Posts Tagged ‘Coen Brothers’
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About the comic… Well, it’s Tom Hanks’ head on a chicken body. That’s like 80% of the joke. If you’re not with me on that one… well, I don’t know what to do you with you. Don’t ask me where the idea came from. I just plucked it from the ether and the thought of it made me laugh. I’ll concede that it’s a long way around for a Colonel Sanders joke, but there you have it.
Freaky anthromorphic celebrities aside, I’m really looking forward to Hanks turn as Professor G.H. Dorr in The Coen Brother’s remake of The Ladykillers. I know some people are a little turned off by the eccentricities evident in the advertisements for this caper flick, but it looks like a very meaty role for Hanks to me. Definitely an upgrade from the more somber fellows he’s been playing of late. The individuals he’s portrayed in Cast Away, Road to Perdition, and Catch Me If You Can didn’t I think go against Hank’s natural demeanor. It’s good to see him taking things a little less seriously in this outing.
There is something about The Coen Brother’s where the success of their films tends to hinge on how far they can get their big-name lead actors to operate outside of their comfort zone. The best example I can give involves the same actor – George Clooney. Look at his performance in two Coen pictures – O Brother, Where Art Thou? versus Intolerable Cruelty. In Intolerable Cruelty, he does the smug, well-dressed routine to great effect, but it’s an image we’re already familiar with courtesy of films like Ocean’s 11 and Out of Sight.
Now look at O Brother. A complete 180 from the Clooney that we’re used to – and a more successful film.
Need more proof? What about The Big Lebowski. Did anyone expect to see Jeff Bridges as a burnt out hippie? It just seems the farther The Coen’s push their leads, the more interest it generates from Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Moviegoer.
Just a theory.
One last thing – a sad bit of business. It looks like Ryan Sias has hung up his pencils and has ceased production on his journal comic Urban Observations. Ryan put together a very whimsical take on his environment – New York City. His archives are still active, so you should check it out. It was a personal favorite of mine.
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Well, I didn’y make it to the theater this weekend to see Resident Evil: Apocalypse, but I guess it will wait for me. I did see a few others at home though. Here is a quick recap:
Intolerable Cruelty – I enjoyed this Coen Brothers movie, though I don’t see it having the replay value of some of their previous films.
Naqoyqatsi – I rounded off Godfrey Reggio and Phillip Glass’s trilogy by watching this third installment of music and images. This is the second best in the trilogy, with Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance being the most innovative.
Blow Up – “This is a bad movie, you know that, right?” Patti said before bailing out on this one. I agreed, until I completed watching this and thought about it for a few minutes. I watched the trailer after I finished viewing this film which confirmed that I did understand the point they were trying to make. A little long, with spans that include little dialogue or even conceivable plot, this film is stylized enough to grow on you. You spend the first twenty minutes thinking “Why am I watching this?” but stick with it. Think art film rather than Hollywood Blockbuster. I guarantee Mike Myers has seen this film, as a few of the scenes reflect Austin Powers.
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I’m aware that indie movies were already once skewered in My Big, Fat Independent Movie. I just like the idea of The Coen’s scraping the bottom of the barrel with a “wacky” parody movie.
I think they actually are going through with an Indie Movie… from the “Movie” Movie people. Scary Movie, Epic Movie, Date Movie and so on. I don’t follow what those guys do very closely. I find it depresses me to know too much.
For the record, I don’t find it surprising that The Coen Brothers would follow up No Country For Old Men with Burn After Reading. I mean, when you’ve already done something as serious, violent and poetic as No Country For Old Men, what other direction could you go in? You might as well blow off a little steam.
Although I think The Coen’s have an excellent perverse sense of humor, I really haven’t been a fan of their recent comedies. The Ladykillers seemed like an excuse for Tom Hanks to try on a Foghorn Leghorn accent for size and Intolerable Cruelty pretty much cooled me to the idea of watching Catherine Zeta-Jones in anything ever again. I guess I like my Coen’s dark and foreboding. Miller’s Crossing? Fargo? Hell, yes!
I didn’t get a chance to see Righteous Kill like I had hoped and I’m kind of bummed because I don’t think we’ll get another opportunity to see DeNiro and Pacino work together like this on screen again anytime soon. Certainly if the film’s 3rd place take at the box office has anything to say about it.
Tune in to The Triple Feature podcast tonight at 9:00 PM CST for discussion on that topic and many more. Be sure to listen live through TalkShoe.com so you can participate in the lively chat filed discussion that goes on while we record. If you want to chime in on the discussion, let us know and we’ll get you involved.
Do you guys remember the new URL to access the show?
http://www.thetriplefeature.com
Easy as pie! See you there tonight!
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