No Country For Old Men

[Radius]

loved it, but didnt enjoy it. I found the end quite challenging becuase it wasn't what I wanted and was against a lot of movie cliches that can be comforting. there was no payoff after sitting through a tense cat and mouse. I saw it at the cinema and I still think about all those months later. but no where near as horrific and tense as Funny Games (origional not seen the US version yet).

I think this sums it up very well indeed. Nicely done

 

[papercorn2000]

Talking of good films, I bought 'Apocalypse Now' the other week. Some of these old classic films date quite badly but 'Apocalypse Now' is still a great film by any standards.

Agreed, if it had some cowboys in it, it would be the greatest film ever!

Except possibly for Lesbian Lust part 2.

 

[Mr Pig]

Agreed, if it had some cowboys in it, it would be the greatest film ever!

It does, Kilgore.

 

[NickM]

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning - it smells like... victory"

(or something like that). I preferred Burn After Reading to No Country for Old Men, but neither is a patch on Fargo or The Big Lebowski.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

(or something like that). I preferred Burn After Reading to No Country for Old Men, but neither is a patch on Fargo or The Big Lebowski.

I agree entirely.

And whoever said that There Will Be Blood was crap either has the attention-span of a vole, or just doesn't like real cinema.

It has astonishing performances, superb cinematography and soundtrack; it is utterly dark and almost mesmerising. It is a massive film of the kind that people would say 'they don't make 'em like that any more' if it didn't exist.

 

[NickM]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that There Will be Blood was crap, but I found it rather soulless. Daniel Day Lewis visibly acting all the way through, and not a great deal else. I can't understand what all the fuss is about.

Since we've widened the remit of the OP somewhat already, has anybody else seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? I watched it again the other evening. A really terrific, and unlike TWBB a very under-noticed film, I think...

 

[Chris James]

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning - it smells like... victory"

(or something like that). I preferred Burn After Reading to No Country for Old Men, but neither is a patch on Fargo or The Big Lebowski.

Not sure why everyone always says Fargo is so good. It isn't even as good as thier original effort at the same film, Blood Simple, IME.

Miller's Crossing is miles better for example. I like the Big Lebowski though. I haven't got roudn to watching No Country for Old Men yet, although it sits on my shelf waiting for us to have time.

There Will be Blood is something of nothing and drags on a bit. Mostly it just seems a reprise of Daniel day lewis' character in Gangs of New York.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that There Will be Blood was crap, but I found it rather soulless.

Well it does centre on someone who lacks anything that might be termed a 'soul'... I guess I am in a minority on this one.

 

[NickM]

And another thing!

There seem to be lots of films with dramatic, beautiful cinematography these days - far more than there were a decade ago, I would say. I wonder if this due to some technological innovation (faster lenses?) that I don't know about?

But it is not enough on its own to make a film anything more than pretty wallpaper, as The Fall (very beautiful, and almost equally vacuous) demonstrates.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

almost equally vacuous.

Come on, saying There Will Be Blood is 'vacuous' is just wrong, whether you like it or not... it certainly has content of all kinds including a whole political undertow. I haven't seen The Fall so I can't comment.

 

[Maz]

I too am way behind the times. I must watch that film sometime.

I stumbled upon a film showing on Film4 the other day Little Miss Sunshine and I really enjoyed it. The title and précis of the film (a road trip to get a girl to a beauty pageant) would've been enough to put me off, but I'm glad I watched it.

 

[NickM]

Come on, saying There Will Be Blood is 'vacuous' is just wrong...

No, I meant that The Fall is as vacuous as it is pretty to look at.

 

[Wigsie]

Since we've widened the remit of the OP somewhat already, has anybody else seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? I watched it again the other evening. A really terrific, and unlike TWBB a very under-noticed film, I think...

+ 1
I bought it a few years ago, was very suprised and watched it loads since. Very under marketed but a great film.

 

[eldudino]

No Country for Old Men is a piece of social commentary cinema, not a gun-slinging shoot-em up. I think it is one of the best films I've seen in terms of the poignant cultural juxtaposition between the old fashioned character of Tommy Lee Jones' sheriff who wields a '45 and the menacing Javier Bardem character that represents the a-moral modern adversary. The title is the give-away that the older generation feel completely alienated by modern 'every man for himself' culture and I thought the Coen brothers demonstrated this extremely well. I must admit that it took me a couple of attempts at the ending before it all made sense but in no way do I think it lets the film down, if anything it makes the film stronger by being slightly inconclusive.

 

[NickM]

I can see the "you wouldn't want to live in the USA if you're old enough to have seen it in better days" theme, but what does Llewelyn Moss represent? He is neither old nor morally bankrupt, but he is not a straightforward emblem of decency like Marge Gunderson either.