Rating: 
Summary: The Music of America
Review: This movie had a creative plot intertwined with wonderful music that characterizes the depression era. Clooney hit the southern accent right on (from what my Yankee ears could tell) and cleverly portrayed an American Ulysses. I enjoyed this movie to pieces and could watch it a hounded times and still laugh in all of the right places.
Rating: 
Summary: O Brother, Oh My!
Review: How can mere words describe this work of art? In no other movie have I ever seen and heard such a perfect combination of scene and soundtrack. The Music is the real star of this movie, if you are a fan of Bluegrass you will be in heaven, if you are not...you will be! The soundtrack is destined to become a classic. Clooney and Co. are convincing in their roles as back country hicks, but wizer and more intelligent than you would think by looking at them. Another stroke of genious was the casting of many of the musicians as actors in the movie...this tied the acting and soundtrack together flawlessly. I only wish the movie was twice as long!
Rating:
Summary: A gem... I was surprised.
Review: This was one of the best movies I've seen all year, and one of the funniest I've ever seen. I'm wishing now that I had seen it in the theater. Hurrah! A movie where George Clooney plays a character that's not.... George Clooney! I have never seen him surrender himself to a part with such totality. He does outshine his compatriots somewhat, however that doesn't seem to be his acting as much as it is the vitality of his character. Well written, acted and VERY funny. Lot's of memorable lines.
Rating:
Summary: Tarkovskys Cadillac Desert?
Review: First off, the brothers have amply compensated for the letdown of the "Big Lebowski". We all, after all, know LA intimately through "Starsky and Hutch". OBWAT captures the American culture in a much more colorful and deeper way than "Fargo" does. It addresses governance; in some obvious ways, but also more subtly, alluding to the effects of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), with it's zeal for dam- building on the lives of landowners. Any reader/watcher of the popular "Cadillac Desert" book/PBS-series would catch that. But what has this to do with Tarkovsky? Yes, what about the religious procession in the forest to the river? What about the hope and optimism that Clooneys character? The quest for redemption? Each is very evocative of scenes and major themes in Tarkovskys "Andrey Rublev". No, I'm not accusing the Coens of plagiarism, but rather I'd like you to consider the parallels between the two diverse Russian and American cultures.
Rating:
Summary: "I AM A MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW"
Review: I THINK THAT THE 30'S IS BON A FIDE,SO WHEN THIS WAS IN THEATRES I JUST HAD TO SEE IT! I THINK THAT THEY ALL DID A GOOD JOB,AND THE SINGING WAS COOL TOO. I HAVE THE SOUNDTRACK,AND I LISTEN TO IT ALL THE TIME,THE ONE THAT CLOONEY SINGS IS THE NEATEST! MY FAVORITE PART IS WHEN THEY ARE SINGING ON THE STAGE,AND THAT GUY CUTS THEM OFF,AND THEY START SINGING AGAIN! I ALSO LIKE IT WHEN CLOONEY IS SINGING AND HE PULLS DOWN HIS BEARD AND WINKS.YEAH,BABY! THE ONLY GUY I DIDNT LIKE WAS THAT SHERIFF,(I DID LIKE HIS SUNGLASSES THOUGH) I THOUGHT THAT HE WAS MEAN,THAT WAS GOOD WHEN THE FLOOD COMES,AND YOU SEE HIS SUNGLASSES FLOAT BY. I THINK THAT TOMMY WAS TALKING ABOUT HIM WHEN HE SAID: NO SIR,HE'S WHITE,AS WHITE AS YOU FOLKS,WITH EMPTY EYES, AND A BIG HOLLOW VOICE,HE LOVES TO TRAVEL AROUND WITH A MEAN OLD HOUND,THATS RIGHT. I ALSO LIKED THE CHAIN GANG IN THE START,SINCE IM INTO THEIR JAIL CLOTHES,AND THE SONG THEY WERE SINGING IS FROM A 1959 RECORDING OF A CHAIN GANG CHOPPING WOOD AND SINGING AND SWINGING THEIR AXES IN UNSION.NOW THATS BON A FIDE! AND IN THE SCENE WHEN THEY ARE LISTENING TO YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE, THAT REALLY IS FROM THE 20'S! NOW THAT IS COOL,SINCE I LOVE THE 20'S AS WELL,I LOVE THE CARS,AND THE MUSIC. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FILM TO ANYONE,IT IS A GREAT ONE!
