<a href="/players/P____57703/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Harve Presnell</a>). Jerry's raised some money illegally through a petty scam he's run on General Motors and he's about to get caught. When Wade sours a business deal that could save his son-in-law's hide, the desperate Jerry hires Carl and Gaear to kidnap his wife and hold her for ransom. Things go predictably wrong and a series of murders occur, with Marge, waddling along behind her enormous belly and ever-hungering for an all-you-can-eat buffet, hot on the trail of the killers. Although the credits for Fargo state that the film is loosely based on real events, the story is entirely fictional, the claim being just an ironic jibe on the part of the Coens. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide107Tag Target (>10)13815264http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t32348u0hsm.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Fargo/93104/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_September_28_The_Infinite_Sad/625/44118/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 10/5/2009 1:35:33 PM
Body: [quote user="mercurial"] Sorry for the delay but I've been in a Six Feet Under k-hole for the past week and haven't been doing much of else. The final episode of the series had me crying like almost never before and it got me thinking about how much I enjoy a good cry. The raw emotion, the circling thoughts of this or that that keep the tears streaming down your face, the feeling of suffocating in your throat: not too much in this life compares to it. [/quote] A good cry is something that can be a cap on a really great movie for me as well. I find myself crying for lots of different reasons in films though. [quote user="mercurial"] And probably the best cry I've ever had in a movie is The Shawshank Redemption. Gets me crying like a baby every time I watch it. [/quote] Dude, there's something about it. I don't know what it is. But even if it's ALL I see, whenever the very last couple minutes of The Shawshank Redemption start playing, the tears just start welling up. Although the one film moment that might get the tears going even stronger and more reliably would be the final big breakdown from Lee J. Cobb's character. I get goosebumps and almost start crying just reading a transcript of it! I think it may be the most perfect moment in cinema for me. I've also had tears of happiness well up in my eyes for strange kind of happy moments too. When the new Star Wars movies came out, I would almost start crying just as the opening theme started playing and the familiar logo and text scroll started running. Sometimes it's a perfect blend of what just seems like overpowering truth. Humor, sadness, reality, absurdity, all perfectly portrayed. The end of Dr. Strangelove for instance. Tears come to my eyes here too. Most of the film of The Seventh Seal hits me too because of the truth of every character's struggle. Oh and I just remembered, what might be the best rival for that monologue in 12 Angry Men would be the monologue in Fargo by Margie in the cop car hauling away Gaear Grimsrud. So that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money. There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well. I just don't understand it. Ah! That sums it up so perfectly! You just have to shed a tear for everything it says. Then of course there are times when I really HATE a movie for making me cry. Because it's total manipulation. In other words, it throws up certain images and sounds and music that we already have some emotional attachment to outside of the film and edits them together in a way that makes you cry. But if the actual story of the film is total bullshit, then that's manipulation. The cry doesn't flow freely from the complete work of the film. It's just a psychological trick. One of the biggest examples here would be I Am Sam. People naturally have an immediate strong reaction to cute, innocent and defenseless people being taken advantage of. Who is more stereotypically innocent and defenseless than mentally retarded people and children? And when you throw in a vague oppresive authority system and one dementional villains, the only final blow you really need is Beatles music, the most loved pop music in the world. The tears flow, but not because of any context of the film, because of outside contexts. Paul Haggis pulls this same kind of crap with Million Dollar Baby and Crash.
