Monday, April 21, 2008

Blood Simple: The Coen brothers first movie


So I went to see Blood Simple, latest in Regent Square theater's sunday night "Coen Head," series. I drove down to the burgh for dinner, then a movie. I decided to eat in regent sq, at one of the neighborhood pubs. The place I ate at was ok, the Map Room Pub, recently redecorated. But there were three totally drunk people at one end of the bar, and i think only one waitress who also served as bartender - needless to say, she was swamped. This one drunk woman, around 30 maybe? I couldnt tell, she was very obese and obnoxious, kept talking so loud I couldn't stand it - seems they are regulars. Then she gets on her cell phone, I will try to replicate her end of the conversation: "Jesus Christ, Sue Ellen, where the fuck have you been? Like we have been getting totally drunk without you. You mean you are at Johnny's? You fucking slept there? You fucked Johnny last night? All because you were drunk? What is Tom (evidently Sue Ellen's husband) gonna say? You ain't telling him? I thought youse guys were doing couples therapy? You still are? I ain't drivin home. I'm couching it tonight at Ron's. What? You wanna meet me at Ron's? you ain't goin home? Ok we'll both couch it at Ron's" I didnt put in all the obscenities she was using. They finally left. It was like eating dinner at the bar in the first Star Wars - every type of extra terrestrial was there. But then I walked across the street and saw Blood Simple, with about 120 other people. $8 for a ticket, so they must have made some good money that night. What a movie! Its about a small time wanna be mob guy who wants his cheating wife and business partner killed. He hires some sleazy guy to do it, but the guy has other plans. Thats it. Simple plot. But everything goes wrong. The level of violence is remarkable: guy gets shot, bleeds everywhere (thus the title) end up being buried alive, he is trying to talk even as the dirt is shoveled on him! The end is great - absolutely amazing! I could see parallels between it and No Country for Old Men, also big Lebowski. Absolutely great.

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