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Happy 50th Birthday, Ethan Coen
Like Kubrick, Scorsese and many other cinematic geniuses from America, the Coens have suffered somewhat because of -- rather than in spite of -- their genius. Anything short of a masterpiece (or, more accurately, an immediately recognizable masterpiece) has been met with a lukewarm response from both critics and fans alike. But that impossible high standard is somewhat understandable -- once you've made a Barton Fink or a Miller's Crossing, anything less is a disappointment.
So, as we wait to see if No Country for Old Men lives up to its buzz, we present some of Ethan (and Joel's) greatest hits. And Happy Birthday, Ethan.
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1
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
The logline is absurd: the Odyssey, remade as a comedy, set in the Depression? But that's one of the reasons we love the Coens -- they have faith in the most preposterous of premises, then carry the idea out with utmost conviction. Here's Clooney and the rest of the Soggy Bottom Boys in the recording studio, recording a cover of a true American classic. |
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2
Miller's Crossing (1990)
This film may have made Gabriel Byrne a bonafide movie star, but it was Albert Finney who stole the show. Here he is as embattled Irish mob boss Leo O'Bannon, showing a bunch of would-be thugs what it means to be a true gangsta. One of the most exquisitely choreographed action sequences you'll ever see. |
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3
Raising Arizona (1987)
Raising Arizona is more than one of the most unique comedies of all time -- it's pure pleasure for a movie lover. Is there one bad scene, one shaky transition? This film has more energy than the average Sundance competition line-up combined. Here's the famously bungled attempt at a diaper robbery. |
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4
Fargo (1996)
Some tight-wads criticized Fargo for exploiting upper-Mid-Westerners and their strangely-accented, countrified ways. But I've always regarded the film as the Coens's most impassioned love letter to America. (They are from Minnesota, after all.) North Dakotan cops, however, may be a little ill-equipped to handle professional hitmen, especially if they're Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare. |
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5
The Big Lebowski (1998)
When it's got The Dude, does a film need any more justification for being revered as pure, unadulterated awesomeness? We didn't think so. But in case you needed more, the Roger Deakins-shot opening sequence, which transforms bowling into a game for the most manly of heroes, has a lot to do with why this movie has become a true American classic. |