]]>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:35:33 GMTRisseladaWeekly Theme10/5/2009 1:35:33 PM[quote user="mercurial"] Sorry for the delay but I've been in a Six Feet Under k-hole for the past week and haven't been doing much of else. The final episode of the series had me crying like almost never before and it got me thinking about how much I enjoy a good cry. The raw emotion, the circling thoughts of this or that that keep the tears streaming down your face, the feeling of suffocating in your throat: not too much in this life compares to it. [/quote] A good cry is something that can be a cap on a really great movie for me as well. I find myself crying for lots of different reasons in films though. [quote user="mercurial"] And probably the best cry I've ever had in a movie is The Shawshank Redemption. Gets me crying like a baby every time I watch it. [/quote] Dude, there's something about it. I don't know what it is. But even if it's ALL I see, whenever the very last couple minutes of The Shawshank Redemption start playing, the tears just start welling up. Although the one film moment that might get the tears going even stronger and more reliably would be the final big breakdown from Lee J. Cobb's character. I get goosebumps and almost start crying just reading a transcript of it! I think it may be the most perfect moment in cinema for me. I've also had tears of happiness well up in my eyes for strange kind of happy moments too. When the new Star Wars movies came out, I would almost start crying just as the opening theme started playing and the familiar logo and text scroll started running. Sometimes it's a perfect blend of what just seems like overpowering truth. Humor, sadness, reality, absurdity, all perfectly portrayed. The end of Dr. Strangelove for instance. Tears come to my eyes here too. Most of the film of The Seventh Seal hits me too because of the truth of every character's struggle. Oh and I just remembered, what might be the best rival for that monologue in 12 Angry Men would be the monologue in Fargo by Margie in the cop car hauling away Gaear Grimsrud. So that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money. There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well. I just don't understand it. Ah! That sums it up so perfectly! You just have to shed a tear for everything it says. Then of course there are times when I really HATE a movie for making me cry. Because it's total manipulation. In other words, it throws up certain images and sounds and music that we already have some emotional attachment to outside of the film and edits them together in a way that makes you cry. But if the actual story of the film is total bullshit, then that's manipulation. The cry doesn't flow freely from the complete work of the film. It's just a psychological trick. One of the biggest examples here would be I Am Sam. People naturally have an immediate strong reaction to cute, innocent and defenseless people being taken advantage of. Who is more stereotypically innocent and defenseless than mentally retarded people and children? And when you throw in a vague oppresive authority system and one dementional villains, the only final blow you really need is Beatles music, the most loved pop music in the world. The tears flow, but not because of any context of the film, because of outside contexts. Paul Haggis pulls this same kind of crap with Million Dollar Baby and Crash. http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2009/9/24/44012.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Risselada Blog
Post Date: 9/24/2009 2:37:24 PM
Body: This is the first film I've seen by director Larisa Shepitko Voskhozhdeniye (The Ascent) Discovering films like this is one of the greatest joys in life. Films that are so transcendent that they are able to fully reflect the completeness of the human condition in whatever aspect of life they are depicting. I'm also a sucker for stark winter landscapes. There's something about the starkness, bleakness, and danger of it all that seems to open everything up, take it to the edge, and lay it bare. Like Fargo, or Winter Light, or the final installment of the Human Condition (good name) series. Just having that landscape is by no means a given for a great movie though (was just recently disappointed by Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors), if anything it gets me in a certain mood that now must be fulfilled. The main themes have to do with how important are certain causes. What causes are worth dying for. When is a cause more important than the self or other people. When is it the other way around. Emotional and sometimes impossible decisions to make. The emotions here are so powerful. The acting fantastic. The faces so real. What a disappointment to learn after watching this movie that the director was killed in a car crash just shortly before beginning her next work after this. Thank goodness she made a few others before this that I will surely be checking out. Rating: 10/10
