When one gets the opportunity to watch a film directed by the Coen Brothers, there comes with it a feeling of uniqueness that cannot be matched by any other film or director(s). There are several aspects in the movie melting pots that are the Coen Bros. movies that show up frequently in most of their films. One major plot device that they use is the propulsion that Greed has on the story. Throughout their films Greed serves as a catalyst to launch the zany plot into full throttle. In Raising Arizona, the character played by Nicholas Cage succumbs to the greed of not having a baby, so he steals one. In Fargo, William H. Macy's character wants some of his wealthy tight-wad of a father-in-law's cash. Finally, in No Country for Old Men, the plot revolves around the suitcase full of money that is sought by the main characters. 

Another quirky twist the Coen's put into their movies is an "ultimate bad-ass". He shows up in Oh! Brother, Where Art Thou as the ever-hunting sheriff. Another example of the manifestation of evil is in Barton Fink, where John Goodman plays a metaphor for the devil. 

It's all of these components that make up a classic Coen Brother's movie. It's what makes them so darn good too. All i have to say is "keep it up!"  

Altman post

for this post i will be writing about the final scene in the Long Goodbye. Philip Marlowe has just found his friend whom he thought was dead, and instead of comforting Marlowe, the friend just makes matters worse as he confesses to the murder of his own wife and the betrayal of Marlowe. This is a shock not only to the main character but also to the audience, who have been brought up to believe that at the end of a movie the main character is suppose to smooth everything out and make it all better. The situation presented to Marlowe is one of increasing aggrivation; throughout the whole film he stuck up for this friend through thick and thin, no matter what other people tried to convince him. His friends supposed innocence is pretty much all that is driving him to do these zany tasks, so in the end when it all comes down, you shouldn't be too suprised when he finally snaps and shoots his once close friend. 

another way you can look at this final scene is that it connects with Marlowe's relationship to his cat. He takes care of it, puts up with it's nagging for food, he even goes out of his way to trick it into eating a different brand of cat food because it's too picky to eat any other brand but his favorite. In the end, if the cat doesn't get what it wants, it leaves Marlowe in the dust. We never really see the cat again after the first scene, which tells us that he can survive without Marlowe's help, convienent as it may be. 

The bottom line is this; both the cat and Terry were using Marlowe's good nature to his disadvantage. They know that he's a push-over and that they can get him to go along with almost anything. But if they push him too far, he can't really be relied upon to protect them anymore.