Review: Raising Arizona

 I've reviewed a couple of Coen Brothers films in the past, The Big Lebowski and True Grit. I've discussed the Coen Brothers' uniquely absurd style that combines the realistic with the fantastical. While True Grit didn't do this as much, The Big Lebowski certainly did and Raising Arizona is in a similar vein. It is considered by some to be Nicolas Cage's best film. Which isn't really saying much considering his recent run of awful movies, but there was once a time where Mr. Cage was a respected actor who in 1996 won a Best Actor Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas. This film was released in 1987 long before Cage lost all of his money and perhaps his mind. It's delightfully strange film that offers a modern take on the screwball comedy. At times this movie thinks it's being funnier than it is; quirkiness can only get one so far in terms of comedy. However, there are a few genuinely funny moments in this truly inspired script.

Review: The Artist

     I've seen five silent movies in my life, which is about five more than everyone else my age. I've seen the classics Nosferatu, Metropolis, Mel Brook's ill-fated experiment Silent Movie, and Best Picture Winners Wings (1928) and The Artist (2011). Of these silent films, all in black and white save Silent Movie, The Artist is easily the best, with Metropolis as a close second. There are a lot of people out there who don't think that a silent film is something they want to see, they have become accustomed to hearing the voices of the people on screen, and they don't think a story can be told properly through the medium of film without them. In fact, at several screenings of The Artist, people walked out and demanded their money back, not knowing they had paid to see a silent film. What's even more saddening is that there are people out there, particularly of my generation and younger who think the same way about black and white films, that the simple lack of color some how limits the value of the film. I have to say that through my research, a movie, or more simply a story, can be wonderfully executed without sound or color. In fact, sometimes they can be better for it.

Review: The Big Lebowski

     I've written about the Coen brothers already on this blog, but that was in a review of their least Coen brotheriest film True Grit. This films is probably on the other end of the spectrum. Unlike True Grit, The Big Lebowski is not a strong genre film, in fact I would argue it doesn't even have much of a plot. This is the Coen brothers in their most undiluted state. The film is full of surreal situations, eccentric characters, and just the right blend of comedy and violence.