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The Big Lebowski |
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The Big Lebowski (Soundtrack) |
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The Big Lebowski: The Review
Directed By: Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Jon Turturro, John Goodman, Tara Reid, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Steve Buscemi. |
"Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not 'Mr. Lebowski.' You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing." The Dude (Jeff Bridges)
Coen brother films, in my opinion, are like wine. I'm not going with the obvious 'they get better with age analogy', because wine doesn't always get better with age. I'm saying they are unique, they are always a treat and it's nice to have both available nearby on a shelf when needed.
The lowdown on the Big Lebowski, if such a thing can be done with this film...Two idiot henchmen try to get The Dude aka Jeff Lebowski to pay a debt that is not his. The man they are really looking for is Jeff Lebowski, millionaire. When the duo realize their error one of them has already relieved himself on The Dude's rug. The one that really tied the room together. This simple event of mistaken identity sets off a chain reaction of almost incomprehensible logic. From kidnapping, ransom's, a Busby Berkely number on acid involving a bowling alley and so much more.
Demented, sure, but lots of fun. Take The Big Sleep and counter it with the hallucinogenic of your choice and you are beginning to know where this is going.
The entire cast are stand outs, and the film has a solid rewatchable factor. Ah, the rewatchable factor. So many little things to notice each time, from the demented dialogue to symbols that keep popping up or just little Coen traeats, sub references to their own films, or homages to others.
Admittedly a Coen Bros. flick is not for everybody, but I doubt if you were not a fan you wold still be reading this...who knows, I could be wrong but I doubt it.
Copyright© DVDwolf.com
Copyright© Written By: Rob Paul
DVD Information:
Special Features:
Cast/Crew Bios, Interview Featurette With The Coen Bros., Scene Access, Original Theatrical Trailer
Widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio with the choice of watching it in Pan And Scan.
Subtitles: French, Spanish
Audio Tracks: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround: English
Coding: Regionally Coded for Region 1.
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The DVD Review:
The interview/featurette with the Coen Bros. is a frustrating experience. You don't get a lot of insightful looks into their work and they seem to prefer to confound their fan/audience. Amusing but annoying.
If you want to get a better look into the duo you can check out the book by Ronald Bergan (Coen Bros. At Amazon) which is an not altogether enjoyable read as it comes off as quickly roughed together and seems very preachy/pretentious in parts. Especially Bergan, the author, seems a big time film snob but if you are looking for some behind the scenes anecdotes right up to Oh Brother Where Art Thou, they are here.
The Coen Bros. have yet to provide a commentary on any of their works and when they do, it will surely sell, but will it be worth listening to?
The one perk I do love about a DVD like this, though the features are a little lacking is the choice between widescreen and pan and scan. Personally I am a widescreen buff, especially on a Coen Bros. flick where there is so much to see...but for those guests who come over I can tolerate it in Pan and Scan so they don't half to complain about the 'black bars' at the top and bottom of the screen.
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