Movie/TV recommendations

[Patrick R]

I've reviewed every movie I've seen on Letterboxd since the start of 2014. 831 films in total! And made a whole bunch of lists.

 

Check me out on Letterboxd. Apologies in advances for almost certainly not liking Mad Max: Fury Road as much as you.

[TheLastBaron]

So I saw Room, which I thought was good, but man the music was so bad. It was a lot of Thomas Newman style piano music basically just copying American Beauty and then randomly a song by This Will Destroy You that on top of not fitting was very heavily used in Moneyball already. It was also just so in cohesive and it felt like they never replaced their temp music.

[namman siggins]

Son of Saul has a new trailer out

 

[Mawd]

I rather enjoyed The Hateful Eight. Contrary to some I feel like the film did well with it's second half. Although if it was going to be a slow character driven burner the whole time I wouldn't have objected. But then it would have been full Reservoir Dogs wouldn't it?

I did feel pretty uncomfortable during certain parts of the film. Part of one section was because I was watching this in a room full of strangers as much as the other reasons.

It was fun seeing a Kiwi actress in a Hollywood movie have an accent that was Full Kiwi for a change. There's only so many times you can bear Cliff Curtis, Lucy Lawless, or Karl Urban talking in American.

 

In fact that's one thing I really liked about the Star Wars Prequels. The idea that the head of Naboo's security, Jango & Boba Fett the Mandalorians, and all of (at least the first) Clone Troopers were Maori with KIWI AS accents was really fun.

[twmac]

That actress is a talented stunt woman, as far as I know. She was also in Death Proof and hung off the front of a car for most of her scenes (and has my favourite moment in the film)

[Mawd]

That actress is a talented stunt woman, as far as I know. She was also in Death Proof and hung off the front of a car for most of her scenes (and has my favourite moment in the film)

 

Yeah she's also the reason he's in Auckland, NZ for the premier of The Hateful Eight. I'm pretty sure he wrote Death Proof and her role in it in part because he enjoyed working with her so much as The Bride's stunt double in Kill Bill.

[Woodfella]

Been watching a lot of the Coen brothers films lately.

What's your favourite Coen film?

Is Hail, Caesar out in the US? I'm quite looking forward to it being released here in a few weeks.

[Moosferatu]

Not out in the US till the 4th.  I want it to good, but I have low expectations.  This is the time of the year in which studios release their dregs.  They didn't even try to go for any awards with this one.

 

Miller's Crossing and The Big Lebowski, unquestionably.

[Gormongous]

Been watching a lot of the Coen brothers films lately.

What's your favourite Coen film?

 

It's so hard, because it changes, but I enjoy the thematic complexity of Inside Llewyn Davis and A Serious Man so much lately. I think The Big Lebowski is a classic and Fargo is good but probably overrated. I probably need to see Barton Fink and O Brother Where Art Thou? again, because I think they're both overlooked, albeit for different reasons.

[twmac]

Not out in the US till the 4th.  I want it to good, but I have low expectations.  This is the time of the year in which studios release their dregs.  They didn't even try to go for any awards with this one.

 

Miller's Crossing and The Big Lebowski, unquestionably.

 

That was what I was going to say. I would add that I also love Raising Arizona.

 

I think just as interesting question is - what is your least favourite Coen Brothers film. Mine might be The Hudsucker Proxy.

[Patrick R]

COEN BROTHERS OFFICIAL POWER RANKING
1. Barton Fink

2. Burn After Reading

3. Blood Simple

4. No Country For Old Men

5. The Big Lebowski

6. Miller's Crossing

7. Fargo

8. The Man Who Wasn't There

9. O Brother Where Art Thou

10. A Serious Man

11. The Hudsucker Proxy

12. True Grit

13. Inside Llewyn Davis

14. Raising Arizona

15. Intolerable Cruelty

20. The Ladykillers

 

Because there's no way any of their next four movies will be as bad as The Ladykillers.

[Trip Hazard]

I think maybe O Brother is my favourite, closely followed by The Big Lebowski

[Woodfella]

I think just as interesting question is - what is your least favourite Coen Brothers film.

