I hope this is gonna be a routine feature of Me On The Movie (!) but, anyway, I proudly present to you my tribute to Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Some of you who followed me on Twitter must have known that the two are the directors whose works I have been admiring since last month. The idea of this feature suddenly pops into my mind, perhaps since I watched the thought-provoking “A Serious Man” or the finely-written “No Country for Old Men”. So, I start collecting all of his films and watching them one by one.

Remember that the Coens are not only a director; they are also a screenwriter. They always direct films based on screenplays they wrote by themselves, but they do not always write screenplays of films they want to direct. For example, they wrote the screenplay of “Gambit”, starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz, but the film itself was directed by Michael Hoffman. Or “Crimewave”, whose screenplay was a collaborative writing by them and Sam Raimi, was directed by Sam Raimi. I will only cover the films they have directed, not written, but minus “Inside Llewyn Davis” (which has not screened yet in here) and their segment in both “Paris, je t’aime” and “To Each His Own Cinema” (which are an omnibus), IMDb listed that there are 15 feature films that the brothers have directed so far. The films are:

A rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man. But, when blood is involved, nothing is simple.

YEAR 1984 RUNTIME 99 min GENRE Crime, Thriller CAST John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya MISC winner of Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic in Sundance Film Festival 1985

When a childless couple of an ex-con and an ex-cop decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintupelets, their lives get more complicated than they anticipated.

YEAR 1987 RUNTIME 94 min GENRE Comedy, Crime CAST Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson

Tom Regan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.

YEAR 1990 RUNTIME 115 min GENRE Crime, Drama, Thriller CAST Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, John Turturro

A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.

YEAR 1991 RUNTIME 116 min GENRE Drama CAST John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis MISC winner of Best Actor (for John Turturro), Best Director, and Palme d’Or in Cannes Film Festival 1991

A naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.

YEAR 1994 RUNTIME 111 min GENRE Comedy CAST Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

YEAR 1996 RUNTIME 98 min GENRE Crime, Drama, Thriller CAST Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi MISC winner of Best Actress in a Leading Role (for Frances McDormand) and Best Screenplay (for Joel and Ethan Coen) in Academy Awards 1997

"Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

YEAR 1998 RUNTIME 117 min GENRE Comedy, Crime CAST Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore MISC listed in Top 250 IMDb

In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.

YEAR 2000 RUNTIME 106 min GENRE Comedy, Crime CAST George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson MISC winner of Best Leading Actor – Comedy/Musical (for George Clooney) in Golden Globes 2001

In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.

YEAR 2001 RUNTIME 116 min GENRE Crime, Drama CAST Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco MISC winner of Best Director (for Joel Coen) in Cannes Film Festival 2001

A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.

YEAR 2003 RUNTIME 100 min GENRE Comedy, Crime, Romance CAST George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush

An eccentric, if not charming Southern professor and his crew pose as a band in order to rob a casino, all under the nose of his unsuspecting landlord: a sharp old woman.

YEAR 2004 RUNTIME 104 min GENRE Comedy, Crime, Thriller CAST Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans, Irma P. Hall MISC winner of Jury Prize (for Irma P. Hall) in Cannes Film Festival 2004

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.

YEAR 2007 RUNTIME 122 min GENRE Crime, Drama, Thriller CAST Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones MISC winner of 4 Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director (for Joel and Ethan Coen), Best Supporting Actor (for Javier Bardem), and Best Picture in Academy Awards 2008.

A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

YEAR 2008 RUNTIME 96 min GENRE Comedy, Crime, Drama CAST Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John Malkovich MISC nominated as Best Picture – Comedy/Musical in Golden Globes 2009 

Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern mathematics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents. Though seeking meaning and answers amidst his turmoils, he seems to keep sinking.

YEAR 2009 RUNTIME 106 min GENRE Comedy, Drama CAST Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Sari Lennick MISC nominated as Best Picture in Academy Awards 2010

A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer.

YEAR 2010 RUNTIME 110 min GENRE Adventure, Drama, Western CAST Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon MISC nominated for 10 Oscars in Academy Awards 2011

My plan is, I’m gonna write my review on each of the 15 films by the Coen brothers and on the last day, I’m gonna write something I called as a “conclusion post” in which I’m gonna list their films from worst to best, and some extra trivia about them. 

At the time I write this post, I have only watched 8 of them. But don’t worry, I have the other 7 films queued for me to watch, and I have started writing reviews for the 8 watched films. Of course, I hope I’m gonna come up with another directors to be featured for next edition. I already have an idea about who is coming for next series, but perhaps you have any requests? :’)

So, let the films play and... here you go: the films of Joel Coen and Ethan Coen.