The week in brief (24 - 30 September)

This is a historic post: my 100^th update on this blog. To be fair, a number of the early editions of That Was The Week That Was were split into two parts, so arguably I should have to wait a few more weeks before properly celebrating my century. All the same, it’s pleasing to have reached the landmark. I’ll just take a moment to raise my bat to the pavilion before continuing with my usual weekly round up.

Aside from this being the 100^th post, it’s been a fairly busy week for me, with 6 films watched:

Revenge of the Nerds (1984): 4/10
Texas Killing Fields (2011): 5/10
Carancho (2010): 7/10
Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi ) (2001): 8/10
Christine (1983): 6/10
Looper (2012): 9/10

My pick of the week goes to Rian Johnson’s new sci-fi picture, Looper.  I remember being highly impressed by Johnson’s first movie, Brick – a kind of mash up of the high school and film noir genres – but I was rather disappointed by his follow up, The Brothers Bloom, a decidedly twee affair. With that in mind, I’m pleased to be able to report that Looper is excellent. The movie is set in Kansas in the year 2042, an era in which a wealthy minority with futuristic gadgets co-exist with a growing number of the poor and the desperate. (Sort of like our own time, I suppose). Joseph Gordon Levitt continues his fantastic recent run of form in playing the part of Joe, an assassin (or ‘Looper’), whose job is to kill and dispose of targets who are sent back in time by an organised crime syndicate some 30 years further in the future.  Loopers are highly paid, but they know that at some point, they will be required to kill a future version of themselves, giving them 30 years to spend their loot before the mob comes for them. However, when Joe finds himself with confronted with his future self (played by Bruce Willis), he freezes for just a second too long and allows his older version to escape. Giving too much more of the plot away would spoil the fun of seeing the film for yourself, but if I had to choose three films to compare it with, I’d pick Primer, The Fury and The Dead Zone.  (It was also a little reminiscent of the hilarious South Park episode “My Future Self ‘N’ Me”, but I’ll gloss over that for the purposes of this review.) It’s a highly imaginative film, borrowing ideas from various different types of science fiction, with time travel thrown into a mix also including flying motorcycles, telekinetic powers and some good old fashioned gun battles . Johnson’s direction is excellent, combining a deft hand with the action scenes, together with an ability to draw strong performances out of each of the major players. As well as establishing a believable, lived in version of the future, I felt that Looper really came into its own in a fantastic finale – it was a breathtaking climax which left me completely stunned. One very small quibble – I found that the CGI/ prosthetics work used to make Levitt look like a younger version of Bruce Willis were at times a little artificial looking – to me, it would have been sufficient to have Levitt aping Willis’ mannerisms and expressions, without the need for any additional assistance . Other than that minor defect, Looper is a winner all the way.

Another film which comes highly recommended is Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003. I have to confess that I haven’t seen too much Anime in the past (other than Akira, which I watched earlier this summer), but despite the fact that I may not have picked up on everything which was on screen, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It’s a beautifully animated, highly inventive picture, which sees our young heroine Chihiro take a wrong turn in the forest and take a trip to a strange world ruled over by an unscrupulous and avaricious witch. The film grounds the fantastical world (which is brilliantly realised) in a simple, but moving story of a girl needing to grow up fast in order to save the lives of her parents. I’d put it up there as one of the best animated films I’ve seen over the last few years – up there with the likes of Pixar’s Up, Ratatouille and Toy Story 3. I’ll definitely be seeking out some Miyazaki’s other work, starting with the similarly well regarded Howl’s Moving Castle.

