The Coens and The Golden Compass
You can now download my conversation with radio show host Paul Edwards as we discuss the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men… and then the controversy surrounding The Golden Compass.
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The Coens… They’re Not Nihilists
Among people who write about movies, few writers capture my attention as consistently as the insightful Matt Zoller Seitz.
And now he’s eloquently making an argument for what I’ve always believed about the Coen Brothers: That, for all of their antics, their stories reflect a strong moral sense… and¬†an inclination for theological inquiry. I know that I’m inclined to be hyperbolic, but I don’t care: This is by far the best examination of this film I’ve yet encountered — and maybe the most thoughtful, revealing piece on the Coens yet written.
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The Harrelson Coincidence (?)
And speaking of the Coens, Peter Chattaway just pointed me to a blog that raises a fascinating question about No Country for Old Men.
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Through the Burton Glass
It was only a matter of time.
Tim Burton is going to direct Alice in Wonderland for Disney. But here’s the surprise. It’ll be in 3D. (And he’ll do another project with Disney too. How do I put this? Man, there’s just no safe way to talk about Burton’s famous short Frankenwenie becoming a full-length, 3D Frankenweenie.)
The Coens… They’re Not Nihilists
Say what you will about the tenets of National Socialism, at least it’s an ethos.
Did you see this discussion with the Coen brothers on Charlie Rose?
http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/11/16/1/a-discussion-about-the-film-no-country-for-old-men
Thanks for the links. In the Seitz post he wonders how many of the themes come from the author. I’ve been tracking a lot of these ideas right from the beginning of McCarthy’s novels. Most notably, Blood Meridian, The Road, and Sunset Limited all seem to explore the question of God’s existence, the problem of evil, fate, and the signals of transcendence that fill our lives and point to an Other. I’m very happen to hear that Seitz found these themes in the film, that tells me the heart of the story accurately transfered to the screen. I can’t want to see it.
-alan