These guys are magic. Ethan and Joel Coen have made some of my favorite movies of all time.
I first fell in love with the boys' over-the-top movie-making style when a friend told me about "Raising Arizona" -- a film I've seen now approximately twenty-five times. The dialogue and the voice-over narration are so witty, so articulate that I'd be happy just to listen to this flick -- but then I'd miss Nicholas's Cage's loose-limbed physical humor or the innumerable 'bits' that make me grin just thinking about them.
"Fargo," "Burn After Reading," "O Brother, Where Art Thou, "The Big Lebowski" -- these, too, are all part of my short list of films to rewatch yearly. Or more. Sometimes I just need to see the Jesus section of "The Big Lebowski" one more time. John Tuturro and his purple jumpsuit -- words fail me.
When the Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" came out, the reviews I read were lack lustre and the entire premise just didn't entice me. A Jewish college teacher has a lot of bad things happen to him and he tries to make sense of his trials.
Meh. Didn't grab me.
Then I heard an interview with the Coens and they talked about "A Serious Man" and I realized I'd made a serious mistake.
We watched the movie and I adored it. And for those critics who didn't like the ending -- they should consider the Book of Job.
It really ties the whole thing together.
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