 The Coen BrothersFor as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of the Coen Brother's work. I was first introduced to their work with what I consider one of the best films ever made, ever produced, ever acted. Barton Fink.It might have been a poor choice to start off with. Fink, made in 1991, was the Coen Brother's fourth film, having started out with the low budget, but timeless classic Blood Simple (1984) then onto one of the best comedies ever made, Raising Arizona (1987) and following with one of the most original takes on the mob genre, Miller's Crossing (1990). It was by this time that the two brother's had established themselves as the writing, producing and directing team ever to hit Hollywood. Whatever they touched turned to gold. Fink was no different. Winning the Palme D' Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1991, the brothers paved the way for them to make a much more lavish production, The Hudsucker Proxy. Brilliantly written with the help of college friend Sam Raimi, I don't think there is one wasted frame in the entire movie. But it must have been some strain on them, because their next film, Fargo, seemed tiny next to Huducker, but no less of a film. Fargo ended up taking the Best Actress (Frances McDormand, who is married to Joel Coen), and Best Screenplay catagories. Another film that paved the way for a much more eccentric film, a cult favorite, though not much liked by the critics, The Big Lebowski, a fun movie about a bumbling bowler (Jeff Bridges) who finds himself wrapped in a kidnapping mystery. Their latest film, O' Brother, Where Art Thou? has come away with mixed reviews. Go visit the official site here! Also, you can read my review here! Great pages on The Coen Brothers. Here's a great site on Miller's Crossing. All of the scripts are in PDF format - Enjoy them. They are not for sale, they are for educational purposes ONLY. John Painz
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