Director Spotlight: The Cohen Brothers

The title of this post is a little misleading. The Cohen Brothers are not directors, they are a film making team. They co-write and produce their own films, then Joel Cohen directs them. I am sure that Ethan has some say in the look of the movie, though.


The Cohen Brothers have been making movies since 1984 with "Blood Simple". A thriller made in the film noir style; a style they have revisited on many occasions. It went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.


Their success continued, and even improved on their notoriety, in 1987 with "Raising Arizona". This was a critical and box office success and may be their best known piece of work. It is funny, touching and beautiful. It, like most of their work, has gone on to become a cult favorite on DVD.


They went on to film a variety of well received movies including:
"Miller's Crossing" 1990
"Barton Fink" 1991
"Hudsucker Proxy" 1994


In 1996, they struck hard again with "Fargo". This film was a crime thriller, but with the signature quirkiness that all Cohen Brothers films have. William H. Macy was perfect as the dweebish husband who hired some thugs to murder his wife. Frances McDormand was equally perfect as the pregnant sheriff. This film was their biggest success thus far and was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and went on to win 2 of them; Best Supporting Actress for Frances McDormand, and Best Original Screenplay.


The brothers followed this with "The Big Lebowski"in 1998. While it wasn't the best received film of their career, I believe that it had been overlooked mainly because it followed the highly successful "Fargo".

They struck gold again in 2000 with O Brother, Where Art Thou?" A hilarious retelling of Homer's Odyssey. Told from the perspective of depression era Mississippi, it is by far one of the most beautifully filmed movies ever. It also won 2 Academy Awards; Best Cinematography and Best Adapted Screenplay.


Over the next few years, they continued to create wonderfully strange films including:

"The Man Who Wasn't There" 2001
"The Ladykillers" 2004


This fall, they are returning to their roots with a crime drama/thriller that is getting a lot of attention; "No Country for Old Men" This is an all star movie that has already won over most critics and was nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes. Every fan of the Cohen Brothers is anticipating this to be one of their best. Check out the trailer in my archive.




The Cohen Brothers are 2 of the brightest stars in Hollywood. They continue to follow their passion to make films that are true to their vision, not what executives expect of them. I can hardly wait to see what they dream up next.



T

No Country for Old Men

"No Country for Old Men" is the Cohen Brothers' newest movie coming out this fall. I, for one, am very excited about this movie. It looks to be a tight suspense movie with engaging characters and a great plot; something many movies are missing.

Many of the Cohen Brothers movies are excellent; "O, Brother! Where Art Thou", "Raising Arizona", "Blood Simple". This will undoubtedly be ranked among their best. It has already garnered a lot of awards buzz, critical acclaim and fan excitement. In a time when many movies released are just plain bad, we are lucky when movie makers like the Cohen Brothers care enough about their craft to give us something great.

Of all the characters in the trailer, only Tommy Lee Jones' gives me a sense of "Again?". He seems to have latched onto the grumpy southern cop/Texas Marshall persona. Show us something different. Don't allow yourself to be typecast like that. We know you can do more. Hopefully I will be dead wrong about him in this case. Only time will tell.

Do yourselves a favor, as well as the movie industry in general, and go see this film when it is released. I'm sure you won't regret it.

T

Bees in the Trees

This morning I decided to step out onto the deck behind my house and enjoy the somewhat cool air we were experiencing. I was unlocking my door when I noticed something unusual. There was a large moving mass in the tree just beyond my deck. I wasn't sure what it was at first, then I realized it was a bee swarm.

My wife and I were fascinated by the bees. We had never seen such a thing in person before. Being the genius that I am, I decided we should take a picture of it.

First my daughter tried to take it through the glass door. This did not turn out so well. I then took matters into my own hands. I went out onto the deck, got the camera lined up and snapped the picture, then ran back inside. The picture was good but too far away. This time I got closer but still not close enough. Finally I went all the way to the furthest edge of the deck and stretched my arm out as far as I could. I had it lined up perfectly when a bee flew right into my face. I did the only thing I could do. I waved my hand in front of my face quickly like a girl to keep the bee away. It worked! I lined the camera up one more time, ignored the bees bumping into my arms and body and took the picture. It was the best I was going to get. Click on the picture in the upper right corner for a closer look. Not bad if you ask me.

Now I am wondering how I will get rid of them. I am going to give them a couple of days first and see if they leave on their own. What could they possibly want to stay in my tree for? It is just a pecan tree. No flowers or anything of bee interest. If waiting doesn't work, I guess I'll have to become more proactive and have them removed. There's no way I'm going to do it myself though, I'll hire a pro. One or two bees I can handle. Hundreds, maybe thousands? No thanks.

T

Bubba Jones

I have a friend who is getting his first book published this November. For years he, like many struggling writers, has been trying to get some of his work published. He finally struck it big with his latest novel. It is called Bubba Jones by Gary Simmons.

What would you do if you just won 1.75 million dollars? Say that you are mentally challenged. Now what would you do? Bubba Jones is mentally challenged and he did just win 1.75 million dollars. Will he light his cigars with hundred dollar bills? Will he find all new friends? Will he go out and buy new houses and cars for himself and all his family?

Set in the late sixties, the story is told with the obvious expertise of a storyteller born and raised in the deep south. The characters are fleshed out brilliantly and the scenery is described so well, you almost believe you are there in the moment. It is comical yet still has plenty of drama to keep it interesting.

It is available for pre-order on http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.booksamillion.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. You can also order it through the publisher at their site, http://www.publishamerica.com/.

For a preview of the first chapter and to learn more about the author, go to http://www.bubbawjones.com/. Read the chapter and let the author know what you think. Also, let others know about this new novel. They'll thank you when they finish it.

T

Colbert Report: Funny as Hell

I just watched what may have been the funniest Colbert Report i have ever seen. I know that is saying a lot but, holy crap, I was in tears.

He was playing a recorded message from a Rabi who on his toll free number 1-800-OOPS JEW. The Rabi apologized to Stephen for stealing some of his material for numerous sermons. Stephen, being the great man that he is, accepted his apology on one condition; the Rabi continue to use his materials but give him the credit he is due. This way the Jews he was speaking to would continue to be exposed to Stephen's philosophy and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Stephen also did a segment on the Craziest F%#king Thing I have Ever Seen. It was a restaurant in Japan or China that put mayonnaise on everything. They even had a cocktail that didn't have salt on the rim but mayonnaise. Every time he tried to finish the report, he nearly puked. This is classic humor. What is funnier than trying to keep yourself from vomiting?

Of course the rest of the show was hilarious, as usual. This has got to be one of the best shows I have seen. If you have the time, find the episode originally aired on 9-20-07. You will not regret it.

T