]]>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:37:24 GMTRisseladaRisselada Blog9/24/2009 2:37:24 PMThis is the first film I've seen by director Larisa Shepitko Voskhozhdeniye (The Ascent) Discovering films like this is one of the greatest joys in life. Films that are so transcendent that they are able to fully reflect the completeness of the human condition in whatever aspect of life they are depicting. I'm also a sucker for stark winter landscapes. There's something about the starkness, bleakness, and danger of it all that seems to open everything up, take it to the edge, and lay it bare. Like Fargo, or Winter Light, or the final installment of the Human Condition (good name) series. Just having that landscape is by no means a given for a great movie though (was just recently disappointed by Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors), if anything it gets me in a certain mood that now must be fulfilled. The main themes have to do with how important are certain causes. What causes are worth dying for. When is a cause more important than the self or other people. When is it the other way around. Emotional and sometimes impossible decisions to make. The emotions here are so powerful. The acting fantastic. The faces so real. What a disappointment to learn after watching this movie that the director was killed in a car crash just shortly before beginning her next work after this. Thank goodness she made a few others before this that I will surely be checking out. Rating: 10/10 http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_April_20_Abducted/625/41807/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 4/27/2009 12:30:03 PM
Body: [quote user="leeroy711"] Well it seems lots of other people liked it but I thought Taken was really rather weak. But we can talk about it anyway because it fits the theme. On of the most drastic differences between the quality of an original film and it's remake has got to be Spoorles and The Vanishing. Unfortunately for me, I had the misfortune of seeing the remake first, which kinda ruined the original for me. So far my favorite Kurosawa film is still High and Low, which is a gripping story about a kidnapping and ransom of a young boy. Everyone should watch this film. It works on pretty much every level imaginable. The cinematography is absolutely brilliant. And y'all know by now that I can't talk about kidnapping (or any other theme) without bringing up the Brothers Coen. These guys have somewhat of a kidnapping trilogy of sorts with Raising Arizona, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. These films together raise the most important question: If you were kidnapped, who would you rather have looking for you. [/quote] You are right, the Coens are the kings of kidnapping movies. And more in general their films usually involve some kind of scheme for getting money, if not kidnapping, then some kind of ransom, blackmail, heist, scheme, robbery, etc... In fact, looking over their filmography, the only movie of the 13 they have directed that doesn't involve something like this that I can think of is Barton Fink. And even that I think has some element of businessmen trying to manipulate for more money. I would be surprised if their next film A Serious Man doesn't feature someone attempting to scheme for huge sums of money, even though the descriptions of it make no mention of anything like that. Spoorloos is a great mention in this category! I think I will avoid seeing the remake ever. Doesn't sound like there is any reason to. When mentioning that movie I always have to mention that the music at the end is probably the creepiest music I've ever heard. Also, the bad guy is so identifiable, to me at least. I am always wondering what would happen if I took that step from imagining these occasional strange compulsions in my head to actually doing them! Not that I think I ever will, but maybe that's why this movie is good to watch. Have you seen Buffalo '66? That is one of the stranger kidnappings in a film. You almost start to forget she was actually kidnapped after a while.
]]>Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:30:03 GMTRisseladaWeekly Theme4/27/2009 12:30:03 PM[quote user="leeroy711"] Well it seems lots of other people liked it but I thought Taken was really rather weak. But we can talk about it anyway because it fits the theme. On of the most drastic differences between the quality of an original film and it's remake has got to be Spoorles and The Vanishing. Unfortunately for me, I had the misfortune of seeing the remake first, which kinda ruined the original for me. So far my favorite Kurosawa film is still High and Low, which is a gripping story about a kidnapping and ransom of a young boy. Everyone should watch this film. It works on pretty much every level imaginable. The cinematography is absolutely brilliant. And y'all know by now that I can't talk about kidnapping (or any other theme) without bringing up the Brothers Coen. These guys have somewhat of a kidnapping trilogy of sorts with Raising Arizona, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. These films together raise the most important question: If you were kidnapped, who would you rather have looking for you. [/quote] You are right, the Coens are the kings of kidnapping movies. And more in general their films usually involve some kind of scheme for getting money, if not kidnapping, then some kind of ransom, blackmail, heist, scheme, robbery, etc... In fact, looking over their