Blood Simple Is A Sublime Inaugural Directorial Effort For The Coen Brothers

Though Blood Simple may be the very first feature-film directorial effort from The Coen Brothers (like all their earliest works, only Joel Coen is credited due to DGA regulations), this movies does not come off as some sort of watered-down version of the duo's later filmmaking. There's already a noticeably assured hand behind the camera that brings to life a Texas-set noir with real flourish. To boot, it's interesting to note how Blood Simple feels like a combination of two of the Coen Brothers best works that would arrive more than two decades after Blood Simple arrived into theaters. Specifically, Blood Simple combines the grim Southern crime aesthetic of No Country For Old Men with the inexperienced criminals getting out of their element aspect of Burn After Reading.

A Serious Man Review (Classic Write-Up)

In many of the films by The Coen Brothers, religion may play a role as one of many themes bouncing around in a certain plotline (such as in works like Hail, Caesar!, O Brother, Where Are Thou? or No Country For Old Men), but for their 2009 feature A Serious Man, religion comes forth as a primary player in the entire endeavor. Specifically, Judaism, the faith the directorial duo were raised in and the one in which our lead character, plays  a crucial role in the ballad of Larry Gopnick (Michael Stuhlbarg), who confides in the religion for answers in his time of immense personal turmoil.

Film On The Television (10/7/2015): No Country For Old Men on Starz Edge

Many winners of the Best Picture Oscars see their reputations plummet after receiving such a prestigious award. The likes of Shakespeare In Love, Crash and A Beautiful Mind have become punchlines in the years since due to their being deemed the "unworthy" Best Picture winners by many pundits. One film that's managed to avoid such a fate (an impressive feat due to how much good cinema was released in 2007) is No Country For Old Men, a Coen Brothers effort that's overflowing with taut sequences of expertly crafted tension.

The Next Coen Brothers Movie Has A 2016 Release Date!

Whether it's through True Grit, Inside Llewyn Davis, Burn After Reading or the incomparable No Country For Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen have been an unstoppable directing duo in the 21st century after breaking through in the 90's with the likes of Fargo and The Big Lebowski. The duo will have a new movie called Hail Caesar! out soon, with a cast that includes Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.

Classic Write-Up: No Country For Old Men Review

You're Not Ready For What's Coming

This review contains Spoilers

Texas is a state that seems to be constantly at war with itself. There are cities of course, hustling and bustling metropolises overflowing with activity. Yet, the state is so big that there's a wider array of terrain than just cities. Sometimes there's old-timey towns that seem to have been sent from the year 1957. Others are emtpy vistas of sand and rubble. Where I live in Texas is predominantly business driven, with a Wal-Mart or such stores around every corner. But the ideals of the folks certainly do seem old-fashioned at times, which makes for a fascinating paradox. And really, what better state to set a tale like No Country For Old Men depicting universal thoughts of humanity than in a state that is a relentless quandary?