(This article is part of our Best of the Decade series.)
Narrowing down a top 10 list for one year is hard enough. An entire decade? It’s almost impossible. Almost. I hemmed and hawed my way through this task, debating with myself as to what titles would go where, and what titles would make the list at all. The bottom line: it was a great decade for film, and don’t let anyone claim otherwise. As of this moment, I am happy with this list. But check back in with me in a week – I may have changed my mind by then.
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(Welcome to Now Stream This, a column dedicated to the best movies streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and every other streaming service out there.)
Here we are again, standing in front of the vast wilderness of streaming. I’m sure as I’m typing this, at least five more streaming services are being created. All these options can make choices overwhelming, but that’s why I’m here. Let me make the choice for you. These are the best movies streaming right now. Let’s get streaming!
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With The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together, film critic Adam Nayman takes readers on a journey through the singular filmography of Joel and Ethan Coen. From Blood Simple through Hail, Caesar!, Nayman chronicles what it is that makes the work of the Coens so incredible. “To move back and forth through the Coens’ career is to get caught in the loop,” Nayman writes in the Introduction, “like riding a merry-go-round through a house of mirrors.”
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Posted on Friday, February 5th, 2016 by Jacob Hall
The filmography of Joel and Ethan Coen is untouchable. Of their 17 films, at least a dozen of them are arguably great films and more than a few of them are genuine masterpieces. Ranking them is a fool’s errand. I know this because I have tried. Within a year, I wanted to erase the whole thing. Their work sticks with you, attaches itself to your mind and grows with you. Minor films become masterpieces over time. Little moments reveal their layers, their profundity, upon repeat viewings. The Coen brothers filmography feels alive – it’s always growing, always changing. Even their newest film Hail, Caesar (out today) threw me for a loop. I literally have no idea how I’ll feel about it tomorrow or six months from now.
So I’ve assembled a list of ten perfect scenes from the Coen canon. They are unranked, presented in chronological order, because I do not want to impose rigid form on something that I know will shift and change within a year or two. But right now, these scenes sum up why they’re special and their work should be celebrated. Few modern artists have showcased such range and fewer have dabbled in so many different genres and forms while maintaining their voice at every moment. These scenes represent a sublime partnership and the best modern cinema has to offer.
Spoilers follow, of course.
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Posted on Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 by Angie Han
No year in cinema ever shapes up exactly the way we’d expect. In fact, it’d be boring if one did. Still, when faced with the promise of a whole new year of movies, I can’t help try and predict which ones I’ll love or hate. I put my best guesses in list form last year, and I did it again this year.
Now, in the spirit of journalistic integrity (or, less charitably, critical solipsism), it’s time for me to look back at my most anticipated films of 2013 and see just how reality measured up to expectation. Hit the jump to see how great or terrible I was at guessing what’d be my favorite films of 2013.
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When Joel and Ethan Coen were assembling their new film Inside Llewyn Davis, they realized the film posed a unique challenge: their script featured a lead character who needed to be able to play and sing just as well as he had to act, and there are other side characters who need to be able to play and sing as well. The brothers lucked out with Oscar Isaac, who turned out to be a more than competent musician in addition to being an actor of no small skill.
Three new featurettes talk about the creation of the film specifically with respect to the music — one features music producer T-Bone Burnett discussing the creation of the song ‘Please Mr. Kennedy,’ which features Isaac, Justin Timberlake, and Adam Driver. One focuses on finding Isaac and working with him, and is backed by a lot of early rehearsal footage. The last is about finding some of the supporting cast, including Timberlake and Carey Mulligan. Read More »
Posted on Monday, December 30th, 2013 by Angie Han
Thanksgiving was over a month ago, but now seems as good a time as any to thank the cinema gods for the fantastic films we got in 2013. With the usual caveats that this is more of a personal “favorites” list than an objective “best of” list, and that there are plenty of great films that weren’t included for the simple and shameful reason that I never got around to seeing them, here are the movies that made me laugh, howl, jump, and/or weep over the last twelve months.
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More than in most of the Coen Brothers films, the music of Inside Llewyn Davis is essential to the story. Character facets are revealed through the songs various musicians play, and the actors’ musical performances are as essential as their dramatic turns.
The SoundWorks collection has turned its attention to the film to create a video in which production mixer Peter Kurland and re-recording mixer Greg Orloff talk about the practical aspects of capturing and presenting the performances. Then there’s a long interview with the film’s music producer T-Bone Burnett, who discusses his work with the Coens. Read More »
Looking back on 2013, it’s hard to spot one overriding trend other than “great.” Like any other year, the superhero movies, sequels, adaptations and remakes were present, but most of them were disposable and forgettable. The greatness in 2013, not surprisingly, was from the original and unexpected movies. Films born out of the mind of talented, creative people which were executed to delightful and sometimes heartbreaking perfection. Those unique wonders of cinema make up the majority of my top films of the year, but don’t fret. There are some adaptations and sequels on there too. It’s a list that hopefully represents 2013 as one of the best in recent memory.
Over the course of the year, I saw almost 150 films that had theatrical releases. Below you can read about my ten favorites. Read More »
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