filmography, the only movie of the 13 they have directed that doesn't involve something like this that I can think of is Barton Fink. And even that I think has some element of businessmen trying to manipulate for more money. I would be surprised if their next film A Serious Man doesn't feature someone attempting to scheme for huge sums of money, even though the descriptions of it make no mention of anything like that. Spoorloos is a great mention in this category! I think I will avoid seeing the remake ever. Doesn't sound like there is any reason to. When mentioning that movie I always have to mention that the music at the end is probably the creepiest music I've ever heard. Also, the bad guy is so identifiable, to me at least. I am always wondering what would happen if I took that step from imagining these occasional strange compulsions in my head to actually doing them! Not that I think I ever will, but maybe that's why this movie is good to watch. Have you seen Buffalo '66? That is one of the stranger kidnappings in a film. You almost start to forget she was actually kidnapped after a while. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Weekly_Theme_for_April_20_Abducted/625/41680/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 4/21/2009 10:37:32 PM
Body: Well it seems lots of other people liked it but I thought Taken was really rather weak. But we can talk about it anyway because it fits the theme. On of the most drastic differences between the quality of an original film and it's remake has got to be Spoorles and The Vanishing. Unfortunately for me, I had the misfortune of seeing the remake first, which kinda ruined the original for me. So far my favorite Kurosawa film is still High and Low, which is a gripping story about a kidnapping and ransom of a young boy. Everyone should watch this film. It works on pretty much every level imaginable. The cinematography is absolutely brilliant. And y'all know by now that I can't talk about kidnapping (or any other theme) without bringing up the Brothers Coen. These guys have somewhat of a kidnapping trilogy of sorts with Raising Arizona, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. These films together raise the most important question: If you were kidnapped, who would you rather have looking for you. &lt;a href="http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1558712/" mce_href="http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1558712/"&gt;Which Coen Bros, character do you want looking for you when you get abducted&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:9px;" mce_style="font-size:9px;"&gt;(&lt;a href="http://www.polldaddy.com" mce_href="http://www.polldaddy.com"&gt;online surveys&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/span&gt;
]]>Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:37:32 GMTleeroy711Weekly Theme4/21/2009 10:37:32 PMWell it seems lots of other people liked it but I thought Taken was really rather weak. But we can talk about it anyway because it fits the theme. On of the most drastic differences between the quality of an original film and it's remake has got to be Spoorles and The Vanishing. Unfortunately for me, I had the misfortune of seeing the remake first, which kinda ruined the original for me. So far my favorite Kurosawa film is still High and Low, which is a gripping story about a kidnapping and ransom of a young boy. Everyone should watch this film. It works on pretty much every level imaginable. The cinematography is absolutely brilliant. And y'all know by now that I can't talk about kidnapping (or any other theme) without bringing up the Brothers Coen. These guys have somewhat of a kidnapping trilogy of sorts with Raising Arizona, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. These films together raise the most important question: If you were kidnapped, who would you rather have looking for you. &amp;lt;a href="http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1558712/" mce_href="http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1558712/"&amp;gt;Which Coen Bros, character do you want looking for you when you get abducted&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style="font-size:9px;" mce_style="font-size:9px;"&amp;gt;(&amp;lt;a href="http://www.polldaddy.com" mce_href="http://www.polldaddy.com"&amp;gt;online surveys&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;)&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt; http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2009/1/15/39560.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Risselada Blog
Post Date: 1/15/2009 1:19:22 PM
