Hail, Caesar!

Sometimes it’s good; sometimes it’s not. Everyone is so given over to Coen Brothers hagiography at this point that mumbling a bad word about any movie they make is likely to elicit strong reactions...which is, in a lot of ways, what this movie does not elicit. There are moments, highlights, that are quite good and make you want to give this effort more credit than you ultimately are comfortable doling out. Perhaps if one of the subplots--I’m looking at you, Scarlett--had been left on the cutting room floor, this might have turned out to be a stronger, tighter movie. Alas, the boys overreached, probably because they were too interested in paying homage to classic movies and moviemaking--perhaps they noticed that such things burnish a film’s Oscar-bait credentials--and the overall work suffered accordingly. It’s definitely worth watching if you’re a fan, of the old days or the brothers; otherwise, it may not pass muster.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Once again, the Coen brothers display their minor obsession with Homer’s Odyssey. They might want to pull that classic down from the shelf and actually read it sometime, because, you see, that work actually had a story--something the Coens seem to be growing less and less concerned with as the years go along. This is a tough call, because I admit that this is a mostly entertaining movie that holds the interest, especially during the performance scenes (the music is very strong here, though if you’re not much for folkie stuff you might not be swayed to that point of view). But I also find this lack of attention to an actual narrative to be more and more grating with each film the brothers put out. Being oblique and vaguely existential may be entertaining to the Coens, but it doesn’t necessarily entertain us, the audience. If your tolerance moves through a wide orbit, you’ll probably like this film very much; but if you want something a little closer to the heart of the storytelling experience, this probably isn’t it.

A Serious Man

I watched this movie on DVD, though I'm guessing if the Coen brothers could have distributed it on bagels they would have. Let's just say, if Ahmadinejad is ever convicted of anything at The Hague, his punishment will probably involve watching this movie on a continuous loop. This film won't be everyone's cup of Manischewitz, and it's not an especially great movie in general terms, but it's not a waste of time by any means. There are good moments, occasional funny moments (if not barrel rolls of laughter), and enough effective storytelling that, by the end, you do care about what happens to the protagonist. Worth a look on a rainy day.

No Country For Old Men

Not bad, but nothing even close to what its hype and awards made it out to be. In fact, there's a lot here not to like: little reason to care about the "good" characters, the villain is absurdly indestructible, some directorial shenanigans that are designed to draw the viewer to errant conclusions. And that narrative structure: if a second year film student, instead of the Coens, tried to pull that off, he'd hear a lot about losing his point of narration. Instead, if you are the Coens, you're called geniuses and lauded for convention breaking. These emperors may not be naked, but they're down to their underwear, at least. Posted 4/16/09.

Intolerable Cruelty

Lightweight, but it achieves what it aims for. The strength here is the work of George Clooney, who really looks like he's enjoying himself. That enthusiasm will carry you through and give you a few laughs. If you go in with the right attitude, that should be enough.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Homer for the masses...and I don't mean Simpson. Well-crafted retelling of the old tale, with some great music and good performances by Messrs. Clooney, Turturro and Nelson.