The Man Who Wasn’t There: A Film Noir

Life is not what it seems for a small-town California barber in the Coen brothers’ 2001 film noir, The Man Who Wasn’t There. Even this is a film noir, the Coens bring their own ideas into the genre. It’s not your typical film noir. The lead character does not intentionally set out to commit any crime. It just kind of happens. But if you read any of James M. Cain’s work, you’ll find characters behaving…

"The Man Who Wasn’t There: A Film Noir"

No Country for Old Men: The Oscar-Winning Best Picture of 2007

No Country for Old Men is the 2007 Western film that earned the Coen Brothers their first Best Picture win at the Academy Awards. I missed the film during it’s initial theatrical run. It’s not the only 2007 film that I missed in theaters. I would later watch the film on DVD after renting through Netflix. However, this did not come until December 2009. A lot of it goes back to scheduling conflicts and trying…

"No Country for Old Men: The Oscar-Winning Best Picture of 2007"

Fargo: One of the Best Coen Brothers Films

The Coen brothers get back to basics with Fargo by going back to their home state of Minnesota for one of the best films in their career. Fargo earned seven Oscar nominations, winning Best Actress (Frances McDormand) and Original Screenplay. The film’s other nominations were for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (William H. Macy), Cinematography, and Editing. AFI would later honor the film in their initial 100 Years…100 Movies list and 100 Years…100 Laughs. Marge…

"Fargo: One of the Best Coen Brothers Films"

Raising Arizona: Coens Go For Humor in Second Film

The Coen brothers did not suffer from the sophomore slump as their second film, Raising Arizona, is a complete 180 from their first. My rewatch of Raising Arizona over the past weekend was my first viewing in just over 15 years. I went back to my original notes from the 2009 viewing in which I wrote that it was funnier than Fargo. To be fair, the AFI 100 Years, 100 Laughs list has this film…

"Raising Arizona: Coens Go For Humor in Second Film"

Blood Simple: The First Coen Brothers Movie

Premiering in 1984 and released in theaters in 1985, Blood Simple is the neo-noir crime film that put the Coen Brothers on the map. The Coens head to Texas for their first feature film. It’s hard to believe that March 2024 will mark the 40th anniversary of Blood Simple’s world premiere. A festival run would follow, including Sundance in January 1985. The film would also launch a number of careers and collaborations. Meanwhile, the script,…

"Blood Simple: The First Coen Brothers Movie"

Inside Llewyn Davis: Another Coen Brothers Masterpiece

The Coen Brothers transport us back in time to the 1960s folk music scene in their 2013 smart and funny masterpiece, Inside Llewyn Davis. I’m writing this review while listening to the Cannes press conference following the film’s premiere in May 2013. Not that it has anything to do with the film–other then the Coens being Jewish–but there was a question from a German TV reporter about humor in Germany and whether it was German…

"Inside Llewyn Davis: Another Coen Brothers Masterpiece"

Hail, Caesar! Is A Love Letter To The Hollywood Studio System

Hail, Caesar! isn’t just a love letter to the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age but a brilliant satire about the 1950s studio system. “Would that it were so simple?” – a line that Hobie Doyle struggles with in a sophisticated costume drama Hail, Caesar! had been some ten years in the making by the time of its release in 2016. Things reached a point where George Clooney messed with them by listing the film…

"Hail, Caesar! Is A Love Letter To The Hollywood Studio System"

Intolerable Cruelty Celebrates 20 Years And Still Captivates Audiences

Intolerable Cruelty, the Coen brothers vehicle starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones, marked its 20th anniversary in October. My apologies for getting to this anniversary review so late. My schedule was initially hectic because of the holidays and then October 7 happened. Better late than never as they say. The gist of the film is that divorce attorney Miles Massey (George Clooney) and gold digger Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) fall for each other. Ironically, Miles…

"Intolerable Cruelty Celebrates 20 Years And Still Captivates Audiences"

O Brother, Where Art Thou? Is Another Coen Brothers Masterpiece

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a genius 1930s Mississippi satire that is both heavy in folk music and uses the Odyssey for its plot. In a perfect world, I would have reviewed the Coen Brothers classic for its 20th anniversary in 2020. I apologize for missing the anniversary but am rectifying the situation now as I kick off something of a George Clooney retrospective series on Solzy at the Movies. I reviewed a number…

"O Brother, Where Art Thou? Is Another Coen Brothers Masterpiece"

Miller’s Crossing: Coen Brothers Film Is On Criterion

Miller’s Crossing joins The Criterion Collection with a 2K digital restoration supervised by the Coen Brothers and Barry Sonnenfeld. The film is being presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The digital transfer was created in 2K resolution from the 35mm original camera negative and supervised by the film’s cinematographer, Barry Sonnenfeld. The disc was mastered by Pixelogic Media. Both supervising sound editor and recrecording mixer Skip Livesay and composer Carter Burwell created a new…

"Miller’s Crossing: Coen Brothers Film Is On Criterion"