Body: Burn After Reading You must first know (if you don't know me well already) that I am a full out Coen brothers fanatic. I have always loved everything they have done to an extreme. I have rated every single movie they have directed a 10 out of 10 except for their first Blood Simple which just about made it there with a 9 out of 10. Yes even the often despised The Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty for me are amongst my top tier of most enjoyable cinema. Some may argue that their work was so formative in my love of film altogether and has grown to such hyperbolic proportions that I no longer have a real critical eye for any of their work and would be blind to any real sub-par work they may have or will ever release. Perhaps this is true in a ways, but as long as I truely am enjoying myself watching their movies I have no reason to feel bad. And I LOVE THEM ALL! So obviously I had been looking forward to Burn After Reading. Just to start with, the title is a wonderful thing. I was of course really looking forward to this one, like I always do. Here are some of the Coen staples this time around: -Someone seeking large sums of money (is there any of their movies that doesn't feature this?) -A very American culture or setting (fitness club chain). -A clashing of personalities -Inept people with their own agendas -Lots of swearing and sudden violence mixed with absurd humor -George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins After their much praised Oscar winner No Country For Men, seen as probably their darkest and humorless (although there still is a lot in there)yet, the Coens I think have followed up with a lot of the same themes but having oh so much more fun with it. *spoilers* They are able to take a genre and play with the conventions. They put in such original and distinct characters. And you know they had a lot of fun with top A-List celebrities, turning George Cloony into such a quirky pervert, and killing off Brad Pitt, who plays the most lovable character suddenly halfway through the movie. I think your reaction to that scene where Brad Pitt's character is shot is a kind of indicator of your attitudes towards Hollywood as a culture and certain conventions in Hollywood movies. For instance there was a guy in the movie theater who could not stop laughing very long and loud after he was shot, and his girlfriend kept hitting him and saying "Stop it! What's the matter with you? Why are you laughing?!" It made everyone else in the theatre laugh even more. I think the people who are laughing are the people who get that the Coens do not make much of the celebrity worship in this culture where A-List actors must always look good in their movies and be the center of attention until the end. They recognize that Brad Pitt has talent, let's make him act real goofy, people will be surprised they like it, but then we will kill him off halfway through the movie, because you'd never expect that to happen to Brad in a normal Hollywood movie where he is top billed like that. Maybe I'm off, but that's kind of how I sensed it. Thanks to my friend Noah for pointing this out. A lot of Coen brothers movies have some kind of retribution to characters for bad behaviors or attitudes. Some of them end with wonderful little phrases that try to give some kind of hope or victory for the good guy. The "There's more to life than a little money, you know" speech that Marge gives at the end of Fargo that for instance. That part really gets me emotional after all that happened, brings a tear to my eye. Whereas I pulled this excerpt from the very end of Burn After Reading from the Internet Movie Script Database. GARDNER CHUBB (CONT'D) ... What did we learn, Palmer. PALMER I don't know, sir. GARDNER CHUBB I don't fucking know either. I guess we learned not to do it again. PALMER Yes sir. GARDNER CHUBB Although I'm fucked if I know what we did. PALMER Yes sir. Hard to say.In this movie the madness and depravity really has no explanation. And you know, sometimes life is like that. There's a beautiful, happy and sad truth to the final summary in all of the Coen brothers films I'd say. I can't wait for their next one! Rating: 10/10
]]>Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:19:22 GMTRisseladaRisselada Blog1/15/2009 1:19:22 PMBurn After Reading You must first know (if you don't know me well already) that I am a full out Coen brothers fanatic. I have always loved everything they have done to an extreme. I have rated every single movie they have directed a 10 out of 10 except for their first Blood Simple which just about made it there with a 9 out of 10. Yes even the often despised The Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty for me are amongst my top tier of most enjoyable cinema. Some may argue that their work was so formative in my love of film altogether and has grown to such hyperbolic proportions that I no longer have a real critical eye for any of their work and would be blind to any real sub-par work they may have or will ever release. Perhaps this is true in a ways, but as long as I truely am enjoying myself watching their movies I have no reason to feel bad. And I LOVE THEM ALL! So obviously I had been looking forward to Burn After Reading. Just to start with, the title is a wonderful thing. I was of course really looking forward to this one, like I always do. Here are some of the Coen staples this time around: -Someone seeking large sums of money (is there any of their movies that doesn't feature this?) -A very American culture or setting (fitness club chain). -A clashing of personalities -Inept people with their own agendas -Lots of swearing and sudden violence mixed with absurd humor -George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins After their much praised Oscar winner No Country For Men, seen as probably their darkest and humorless (although there still is a lot in