Rating:
Summary: A quirky, but enjoyable film
Review: I rented this video on a recommendation from a relative. She said that it was very funny, and I have to agree with her. This movie is a quirky adventure which features three escaped convicts (George Clooney and his two bumbling counterparts) who experience an epic adventure together. Overall, the plot is quite simple (as is many aspects of the movie), but it is full of interesting scenes and witty dialogue. I was really surprised by how well that George Clooney pulled off his role, and how funny some of the rather bizarre scenes turn out. The soundtrack was also quite good, which was a nice bonus, especially considering the fact that I am not a big bluegrass fan. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys offbeat comedy, especially with a Southern flair to it. The movie is supposed to represent Mississippi back in the 30s, and pokes fun at some cultural icons from that era (to include the Klan).
Rating: 
Summary: Cast: good. Directors: good. Music: awful.
Review: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2000) First and foremost: the person who decided that the score for this film needed nominating for an Oscar should be boiled in lead. Even if some of the other pieces therein were engaging, catchy, etc., the version of "I'll Fly Away" that "graces" this soundtrack is the very resurrection of the shrieking out-of-tune harridans whose off-key warbling made the soundtracks to so many fifties and sixties musicals unlistenable. Even worse, whatever infernal power resurrected them allowed the decay of forty years of neglect to stay in their vocal cords, and they sound worse than ever. All right, aside from that, this movie was kinda fun. Far more mainstram than one expects from the Brothers Coen, especially with the nose-thumbs they presented society with in their last film, the brilliantly funny Fargo (1996). But they do go on to assert, and with enough backing to make it believable, that no, mainstream does not have to equal crap. They do this mostly the way they always do it-- by getting the finest possible ensemble cast to worm its way through their twisted scripts. In this case, Jason and his Argonauts (you did know it's based-- very, very loosely-- on The Odyssey, right?) are George Clooney, an unrecognizable John Turturro, and the slightly more recognizable Tim Blake Nelson, last scene in yet another cameo in The Thin Red Line. (Nelson's been spending more time behind the camera these days, having recently finished directing _O_, the newest film retelling of the Bard's play Othello.) They are besieged and beset by some of the more memorable characters from Homer's work, most notably a Cyclopean John Goodman and Michael Badalucco as Babyface Nelson (I know, given the number of roles this guy had, I shouldn't keep referring to him as "the guy who played Davey Zifrin on Law and Order," but jeez, he was SO good in that role...). Add in Holly Hunter, fresh from a stint in the indie world, as Clooney's wayward wife, and you've got a fun little flick. It probably won't be remembered as the height of the Brothers Coen's career, but if you turn the sound off during "I'll Fly Away," it's a worthy enough addition to the corpus.
Rating:
Summary: I am a Man of Constant Sorrow
Review: Movie Summary: It's the 1930's in Mississippi and Ulysses Everett McGill has just escaped from a chain gang. He still has part of the chain and it attaches him to his fellow inmates Pete and Delmar. Together this threesome is trying to recover a buried treasure before it is covered by the new lake that will be formed when the river is damned. Along the way they meet a Cyclops, sirens, and a soulless guitar player. They hitch a ride with George Nelson (don't you dare call him "baby face"!) and form the Soggy Bottom Boys. All the while being chased by a devil of a prison guard. My Opinion: This is an offbeat movie. Not only is the story different, but the entire feel and color of the movie is different. While some people may have problems dealing with the differentness of this film, I found it very refreshing. It was fun to watch a movie that had themes, motifs, and allusions to other classic stories. I enjoyed the story and the music very much. The Soggy Bottom Boys know how to rock! George Clooney is in great form. He always plays himself in every movie, but there is nothing wrong with that. He fits in great here. It was even fun to see the Dapper Dan Man making fun of himself. DVD Quality: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 my favorite since it fills the entire screen on my portable DVD player! Making of Feature, Soggy Bottom Boys Music Video. What You Should Do: Check it out. It's different so you'll probably love it or hate it. Either way, it deserves a look.
Rating:
Summary: I'm shocked- This is GREAT
Review: I read the reviews and thought this would be a silly yawn. Instead, I rented it, fell in love and bought the DVD the next day. I feel like I was the only person who didn't "get" Fargo. It was pleasant but for me, not great cinema. This, however, is unbelievable. And the music.....
Rating:
Summary: Feels Like Home
Review: For a Tennessee gal who discovered bluegrass and old time harmonies in the 70's in college, this movie was like coming home. Great performances and a very interesting interpretation of a classic story. Loved the classical details - the fact that the three characters ALWAYS appear in the same order (left to right), the choruses throughout - and all of the small touches that highlight the action. Crafted like a Hitchcock film -- maybe better. Great to hear Norman Blake again and Tim Blake Nelson is darned near a dead ringer for Hank Williams. (Senior.) (I sense a future career in recording, if he wants it.) One comment: next time, please let's SEE the main characters buck dance (in the performance onstage), not just watch their arms wave around! Otherwise, near perfect movie making from the Brothers Cohen, who started strong with Blood Simple and whose understanding continues to deepen as time goes by. Bravo!
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