Special Movie Debate: Coen brothers

[Reed Rothchild | 9,911]

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,116]

I've only seen The Big Lebowski, which I assume is one more movie than @Gloves has seen from that list.

[Gloves | 12,237]

I've seen Buster Scruggs and No Country for Old Men, and No Country inches out ahead for me. Both are amazing in their own rights though.

[Deadeye | 1,601]

Haven't seen many of these.  Only have seen:
Blood Simple
Barton Fink
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
No County for Old Men

[Tabonga | 2,532]

I think only people  who grew up in the upper midwest and moved away really appreciate Fargo for the masterpiece it is.   The tv series that followed were awesome.  Blood Simple  was great too.

(The woodchipper scene in Fargo was loosely based on a real life (as it were) event.)

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Tabonga

[Reed Rothchild | 9,911]

I haven't seen Hudsucker or the newest three.

Top five:

1. Fargo
2. Big Lebowski
3. No Country
4. Raising Arizona
5. Miller's Crossing

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,116]

17 minutes ago, Gloves said:

I've seen Buster Scruggs and No Country for Old Men, and No Country inches out ahead for me. Both are amazing in their own rights though.

If you haven't seen The Big Lebowski, you should. 

[Gloves | 12,237]

1 minute ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

If you haven't seen The Big Lebowski, you should. 

So I've been told.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,116]

4 minutes ago, Gloves said:

So I've been told.

[Sumez | 3,139]

I'm from the central north, and I appreciate everything about Fargo, it's fantastic.

About the ones I've seen...

Fargo (1996) - Like I said, fantastic. Just a bunch of adorable characters doing their thing. Frances McDormand is a treasure, and I really need to rewatch this!
The Big Lebowski (1998) - Expecting this to run off with the prize, but it's far from my favourite. It's a fun movie, but feels to me more like a series of memorable quotes than a well structured narrative. But that's not a bad thing, like I already mentioned in the Tarantino thread - memorable scenes that stand on their own outside of the context of the movie is a solid hallmark of a great one.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - Thought this was hilarious the first time I watched it, but it lost a bit on a rewatch. Feels like a solid standard benchmark for the Coens.
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) - Loved it first time I watched it, but the second time I wasn't so sure what I enjoyed about it.
Intolerable Cruelty (2003) - I completely forgot that I saw this one, and didn't check it in the poll! I remember thinking it's hilarious and unique, but to be honest I don't remember any of it.
The Ladykillers (2004) - Don't think I finished this one. Felt like the tone of a Coen Brothers movie, but with none of the stuff that makes you enjoy it. Probably the only one that I actually disliked.
No Country For Old Men (2007) - Carried 100% completely by Javier Bardem, and I'm sure few people would disagree. Anton Chigurh is one of the most haunting movie villains ever conceived, and that's saying something. The only reason this one doesn't take the cake for me, is that it has little going for it outside of that character. Despite that, he still makes it nearly all the way to the top, probably my second or third favourite?
Burn After Reading (2008) - This felt almost like a parody of a Coen Brothers movie. Like a lesser Big Lebowski, including a lot of the exact same story beats. I didn't dislike it, but it seems pointless to watch it when you could watch Lebowski instead.
True Grit (2010) - This one blew me away. Probably one of the least comedic of their movies, but it just captivates you with its suspense and fantastic characters. It might be one of the least "typical" Coen Brothers movies, but it's elevated by all of their hallmark strengths regardless. I picked this as my favourite, because there was nothing about it I didn't love.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) - Being an anthology film produced for Netflix, I think this probably flew under a lot of people's radar, hell I didn't even realise it was a Coen Brothers film before I started watching it. But I loved it, every individual story is weird, funny and intriguing. I think the Tom Waits bit was probably the only part that was a little boring, but it was Tom Waits, so you had to love it regardless.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,116]

2 minutes ago, Sumez said:

The Big Lebowski (1998) - Expecting this to run off with the prize, but it's far from my favourite. It's a fun movie, but feels to me more like a series of memorable quotes than a well structured narrative. But that's not a bad thing, like I already mentioned in the Tarantino thread - memorable scenes that stand on their own outside of the context of the movie is a solid hallmark of a great one.