Moving on to my selections for ‘Worst Film of the Week’:  a couple of films stood out for all the wrong reasons. Firstly, we have Revenge of the Nerds, a pretty mediocre comedy in which a group of outcasts at a Californian college decide to take drastic measures to gain some respect from the sports heroes who have the run of the place. For starters, the whole thing is all a bit predictable, with only a few minor laughs here and there and no real depth to any of the characters. It probably isn’t wise to examine this kind of film too seriously, but if I was to do so, a few criticisms spring to mind: (a) the actions of the nerds in taking their revenge were pretty cruel, and in one particular instance, the revenge skirts dangerously close to a serious criminal offence; (b) This is a common complaint with Hollywood high school/ college films, but the majority of the cast looked far too old to still be at university. A few members of the gang looked like they were closer to 40 than 18. For some reason, a couple of very good actors appear in minor roles in this picture – John Goodman and James Cromwell. I’m guessing they were just there for the pay cheque. Apparently, the film was a big hit in the ‘80s and spawned three sequels, but I can’t see myself continuing my journey with the series any further than the first instalment.

Secondly, we have Texas Killing Fields. On paper, it looked like just the sort of film I would enjoy – a police procedural, based on the real life investigation into a notorious serial killer. There’s a very respectable cast (Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Stephen Graham, Chloe Grace Moretz), and Michael Mann on board as a producer to oversee the work of his daughter Ami, who directed the picture. In practice, however, the film just doesn’t come together. The story is presented in a confusing and disjointed manner, the actions of certain characters don’t make a whole lot of sense, and a major plot thread is left unresolved. What’s more, the identity of the murderer is fairly obvious from the first moment you encounter him, meaning that the movie is a total failure as a whodunnit . Some of the cinematography is fairly impressive, but other than that, this movie offers slim pickings to fans of the genre. My advice would be to watch Zodiac again, rather than wasting your time with this one.

Kirk’s Quote of the Week

 The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

“Ed Crane: He told them to look not at the facts, but at the meaning of the facts. And then he said the facts had no meaning. It was a pretty good speech. Even had me going, until Frankie interrupted it.”

Listorama! Ranking the Coens

From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good list? I was considering making this post my top 10 films of all time, but it proved a bit tricky to arrange my favourites in order. I am instead taking on a rather smaller project - listing the Coen brothers movies from best to worst.

When I say worst, of course, it's a comparative term - I don't think the Coens have ever made a bad movie, but the bottom two films on the list are dangerously close to mediocrity. As for the rest, it was tough to choose between them. I'd say there are four tiers of Coen brothers movie - the unbelievably good (roughly numbers 1 - 5 on my list), the excellent (numbers 6-10), the very good (11-13) and the fair (14 and 15).

Anyway, here's the list. It's been done by far wiser, better informed personages than myself, but nevertheless, I present the Coen brothers, from top to bottom.

15. The Ladykillers (2004)

As close as Joel and Ethan ever got to making a bad movie, this remake of the classic Ealing comedy just doesn't come off. It certainly isn't terrible, and has a number of funny moments (many of which involve Tom Hanks as a scheming Southern professor), but the comedy is rather broad and the film as a whole is very uneven. As this movie followed the film I've ranked as number 14 on my list, I feared that the Coens might have lost their touch. Fortunately, they bounced back (as Alan Partridge has proved, people can bounce back) with a brilliant return to form in No Country For Old Men.

14. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

Another broad and only sporadically amusing comedy. George Clooney stars as a sleazy, unethical, smooth talking divorce lawyer who meets his match in Catherine Zeta Jones' beautiful gold digger.  To be honest, there isn't much to choose between this movie and The Ladykillers - they both represent the Coens at the their most uninspired. As this one's based on an original idea it gets the edge.

13. Burn After Reading (2008)

A big step up from the previous two films, I liked this one a lot more than numbers 14 and 15 on my list. A farcical spy caper involving the memoirs of a disgruntled former CIA agent falling into the hands of two moronic employees of 'Hardbodies Gym', played by Brad Pitt and Mrs Joel Coen, Frances McDormand. The bungling pair attempt to blackmail the CIA man in order to pay for McDormand's 'surgeries', with disastrous results.  The movie is a little lightweight compared to the two films which preceded and followed it (No Country for Old Men and A Serious Man), but it's still a lot of fun. Bonus marks are awarded for the shock reveal of the very special chair which George Clooney's character spends a good portion of the film working on.

