Top 10 Performances in a Coen Brothers Movie

I saw No Country For Old Men over the weekend. This was my most anticipated movie of the fall, and it didn't disappoint. So far, it's my favorite movie of the year.

Rather than write a glowing review, like pretty much everyone is, I thought I'd pay tribute to the Coen Brothers by creating a list of the top 10 performances in Coen Brothers movies.

First, a note... It's been years since I've seen Millers Crossing, Blood Simple, Barton Fink or The Hudsucker Proxy. But I did like all of the above. So really, this is the top ten performances from Raising Arizona and everything since Fargo.

Now, some honorable mentions... Peter Stormare in Fargo, John Tuturro and Steve Buscemi in The Big Lebowski, Tim Blake Nelson and John Tuturro in O Brother, Where Art Thou, and Tommy Lee Jones in No Country For Old Men. These are all strong performances, and the fact that they are mere honorable mentions shows how good the Brothers are at getting top notch work out of their actors and actresses.

On to the list.



10. George Clooney - O Brother, Where Art Thou?

George Clooney makes great decisions when choosing his roles. This might be his best work. He's so fun in this movie it's ridiculous.



9. Josh Brolin - No Country For Old Men

He really made an impact on me in this movie... He was so good as a character on edge, it made me wish we could ressurect Hitchcock, just so he could direct Brolin.



8. Steve Buscemi - Fargo

Sorry for the gruesome picture, but it really sums up everything you need to know about Steve Buscemi in Fargo. He really has the unsung performance of this movie, overshadowed by a couple other performamces that may show up later on this list.



7. John Goodman - The Big Lebowski

Most hilariously intense bowler ever. Don't roll on Shabbas.



5. (Tie) Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter - Raising Arizona

It's hard to say which of these two performances is better, and they work best together, so I'm combining the two.



4. Javier Bardem - No Country For Old Men

Certainly the most evil character in a Coen Brothers movie. One of the best on-screen villians since Hannibal Lecter. And hopefully he'll be getting a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in a few months.

It's amazing that there have been three better Coen Brothers performances than this, but the top 3 are undeniable.



3. William H. Macy - Fargo

As a car dealer caught up in a web of lies, perfectly nervous and perfectly Minnesotan... No one else could have pulled off this performance like Macy. One of the best performances of the nineties, period. But it wasn't even the best performance in that movie.



2. France McDormand - Fargo

A police officer in a small town, pregnant, and caught up in something bigger than she'd ever imagine she'd encounter. And she's the smartest person in the whole movie. And she's calm. And she's got a sense of humor. And Frances McDormand plays her perfectily.



1. Jeff Bridges - The Big Lebowski

One of the funniest performances EVER caught on screen. Playing essentially the laziest man on the planet, all "The Dude" wants to do is smoke pot, drink White Russians, bowl, take baths, and listen to some Creedence. That is, until his rug gets peed on.

This is so unlike any other Jeff Bridges role, it's amazing. Amazing, and perfect.

How Big was that win for Illinois?

I want to start out by saying this was one of the most spectacular weekends for football I could imagine.

My grad school, Wisconsin, beat Michigan, giving them their first Big Ten loss.

My 0-8 St. Louis Rams won a game.

I went to the Maryland game, and saw yet another upset.

But, by far, the highlight of the weekend was Illinois beating Ohio State.

Now, I'm no Illinois football historian by any means, but this is one of the biggest wins in the history of Illinois football.

- Illinois hadn't beaten a #1 ranked team since 1956.

- Illinois had NEVER beaten a #1 ranked team on the road.

A little more on Illinois football...

- Illinois has won four national championships outright.... but none since 1927. They won in one poll in 1951.

- They last won the Big Ten championship in 2001, when they went on to lose the Sugar Bowl. This year they will make their first bowl appearance since that season.

- They last won a bowl game, the MicronPC.com bowl, in 1999.

- They last went to the Rose Bowl in 1984.

They won't be winning the Big Ten, going to the Rose Bowl, or any other BCS bowl this year, but they're looking like the #3 team in the Big Ten (#2 if Michigan beats Ohio State). And more importantly, this is a very young team! They'll be a legit contendor to win the Big Ten next year.

Good times!