Search for:
Please don't Burn this after reading
Can the Coen Bros. do it again?
4:00 am Sep 4 - by Scott Frankel – buzz Writer
Disaster Movie
MPAA Rating: PG-13Current Showtimes: No showtimes available
The Dark Knight
Buzz says:
MPAA Rating: PG-13Current Showtimes: No showtimes available
WALL-E
Buzz says:
MPAA Rating: GCurrent Showtimes: No showtimes available
Related Venues
Beverly Cinemas »Address: 910 Meijer Drive Champaign, IL 61822
Phone: (217) 359-4995
Show on map
Savoy 16 Theater »
Address: 232 W. Burwash Ave. Savoy, IL 61874
Phone: (217) 355-3456
Show on map
Related Articles
With their Oscars comes an increasing amount of pressure for the Coen Bros.
Even before their acclaimed No Country for Old Men took home four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), their films have been the byproducts of auteurs at work. The Coen Bros. categorize their films with eccentric characters, long takes and “abrupt” endings. (I put “abrupt” in quotes because even though their films do end rather suddenly, the story’s climax comes somewhere in the middle, establishing them as unconventional storytellers). The Coen Bros. are “acquired taste” directors, and while I’m not a huge fan of Ethan and Joel, I do very much look forward to Sept. 12’s Burn After Reading.
And my reasoning comes down to two main things: a newfound (although always skeptical) approach to recent Hollywood releases ... and Brad Pitt.
While crap such as Disaster Movie will always look to gather some loose cash, for the most part, Hollywood has impressed in 2008. This summer, we were pleasantly provided with movies like Iron Man, The Dark Knight and Wall-E. And although these movies fall under a different genre than Burn After Reading, studios know what kinds of films will attract the masses. Burn is the film Focus Features will use to both conclude a summer of success as well as jump-start the upcoming season of “artsy” award winners.
Recent movies have capitalized on the eccentricity of characters to wow audiences, and with stars like George Clooney, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand, we can pretty much anticipate the most entertaining sense of wackiness around. But pay particular attention to Brad Pitt. He’s one of those actors who has the capabilities of winning an Oscar (he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Twelve Monkeys) but never has. He’s skated by on his good looks up to now, but I think Burn will be his “breakout” role. I’m basing my hypothesis solely on what I’ve seen of him in the previews, but he’s due for a Best Supporting Actor award. The Coen Bros. will take Pitt further than the Ocean’s series ever could.
Burn After Reading will be very character-driven as opposed to primarily suspense-driven like No Country for Old Men. But being the established auteurs they are, the Coen Bros. will still entertain, creating an inevitable wave of acclamation. And while the last thing I want to do is hype up a movie that: a) I’ve never seen and b) is made by the risqué Coen Bros., I realistically believe we won’t be burning anything after viewing.
Sound Off
Last post: Sep. 9, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Matt Carey (Matthew Carey) said on Sep. 9, 2008 at 9:25 pm:
If you're a fan of Brad Pitt, you need to see The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. Quite possibly the most overlooked film of the last 10 years.
Jeff Brandt (Jeff Brandt) said on Sep. 4, 2008 at 3:58 pm:
I don't think the Coens are going to get back-to-back Oscars for Best Picture, but that's no reason not to anticipate this film. To me, the only thing more respectable than a great artist (or great artistic duo) is a great artist who can produce a slew of great art in a short period of time. I love Quentin Tarantino, but God bless him, he takes too long to come out with new movies.
I'm crossing my fingers that I get to review this one.