12. Blood Simple (1984)

The Coens' very first movie, featuring many of the motifs which the brothers came to be known for: a dark atmosphere, snappy dialogue, a double cross or two, and an odious villain. I first saw this film in VHS format with quite a bit of background noise (which made it hard to pick up what was being said and to follow the story), and I remember not being too impressed with it. However, on second viewing I was able to see (and more importantly hear) what the fuss was all about, with excellent performances from a young Frances McDormand as the dame in peril and M Emmet Walsh as the sinister private detective on her trail.

11. Raising Arizona (1987)

A madcap comedy starring Nicolas Cage as a former criminal who marries a policewoman, then kidnaps the son of a furniture salesman. To be honest, I haven't seen this one for a long time, and maybe it would have come a little higher if I could recollect more about it than Nicolas Cage's quiff and a chase sequence involving a demonic biker. From what I recall, very funny and a little bit crazy.

10. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Despite being known for being a big box office flop for Warner Bros, I rate this one very highly. Tim Robbins stars as a naively optimistic graduate from the (not so) prestigious Muncie School of Business who is plucked from the postroom at Hudsucker Industries by Paul Newman's unscrupulous executive. His meteoric rise attracts the attention of a hotshot investigative report played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, whose speech patterns are based on the fast talking dames of '40s comedies. Though it runs a little out of steam in the second half, the film features some great characters and brilliant cinematography. Also scores highly for Tim Robbins' confusingly simplistic hula hoop design. "You know, for kids!"

9. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

In which George Clooney leads two other chain gang inmates to freedom, stopping off en route to record a hit song, evade the Ku Klux Klan and get through a lot of 'Dapper Dan' pomade. I really should say that despite being in a comparatively lowly position on my list,  I think this movie is great - the 30s soundtrack is spot on, and it features brilliant performances from a number of actors who regularly feature in Coen brothers movies (Clooney, John Goodman, John Turturro). Why, then, hasn't this film charted higher? I suppose it's just the overall tone of the film - it's generally very light and breezy, and all played for laughs. I think when the Coens are really firing on all cylinders, you get that unique mixture of the very dark and the very funny, which puts a movie like Fargo up to the very top of the tree.

8. True Grit (2010)

The most recent Coen movie, and a fine addition to the collection. As with a number of their more recent movies, the Coens have adapted another author's work for the screen, rather than writing an original screenplay. Hallee Steinfeld is excellent as 14 year old Mattie Ross, a girl seeking revenge for her father's murder in a lawless town in the American West. In doing so, she enlists the services of the drunken, short tempered Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and is also assisted by a pompous Texas Ranger (played by Matt Damon). I have to be honest and admit that I haven't seen the original version with John Wayne as Cogburn, but I'd be very surprised if it could top this movie, a really gripping (and gritty) Western.

7. A Serious Man (2009)

Probably the Coens' most autobiographical film (though they refuse to confirm just how true to life it is), this dark comedy is set in a Jewish enclave in 1960s Minnesota. The film tells the tale of Larry Gopnik, a Maths professor who goes to a number of Rabbis for advice when his life begins to unravel. Pitch black, but very funny, this one has a great soundtrack, some really funny lines and a number of highly unexpected moments. As with No Country for Old Men, it ends on an ambiguous, inconclusive note. As the father of one of Mr Gopnik's students tells us, perhaps it's best to "accept the mystery".

6. No Country For Old Men (2007)

Probably the Coens' darkest film, this movie is an adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy's novel, a sort of modern day Western set in West Texas in the '80s. Trailer park resident Josh Brolin comes across the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad in the middle of the desert, and decides to take away a suitcase full of money from the scene. Unfortunately for Brolin, the psychotic Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is soon on his trail. Chigurh is probably the scariest villain in any of the Coen brothers' movies - a relentless, murderous man with a terrible haircut, and a penchant for his bolt gun, he's somebody you really, really don't want chasing you. This one comes just outside the top 5 for me as it is just so bleak, but was definitely deserving of the Best Picture Oscar.