The Ladykillers, surely

[twmac]

The Ladykillers, surely

 

See, I have never seen it, I heard it was bad so stayed away. Could turn out that I really like as I avoided True Grit for ages and that turned out to be great. Also, everyone said that Intolerable Cruelty was awful but I found it to be fun as hell and a really nice throwback to screwball comedies. It is one of the few times that I have found Zeta Jones charming. Hmmm, maybe I need to watch The Ladykillers.

 

So, yeah, Hudsucker is at the bottom of the list for me.

 

I agree with Patrick on quite a few things but Burn after Reading is waaay too high on that list.

 

COEN BROTHERS OFFICIAL POWER RANKING

1. Miller's Crossing

2. The Big Lebowski

3. Raising Arizona

4. No Country For Old Men

5. O Brother Where Art Thou

6. Inside Llewyn Davis

7. Fargo

8. True Grit

9. Barton Fink

10. Burn After Reading

11. The Man Who Wasn't There

12. A Serious Man

13. Intolerable Cruelty

14. Blood Simple

15. The Hudsucker Proxy

??. The Ladykillers

 

EDIT: Too fun not to mess around with

[SecretAsianMan]

What exactly is so bad about The Ladykillers?  I'm not a film person so I haven't seen the majority of the Coen Brothers films but I saw The Ladykillers once or twice and I don't remember finding it that terrible.  Maybe I just have little to compare it to.

[TheLastBaron]

I tried watching Ladykillers last week and had to stop before getting even a half hour in because I hated it so much. And for reference I love pretty much every Coen Brothers movie, except I'm in the small minority of people who don't care for the Big Lebowski.

My favorite is O, Brother, but I wouldn't argue that it's their best.

[Patrick R]

See, I have never seen it, I heard it was bad so stayed away. Could turn out that I really like as I avoided True Grit for ages and that turned out to be great. Also, everyone said that Intolerable Cruelty was awful but I found it to be fun as hell and a really nice throwback to screwball comedies. It is one of the few times that I have found Zeta Jones charming. Hmmm, maybe I need to watch The Ladykillers.

 

So, yeah, Hudsucker is at the bottom of the list for me.

 

I agree with Patrick on quite a few things but Burn after Reading is waaay too high on that list.

 

COEN BROTHERS OFFICIAL POWER RANKING

1. Miller's Crossing

2. The Big Lebowski

3. Raising Arizona

4. No Country For Old Men

5. O Brother Where Art Thou

6. Inside Llewyn Davis

7. Fargo

8. True Grit

9. Barton Fink

10. Burn After Reading

11. The Man Who Wasn't There

12. A Serious Man

13. Intolerable Cruelty

14. Blood Simple

15. The Hudsucker Proxy

??. The Ladykillers

 

EDIT: Too fun not to mess around with

I believe Burn After Reading to be the single greatest satire of the 21st century. So far.

 

And I think you've put Inside Llewyn Davis far too high for what is essentially a meaningless story in a wonderful milieu (honestly not that different than O Brother, just far less entertaining), and Blood Simple far too low for the second best neo-noir film ever. The rest I won't quibble with, as I know Raising Arizona is beloved but I just happen to find it almost entirely unfunny.

[namman siggins]

Haven't seen all the Coen brothers films, but my top fav:

Barton Fink (the best Coen Brothers film)

Blood Simple

Inside Llewyn Davis (great insight into depression and love its contempt for folk music)

No Country For Old Men

I need to re-watch Miller's Crossing 

[Patrick R]

What exactly is so bad about The Ladykillers?  I'm not a film person so I haven't seen the majority of the Coen Brothers films but I saw The Ladykillers once or twice and I don't remember finding it that terrible.  Maybe I just have little to compare it to.

 

It just doesn't work. I don't know exactly what happened, but it feels exactly like a knock-off Coen Brothers movie that'd play at Sundance and go directly to video, except Tom Hanks is in it. It's not a horrible movie, but the Coens don't have any horrible movies. It's just totally mediocre, which they usually aren't capable of.

[Twig]

I've seen:

 

O Brother Where Art Thou

The Big Lebowski

 

I do not care for The Big Lebowski. I quite like O Brother Where Art Thou.

 

My opinion is my opinion.

[Gormongous]

And I think you've put Inside Llewyn Davis far too high for what is essentially a meaningless story in a wonderful milieu...

