Film Friday: The Coen Brothers!

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Today marks another milestone, it's my first ever FILM FRIDAY! (cue applause). This day is dedicated to the film world (specifically my favorite parts of it) and how they've shaped me into the avid film lover/film maker that I am today.

I could go with my atypical favorites (Tarantino, Smith, Anderson, Scorsese and Nolan) but I figure I'd point out someone a little more obscure. In case you haven't seen films like No Country for Old Men, Fargo, or The Big Lebowski, than I must say you've been missing out on the greatest directing duo to exist. The Coen Brothers.

The Coen Brothers and their awards.
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Now I'll admit, it isn't strange to be a fan of their films (in fact most people would say they were fans just because of Lebowski) but the way they create such interesting humor in some of the darkest situations is why I truly love their work as much as I do.

Fargo Poster
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I won't go on talking about The Big Lebowski, because I sincerely hope you've seen it. If you haven't, please stop reading this blog and watch it. You will not be disappointed. However, in lieu of that I'll be talking about Fargo, a hilarious tale of murder and deception in the middle of nowhere town of Fargo.

While the humor doesn't come from fart jokes or a tiger in your bedroom after waking up from a killer hangover, it derives from the characters and their interactions as well as their reactions to the brutal murders that are taking place in their fair city. This creates an entirely new cinematic experience with a different type of comedy (my personal favorite dark comedy (not to be mistaken with Black Comedy that's Chris Rock)).

However that is not my favorite of their work; instead I the artist (pronounce as are-teast to sound extra snobby) has fallen deeply in love with what I consider their masterpiece, Barton Fink. It has a simple enough story, a playwright from New York gets a job writing films in Hollywood after the success of his play (FANCY THAT, I like a film about movies and more importantly about writing, that's just so unlike me (sarcasm)). However, it's a character study about the human brain and its creative process. Barton has some trouble writing and searches out inspiration from the people around him, except he has trouble with finding like minded individuals in Hollywood.

"John...YOU HAVE TO WATCH BARTON FINK!"
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Not only do the characters really help bring the story to life but also the tone of the film. The mood, setting, costumes, music, all that really help bring the film to another level. Much like other films, it takes place in old Hollywood, roughly about the time "talkies" were coming out and being widely accepted. It just works, simple as that.

If you're a fan of film or Hollywood in general, watch Barton Fink, it just flows wonderfully.

Another great thing about the Coen Brothers is the fact that they have a set of stock actors (stock actors are actors that the director or directors enjoy so much that they show up frequently to play other roles in their films, now you know, and knowing is half the battle!). John Goodman, John Turturro, Jeff Bridges, and many others are consistently showcased in the Coen's films. Each time they manage to one up the characters that they played previously.

Click and zoom in on this bad boy to see how far their stock actors really flow.
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If you want to judge on merit alone they have had 13 Oscar nominations and won four. That is an impressive number considering Scorsese (one of the most recognized men in Hollywood, just received his first a few years back). But it's no wonder that they have so many notches in their belt. Instead of just treating movies as mindless entertainment, they bring out an almost novel like story telling that really pulls you in and takes you for a wild ride. With metaphors abound, it's no wonder that the Coen's are some of my favorite faces in Hollywood right now.

That does it for this week; tune in next time where I will explore more deeply into one of my top five favorite creators in Hollywood.

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