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Reviews13
Toad--'s rating
Having gone through a horrid dry spell for good movies recently, which hit rock bottom when I found myself, out of desperation, watching Vertical Limit, the Coen Brothers have come through once again, and have they ever.
Let me start by stating that I'm biased - about 4 months ago I fell in with a few fellows playing old time music, so it's been on my mind lately. And what made this movie for me was definitely the music: The obvious hit is the Soggy Bottom Boys doing I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow, but the high points for me were the baptists singing Down to the River to Pray, The Siren Song, and Ralph Stanley providing the voice for O Death. The presence of Jerry Douglas on dobro in a few scenes ain't too shabby neither. For a fan of old time/mountain music, this movie is like a shot of heroin - you will be back again and again.
But even without the music, the movie features that Coen Bros touch, a little bit odd without descending into overt weirdness, and somehow true to life - there were some truly hilarious moments, and moments of such beauty that I was shaken.
I have only one complaint that I can make about this movie, and it's a petty one: during some of the musical numbers, you could clearly hear instruments being played that weren't being "lipsynced" onscreen, and sometimes the lipsyncing was a bit off. However, that didn't bother me enough to keep me from giving this flick a well-deserved 10.
Let me start by stating that I'm biased - about 4 months ago I fell in with a few fellows playing old time music, so it's been on my mind lately. And what made this movie for me was definitely the music: The obvious hit is the Soggy Bottom Boys doing I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow, but the high points for me were the baptists singing Down to the River to Pray, The Siren Song, and Ralph Stanley providing the voice for O Death. The presence of Jerry Douglas on dobro in a few scenes ain't too shabby neither. For a fan of old time/mountain music, this movie is like a shot of heroin - you will be back again and again.
But even without the music, the movie features that Coen Bros touch, a little bit odd without descending into overt weirdness, and somehow true to life - there were some truly hilarious moments, and moments of such beauty that I was shaken.
I have only one complaint that I can make about this movie, and it's a petty one: during some of the musical numbers, you could clearly hear instruments being played that weren't being "lipsynced" onscreen, and sometimes the lipsyncing was a bit off. However, that didn't bother me enough to keep me from giving this flick a well-deserved 10.
Watching this movie was a remarkable experience. It makes one see just how stunted and amateurish 99% of the movies coming from Hollywood are. From the storyline itself, to the direction, to the incredible performances, especially by Michel Blanc, it's like driving a beater all your life and then getting behind the wheel of a Mercedes - so that's what all the fuss is about!
Words like Masterpiece and Must-see come to mind.
Words like Masterpiece and Must-see come to mind.
This movie gets a 10 rating for the opening scene alone.
Essentially, this is the story of Yugoslavia, which is a story of war, politics, deception, the distortion of history, great laughter and great sorrow. This might sound a bit pretentious, but the makers put forth a valiant effort to put this all across, and to some degree, they succeed.
Part comedy, part tragedy, part Fellini, part Jeunet & Garo, part Lynch, part slapstick and part opera. The characters are over the top and passionate, the plotlines are bizarre and surreal, and yet both are very real as well, and there are strokes of pure genius, such as the ever-present brass band which is the highlight of the movie for me.
Rarely have I seen illustrated with such perfection the monstrous perversion that communism became from its noble, idealistic roots.
This movie does deserve to be watched. The one major fault with the film, and probably the reason it hasn't recieved the attention it deserves, is the length and pacing. There were numerous scenes that could have lost half of their dialogue without losing any important content or impact. The movie is 2.5 hours long, and you really feel the last 45 minutes drag, but if you make it all the way to the end, I feel it's worth it.
Essentially, this is the story of Yugoslavia, which is a story of war, politics, deception, the distortion of history, great laughter and great sorrow. This might sound a bit pretentious, but the makers put forth a valiant effort to put this all across, and to some degree, they succeed.
Part comedy, part tragedy, part Fellini, part Jeunet & Garo, part Lynch, part slapstick and part opera. The characters are over the top and passionate, the plotlines are bizarre and surreal, and yet both are very real as well, and there are strokes of pure genius, such as the ever-present brass band which is the highlight of the movie for me.
Rarely have I seen illustrated with such perfection the monstrous perversion that communism became from its noble, idealistic roots.
This movie does deserve to be watched. The one major fault with the film, and probably the reason it hasn't recieved the attention it deserves, is the length and pacing. There were numerous scenes that could have lost half of their dialogue without losing any important content or impact. The movie is 2.5 hours long, and you really feel the last 45 minutes drag, but if you make it all the way to the end, I feel it's worth it.