Review: A Serious Man

Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a Midwestern Professor of mathematics and his life is falling apart.

Larry's daughter is stealing from him in an attempt to pay for a nose job. His brother is developing algorithms to win at gambling, crashing on the couch and has no plans on leaving in the foreseeable future. His son is a pothead, content to listen to Jefferson Airplane and avoid the class bullies. If that weren't enough his wife is leaving him for another professor because he is a more "serious man." Larry's entire life is upended in just the first half hour of the film!

After finding money on his desk left behind by a student, Larry tries to return the money only to find out it was a bribe. With so much bad news surrounding Larry, he is finding it harder to keep his own morality from failing. His growing sexual frustrations are thrown in his face in the form of his attractive neighbor who sunbathes in the nude. For all of his troubles Larry is constantly referred to church. In seeking the wisdom of the three rabbis, Larry is turned down.

The viewer struggles to place why God has allowed this to happen to Larry and many cannot figure out why. For many, that's the point: this happens for no reason at all.

Joel and Ethan are classified as what convention would call cynics and their latest effort certainly leads credence to that. Trying to interpret God's message in all of this is futile. Now that's not to say that this is a darkly cynical film, it also features "Somebody to Love" as a running gag multiple times.

The film looks great aesthetically as well. Cinematographer Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men, Reservation Road) calmly surveys the entire story as a very frenzied Larry attempts to put his life back together.

What A Serious Man lacks in typical Coen films: archetypes (Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Smith in No Country, Tex in Raising Arizona), their regular stalwarts in John Turturro, George Clooney, or John Goodman or several surprise murders; Michael Stuhlbarg makes up for in performance. The Coens were right to trust their lead role to a relative unknown. Not recognizing Stuhlbarg and coming into the film with no preconceived notions allows the audience to connect with his unbelievably bad luck.

Only the Coens could possibly pull off making a film this dark this funny.

***1/2 out of ****

The Best of the Decade

Over the last ten years, the cinema has given us a great deal to be thankful for: a rebirth of the Batman franchise, a series of examinations of what it means to live in this particular decade, and a mass of character studies whether they be animated or popcorn thrillers. As much as I have enjoyed the offerings, a list must be culled together for the end of the year. Except this year is different, this year ten films must be selected from hundreds. Below are some of the best of the aughts. Enjoy! 10) There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus, a scathing look at extremism in America and the evils of greed and profiteering from religion. It also features the best performance of the decade with Daniel Day-Lewis as oil-man Daniel Plainview. 9) Up A beautiful tale that entrances all ages, Up managed to captivate children and tell a tale that adults cherish as well. 8) The Dark Knight Maybe just a comic book film, but it is the best comic book film

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Months before Inception hit the theaters forums were alive with rumors that Christopher Nolan either accidentally or intentionally stole some details from another film, the Japanese anime Paprika. The biggest point of comparison for some bloggers and forum runners was the fact that both of the films featured a device that allowed a person, or people, to travel into another’s dreams and delve into their subconscious. Minor points of comparison include scenes in Paprika where the character Paprika breaks through a mirrored wall by holding her hand to it, as well as a scene where a police detective falls his way down a hallway. Claims have been made that Inception abounds with imagery similar to or exactly like the anime movie, but with the recent release of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray, and with Paprika available for several years now, an examination of the two plots can be made more fully. Let us begin with the primary claim— Inception stole the idea of a dream

Armond White's Top Ten Films on Flickchart

Armond White is film criticism’s most famous contrarian. At one moment he writes a review declaring Toy Story 3 to be the most obscene excuse for toy commercials he has ever watched, and then two weeks later types out a glowing review of Resident Evil: Afterlife . He is of split-mind for sure. But what does his Flickchart look like? Read the rest at Flickchart !

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