Coen Brothers // Current TV

The Big Lebowski 2 with Tara Reid

Remember back in February when Tara Reid claimed she was working on a Big Lebowski... more

sbacker
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11 months ago
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Blood Memory: True Grit and the Films of the Coen Brothers

Like with No Country for Old Men, True Grit maps the crisis of its... more

Michael_K_Busch
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12 months ago
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A Conversation While...

Two thugs are sifting heroin above a strip club. What would they talk about? Religion,... more

Jason_McMahan
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1 year ago
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2 comments

Frat Boy At the Movies: True Grit

The frat boy takes a look at the Coen Brothers remake and compares it to the original.

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'Fockers' underwhelms at box office, 'Grit' shines

'Little Fockers' opened in the top spot at the Christmas holiday weekend box... more

harsh_007
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1 year ago
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The Coen Brothers Claim "True Grit" Is Not A Western

The Coen brothers' latest film, True Grit, like the 1969 version starring John... more

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1 year ago
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From the Dude to the Duke: Jeff Bridges Connects "The Big Lebowski" to "True Grit"

Jeff Bridges, in his second outing this month, stars as the cantankerous U.S. Marshall... more

jennifervineyard
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1 year ago
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True Grit Reviewed by Rotten Tomatoes on infoMania

Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox review "True Grit," the Coen Brothers remake of... more

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1 year ago
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9 comments

Potential films of the year in the final months of 2010

Do you think there are any great films left in 2010? Could anything top whatever your... more

evilbutters
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1 year ago
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Some Coen Brothers Loving with True Grit Mashup

In time for the Coen Brothers True Grit movie, best movies ever found a cool little... more

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1 year ago
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The Coen Brother's 'True Grit' Trailer (VIDEO)

The trailer for the Coen Bros. adaptation of True Grit hit the web today. The movie... more

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1 year ago
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Coen Brothers 'True Grit' Trailer Debuts (Vide

The Coen Brothers remake of True Grit has a trailer and you can check it out after the... more

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1 year ago
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How the Coen Brothers' "Blood Simple" Became "A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop"

Acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) has made the first Coen brothers remake -- by turning Ethan and Joel's first film, the bare bones Blood Simple, into the sleek black comedy A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop. The Chinese version develops the style that (eventually) put the Coen brothers on the map, but wasn't fully in place when they made Blood Simple with Frances McDormand back in 1984. Yimou talks about how his version rates.

Q: How did you first come up with the idea to turn Blood Simple into a Chinese film?
A: I have always very much liked the work of the Coen brothers. After the Olympics I didn’t have a suitable screenplay in hand to immediately jump into my next feature and then I thought back to the 1984 film that first put the Coens on the map – Blood Simple. I thought about doing a remake, but at the same time, I didn’t want to simply follow the same pattern as the original. I instead hoped to add new elements, such as a comic style and elements of structure and color from traditional Chinese arts.
Q: What was it about Blood Simple that translated easily, and what didn't translate?
A: The suspense of the film’s original plot can be adapted and one can draw certain lessons from the story, however some of the film’s social symbolism and metaphoric imagery proved more difficult to express. Therefore my decision to set the film in ancient China comes from my aim to make the story more abstract and inject it with more legendary elements.

Q: The original film is very sparse, and your film is very colorful -- how did you make that choice? The original film is also very stark, while yours is funny -- what motivated that?
A: The strong color scheme is often used in traditional Chinese folk art. There is an old phrase in China, “hong nan lu nu,” or “red men and green women,” which refers to the type of colors men and women wear during the Chinese New Year and other traditional holidays. In the film the male and female protagonists all wear combinations of red and green to reflect this. I hope that the colors of the film can capture some of the unique qualities of traditional Chinese folk culture, with a touch of exaggerated humor and the absurd.
In terms of the film’s structure, I intentionally set out to utilize some of the more symbolic elements from Peking Opera, which meant simplifying the environment and compressing the characters’ actions under the rubric of a limited space. All of the characters’ actions seem to revolve around a single noodle shop and this has to do with the Chinese operatic tradition where “you ascend the stage, as I step down from the stage; you come, I go.” In Chinese we call this zou ma deng, referring to “revolving horse lanterns,” which describes different groups of people running in circles. It represents a cyclical philosophy.

