True tidbit: At one point in the very early stages of the film, a part had been played for Maya Rudolph. ... Not too hard to see why that didn't work out.
Josh, you're poor, poor mind....replaying the ridiculous, hollow, pretentious, cow paddie that IS, 'there will be blood.' (spoiler......on a bowling alley
I'm sorry, but I trust myself a good deal more than the chorus of nincompoops that go on and on about this 'classic', 'great', cinema......good gravey its was floridly over baked.
The director and actor must be thanking their lucky stars that herd instinct is alive and well.
Indeed herd instinct is alive and well, sandket. How else to explain the Titanic-like surge by everyone to crown the Coen brothers for the fourth or fifth best film of their careers.
That phrase is so gay it should have been in Juno.
Regarding the Coen Brothers' filmography, in my mind Blood Simple and Fargo are superior films to No Country. ... After that, I think you can rank 3 through 5 any way you want, including No Country somewhere in there
Same thing with Best Week Ever's Paul F. Thompkins. Though he would've been a better fit in a film about the early 20th Century than Maya Rudolph, talented as she is.
Posted by Circumvrent at February 21, 2008 9:14 PM
I wish I hadn't read Cormac McCarthy's book just before I saw the film. It just didn't have the impact I'm sure it would have had otherwise.
I'll put Miller's Crossing at the top of the Coen's filmography, and include Fargo, Lebowski, Raising Arizona, O Brother and possibly even The Man Who Wasn't There before I even think about No Country. That said, it's still in my top five for the year.
Posted by Josh Massey at February 21, 2008 9:16 PM
I've just watched a screener of NCFOM, my fourth viewing. I still love the movie, but it is not holding up the way TWBB does in my mind.
And to whomever said it above, yes, since I saw PTA's (and DDL's) masterpiece in the first week of January (one other screening since), not a day has gone by without me thinking about this or that aspect of it. If that's not great art, I don't know what is.
TWBB and NCFOM are two great films, two classics, and either would be worthy of winning on Sunday.
Period. C'mon, if you love film, choosing between the two is like choosing between chocolate and vanilla. I love both, depends on my mood.
My personal preference? I saw NCFOM once, I saw TWBB twice.
Posted by Dave at February 22, 2008 6:28 AM
comment #28
abuseintake says ...
Leo: "They took his hair, Tommy. Jesus, that's strange, why would they do that?"
Tom Reagan: Maybe it was injuns.
Millers crossing is not just THE best Cohen brothers film, but I felt that it was one of the top 10 screenplays of American film. It was also the last Cohen brother film that Barry Sonnenfeld worked on, I am happy for Mr. Sonnenfelds commercial success to be sure, but I love to speculate how much better films like “Barton Fink,†or “The man who wasn’t there†would have been if Barry was still a cinematographer.
“No Country†is a film that inhabits an emotional topography that kept me from getting involved in the story and its broader themes. I personally felt that a little more Carter Burwell doing a Ry Cooder impersonation would have helped. The color palette ran from dryer lint to washed-out road kill, and the sound edit was just a little too “thin†for my liking.
I walked out feeling like I had just watched a remake of “Charley Varrick†directed by Tom Stoppard, not a bad thing mind you, but it wasn’t as viscerally involving as “There will be blood†or “Michael Clayton.â€
Posted by abuseintake at February 22, 2008 6:34 AM
abuseintake, you're suggesting that the Coens working with Deakins was a downward move? Sonnenfeld did some great stuff on those first 3 films, but Deakins is one of the greatest ever. Sonnenfeld wouldn't have improved the (Cannes award winner for film, director, and actor) masterpiece that is Barton Fink, or the immaculately shot Man Who Wasn't There (their most underrated film), and I'm not exactly sure what you think he would have added.
Lzarus, you make great points. I guess I miss the studied whimsy of Mr. Sonnenfeld. You are absolutely correct in regards to Mr. Deakins talent and I certainly did not want to give the impression that he isn’t a great fit for the Brothers Cohen.
Posted by abuseintake at February 22, 2008 6:54 AM
comment #31
abuseintake says ...
..fuck me. I spelled their fucking surnames wrong. What the Hell is wrong with me? I will be wincing the rest of the fucking day on that one. Nice job Mr. Bigshot…
Posted by abuseintake at February 22, 2008 7:00 AM
Man Who Wasn't There is a criminally underrated Coen film. It is their tightest plot (behind Fargo) and contains one of the greatest character introduction scenes (Tony Shalhoub as Freddy Riedenscheider)since Robert Shaw was Quint.
