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11 july 2001 |
where can thou rent this? Rarely have I been so impressed with a movie that I must not only own the film, but also the soundtrack. Especially a George Clooney movie. With all due respect to the guy, up to now I've never seen the appeal. ER never did it for me, his guest appearances on late Facts of Life episodes were too much teeth and hair, and The Perfect Storm ...well, can someone give this guy a shaver already? And then I saw O Brother, Where Art Thou? . O brother, when does the music store close? Take me to the CD racks, like right now! If you've not heard a lot about this flick, I'm not surprised. I think it only played for a couple of weeks here, and didn't even make it to many towns. A small Coen brothers movie (the same guys who did Raising Arizona , O Brother is modernized retelling of Homer's Odyssey . And if you missed THAT in English 101, then I just can't help you. It's a big adventure. Like, huge. There's war and women and mysterious happenings, and if you want to know more you'll just have to get the book. George Clooney is Ulysses Everett McGill, a prisoner who decides to break away from his chain gang, and takes two of his fellow inmates with him on a "treasure hunt". He convinces them that a few states away is a huge stash of goods, and they're going to find it. That is, if they can find reliable transportation and a steady supplier of Dapper Dan hair pomade. Music, however, keeps sidelining them. It's not just accompaniment, either. The soundtrack, in fact, drives this story. In developing O Brother, Where Art Thou? , the Coen brothers selected all of the songs on the soundtrack first, and then built the movie around it. There are some gems on here, too, and you'll surprise yourself by loving them. From the wiggle-inducing Man of Constant Sorrow (on my CD player's constant replay), to the Siren Song, spirituals never sounded this good. In fact, you may never have paid attention to spirituals before now. I reckon that's going to change, what with 1 million soundtracks sold already. Do I hear an amen? Meanwhile, in the movie, Ulysses and his adventuring cohorts end up as the bestselling Soggy Bottom Boys. The entire country has gone nuts for their latest (and only--they needed the cash) recording. They, of course, have no idea of this until they pull into the town where Ulysses' wife and kids live, and end up headlining a Sunday social. The circumstances leading to this, and those that follow, are unbelievable and very very funny. And just so you know, if someone ever says you're dumber than a bag of hammers, this is where they heard it. At least you can admire their excellent taste in cinema.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? |