5. Miller's Crossing (1991)

At this point in the list, all the movies are fantastic, and it's pretty much impossible for me to separate them. But it would be a bit of cop out to have a five way tie for first place, so almost on a whim, Miller's Crossing comes in a number 5. The Coens' take on the gangster genre is set in the prohibition era, and features Gabriel Byrne as sharp witted right hand man of local mob boss Albert Finney, who is caught between loyalty to his boss and to the advances of his crass rival (played by Jon Polito). The film features it's own fascinating brand of made up '30s slang ("giving me the high hat, Tom?"), a plot which twists first one way and then the other, with Byrne trying to stay in control, and a tremendous scene in the woods in which the weaselly Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) begs Byrne to spare his life. Top notch.

4. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

A beautifully shot film noir pastiche in black and white, Billy Bob Thornton turns in the performance of his career (with the possible exception of Sling Blade) as the taciturn barber Ed Crane. In trying to raise some start up capital for a dry cleaning franchise, Crane attempts to blackmail his wife's lover (James Gandolfini). In the best possible noir tradition, this simple plan works out disastrously for all concerned (with the exception of Tony Shalhoub's sleazy lawyer), but with every twist of fate, Ed remains laconic and tight lipped, narrating his story in a deadpan drawl.  Some Coen fans don't rank this movie too highly, but for me it's nearly perfect and the more times I see it, the more I love it.

3. The Big Lebowski (1998)

In which a laid back slacker gets embroiled in a world of trouble when trying to get compensation for a soiled rug. What can you say about the movie so quotable that it's created a cottage industry of festivals, Dude impersonators, and an endless stream of hilarious quotes and in jokes? I have to confess that the first time I saw Lebowski, I didn't really get it. Sure, it was entertaining enough, but it seemed a little too wacky for my tastes. On repeat viewing, however, the genius of the film begins to reveal itself. So many fantastic characters, so many brilliant lines... The film really gets into your head, to the extent that sometimes a Lebowski quote will pop into my head when I'm in public, and leave me grinning to myself like an imbecile. Definitely the Coen's funniest film, it also provides a definitive answer to the question, do strong men also cry?

2. Barton Fink (1991)

Though it wasn't the kind of R rated movie that Bart Simpson and friends were looking for, in all other aspects this is a truly brilliant film. John Turturro plays the our eponymous hero; an earnest New York playwright who suffers a severe case of writer's block after he is sent to Los Angeles to work on a wrestling picture. The Los Angeles of the '40s shown in this movie begins to resemble hell, with Turturro trapped in the stifling confines of his cheap hotel with only cheerful salesman Charlie Meadows (John Goodman) for company.  The film features some brilliantly snappy dialogue and some of the Coen's most memorable  characters - including Steve Buscemi's chipper bellhop, Michael Lerner's deranged studio boss, Tony Shalhoub's disillusioned producer and John Mahoney's soused novelist. A vision of the dark side of Hollywood which I can watch time and time again.

1. Fargo (1996)

So, to the very top of the list. While it was touch and go between the final few films, Fargo just has a bit more heart than the rest. The reason for that is rooted in Frances McDormand's wonderful central performance as heavily pregnant cop Marge Gunderson, who is called in to investigate a multiple homicide in a quiet Minnesotan community. As is often the case with the Coen brothers, the plot revolves around a seemingly simple plan - in this case, the plan to ransom the wife of the financially troubled William H Macy, which soon escalates into tragedy. McDormand's quiet domestic bliss is beautifully contrasted against the seedy lives of the low rent criminals played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, and the grasping desperation of car salesman William H Macy. A brilliantly plotted, scripted, acted and directed movie which is perfect in just about every way.