there)yet, the Coens I think have followed up with a lot of the same themes but having oh so much more fun with it. *spoilers* They are able to take a genre and play with the conventions. They put in such original and distinct characters. And you know they had a lot of fun with top A-List celebrities, turning George Cloony into such a quirky pervert, and killing off Brad Pitt, who plays the most lovable character suddenly halfway through the movie. I think your reaction to that scene where Brad Pitt's character is shot is a kind of indicator of your attitudes towards Hollywood as a culture and certain conventions in Hollywood movies. For instance there was a guy in the movie theater who could not stop laughing very long and loud after he was shot, and his girlfriend kept hitting him and saying "Stop it! What's the matter with you? Why are you laughing?!" It made everyone else in the theatre laugh even more. I think the people who are laughing are the people who get that the Coens do not make much of the celebrity worship in this culture where A-List actors must always look good in their movies and be the center of attention until the end. They recognize that Brad Pitt has talent, let's make him act real goofy, people will be surprised they like it, but then we will kill him off halfway through the movie, because you'd never expect that to happen to Brad in a normal Hollywood movie where he is top billed like that. Maybe I'm off, but that's kind of how I sensed it. Thanks to my friend Noah for pointing this out. A lot of Coen brothers movies have some kind of retribution to characters for bad behaviors or attitudes. Some of them end with wonderful little phrases that try to give some kind of hope or victory for the good guy. The "There's more to life than a little money, you know" speech that Marge gives at the end of Fargo that for instance. That part really gets me emotional after all that happened, brings a tear to my eye. Whereas I pulled this excerpt from the very end of Burn After Reading from the Internet Movie Script Database. GARDNER CHUBB (CONT'D) ... What did we learn, Palmer. PALMER I don't know, sir. GARDNER CHUBB I don't fucking know either. I guess we learned not to do it again. PALMER Yes sir. GARDNER CHUBB Although I'm fucked if I know what we did. PALMER Yes sir. Hard to say.In this movie the madness and depravity really has no explanation. And you know, sometimes life is like that. There's a beautiful, happy and sad truth to the final summary in all of the Coen brothers films I'd say. I can't wait for their next one! Rating: 10/10 http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_January_12_What_Went_Wrong/625/39485/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Smooth_J
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 1/13/2009 6:42:31 PM
Body: [quote user="leeroy711"] Sam Raimi used this in his very aptly titled A Simple Plan. And my favorite filmmakers, the Brothers Coen have used this beautifully in Blood Simple and Fargo. [/quote] I feel like most of the Coen's movies fit into this category...you got The Man Who Wasn't There, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, and even No Country for Old Men. Bottle Rocket is a pretty good heist-gone-wrong movie, and it's about as simplistic as movies can get. It's one of my personal favorites. Another one that may work is Dog Day Afternoon...a routine bank robbery turns into a televised sideshow starring a gay Al Pacino.
]]>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:42:31 GMTSmooth_JWeekly Theme1/13/2009 6:42:31 PM[quote user="leeroy711"] Sam Raimi used this in his very aptly titled A Simple Plan. And my favorite filmmakers, the Brothers Coen have used this beautifully in Blood Simple and Fargo. [/quote] I feel like most of the Coen's movies fit into this category...you got The Man Who Wasn't There, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, and even No Country for Old Men. Bottle Rocket is a pretty good heist-gone-wrong movie, and it's about as simplistic as movies can get. It's one of my personal favorites. Another one that may work is Dog Day Afternoon...a routine bank robbery turns into a televised sideshow starring a gay Al Pacino. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_January_12_What_Went_Wrong/625/39465/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 1/13/2009 2:12:16 PM
Body: [quote user="leeroy711"] I wasn't really sure what you call this theme. But basically, I'm talking about those great films that start out with a simple plan, that slowly and surely gets more and more screwed up as the story goes along. Many time (but not always) these are 'heist gone wrong' films, such as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. Or John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle Sam Raimi used this in his very aptly titled A Simple Plan. And my favorite filmmakers, the Brothers Coen have used this beautifully in Blood Simple and Fargo. Whatch'all think?? I love watching films like this. They are usually a bit more formulaic than what I typically like but there's just something about it that I really like. More importantly, do you have a name for it? [/quote] I'm not EXACTLY sure why, but Quentin Tarantino and P.T. Anderson come to mind here.
