Ethan Coen

Damn was this book a lot better when I figured out that it wasn't a novel! That's what I get for not paying close enough attention, although it was an interesting trick to play on my brain. Ethan Coen has that remarkable ability to write in other people's voices in a place and time so specific to them, combining historocity and dramatic character interplay that is so Coen. Some of the stories are semi-autobiographical while others are pure fantasy, but the characters he creates have a show more tendency toward interesting and ironic. The highlight was a detective story written like an old-time radio drama script, feeling like 1940s New York (door creaks, foot steps). I read some of it alound just for fun, and the script was so genuine that it was easy to find those old movie voices coming through. Extremely enjoyable. show less

The combination of ridiculously sappy romance and equally ridiculously chilled cynicism that this movie somehow pulls off with great hilarity is right up my alley. To boot, it somehow combines incredibly level-headed Machiavellian planning and bumbling seat-of-their-pants incompetence with great aplomb. And as it turns out, at least to me, these contrasts always seem delightful, never jarring. I mean, I can't help but love something that has lines like "Why kill the only woman you've ever show more loved when she's the richer party!" and "A burglar broke in, intending to loot the place, repented, became despondent over his lifestyle, and shot himself." show less

Such a great movie. Everything is so textured, full of odd little details like seeping wallpaper, a studio assistant who used to be a shareholder, and a long row of shoes left out for shining in a hotel hallway that otherwise shows no sign of human life. The Coen brothers get criticized sometimes for looking down on their protagonists, but Barton Fink somehow comes off as sympathetic despite being condescending and pretentious.

A husband gets murdery when his wife leaves him.

I was skeptical for the first half of the movie. It's slow to get going, and looks and feels very low budget. But once the suspense really starts to kick in, it's crazy great. The Coens hadn't got their voice yet (it feels more like a Hitchcock film than a Coen Brothers film, if Hitchcock had been an American in the 1980s), but none-the-less they sure knew what they were doing.

Concept: B
Story: A
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: show more B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 3.2/4 show less