The Coen Brothers!!!

The first Coen brothers movie I saw was No Country for Old Men when it first came out. I didn't understand it very well so i only watched half and threw it aside dissapointed. But after studying some of the Coen's other work in our recent unit, I realized what an amazing movie No Country for Old Men is, and more importantly what amazing directors the Coen Brothers are. They have a unique, comical style that is way different from other directors we have studied. The script and scenery always do a great job of reflecting the tone and theme of the movie, (like in No Country) and all the quirky elements come together to make a really fun movie to watch, even when the plot is dark and depressing. In Fargo for instance, The two police characters play up the "minnesota nice" persona and can make the most death-ridden, dreary scene seem comical.

My favorite part about the coens movies are the mannerisms of their characters, and how they poke fun at them throughout the movie. In Raising Arizona, all the characters had a dorky unkempt hick attitude that was very comical to watch, but you could always tell they had good intentions at heart. Just some of the situations H.I. got himself into without really doing anything wrong were hysterical. whether it was repeatedly robbing convienence stores with an unloaded gun, or breaking hell loose in a nearby store chase, the audience was always rooting for him. My opinion on Coen Brothers movies has definatly reversed in the last couple of weeks. I am super excited to see the Coen's new minnesota-based movie when it comes out, I'm sure it will be good!

Corpse Bride = Radical!

Wow, where do I start! Corpse Bride was amazing, the animation was perfect, the plot was super unique, and it had that classic Tim Burton feel to it. The characters, cinematic style, and narrative exemplified his dark, creepy yet humorous style. The main character, Victor (played by Johnny Depp), Is a shy, clumsy, boy who is about to be wed in a forced marriage to a shy girl named Violet (played by Emily Watson). Despite their cruel, scheming parents who are only marrying them off for money, they fall in love with each other but are torn apart by a corpse bride (played by Helena Bonham Carter) seeking eternal love. The plot has a few dark twists to it, but to the audiences deight Violet and Victor's love prevails in the end. Tim Burton's work always has such a unique feel to it, and you can tell he puts so much time into details of every aspect of the film. It was amazing to watch the corpse bride's dress as it floated down a flight of stairs or blew behind her in the wind. The animation gave the movie a creepy and almost comical feel, and made you curious about the unique visuals you haven't seen before in other movies. His films have a dark undertone that is offset by characters' outlandish facial or body structures, or the odd shapes of everything in the set. Corpse Bride was not an exception to these traits. Weirdly, as i was watching the movie, I thought of the many Dr.Suess books I read as a kid, and the movie The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Dr.Seuss also has a unique feel to his writing, and almost puts you in his own fantasy world just like Tim Burton's animated movies. The music and color were outstanding and played a huge part in pulling the film together. The original score by Danny Elfman addded to the effect, the orchestral and piano music had a light, erie tone. I'll have to admit I was suprised when the characters started singing, I should have done more research before watching haha. The last element that brought the movie together was the use of color. All the colors were neutral, dark hues of mostly black, blue and gray. He seemed to play with color in the death-world by actually making it seem more bright and lively than "upstairs" in the real world. Tim Burton pulled everything together in Corpse Bride to create a real masterpiece that exemplifies his unique style. I would for sure give this movie 5 stars! Oh, I almost forgot, I found this review helpful and I really agree with it! check it out if you want! Corpse Bride Review