Together with brother Joel, one of the prime Hollywood directors with a unique and recognizable signature. Balancing between crime and dark/absurd comedy, their oeuvre is vast, varied and it has something for practically everyone.
Movies
Ethan Coen, solo. I generally don't mind the films of the infamous brothers, but I rarely see signs of true mastership in them. They had some more interesting films during the late 90s/early 00s, but few of them got me truly excited. For me at least, Drive-Away Dolls is his best film in almost two decades, but the popular consensus seems to be disagreeing. Two young lesbians go on a trip to Florida. They rent a car, inadvertently making them accomplices to a criminal scheme. The car holds an important briefcase, the girls are wholly unaware but they have two henchmen on their backs, who are trying to track them down as quickly as possible. Make no mistake, the comedy is pretty crude and blunt. If you want subtlety, you're not going to find it here. Not like most comedies that are made these days. The performances are good too (very self-aware), the plot is fun, the runtime is nice and short and the pacing is slick. It's nothing too special, just some prime entertainment. A welcome surprise.Read all
A 6-part anthology western helmed by the Coen brothers. It starts off pretty well, with some edgier bits and some trademark Coen weirdness, but the latter stories are a tad more dramatic and fail to be as engaging. The film can't maintain pace and quality, which is a shame because the first half was very promising.
Chacun Son Cinéma
Paris, I Love You