]]>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:12:16 GMTRisseladaWeekly Theme1/13/2009 2:12:16 PM[quote user="leeroy711"] I wasn't really sure what you call this theme. But basically, I'm talking about those great films that start out with a simple plan, that slowly and surely gets more and more screwed up as the story goes along. Many time (but not always) these are 'heist gone wrong' films, such as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. Or John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle Sam Raimi used this in his very aptly titled A Simple Plan. And my favorite filmmakers, the Brothers Coen have used this beautifully in Blood Simple and Fargo. Whatch'all think?? I love watching films like this. They are usually a bit more formulaic than what I typically like but there's just something about it that I really like. More importantly, do you have a name for it? [/quote] I'm not EXACTLY sure why, but Quentin Tarantino and P.T. Anderson come to mind here. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_January_12_What_Went_Wrong/625/39451/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: csprague
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 1/13/2009 10:49:12 AM
Body: [quote user="leeroy711"] I wasn't really sure what you call this theme. But basically, I'm talking about those great films that start out with a simple plan, that slowly and surely gets more and more screwed up as the story goes along. Many time (but not always) these are 'heist gone wrong' films, such as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. Or John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle Sam Raimi used this in his very aptly titled A Simple Plan. And my favorite filmmakers, the Brothers Coen have used this beautifully in Blood Simple and Fargo. Whatch'all think?? I love watching films like this. They are usually a bit more formulaic than what I typically like but there's just something about it that I really like. More importantly, do you have a name for it? [/quote] This one's completely different than the ones you listed, but Smiley Face was pretty crazy like that. All she had to do was pay a bill and it turned into a very long and twisted journey. Awesome:) Lesson Learned: Don't smoke pot and try to pay your bills.
]]>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:49:12 GMTcspragueWeekly Theme1/13/2009 10:49:12 AM[quote user="leeroy711"] I wasn't really sure what you call this theme. But basically, I'm talking about those great films that start out with a simple plan, that slowly and surely gets more and more screwed up as the story goes along. Many time (but not always) these are 'heist gone wrong' films, such as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. Or John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle Sam Raimi used this in his very aptly titled A Simple Plan. And my favorite filmmakers, the Brothers Coen have used this beautifully in Blood Simple and Fargo. Whatch'all think?? I love watching films like this. They are usually a bit more formulaic than what I typically like but there's just something about it that I really like. More importantly, do you have a name for it? [/quote] This one's completely different than the ones you listed, but Smiley Face was pretty crazy like that. All she had to do was pay a bill and it turned into a very long and twisted journey. Awesome:) Lesson Learned: Don't smoke pot and try to pay your bills. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Weekly_Theme_for_January_12_What_Went_Wrong/625/39433/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 1/12/2009 8:41:49 PM
Body: I wasn't really sure what you call this theme. But basically, I'm talking about those great films that start out with a simple plan, that slowly and surely gets more and more screwed up as the story goes along. Many time (but not always) these are 'heist gone wrong' films, such as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. Or John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle Sam Raimi used this in his very aptly titled A Simple Plan. And my favorite filmmakers, the Brothers Coen have used this beautifully in Blood Simple and Fargo. Whatch'all think?? I love watching films like this. They are usually a bit more formulaic than what I typically like but there's just something about it that I really like. More importantly, do you have a name for it?