[Sumez | 3,139]

Just now, Bearcat-Doug said:

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,116]

2 minutes ago, Sumez said:

The funny thing is I know the meme despite having never seen the movie.

[Sumez | 3,139]

Yeah, it's funny how popular that meme is considering I've met very few people who's watched it.

Super recommended though, I think it's probably one of their best, which I realise is a very high standard

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,116]

10 minutes ago, Sumez said:

Yeah, it's funny how popular that meme is considering I've met very few people who's watched it.

Super recommended though, I think it's probably one of their best, which I realise is a very high standard

I basically know the meme from Twitter everytime the bitcoin price would tank out of nowhere.

[nrslam | 485]

Seen about half of these, so that means I've got several to look forward to. Fargo is brilliant so gets the nod. If I were stoned at the moment, it would be Lebowski.

[Link | 2,878]

Big Lebowski is way overplayed. Including by me in the past. The internet's obsession with it exceeds its greatness. It is great, no doubt whatsoever. But the watch parties, pop-up bars, themed nights and food and drinks, still 25 years later is all a bit much. I've also watched Fargo too many times. 

Does this mean I rate these movies higher or lower? For me the watch count is simply a function of, I rented and copied those tapes back in the day, and they are great, so I watched them and showed them to other people a lot, but by now I'm tired of them. 

I'd like to catch up on the ones I missed (7/18). Off the cuff I'm voting Raising Arizona. 

[a3quit4s | 4,315]

55 minutes ago, Link said:

Big Lebowski is way overplayed. Including by me in the past. The internet's obsession with it exceeds its greatness. It is great, no doubt whatsoever. But the watch parties, pop-up bars, themed nights and food and drinks, still 25 years later is all a bit much. I've also watched Fargo too many times. 

That’s just like your opinion man

Big Lebowski for me but I was really switching back and forth between O brother and Lebowski

[Sumez | 3,139]

Only two of us on team True Grit? 

You guys need to give this movie a chance. It's on Netflix if that helps. 

[doner24 | 1,223]

As a Minnesotan, I’ve seen all of their movies except for the last 2 and have an unspoken fellowship with them. I really like most of their stuff, although A Serious Man was a dud. Miller’s Crossing is their best movie, it’s perfect. Fun story, fun acting with a little panache. Really love Fargo, Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, No Country, True Grit and Blood Simple as well. 

[Sumez | 3,139]

Curious what's next for these special movie debates.

We gonna get a Wes Anderson, Denis Villeneuve, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch,Stanley Kubrick, or Terry Gilliam thread?

Maybe all six.

Edited September 5, 2023 by Sumez

[TDIRunner | 2,871]

Never seen a Coen brothers movie that I didn't enjoy, although I've probably only seen about half of them.  Picking a favorite was extremely difficult.  For me it was between Fargo and No Country.  I went with Fargo, but on a different day with a different mood, I might pick No Country.  I went with Fargo just because a have a little more history with it and it was one of my first favorite movies as an adult.  It also started a TV series that I absolutely love.  No Country for Old Men is also a master piece.  

The Hudsocker Proxy and The Ladykillers are also great movies and both are extremely under rated in my opinion.  

Edited September 5, 2023 by TDIRunner

[The Count | 594]

These guys make such great movies. I voted for Fargo, but No Country is just as incredible. The Coens represent MN, specifically St. Louis Park very well.

[mbd39 | 2,090]

Oh man I love the Coens. I've seen most of them. Voted for Fargo as my favorite, but The Big Lebowski is also up there.

 

[mbd39 | 2,090]

1 hour ago, The Count said:

These guys make such great movies. I voted for Fargo, but No Country is just as incredible. The Coens represent MN, specifically St. Louis Park very well.

NCFOM has my single favorite scene from a Coen bros movie. The tenseness here is off the charts.