"Are the Obamas, at bottom, snobs? Do they understand America? Are they of it? Did anyone at their Ivy League universities school them in why one should love America? Do they confuse patriotism with nationalism, or nativism? Are they more inspired by abstractions like "international justice" than by old visions of America as the city on a hill, which is how John Winthrop saw it, and Ronald Reagan and JFK spoke of it?"
Jeff didn't go to an Ivy League university, though, so he's a different kind of snob. He's actually the dictionary definition of a snob; to wit, from Merriam-Webster:
Snob, n.: "one who blatantly imitates, fawningly admires, or vulgarly seeks association with those regarded as social superiors"
A true snob can only be, as Jeff is, an insecure member of the middle class.
PTA is not winning an Oscar. Not Sunday, and maybe not for DECADES, until they trot him out in a wheelchair for his Lifetime Achievement. You think the same people who didn't want to give one to Altman or Kubrick or Scorcese (until he finally played the game, not once [Cape Fear], not twice [Gangs of New York], not three times [The Aviator], but FOUR times) or Lynch or Welles are going to give one to a 38 year old iconoclast/brat/wunderkind who has not made one blockbusting/zeitgeist-mapping cash cow? And don't get me wrong, I love PTA, think he's one of the best working today, blah, blah, blah, genius, but come on, this is THE INDUSTRY we're talking about, not the Pen/Faulkner Award Selection Committee. TWBB announces the arrival of PTA into the Inner Circle, not his anointment. Had TWBB made 200mil, then okay, I would say he's going home with a prize, but it didn't, so he won't. PTA is not the next Coppola; he is who he always wanted to be, an amalgamation of Downey, Sr. (the bowling alley scene at the end of TWBB is pure gonzo/counterculture humor), Altman, Mamet and Marty, and that seems like prize enough if you ask me. I don't know where I'm going with all of this except to say that The Big Lebowski is the best film the Coen's have made so far, while NCFOM is the best film Peckinpah never got to make.
Adapted Screenplay would be a nice way to honor PTA, since clearly they're intent on honoring the Coens as directors.
PTA's screenplays (always wonderful to read) are the detailed blueprints of his genius, and his vision can be found in there, just as much as it can be founded in his directing skills.
Aww, come on, christian. You know you're waiting with baited breath for the 2008 Oscar Balloon. ("Spike Jonze is a genius, and WTWTA is a masterpiece...IS NOT!....IS TOO!)
"Hell, No Country didn't even need a screenplay. The actors could have been holding copies of the book."
Exactly. Anyone who's read McCarthy's book would agree that another movie should win for adapted screenplay. Roger Ebert commented on the Coen's witty dialogue in No Country, completely unaware that 99% of the dialogue (maybe 100% actually) was from the novel. I'm a huge Coen's fan and they do write wonderful dialogue, but let's give credit where its due.
What a wonderful shot. There Will Be Blood has stuck with me on a daily basis ever since I first saw it months ago. I cannot give a bigger compliment to a film.
Posted by Mario Borroto at February 23, 2008 12:13 AM
comment #1
Balthazar
says ...
There Will Be Gardening?
Posted by Balthazar
at February 21, 2008 6:47 PM
comment #2
Balthazar
says ...
I. Eat. Your. Rhubarb!! PFFFFFFFFFFT. I EAT IT UP!!
Posted by Balthazar
at February 21, 2008 6:49 PM
comment #3
Balthazar
says ...
Uh, oh. Here comes Phil Hoffman. He's pissed he's not in this one.
Posted by Balthazar
at February 21, 2008 7:00 PM
comment #4
Balthazar
says ...
Have we stumbled onto the set of a John Carpenter film?
Posted by Balthazar
at February 21, 2008 7:09 PM
comment #5
actionman
says ...
The film is a masterwork
Posted by actionman
at February 21, 2008 7:21 PM
comment #6
Geoff
says ...
I remember that still from Entertainment Weekly a while ago. Great stuff.
Posted by Geoff
at February 21, 2008 7:23 PM
comment #7
BurmaShave
says ...
Balthazar wins this round.
Posted by BurmaShave
at February 21, 2008 7:30 PM
comment #8
Crow T Robot
says ...
"Hey look! Joel & Ethan! Hey fellas! Can we use your bowling alley next week after you setup here?"
Posted by Crow T Robot
at February 21, 2008 7:35 PM
comment #9
Beaucoul
says ...