]]>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:41:49 GMTleeroy711Weekly Theme1/12/2009 8:41:49 PMI wasn't really sure what you call this theme. But basically, I'm talking about those great films that start out with a simple plan, that slowly and surely gets more and more screwed up as the story goes along. Many time (but not always) these are 'heist gone wrong' films, such as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. Or John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle Sam Raimi used this in his very aptly titled A Simple Plan. And my favorite filmmakers, the Brothers Coen have used this beautifully in Blood Simple and Fargo. Whatch'all think?? I love watching films like this. They are usually a bit more formulaic than what I typically like but there's just something about it that I really like. More importantly, do you have a name for it? http://www.spout.com/blogs/captainryannn/archive/2008/12/4/37956.aspx Post By: CaptainRyannn
Post To: CaptainRyannn Blog
Post Date: 12/4/2008 4:41:49 PM
Body: Well, let me start off by saying that I originally saw this two weeks ago and loved it. So I decided to go back and see it again. The Coen Brothers seem to have formed a pattern that has worked for them over the years. After putting out a serious film, the switch gears to a comedy one. Blood Simple brought Raising Arizona. Miller’s Crossing brought The Hudsucker Proxy. Fargro brought The Big Lebowski. The Man Who Wasn’t There brought Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers (both of which kind of sucked.). Now, it is fitting that after their most acclaimed film, they up the ante for their newest comedy, Burn After Reading. With the zoom-in effect used to open the film, we are given the impression that something important is happening. Well, it is important in the sense that without it, we would not have a film. But it’s so trivial because of it’s cause. CIA agent Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) gets demoted for too much drinking. We immediately get a glimpse into his hilarious character that is somewhat of an elitist. He gets to come home to his bitch-of-a-wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton) and decides to write some memoirs, or as Osbourne likes to call them, “mem-wah’s”. Well his darling Katie happens to be cheating on him with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) who is not only cheating on his wife (Patricia Clarkson) with Katie, but also the kind-hearted Linda Litzke (Frances McDomand). Confusing, I know. Well, in an attempt to ‘prepare’ for the divorce, Katie copies Cox’s financial as well as his memoirs. Through a couple of plain-forgetful actions, the disc containing these items is found on the floor of Hard Bodies, a gym that is run by Linda, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), and the well-mannered sensitive man, Ted (Richard Jenkins). Chad and Linda end up thinking that they really have something important and demand a ransom from Cox. Chaos and hilarity ensues as the term ‘making a mountain out of an anthill’ comes to life. But in this case, the anthill has actually become a mountain forged out of stupidity, infidelity, and murder.
]]>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:41:49 GMTCaptainRyannnCaptainRyannn Blog12/4/2008 4:41:49 PMWell, let me start off by saying that I originally saw this two weeks ago and loved it. So I decided to go back and see it again. The Coen Brothers seem to have formed a pattern that has worked for them over the years. After putting out a serious film, the switch gears to a comedy one. Blood Simple brought Raising Arizona. Miller&rsquo;s Crossing brought The Hudsucker Proxy. Fargro brought The Big Lebowski. The Man Who Wasn&rsquo;t There brought Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers (both of which kind of sucked.). Now, it is fitting that after their most acclaimed film, they up the ante for their newest comedy, Burn After Reading. With the zoom-in effect used to open the film, we are given the impression that something important is happening. Well, it is important in the sense that without it, we would not have a film. But it&rsquo;s so trivial because of it&rsquo;s cause. CIA agent Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) gets demoted for too much drinking. We immediately get a glimpse into his hilarious character that is somewhat of an elitist. He gets to come home to his bitch-of-a-wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton) and decides to write some memoirs, or as Osbourne likes to call them, &ldquo;mem-wah&rsquo;s&rdquo;. Well his darling Katie happens to be cheating on him with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) who is not only cheating on his wife (Patricia Clarkson) with Katie, but also the kind-hearted Linda Litzke (Frances McDomand). Confusing, I know. Well, in an attempt to &lsquo;prepare&rsquo; for the divorce, Katie copies Cox&rsquo;s financial as well as his memoirs. Through a couple of plain-forgetful actions, the disc containing these items is found on the floor of Hard Bodies, a gym that is run by Linda, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), and the well-mannered sensitive man, Ted (Richard Jenkins). Chad and Linda end up thinking that they really have something important and demand a ransom from Cox. Chaos and hilarity ensues as the term &lsquo;making a mountain out of an anthill&rsquo; comes to life. But in this case, the anthill has actually become a mountain forged out of stupidity, infidelity, and murder. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/murder/MemberTagFilms.aspxmurder
Number of films tagged: 8748

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