Rojo
The Block-buster and the Cohen's
What is you’re favourite Cohen Brothers movie. A hard question I know but a worthy one of posing. For many years these incredible film makers have been the Kingpins of Indy cinema but there attempts to break into the “block-buster” realms seemed not to have worked, why?
Well I can only guess at that and my two answers are probably right. One there movies aren’t for every one. Now I know that seems so obvious and lucid that you may be sitting there going why is this man pointing this out? But there brand of dark humour is an acquired taste, not as acquired as say scallop and black pudding but a little thought is required to enjoy the Cohen Brothers. The general film going audience doesn’t go to the movies to think, they go there for the opposite, to escape thought, to be taken on a ride. I love to be taken on a ride where no thinking is required (this partly explains my deep enamour for action films.) But often the ride is more enjoyable if we the passenger ask why are we taking this route, and where is exactly are we going. A prime example of this would be Barton Fink. One can be lost so easily with the scenery of this film that one can be forgiven for failing to ask “where are we going”? One cannot be forgiven for the statement “this film is arse I don’t understand it”. This is a illustration of ignorance.
The other reason, their films aren’t the block-buster type. Which is a illustration of film nowadays. Sadly a block-buster films these days has to have one of the following. Amazing special affects (a car fighting a plane over a skyline) an A-list actor (Cruise, Pitt, Damon, Clooney*) and a heap of cash behind it. A saturation of advertising (which really means nothing, and people we should be weary of film that are thrashed to us in the press, often this is a mask for how woeful they are, case in point “Pear Harbour).
It seems a well scripted, technically sound films that have a slight hint of abstract quirkiness can’t be considered. Example “Fargo”, brilliant and incredibly funny film, but ask most people if they have seen Fargo and Pear Harbour, most will say the latter but not the former. Ok that is an assumption but I feel it’s quiet a safe one.
I began writing this thinking I was going to write about my deep love for the Cohen brothers but as with many things in life one sets about on a path and ends up on a road. I have somehow come across a disappointing trend amongst film audiences these days, or I have realised my own arrogance with regards to film, a bit from both columns I would say.
I think we need to redefine the term block-buster (just as we need to redefine the word gay. Gay: cheesy, corny). When an obscene amount of money is spent on a movie this does not make it a block buster. If a movie makes an obscene amount of money if could be considered a block-buster. A block-buster movie isn’t always a great movie, and great movies tend not to be block-busters. In fact the term block-buster (what the hell does that mean anyway) should be removed from all movie lexicons. Great, Good, Gash. This is all we need really.
Block-buster, you know I have never seen a movie shatter a block, actually I lie. I once strapped c4 to a video tape of King Kong, I then packed that into a cinder block and set it off, now that became a block-buster instead of a disappointing story between a women and an over-grown ape.
*George Clooney was in “Oh Brother Where art Thou?”
Well I can only guess at that and my two answers are probably right. One there movies aren’t for every one. Now I know that seems so obvious and lucid that you may be sitting there going why is this man pointing this out? But there brand of dark humour is an acquired taste, not as acquired as say scallop and black pudding but a little thought is required to enjoy the Cohen Brothers. The general film going audience doesn’t go to the movies to think, they go there for the opposite, to escape thought, to be taken on a ride. I love to be taken on a ride where no thinking is required (this partly explains my deep enamour for action films.) But often the ride is more enjoyable if we the passenger ask why are we taking this route, and where is exactly are we going. A prime example of this would be Barton Fink. One can be lost so easily with the scenery of this film that one can be forgiven for failing to ask “where are we going”? One cannot be forgiven for the statement “this film is arse I don’t understand it”. This is a illustration of ignorance.
The other reason, their films aren’t the block-buster type. Which is a illustration of film nowadays. Sadly a block-buster films these days has to have one of the following. Amazing special affects (a car fighting a plane over a skyline) an A-list actor (Cruise, Pitt, Damon, Clooney*) and a heap of cash behind it. A saturation of advertising (which really means nothing, and people we should be weary of film that are thrashed to us in the press, often this is a mask for how woeful they are, case in point “Pear Harbour).
It seems a well scripted, technically sound films that have a slight hint of abstract quirkiness can’t be considered. Example “Fargo”, brilliant and incredibly funny film, but ask most people if they have seen Fargo and Pear Harbour, most will say the latter but not the former. Ok that is an assumption but I feel it’s quiet a safe one.
I began writing this thinking I was going to write about my deep love for the Cohen brothers but as with many things in life one sets about on a path and ends up on a road. I have somehow come across a disappointing trend amongst film audiences these days, or I have realised my own arrogance with regards to film, a bit from both columns I would say.
I think we need to redefine the term block-buster (just as we need to redefine the word gay. Gay: cheesy, corny). When an obscene amount of money is spent on a movie this does not make it a block buster. If a movie makes an obscene amount of money if could be considered a block-buster. A block-buster movie isn’t always a great movie, and great movies tend not to be block-busters. In fact the term block-buster (what the hell does that mean anyway) should be removed from all movie lexicons. Great, Good, Gash. This is all we need really.
Block-buster, you know I have never seen a movie shatter a block, actually I lie. I once strapped c4 to a video tape of King Kong, I then packed that into a cinder block and set it off, now that became a block-buster instead of a disappointing story between a women and an over-grown ape.
*George Clooney was in “Oh Brother Where art Thou?”
