Two Coen Brother Movies: Burn After Reading and No Country for Old Men

2008 comedy

Rating: 14/20

I could watch John Malkovich screaming "Fuck!" at people all day. He's so over-the-top and good in this movie, and his best scene might be where he's shown watching The Family Feud for no reason at all. Heck, I could watch John Malkovich watching The Family Feud all day.

This movie isn't without its problems and it seems like a Coen Brother excursion rather than a real movie meant to be taken seriously. Still, it does its comedic job well, has some memorable and loony performances, and has a few really memorable moments. It works as a comedy when it doesn't work as a Coen Brothers' movie.


2007 classic

Rating: 19/20 (Dylan: 12/20)

Maybe they were tired after making this modern masterpiece based on the Cormac McCarthy novel. This one is so heavy that it's tiring. It's entertaining from beginning to end, but this is one of their darkly serious movies with only brief moments that might be considered dark comedy.

A treatise on how the consequences of our choices lead to inescapable fate that chases us as relentlessly as we try to flee disguised as popular entertainment? Beautiful and grand. I think this is a movie that will be important forever, and I think every single moment in the movie is important to contributing to a dire theme. There's really not a second wasted in this one, and that's what makes it so great.

I already wrote poorly about both of these movies. Find Burn After Reading here and No Country for Old Men here. Or don't find them there because none of it is actually worth reading.

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