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There is never
any doubt that the Coen Brothers penchant
for movies that are ‘out there’
has ever seen any rival, certainly not in
the arena of big budget Hollywood films.
There films are always just a little bit
left of center and somehow they continue
to be given a budget to work with. This
is not meant to be an insult, but rather
the opposite. It surprises me that the ‘studio
suits’ continue to give money so the
Coens can make these movies that I doubt
the ‘suits’ themselves understand.
Generally these ‘suits’ are
looking for the least common denominator.
Bombs, boobs and boobs. This they understand
and know will make money. I imagine the
look at a Coen Brothers script and just
nod their heads, pretending they understand
what they just read. All they know is the
Coen’s won an Oscar (for “No
Country for Old Men”), so they must
throw money at them. This is a good thing
for us, because even the most outrageous
of their films are extremely good.
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Now that I’ve given you the idea that I
adore the Coen Brothers, let me jump in and tell
you this is not the case. They have some brilliant
films under their belts, but they are far from
my favorite directors. “The Ladykillers”
was far from a classic. After their Oscar win
for “No Country for Old Men”, they
followed up with “Burn After Reading”
which was brilliantly funny… but brilliantly
unwatched. Their newest endeavor has fallen under
the same bus. “A Serious Man” is another
brilliant dark comedy that went largely ignored
at the box office. Fortunately, this will not
keep the ‘suits’ from giving them
money… so I will be curious to see if their
remake of “True Grit” will make a
bigger splash.
“A Serious Man” is another one of
those odd comedies that the average moviegoer
will scratch their head at. In it, we meet Larry
Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a physics professor
whose life is going down the toilet. His marriage
is ending, he has to deal with a depressed brother
(don’t we all), his children could care
less about him, and he even has a student trying
to bribe him. And to make matters worse…
its 1967… and we all know the 60’s
kinda sucked. In an attempt to find answers for
why his life is falling apart, Larry starts visiting
various rabbis… none of which offer anything
of value. As he continues down his seemingly endless
road to nowhere, we are left to wonder just how
it will end up. All I can say is with the Coens,
even expecting the unexpected won’t help
you.
The performances throughout “A Serious
Man” are spot on, for the period and for
the characters that are represented. Sthulbarg
is especially good as a man trying to make sense
out of senselessness. I’m sure most of us
have been there, wondering if things happen for
a reason. If bad things happen to good people
because some cosmic force is planning some kind
of good karma to make up for it all. I was also
very impressed by Fred Melamed, who plays the
man that Larry’s wife is cheating with.
You rarely doubt that he has everything just under
control.
The Bluray release for “A Serious Man”
offers a near perfect transfer. The video is very
clean and allows the viewer to appreciate the
production quality of a recreated period of the
60’s. The audio is also very well mixed,
allowing the Coens to immerse the viewer well
into every scene of the film. Whether a scene
is in a suburban hell or an echo-filled synagogue,
you can feel the ambience fully surrounding you.
There are only a few special features, but they
are exceptional. “Becoming Serious”
is a behind the scenes piece that offers cast
and crew interviews. These are all quite interesting,
but it is the Coen Brothers who take center stage
as they discuss how the film came to be. “Creating
1967” takes a look at how the filmmakers
recreated the period and it is a wonder how their
attention to detail is so perfect. Finally, there
is a short piece that focuses a little on some
of the Hebrew and Yiddish passages in the film,
so the rest of us can understand it a little better.
“A Serious Man”, like most Coen Brothers
films, is not for everyone. It takes a certain
level of intelligence to really get some of their
work, including this one. But for those who can
appreciate it, they will find a very dark comedy
that will have them laughing… if not somewhat
guiltily… throughout.
Directed by: The Coen Brothers
Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind
Extras: Becoming Serious; Creating 1967; Hebrew
and Yiddish for Goys
Specification: 1080p High Definition (1.85:1);
5.1 DTS-HD MA
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 2/9/2010
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.filmfocus.com/aseriousman
We'll give A Serious Man (Bluray) an A.
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