Mike Goes To Movies

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) The Coen brother's Inside Llewyn Davis may be one of the filmmakers' most underrated gems. The story of Greenwich Village folk singer, Llewyn Davis, never seems overly profound or layered, however, under the surface of the film lies a poetic folk tale about one man's struggle to break out of the cyclical struggle of his life and also about the momentous shifting of the world of folk music in the early 1960's. It would not be surprising for many viewers to be slightly put-off by the film's underhanded nature but this classical tall tale (a common theme throughout Coen brothers filmography) is rife for dissection, enjoyment and multiple viewings and listenings.  The story of Llewyn Davis (portrayed marvellously by Oscar Isaac) unfolds organically; he is a talented folk singer who had a string of hits with his former singer partner but, at the start of the film, he is down on his luck and trying to restart/maintain his career. The pie...

10. There Will Be Blood (2007) and No Country For Old Men (2007) Yes, right off the bat I am going to go ahead and cheat on my list... (hey, it's my list anyways, so lay off!). I place both of these films together because they resonate in similar ways for me, on top of the fact that they also do bear a number of factual similarities. Both were filmed in 2006 in the same vicinity of western Texas, released in 2007 and widely competed with each other for the highest accolades at the awards ceremonies that year. Both films take place in an arid, beautifully-shot, desert landscape, each following the machinations of a violent and unfailingly driven man. One is motivated by wealth and success, the other... well, it's not entirely known. In both, the filmmakers involved are without a doubt at the height of their crafts. Direction, writing, cinematography, editing, score and acting, among others, are all at their finest levels within these two films. It is unsurprising then t...