When Fargo was released 20 years ago, its subsequent success would have seemed unlikely, even impossible. The Coen brothers’ three previous films had all failed at the box office, despite receiving glowing reviews. On its surface the film would seem too dark and too violent to ever attract audiences, another flop in the making. But …
These days, the superhero genre is one of the most bankable genres of film. However, a quarter century ago, the cinematic language of the modern superhero film was just beginning to be developed. 25 years ago this August, a bizarre proto-superhero film was released that would set the table for genre-blending aspects that have come …
After bringing crime to Belgium and hysteria to Los Angeles, Martin McDonagh is setting his sights on Missouri with the help of a Coen Brothers favorite. In an interview with The Guardian, McDonagh revealed that his next project would be called Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and will star Fargo star Frances McDormand. This is …
There will be an interesting book about the inter-workings of Pixar one day and the chapter on The Good Dinosaur will be especially intriguing. While we knew that the production was delayed as the company switched directors, it seems like some of the cast would move on from the project as well. The original cast …
Wonder Boys Directed by Curtis Hanson Written by Steven Kloves from a novel by Michael Chabon USA, 2000 The written word is an art form that is almost as old as mankind itself. To form sentences which eventually comprise paragraphs and so on to create beauty and evoke powerful emotion in readers is a skill …
Riffing on Terek Puckett’s terrific list of director/actor collaborations, I wanted to look at some of those equally impressive leading ladies who served as muses for their directors. I strived to look for collaborations that may not have been as obviously canonical, but whose effects on cinema were no less compelling. Categorizing a film’s lead …
Fargo Directed by Joel Coen Written by Joel and Ethan Coen 1996, USA The Coen brothers are a breed of their own, seamlessly melding quiet, unrelenting humor with often brutal violence. Their films present wild irony, eccentricity, and post-modern takes on classic genre films. I have always been a huge fan, from Raising Arizona to …
Promised Land Directed by Gus Van Sant Written by John Krasinski and Matt Damon USA, 2012 When people suffer through desperate times, someone is always ready to capitalize on their fear and confusion. This person, a con artist even if they have a fancy-sounding job title, has the offer of a lifetime, the promise of …
This Must Be the Place Written by Umberto Contarello and Paolo Sorrentino Directed by Paolo Sorrentino Italy/France/Ireland, 2011 “Something’s wrong here. I don’t know exactly what it is, but something’s wrong here.” Repeated by its protagonist throughout This Must Be the Place, the line captures the baffling quality of Paolo Sorrentino’s English language debut. An …
This Must Be the Place Written by Umberto Contarello and Paolo Sorrentino Directed by Paolo Sorrentino Italy/France/Ireland, 2011 “Something’s wrong here. I don’t know exactly what it is, but something’s wrong here.” Repeated by its protagonist throughout This Must Be the Place, the line captures the baffling quality of Paolo Sorrentino’s English language debut. An …