Gotta go with O Brother.
Probably one of my top 10 favorite movie scenes of all time. It’s just…a beautiful scene. Gorgeous.
I voted for Miller’s Crossing almost by random, another day it may have been any of a few others.
Can’t decide between Big Lebowsky and Oh Brother.
No country for old men and Fargo tied for 3rd place.
No love for Blood Simple? Awesome movie and characters, see it!
Well, that is kind of the point. It is actually a satire of The Big Sleep with The Dude standing in for Marlowe, except instead of being two steps ahead of the convoluted plot he is three steps behind and never really catches up. It is great to watch film side by side.
Stranger
Stranger
My vote was for Fargo. Marge Gunderson is outstanding as the small-town police chief, and there are wonderfully creepy parts when the poor wife gets kidnapped. A great blend of humour and suspense.
Miller’s Crossing is up there but I am a big fan of Dashiell Hammett and have read The Glass Key many times, and every time I watch the movie I think of the book and how the plot would have been better if only they had included this section of the book…
O Brother… has wonderful music incorporated with the film, but I don’t like the plot as much, it seems too disjointed and haphazard to me. It probably all fits together in ways I don’t understand.
Raising Arizona is their best comedy (I haven’t seen [Burn After Reading yet.)
An intense movie that shows that the Coens had it all together even in the very beginning of their careers, but also a little crude and somewhat overplotted compared to later efforts. When Sam Raimi basically remade it (thematically) as A Simple Plan (with advice and support by the Coens) I thought it had more depth.
I’m floored to see that Miller’s Crossing has such a following for a film that is generally unknown by the viewing public and often forgotten about in reviews of Coen movies. I thought I was the only one who appreciated this film.
Stranger
I had to vote for Raising Arizona, if for no other reason than I had a tape of it in college and my roommate and I watched and quoted it endlessly. But yeah, it’s tough to pick just one.
Heh, I can think of a crapload of scenes that could plausibly make someone’s ten best list.
-
Blood Simple: near the end when Frances McDormand is hiding in a room and the person chasing her is shooting at her through the wall; the camera focuses on the holes suddenly appearing one by one, gorgeous beams of light shining though them.
-
Raising Arizona: H. I.'s late night convenenience store robbery/Huggies run.
3-7. Miller’s Crossing: Oh, so many. The title sequence, with the hat blowing through the forest. The aforementioned scene with Albert Finney and his trusty Thompson. The scene where Gabriel Byrne smacks the big goon who’s been ordered to rough him up at the warehouse, and what immediately follows. Both scenes in the woods.
8-11. The Big Lebowski: another one where we’re spoiled for choice. The scene at the bowling alley where Walter enforces the rules after Smokey fouls. The movie-within-a-movie where we learn a bit about Jesus’ background. The Dude’s dream sequence, featuring Saddam Hussein. Walter again, demonstrating what happens when you fuck someone in the ass.
12-14. O Brother: The sirens at the river. The encounter with Baby-Face Nelson. The KKK rally.
15-18. Fargo: Jerry Lundegard meeting the thugs he’s hired to kidnap his wife. Marge Gunderson interviewing Jerry (he fled the interview!). Steve Buscemi trying to hide the money after he’s been shot. Marge, Peter Stormare and the wood chipper.
19-21. No Country for Old Men: Llewelyn is discovered by thugs at the scene of the bungled exchange. Anton Chigurh tells the convenience store owner to flip a coin. Llewelyn at the hotel, and his escape from Chigurh.
22-25. True Grit: Mattie’s negotiations with the horse trader. The sequence at the cabin. The wonderful dolly shot where the camera moves between LaBeouf and Mattie to reveal Rooster Cogburn, down in the valley, about to face down Ned Pepper’s crew.
My apologies if I’ve overlooked your favorite scene.
…are you giving Miller’s Crossing the high hat? :dubious:
Dude
Ben Gazara scores another acting tour de force.
Yeah, some of the other actors were pretty good too. 
Or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.
I picked TBL as my favorite because it’s the one I’ve gotten the most sheer pleasure from over the years, and it’s climbed up into one of my top 2 or 3 favorite movies of all time. Maybe my favorite.
I also love several others on the list, though - Fargo, O, Brother, Miller’s Crossing, No Country, Raising Arizona. They do have a handful of duds, but over all, I think they’re probably the best film makers of the last 25 years.
Favorite for music: Raising Arizona
Favorite for lines: Lebowski
Favorite for cinematography: A Serious Man (especially the final scene) or Miller’s Crossing (esp. the forest)
Sorry, but I just have to leave a few of my favorite quotes here:
“Wassa matter? Did somebody hit you?”
“He fixes the cable?”
“I don’t know, they had Yodas and shit on 'em!”
“You’re such a super lady!”
Have the Brothers C ever done a DVD commentary? I think they’d have some interesting things to say.
Mind if I do a j?
You gonna share?
Really, I’m the only voter for Burn After Reading, the funniest film ever made? That can’t be right.
Tony Shaloub as a fast-talking lawyer in The Man Who Wasn’t There, talking about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle ;).
How can you choose? I can’t even start from one I like least…
I guess NCFOL was the biggest surprise for me though. And am yet to see ‘True Grit’.
I can’t decide tbh, 4 my favourite films are in the list.
I adore the Hudsucker Proxy, Miller’s Crossing, A Serious Man and No Country For Old Men. It would be very hard to pick a favourite.