The Coen Brothers bring their Tall Tales to the TIFF Bell Lightbox

The enigmatic Coen Brothers are the subject of the latest retrospective from the programmer at TIFF as starting this weekend Joel & Ethan Coen:Tall Tales kicks off 4 weeks of Coen goodness at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.  A 10 film spotlight on the  theatrical films in the Coen Brother’s cannon, the retrospective kicks off with screening of Fargo, Miller’s Crossing, No Country for Old Men and Blood Simple over the opening weekend and snakes through the month of December with screenings of other Coen Classics.

Of the opening weekend, the can’t miss opportunity lies in the stunning debut film from the brothers, Blood Simple, which is a twist driven crime noir that set the indie film world ablaze and inspired a myriad of late 80’s early 90’s rip offs that never captured the energy and originality of the Coens debut. The film features strong performances from a cast of classic character actors like Dan Hedaya, John Getz and the legendary M. Emmet Walsh.  It’s also responsible for introducing the brothers, and the film world, to Joel soon to be wife and collaborator on many Coen films Francis McDormand.

Tuesday December 3^rd brings one of the Coen’s biggest financial hits, both on screen and off, with the musically inclined take on Homer’s Odyssey O Brother, Where Art Thou? Coming on the heels of Out of Sight and Three Kings, O Brother did a lot to cement the career of star George Clooney as a bankable leading man after the disaster that was Batman and Robin . His stellar performance along with Coen regular John Turturro and character actor Tim Blake Nelson, all as members of the group the “Soggy Bottom Boys” remain iconic and still quoted to this day. Coupled with the infectious soundtrack from T-Bone Burnett, that fueled a top selling soundtrack and 2 sequels; make the film unforgettable and a pop culture phenomenon.

Rounding out the retrospective are more beloved Coen films like the hilarious Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, A Serious Man, the much adored, though slightly overrated Big Lebowski and the brothers brilliant adaptation of the classic John Wayne film True Grit.

For more information check out the TIFF Online Schedule.

Till Next Time

Movie Junkie TO

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