That's strange. That crop duster's dustin' where there ain't no crops.
Posted by Beaucoul
at February 21, 2008 7:40 PM
comment #10
Josh Massey
says ...
Hopefully the Monday headlines will have a chance to use the "There Will Be Oscars" pun over and over.
I loved No Country, but it barely stuck with me compared to Anderson's classic, which has been in my mind every day since I saw it.
Posted by Josh Massey
at February 21, 2008 7:45 PM
comment #11
Balthazar
says ...
True tidbit: At one point in the very early stages of the film, a part had been played for Maya Rudolph. ... Not too hard to see why that didn't work out.
Posted by Balthazar
at February 21, 2008 7:45 PM
comment #12
sandekat
says ...
Josh, you're poor, poor mind....replaying the ridiculous, hollow, pretentious, cow paddie that IS, 'there will be blood.' (spoiler......on a bowling alley
I'm sorry, but I trust myself a good deal more than the chorus of nincompoops that go on and on about this 'classic', 'great', cinema......good gravey its was floridly over baked.
The director and actor must be thanking their lucky stars that herd instinct is alive and well.
Posted by sandekat
at February 21, 2008 8:12 PM
comment #13
Balthazar
says ...
Indeed herd instinct is alive and well, sandket. How else to explain the Titanic-like surge by everyone to crown the Coen brothers for the fourth or fifth best film of their careers.
Posted by Balthazar
at February 21, 2008 8:23 PM
comment #14
berg
says ...
Big Lebowski
Raising Arizona
Fargo
No Country?
Posted by berg
at February 21, 2008 8:29 PM
comment #15
Rosebudsthesled
says ...
Sandekat, you may depart with the herd, but as long as THERE WILL BE BLOOD remains a classic of American cinema your voice will remain irrelevant.
"Why don't I own this?"
Posted by Rosebudsthesled
at February 21, 2008 8:33 PM
comment #16
Gordie Lachance
says ...
"good gravey its was floridly over baked."
This phrase is so gay it should be wearing a neckerchief.
Posted by Gordie Lachance
at February 21, 2008 8:38 PM
comment #17
Balthazar
says ...
That phrase is so gay it should have been in Juno.
Regarding the Coen Brothers' filmography, in my mind Blood Simple and Fargo are superior films to No Country. ... After that, I think you can rank 3 through 5 any way you want, including No Country somewhere in there
Posted by Balthazar
at February 21, 2008 8:43 PM
comment #18
Circumvrent
says ...
Same thing with Best Week Ever's Paul F. Thompkins. Though he would've been a better fit in a film about the early 20th Century than Maya Rudolph, talented as she is.
Posted by Circumvrent
at February 21, 2008 9:14 PM
comment #19
Josh Massey
says ...
I wish I hadn't read Cormac McCarthy's book just before I saw the film. It just didn't have the impact I'm sure it would have had otherwise.
I'll put Miller's Crossing at the top of the Coen's filmography, and include Fargo, Lebowski, Raising Arizona, O Brother and possibly even The Man Who Wasn't There before I even think about No Country. That said, it's still in my top five for the year.
Posted by Josh Massey
at February 21, 2008 9:16 PM
comment #20
CitizenKanedforChewingGum
says ...
TMWWT above NCFOM?! Now you're just being silly, Josh...
Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum
at February 21, 2008 11:05 PM
comment #21
Craptastic
says ...
"Fuck. Did you just hear an air gun?"
Posted by Craptastic
at February 21, 2008 11:52 PM
comment #22
Dan Revill
says ...
I love this movie. I still think No Country will win, which is not a bad thing, but man if TWBB wins, I'll do my best impression of a backflip.
Posted by Dan Revill
at February 22, 2008 1:01 AM
comment #23
Josh Massey
says ...
Well, I didn't know every single action and line of dialogue in The Man Who Wasn't There before I saw it.
Posted by Josh Massey
at February 22, 2008 4:19 AM
comment #24
EOTW
says ...
Miller's Crossing is a fucking masterpiece.
"Take your flunkie and dangle!"
True story: I worked at a beef processing plant a few years ago and a guy got killed with a cattle gun in an accident. Don't ask.
Posted by EOTW
at February 22, 2008 4:38 AM
comment #25
Rich S.
says ...
"Darabont told me they weren't shooting today!"
Posted by Rich S.
at February 22, 2008 4:46 AM
comment #26
York "Budd" Durden
says ...
