Byron Brubaker (hypathio7)

More great period detail and jargon from the Coen Brothers. McDormand and Shalhoub stand out. Johansson and Jenkins are wasted. Shalhoub's lawyer brings up the post-modern uncertainty principle, so it shares something with A Serious Man, which I loved. However, I didn't get the deep meaning of men's hairstyles and cutting hair. Thornton is too stone faced and monosyllabic to build any interest in his character. The conflicts do not ramp up enough as the story progresses.

I love the Coen Brothers' recreation of period detail. The gangster jargon is so thick at times that I had trouble following the plot at the beginning. I particularly liked Harden's and Turturro's performances. The movie looks handsome as the cinematographer says the Coens wanted it to look. It's about a man looking out only for his own survival amidst his violent world where double and triple crosses are prevalent.

I've read all the books, and even though it takes liberties with a few things, I still love it. In this most well-known adaptation, the special effects for the time, the technicolor, the quotable lines, and the simple values of brain, heart, courage, and home are what make it great. It'll always be my favorite!

This was a Disney after-school TV series, but the first few (to-be-continued) episodes were edited together to make this feature length video. It's not what you'd expect from a Disney cartoon- it's darker, more dramatic, a great mix of sci-fi and fantasy, with mythical and Shakespearian characters, and many Star Trek actors providing voices. I stand by my 5-star rating for the story of these heroes!