rating the coen brothers

these guys rock. they are masters at weaving stories that a quirky yet magical. who wouldn't want to live in the worlds they create? here is my ranking of their films:

the big lebowski. A+ i love this movie. while it gets downright weird at times, this film has moments of pure genius, and at no point does it disappoint. while some people think there is much too much cursing in this film, it doesn't bother me.

fargo. A+ this is my favorite movie that centers around a murder plot. from the characters to the settings this film paints a funny and poignant picture of desperation and hope. a great, great film.

o brother, where art thou? A+ one of the best literary translations you're likely to see, this film is fun and timeless. it also makes light of texas politics, and that is always fun.

miller's crossing. A the hardest of the films, this is a great gangster film with solid performances by everyone. a gangster film that gets slighted when naming great gangster films.

barton fink. A- i just love the leads. goodman is always great with the coen brothers.

the man who wasn't there. A a great film noir turn for the brothers. i have a soft spot for black and white films as well. this film sticks out for being stylistically separated from other coen films.

the ladykillers. B+ while this wasn't there best work, tom hanks is great and i love j.k. simmons. this movie was fun, but isn't as good as most of their work.

raising arizona. A- i know a lot of people would put this higher. this movie is great, but doesn't work for me as well as some others. it was still a great film that really put these guys on the map with most people.

intolerable cruelty. A- i like this film. it was light and fun, but it felt a little like the brother's were mailing it in. it was good, but you get a feeling it could have been better. still better than 90% of the movie out there.

hudsucker proxy. B definitely not for everyone. this film was stylized within an inch of its life. many characters came off as a bit cartoony. despite all this, i like it. you know, for kids.

blood simple. B the only thing that hurts this film is the volume of great films that came after. a great suspense film that is all the more noteworthy considering this was their first film.