After finally seeing the Cohen brother's film No Country for Old Men last week, I was delighted to see that they're coming out with a new film, Burn After Reading. Here's the trailer:
It seems like it's more in the vain of Lebowski rather than the bleak No Country.
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3 comments:
I discovered this trailer about a week ago. "No Country" is worth talking about. You sound like you didn't like it?
I considered posting on it, but it did come out several months ago, so I thought it would be stupid to now get in on the discussion. But I am glad that you asked.
I think that No Country is brilliant. But several months ago, when the movie first came out, I heard the critique that the Cohen brothers make films that are incredibly well done but not necessarily compelling. I don't know if I'd agree with that blanket statement, but I might agree with it in the case of No Country.
Yes, the movie provides a poignant view of nihilism and strikes a blow against determinism (when the cowboy's widow asks the psycho to choose, he responds, "I got here the same way as this coin did.") And apart from being cinematically brilliant, the movie provides a glimpse into a particular view of the world. But it's not compelling.
Well, it does throw a blow at determinism, you're right. Whether or not it's a very successful one is a different question. I'm not saying I'm a determinist; I'm saying that any fool who watches this movie and buys indeterminism as an excuse to become an assassin is in dire need of education.
I think what makes this film so elegantly brutal is that it's so understated. There is virtually no soundtrack, yet the story is thick with this strange emotional quality that the Coen brothers tend to achieve. I agree - it's not compelling in the sense that it is a somewhat closed story. You're not asked to take up arms in the finale, but it does drive another nail into the dark coffin of commodity fetishism. Greed kills.
Even without a silenced shotgun.
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