 

I think that you're underselling Inside Llewyn Davis badly. It has a marvelous amount of things to say, in a beautiful and understated way, about how happenstance becomes history and what happens to the people who are left behind by it. Sure, the seemingly cyclical nature of the narrative that occasioned so much comment in the first few weeks after release is entirely aesthetic, but I think it's a reasonably deep and incredibly lovely study of what happens when you're not Bob Dylan, partially through impersonal accident and partially through your own stupid actions.

 

Also, I'm shocked how far down on everyone's list A Serious Man is. It has so much to say about the experience of divine compassion versus human compassion, and the limits of both? Maybe you have to be Jewish? I'm not Jewish but I think that I get at least some of it. Give it a decade, maybe, and people will come around.

[Roderick]

Well then allow me to give it some well-earned ranking power. Here's what I'd say, and allow me to only do a top 3.

 

1. A Serious Man

2. Burn After Reading

3. True Grit

 

A Serious Man: When the truth is found... to be... lies. And all the hope... within you... dies.

 

And I agree about Burn After Reading. Such a wickedly hilarious movie, from John Malkovich' slow descent into slobness and uncontrolled rage to the reveal of George Clooney's masterful contraption. And it has the perfect ending scene.

[namman siggins]

Next to Miller, I need to also re-watch Burn. 

When i first saw it, I wasn't that impressed by it. Hell, it was a forgettable experience.

[Patrick R]

A Serious Man is a really cool movie that over-reaches, particularly in it's third act. I totally understand people loving it to death (in fact, I assumed it was among most people's favorites) but I don't think the Coens thrive in naturalistic contexts, and without genre pastiche to build on their work often feels strained. Fargo is in the same boat at times, but at least Fargo doesn't throw an apocalyptic Hail Mary in the final shot. It's hailed as such a personal movie, but I find much more personal sentiment in Barton Fink, whose apocalyptic climax feels much more earned and powerful.

 

I think that you're underselling Inside Llewyn Davis badly. It has a marvelous amount of things to say, in a beautiful and understated way, about how happenstance becomes history and what happens to the people who are left behind by it. Sure, the seemingly cyclical nature of the narrative that occasioned so much comment in the first few weeks after release is entirely aesthetic, but I think it's a reasonably deep and incredibly lovely study of what happens when you're not Bob Dylan, partially through impersonal accident and partially through your own stupid actions.

 

 

And I haven't seen Inside Llewyn Davis recently enough to get into a detailed debate, but I can say I definitely disagree with your take. Hundreds of people who weren't Bob Dylan came out of the folk revival with wonderful vibrant careers. They just probably weren't complete assholes like Llewyn Davis. 

[Gormongous]

I believe Burn After Reading to be the single greatest satire of the 21st century. So far.

And I agree about Burn After Reading. Such a wickedly hilarious movie, from John Malkovich' slow descent into slobness and uncontrolled rage to the reveal of George Clooney's masterful contraption. And it has the perfect ending scene.

When i first saw it, I wasn't that impressed by it. Hell, it was a forgettable experience.

 

I've watched Burn After Reading four times, maybe? That's more than I expected when I started typing. I like it, I think that it's probably the closest that the Coens have gotten to their perennial thesis of a chaotic and unparseable world, and I like that they expressly wrote it to bring out the strengths of the specific actors whom they cast, but I don't find it a meaty or fulfilling experience enough to put it above even O Brother Where Art Thou, personally.

 

And I haven't seen Inside Llewyn Davis recently enough to get into a detailed debate, but I can say I definitely disagree with your take. Hundreds of people who weren't Bob Dylan came out of the folk revival with wonderful vibrant careers. They just probably weren't complete assholes like Llewyn Davis. 

 

Well, the nice thing about the Coen Brothers is that their work supports that sort of disagreement. The story isn't about success, it's about how a combination of personal and societal shortcomings leads to protracted personal failure. If you can't connect to the story of an essentially good person struggling with depression and a generally caustic attitude about life getting left behind while those hundreds of people go on to their wonderful vibrant careers, that's really unfortunate. For me, it remains possibly my favorite Coen and I think it's fairly odd to fault it for being "meaningless" literally sentences after praising Burn After Reading, a satire that's literally meaningless, as in "eschewing meaning."