I've just watched a screener of NCFOM, my fourth viewing. I still love the movie, but it is not holding up the way TWBB does in my mind.
And to whomever said it above, yes, since I saw PTA's (and DDL's) masterpiece in the first week of January (one other screening since), not a day has gone by without me thinking about this or that aspect of it. If that's not great art, I don't know what is.
And I ain't a part of no herd.
Posted by York "Budd" Durden
at February 22, 2008 4:53 AM
comment #27
Dave
says ...
TWBB and NCFOM are two great films, two classics, and either would be worthy of winning on Sunday.
Period. C'mon, if you love film, choosing between the two is like choosing between chocolate and vanilla. I love both, depends on my mood.
My personal preference? I saw NCFOM once, I saw TWBB twice.
Posted by Dave
at February 22, 2008 6:28 AM
comment #28
abuseintake
says ...
Leo: "They took his hair, Tommy. Jesus, that's strange, why would they do that?"
Tom Reagan: Maybe it was injuns.
Millers crossing is not just THE best Cohen brothers film, but I felt that it was one of the top 10 screenplays of American film. It was also the last Cohen brother film that Barry Sonnenfeld worked on, I am happy for Mr. Sonnenfelds commercial success to be sure, but I love to speculate how much better films like “Barton Fink,†or “The man who wasn’t there†would have been if Barry was still a cinematographer.
“No Country†is a film that inhabits an emotional topography that kept me from getting involved in the story and its broader themes. I personally felt that a little more Carter Burwell doing a Ry Cooder impersonation would have helped. The color palette ran from dryer lint to washed-out road kill, and the sound edit was just a little too “thin†for my liking.
I walked out feeling like I had just watched a remake of “Charley Varrick†directed by Tom Stoppard, not a bad thing mind you, but it wasn’t as viscerally involving as “There will be blood†or “Michael Clayton.â€
Posted by abuseintake
at February 22, 2008 6:34 AM
comment #29
lazarus
says ...
abuseintake, you're suggesting that the Coens working with Deakins was a downward move? Sonnenfeld did some great stuff on those first 3 films, but Deakins is one of the greatest ever. Sonnenfeld wouldn't have improved the (Cannes award winner for film, director, and actor) masterpiece that is Barton Fink, or the immaculately shot Man Who Wasn't There (their most underrated film), and I'm not exactly sure what you think he would have added.
Posted by lazarus
at February 22, 2008 6:42 AM
comment #30
abuseintake
says ...
Lzarus, you make great points. I guess I miss the studied whimsy of Mr. Sonnenfeld. You are absolutely correct in regards to Mr. Deakins talent and I certainly did not want to give the impression that he isn’t a great fit for the Brothers Cohen.
Posted by abuseintake
at February 22, 2008 6:54 AM
comment #31
abuseintake
says ...
..fuck me. I spelled their fucking surnames wrong. What the Hell is wrong with me? I will be wincing the rest of the fucking day on that one. Nice job Mr. Bigshot…
Posted by abuseintake
at February 22, 2008 7:00 AM
comment #32
Jamieson
says ...
Really hope There Will Be Blood and Anderson win on Sunday.
Posted by Jamieson
at February 22, 2008 7:36 AM
comment #33
Gordie Lachance
says ...
Man Who Wasn't There is a criminally underrated Coen film. It is their tightest plot (behind Fargo) and contains one of the greatest character introduction scenes (Tony Shalhoub as Freddy Riedenscheider)since Robert Shaw was Quint.
Posted by Gordie Lachance
at February 22, 2008 7:44 AM
comment #34
BlueBomm
says ...
Balthazar,
Paul F. made the cut-- he's the villager's representative who races after Plainview early in the film. "There's no confusion!"
It's a, uhh... pretty minimal role. But funny if you're a comedy fan.
Posted by BlueBomm
at February 22, 2008 7:47 AM
comment #35
Dave
says ...
Jeff, are you going to quote Peggy Noonan when she has tough words for Obama? You know, equal time and all?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120362912719783893.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
BTW, when I read this:
"Are the Obamas, at bottom, snobs? Do they understand America? Are they of it? Did anyone at their Ivy League universities school them in why one should love America? Do they confuse patriotism with nationalism, or nativism? Are they more inspired by abstractions like "international justice" than by old visions of America as the city on a hill, which is how John Winthrop saw it, and Ronald Reagan and JFK spoke of it?"
I thought of you, friend-o.
Posted by Dave
at February 22, 2008 8:40 AM
comment #36
broadstreetbully
says ...
