The Dude Abides
Jeff 'The Dude' Lebowski is a professional slacker and amateur bowler who spends his days drinking White Russians dressed in a robe and plastic sandals. Two thugs break into his apartment and beat him up to get his money. They soon realize they got the wrong Jeffrey Lebowski. His Dudeness then decides to meet this millionaire Lebowski to get compensation for his damaged rug that was peed on during the incident. After the Big Lebowski's trophy wife is kidnapped, The Dude is in charge of delivering the ransom to get her back. The Big Lebowski
marks a high point in The Coen brothers' career. They created an icon of the 90s with The Dude. He became a god-like figure for many. A guy adored by a generation thanks to his unique philosophy and style. I don't think The Dude could have been interpreted by a better actor than Jeff Bridges. He rocks the laidback attitude with a disconcerting comfort. Not to mention that his hair is so sleek, I'm hypnotized by it. The Bridges/Goodman/Buscemi trio is hilarious and the additional characters portrayed by talented actors like Julianne Moore, or Philip Seymour Hoffman are the cherries on top of this psychedelic cake. The Big Lebowski
is one quotable masterpiece punctuated with bizarre dreamy scenes specific to the Coen bros. I don't know what they are on when they write their screenplays but I sure want some. The soundtrack, featuring Bob Dylan and other rock gems, partners with the weird screenplay to make you feel high as a kite. The plot suddenly becomes secondary and my main pleasure is to watch Jeff Bridges evolve in The Dude's colorful pants side by side with the wrathful veteran mastered by John Goodman. The characters and situations crack me up because they're all so incredible. The story is narrated by a cowboy, the villains are German nihilists, and John Turturro, who appears only for a few seconds on screen, is a bowler/sex-offender named Jesus. If that isn't random brilliance, I don't know what is.
marks a high point in The Coen brothers' career. They created an icon of the 90s with The Dude. He became a god-like figure for many. A guy adored by a generation thanks to his unique philosophy and style. I don't think The Dude could have been interpreted by a better actor than Jeff Bridges. He rocks the laidback attitude with a disconcerting comfort. Not to mention that his hair is so sleek, I'm hypnotized by it. The Bridges/Goodman/Buscemi trio is hilarious and the additional characters portrayed by talented actors like Julianne Moore, or Philip Seymour Hoffman are the cherries on top of this psychedelic cake. The Big Lebowski
is one quotable masterpiece punctuated with bizarre dreamy scenes specific to the Coen bros. I don't know what they are on when they write their screenplays but I sure want some. The soundtrack, featuring Bob Dylan and other rock gems, partners with the weird screenplay to make you feel high as a kite. The plot suddenly becomes secondary and my main pleasure is to watch Jeff Bridges evolve in The Dude's colorful pants side by side with the wrathful veteran mastered by John Goodman. The characters and situations crack me up because they're all so incredible. The story is narrated by a cowboy, the villains are German nihilists, and John Turturro, who appears only for a few seconds on screen, is a bowler/sex-offender named Jesus. If that isn't random brilliance, I don't know what is.
is no exception. Fink is a New-York playwright in the 40s. His play being such a success, he is asked to move to Hollywood to write a screenplay for a wrestling picture. He soon faces writer's block with a hint of solitude. But he meets Charlie who is not really who he pretends to be. The acting part is good: John Turturro loses it as the perfectionist and lonely writer and John Goodman, the so-called insurance salesman, is deliciously scary. I like the imaginative angles and the use of silence and background noises that make you feel claustrophobic and uneasy. There is no problem whatsoever about the cinematography and the artistic side. It is just the storytelling that is confusing. The end raises more questions than it answers. Despite my mixed feelings about this Joel Coen movie, I really liked his message on the necessity of pain to create and the expat loneliness. Everyone is familiar with the terrible writer's block and the pressure to create. You can easily relate to Barton when your inspiration fades away. Barton Fink is another tale about manipulation and disrespect made in Hollywood. A topic I'm never sick of talking about.