The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski.
1998 Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films & Universal Pictures.
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Elliot
Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen
Available from Amazon as a two-disc 10th anniversary edition, or as a two-disc 10th anniversary limited edition. It's got a bowling ball replica. That alone makes it awesome.

So, is this film really the so-called first cult film of the Internet era? Read on...

Way back in '91, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Bridges) is roughed up in his apartment by two thugs who has mistaken him for a millionaire by the same name, sans the nickname "the Dude", whose wife owes money to someone else named Jackie Treehorn. The two guys realize the mistake, but only after one of them disgraces himself on the Dude's rug. Later on, at the bowling alley, one of the Dude's teammates, Walter Sobchak (Goodman), urges him to seek compensation for the ruined rug from the other Jeffrey Lebowski. The rich guy, nicknamed the "Big" Lebowski (Huddleston), refuses to accomodate the Dude's request. The Dude simply sneaks off with one of the Big Lebowski's rugs, and meets Bunny (Tara Reid), the trophy wife of the Big One who also happens to be a nymphomaniac making pornographic videotapes for aforementioned Mr. Treehorn (Ben Gazzara).

A few days after this, the Big Lebowski contacts the Dude, informing him that Bunny has been kidnapped, and he wants the Dude to act as the courier for the million dollar ransom since he would be able to confirm or deny whether or not the kidnappers are the ones who had ruined the Dude's rug. His new rug is also stolen, by who we find out later is the Big Lebowski's daughter Maude (Moore), who took it back since it had sentimental value for her. Later on, Maude and the Dude sleep together. Meanwhile, Walter tries to convince the Dude to keep the ransom money and trick the kidnappers with a suitcase filled with dirty underwear. The Dude is committed to the original plan, but Walter interferes, and they are left with the million dollars. Walter's solution is to just take the Dude bowling.

From there, the Dude soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and the so-called kidnapping was really just a ruse conducted by the Big Lebowski to embezzle money from the family charity (willed there by Maude's late mother) and pin the blame on the Dude. However, a group of nihilists are still demanding the million dollars from the Dude and Walter, which was stolen along with the Dude's car shortly after the "exchange" with the "kidnappers". Walter violently fights them off, but their teammate Donny (Buscemi), a hopelessly naive ace bowler, suffers a fatal heart attack during the fight. His surviving teammates scatter his ashes over a beach, and decide to go bowling afterwards.

Highly, highly, highly recommended movie. After you get done, make sure to attend Lebowski Fest in Louisville, Kentucky!

Fargo

Fargo. 1996 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell
Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen
Available at Amazon: Special Edition single DVD, part of the Coen Brothers Movie Collection, or as part of a two-fer with Raising Arizona.

One of the greatest movies ever made, and not because it popularized "Minnesota nice". Trust me.

Jerry Lundegaard (Macy) sells Oldsmobiles in Minneapolis, and he's run into financial troubles, having fleeced General Motors. These problems are serious enough that he's begging the government for a bailout hatching a plan involving the kidnapping of his wife Jean (Kristin Rudrüd) with two acquaintances, Carl Showalter (Busceme) and Gaear Grimsrud (Stormare). Jerry gets $40,000; the kidnappers receive the other half, plus a Cutlass Ciera from the dealership. He also plans to tell his wealthy but antagonistic father-in-law and boss, Wade Gustafson (Presnall) that the ransom is one million dollars, and Jerry intends to use the difference to settle his debts. Some miscommunication between all parties follow: Jerry pitches a $750,000 investment on a parking lot which Wade initially shows interest in, and Jerry asks that the kidnapping be cancelled, but he can't get ahold of Carl or Gaear. They carry out Jean's abduction while Jerry is meeting with Wade and his accountant, where he learns that Wade wants to pursue the project by himself, and Jerry will only be paid a finder's fee.

After returning home, Jerry calls Wade to tell him his daughter's been kidnapped, claiming that the police not be contact, or Jean will be harmed. Wade only agrees to this after talking to his business partner.

The plot escalates out of control when Carl and Gaear are pulled over near Brainerd, Minnesota. After the trooper sees Jean lying in the back seat, Gaear shoots him to death with a pistol that was in the glove compartment, then orders Carl to removed the body from the highway. Two witnesses happen to drive by, and Gaear follows them in hot pursuit. After the witnesses skid off the highway, Gaear kills both of them.

The case grabs the attention of the seven-months-pregnant local police chief Marge Gunderson (McDormand), who quickly figures out the chain of events, and starts pursuing Carl and Gaear. When she first contacts and interviews Jerry, he claims not to have anything to do with the murders, although she surprises him about inquiring about a missing Cutlass Ciera from his dealership. Carl and Gaear, anxious to get paid, and feeling the heat, embark on even more madness, leaving Wade, Jean, and a parking lot attendant murdered in their path. At their hideout, Gaear kills Carl with an ax after a dispute over ownership of the car, and is caught by Marge shoving his corpse into a wood chipper. After a brief shootout, Marge arrests him, questioning why he did what he did "for a little bit of money".

Jerry does not escape the law. After a GMAC representative threatens him with legal action, Marge asks to speak with him again. When she asks to see Wade, Jerry panics and flees the interview, which is enough for Marge to call in the State Police. He is arrested in Bismarck, North Dakota at a motel. But, the whereabouts of the missing $920,000, buried by Carl after Wade was murdered (he brought the ransom money instead of Jerry), remains a mystery.

Highly, highly recommended...even if everyone talks and sounds like Sarah Palin.

Raising Arizona

Raising Arizona. 1987 20th Century Fox.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, William Forsythe, John Goodman, Frances McDormand, Randall "Tex" Cobb
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
Available at Amazon as either a single DVD, or as a two-fer with Fargo.

An early Coen Brothers effort, and it's really funny.

Herbert "H.I." or "Hi" McDunnough (Cage) is a petty criminal from Arizona who meets a policewoman named Edwina (Hunter), better known as "Ed", during his many trips to the police station she works in. Ed is recently dumped, and after Hi's latest release from the big house, he proposes to her. They get married, live in a trailer on the outskirts of Tempe, and Hi gets a job at a machine shop. Ed discovers she's infertile, and the couple is not allowed to adopted thanks to Hi's criminal record. One night while watching television, Ed and Hi see a news report about the "Arizona Quints", sons of the local celebrity furniture salesman Nathan Arizona. They decide to kidnap one of the babies, Nathan Junior.

Things predictably go haywire, with Nathan Junior being pursued not only by two of Hi's prison buddies, Gale and Evelle Snoats (Goodman & Forsythe), but by a biker-slash-bounty hunter named Leonard Smalls (Cobb) who intends not to return Nathan to the Arizona family, but instead, plans to sell him on the black market, which is what happened to him as a baby. In addition, Hi's boss Glen (Sam McMurray) tries to bully him into surrendering the kid to him and his wife, or he will report him and Ed to the police. Also, Hi and Ed's relationship deteriorates, and they come close to splitting up, but they reconcile after an unlikely soul advises them that things will eventually improve for them like they had done for him.

Highly recommended.