Q: Most of the Coen brothers films are distinctly American -- what other ones could or should be remade or translated (either as Chinese films, or something else)? How would you tackle them?
A: There is indeed something distinctly “American” about the Coen brothers work, at the same time there is also something quite “marginal” about their films, it is these two elements that make their films quite difficult to remake – it is just so hard to capture those qualities that make their work so distinctive. Even Blood Simple wasn't that simple -- it took quite a lot of effort to remake the film in this style. Acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) has made... more

jennifervineyard
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1 year ago
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1 comment

Micmacs: Revenge is a dish best served a deux

The films of the French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet are marked by a brand of vaguely... more

writa
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1 year ago
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1 comment

Date Night, After.Life, & The Square - The Rotten Tomatoes Show

In this episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show, hosts Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox lead... more

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1 year ago
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The Square reviewed by The Rotten Tomatoes Show

Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox join forces with bloggers, comedians, students and citizen... more

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1 year ago
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Tarantino vs Coen Brothers

Leandro Braga spent 13 days watching nearly every film directed by Quentin Tarantino... more

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1 year ago
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Tarantino vs Coen Brothers

It's like a mix tape joining together great film moments from Tarantino and the... more

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1 year ago
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Five Favorite Films with Edward Norton

Edward Norton takes time out of promoting his new movie, Leaves of Grass, to tell us... more

bstein
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1 year ago
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13 comments

wellpoint sues maine, obama postpones his holiness, CA: trailblazer or failed state?, 'too big to fail', "stay outta the woolsworth" [current top 5]

Health insurer sued Maine to increase profits

Healthcare Watch is taking on WellCare, the health insurance provider that recently made headlines for alleged illegal actions such as coercing employees to lobby against healthcare reform. The put this video together to tell their side of the story. You can weigh in here.
Should Obama meet with the Dalai Lama?

Over on the Current News blog, Andrew posed the titular question in response to news that the White House asked the Tibetans to 'postpone' a meeting with the President. My take? I don't know what you're complaining about, Andrew. Obama's decision to postpone his meeting with the Dalai Lama only opens the door for you to spend more time with his Holiness. What are you waiting for? Weigh in on this story here.
California mulls legalizing marijuana

In a shocking change of pace, this legalization story is picking up some steam on Current.com, this time from a UK perspective (e.g. the source article comes to us from the BBC). These days California is either seen as a trailblazer (as this article points out, should we adopt a legalization plan to profit off the legal sale of the plant), or a ripe candidate for the title of "America's first failed state." Tell us what you think here.
‘Too big to fail’ must end for all, FDIC chief says

F.D.I.C. Chairman Sheila Bair told the Institute of International Finance:
"I believe that the new regime should apply to all bank holding companies that are more than just shells and their affiliates regardless or not whether they are considered to be systemic risks."
Bair's comments are striking a chord with community members who are tired of the "rewarded failure" approach, but we want to hear your thoughts, too. Add to the conversation here.
Apple sues someone because their logo looks like fruit

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="It's Woolworths, not *that* Woolworths"][/caption]

Okay, I agree with all of the unjustified lawsuit claims on the basis that Woolworths and Apple couldn't be further from each other. On an unrelated note, whenever I read word "Woolworths" I can't help but think of John McConnell's mispronunciation of the store's name in the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou?, "And stay outta the Woolsworth!"

But, I have to say, if I were Woolworths I'd have to be loving this lawsuit. I mean, what better way to announce the five-and-dime's return? Oh wait, this is an unaffiliated Australian supermarket named after the original Woolworths. Nevermind. WTF Apple? Let Apple know how off-base they are over here. jh6wcyrsf5
Health insurer sued Maine to increase profits Healthcare Watch is taking on... more

mario_a
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2 years ago
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