The Coens Bros' "A Serious Man"

Their latest work, I just caught it on the big screen; it reminded me of Woody Allen's satire of Jewish rituals (Radio Days, Deconstructing Harry...) but with more frustration, extreme absurdity, and less humor. The overall movie is good, some moments are hilarious but the ending is unfulfilling.



Here's the protagonist -who started as a well-accomplished and fully-in-control mathematician- begging to see a rabbi for help:



Here's the wife (and her lover) trying to convince the protagonist to evacuate the house:



http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/a_serious_man

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

This is the Coen Bros. best film that I've seen. I've yet to see No Country For Old Men, but the odd thing is that the actual filmic quality of Coen films seems inverse to the general praise they get. O Brother, Where Art Thou? was ripped when it opened, whereas the teeth-gnashingly dull and predictable Fargo was praised.

The trailer:



George Clooney is a good actor, much better than many pretty boy types.

Here he is lip-synching the film's biggest hit:

No Country For Old Men

People who've seen There Will Be Blood say that this Coen Bros. film is better. It's one of those pairs of films that always get paired- like Crash and Brokeback Mountain a few years ago.

Here's the trailer:



The problem is that the most praised Coen films (Fargo, Barton Fink, etc.) are almost always way worse than the rave reviews whereas the films that are dismissed (O, Brother Where Art Thou?, The Ladykillers) are much better than the critics say. So, especially after the disappointment of There Will Be Blood, I'm dubious.

But, I'll watch it before the year is out.