The Ladykillers (2004)
In the company of weirdos
The brothers Joel and Ethan Coen have a mark in Hollywood for weirdness. In Raising Arizona, for instance, Nicholas Cage's character is named Hi (as in hello).
Many film buffs moaned when whey learned that the Coens had joined the remake trend with their latest, The Ladykillers. However, the brothers' trademark eccentricity has made their version one of the best of late.
It was five decades ago since Alexander Mackendrick came up with one of the best British comedies of all time. In the original version of The Ladykillers, five crooks stage a robbery, but their plan goes bust whey they decide to kill a sweet, old lady in whose house the criminals temporarily lodged. A train passing not far away is the only (silent) witness to their crime.
The leader of the gang is portrayed by the later Sir Alec Guinness - funny in his buckteeth. In the remake, Tom Hanks takes on Guinness' role and wears clothes that make him look like he's auditioning for a stage play of Sherlock Holmes.
His team consists of the cigar-chomping General (Tzi Ma), Pancake (J.K. Simmons), who is struggling from Irregular Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the dumb Lump (Ryan Hurst) and Gawain MacSam (Marlon Wayans), who keeps on cursing.
The target is tha casino where Gawain is employed and the vaults are only accessible through the basement of Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall), a black widow living with an orange cat.
The setting, which is a sleepy town in the South breathing on gospel blues tunes, is perfect. The Coens are smart in letting the cat be the spectator of all that's happening - sort of reminds you of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. It puts a fairy-tale touch to the movie.
The Coens' fascination for old Hollywood i still apparent with the tidy surroundings, the noir-ish shots of the bridge at night and how the town seems not to be infected with present-day jadedness and cynicism.
The odd touches are still there (is there a really a fellowship of those suffering from IBS?), but the brothers have mellowed with age. Were they younger, the movie would've been more outrageous and consequently better. But it doesn't matter really. In a town that churns out mediocre remakes that only meant to make lots of bucks, the Coens' remake is more substantial.
(First published in Inquirer Libre on June 7, 2004)
The brothers Joel and Ethan Coen have a mark in Hollywood for weirdness. In Raising Arizona, for instance, Nicholas Cage's character is named Hi (as in hello).
Many film buffs moaned when whey learned that the Coens had joined the remake trend with their latest, The Ladykillers. However, the brothers' trademark eccentricity has made their version one of the best of late.
It was five decades ago since Alexander Mackendrick came up with one of the best British comedies of all time. In the original version of The Ladykillers, five crooks stage a robbery, but their plan goes bust whey they decide to kill a sweet, old lady in whose house the criminals temporarily lodged. A train passing not far away is the only (silent) witness to their crime.
The leader of the gang is portrayed by the later Sir Alec Guinness - funny in his buckteeth. In the remake, Tom Hanks takes on Guinness' role and wears clothes that make him look like he's auditioning for a stage play of Sherlock Holmes.
His team consists of the cigar-chomping General (Tzi Ma), Pancake (J.K. Simmons), who is struggling from Irregular Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the dumb Lump (Ryan Hurst) and Gawain MacSam (Marlon Wayans), who keeps on cursing.
The target is tha casino where Gawain is employed and the vaults are only accessible through the basement of Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall), a black widow living with an orange cat.
The setting, which is a sleepy town in the South breathing on gospel blues tunes, is perfect. The Coens are smart in letting the cat be the spectator of all that's happening - sort of reminds you of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. It puts a fairy-tale touch to the movie.
The Coens' fascination for old Hollywood i still apparent with the tidy surroundings, the noir-ish shots of the bridge at night and how the town seems not to be infected with present-day jadedness and cynicism.
The odd touches are still there (is there a really a fellowship of those suffering from IBS?), but the brothers have mellowed with age. Were they younger, the movie would've been more outrageous and consequently better. But it doesn't matter really. In a town that churns out mediocre remakes that only meant to make lots of bucks, the Coens' remake is more substantial.
(First published in Inquirer Libre on June 7, 2004)
posted by Francis Rex Alger @ 8:07 PM
0 Comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home