Jeff didn't go to an Ivy League university, though, so he's a different kind of snob. He's actually the dictionary definition of a snob; to wit, from Merriam-Webster:
Snob, n.: "one who blatantly imitates, fawningly admires, or vulgarly seeks association with those regarded as social superiors"
A true snob can only be, as Jeff is, an insecure member of the middle class.
Posted by broadstreetbully
at February 22, 2008 8:56 AM
comment #37
Jay T.
says ...
I have to agree, TWBB has stuck with me far more than No Country for Old Men...
Posted by Jay T.
at February 22, 2008 9:16 AM
comment #38
MilkMan
says ...
PTA is not winning an Oscar. Not Sunday, and maybe not for DECADES, until they trot him out in a wheelchair for his Lifetime Achievement. You think the same people who didn't want to give one to Altman or Kubrick or Scorcese (until he finally played the game, not once [Cape Fear], not twice [Gangs of New York], not three times [The Aviator], but FOUR times) or Lynch or Welles are going to give one to a 38 year old iconoclast/brat/wunderkind who has not made one blockbusting/zeitgeist-mapping cash cow? And don't get me wrong, I love PTA, think he's one of the best working today, blah, blah, blah, genius, but come on, this is THE INDUSTRY we're talking about, not the Pen/Faulkner Award Selection Committee. TWBB announces the arrival of PTA into the Inner Circle, not his anointment. Had TWBB made 200mil, then okay, I would say he's going home with a prize, but it didn't, so he won't. PTA is not the next Coppola; he is who he always wanted to be, an amalgamation of Downey, Sr. (the bowling alley scene at the end of TWBB is pure gonzo/counterculture humor), Altman, Mamet and Marty, and that seems like prize enough if you ask me. I don't know where I'm going with all of this except to say that The Big Lebowski is the best film the Coen's have made so far, while NCFOM is the best film Peckinpah never got to make.
Posted by MilkMan
at February 22, 2008 10:10 AM
comment #39
Josh Massey
says ...
Anderson will win for his screenplay this year.
Hell, No Country didn't even need a screenplay. The actors could have been holding copies of the book.
Posted by Josh Massey
at February 22, 2008 10:30 AM
comment #40
Balthazar
says ...
Adapted Screenplay would be a nice way to honor PTA, since clearly they're intent on honoring the Coens as directors.
PTA's screenplays (always wonderful to read) are the detailed blueprints of his genius, and his vision can be found in there, just as much as it can be founded in his directing skills.
Posted by Balthazar
at February 22, 2008 10:33 AM
comment #41
christian
says ...
Can't wait for the oscars to be over. Then we can go back to debating films on their own terms.
Posted by christian
at February 22, 2008 10:54 AM
comment #42
Balthazar
says ...
Indeed. I have some very deep thoughts on the multiple meanings and interpretations of "Witless Protection"
Posted by Balthazar
at February 22, 2008 10:55 AM
comment #43
christian
says ...
Me too!
Posted by christian
at February 22, 2008 11:10 AM
comment #44
Rich S.
says ...
Aww, come on, christian. You know you're waiting with baited breath for the 2008 Oscar Balloon. ("Spike Jonze is a genius, and WTWTA is a masterpiece...IS NOT!....IS TOO!)
Posted by Rich S.
at February 22, 2008 1:15 PM
comment #45
christian
says ...
Ack ack.
Posted by christian
at February 22, 2008 1:21 PM
comment #46
Rich S.
says ...
Is that a Mars Attacks! "Ack ack?"
(talk about your overlooked classics)
Posted by Rich S.
at February 22, 2008 1:47 PM
comment #47
christian
says ...
You got it!
Posted by christian
at February 22, 2008 1:57 PM
comment #48
Jay T.
says ...
"Hell, No Country didn't even need a screenplay. The actors could have been holding copies of the book."
Exactly. Anyone who's read McCarthy's book would agree that another movie should win for adapted screenplay. Roger Ebert commented on the Coen's witty dialogue in No Country, completely unaware that 99% of the dialogue (maybe 100% actually) was from the novel. I'm a huge Coen's fan and they do write wonderful dialogue, but let's give credit where its due.
Posted by Jay T.
at February 22, 2008 2:25 PM
comment #49
Mario Borroto
says ...
What a wonderful shot. There Will Be Blood has stuck with me on a daily basis ever since I first saw it months ago. I cannot give a bigger compliment to a film.
Posted by Mario Borroto
at February 23, 2008 12:13 AM