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Dude Abides
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$ 11.09
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| Retail Value |
$ 14.99 |
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$ 3.90 (26%) |
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| Item Number |
573115 |
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Item Description...
Overview
Explores the spiritual and existential questions raised in the movies of Joel and Ethan Coen, including an examination of evil as seen in "No Country for Old Men."
Publishers Description
Whether you've seen only a couple or every single one of their fourteen films enough times to quote them by heart, you know Joel and Ethan Coen make movies like no one else in cinema. The Oscar-winning Coen brothers' quirky and enduring films are rich with meaning---much of it hidden just beneath the surface, gems of spiritual and existential insight waiting to be excavated. Join award-winning religion columnist Cathleen Falsani as she explores the deeper truths found in these engrossing movies. Falsani examines each of the Coen brothers' films, from their debut, Blood Simple, to their latest, A Serious Man. Ranging from iconoclastic comedies such as Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski to an unblinking treatise on the nature of evil in No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers have created moral universes in which some of life's essential questions are asked---if not always answered.These queries run the gamut from the meaning of life and enlightenment, to the fundamental nature of truth and love. There is seemingly no question the Coen brothers are afraid to tackle, either with a wink and a smile or brutal honesty (and sometimes both). As Falsani examines the soul of the movies, she weaves her own experiences, impressions, and cultural and spiritual analysis with a journalist's keen eye for investigation and a film lover's passion for the cultural medium. By turns thought-provoking and entertaining, you'll come away with a new admiration for these sometimes bizarre, always clever, and unmistakably virtuoso filmmakers and their films.
At GoodNews Christian Bookstore, we have possibly the lowest prices anywhere! Discount on books and bibles is 25%. Checkout our church supplies page! We are cheaper than Lifeway and Family Christian. Shop with confidence! Blessings, Bill |
Item Specifications...
Pages 238
Dimensions: Length: 0.75" Width: 5.5" Height: 8"
Weight: 0.58 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Oct 1, 2009
Publisher Zondervan Publishing
ISBN 0310292468
EAN 9780310292463
UPC 025986292461
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Availability 24 units.
Availability accurate as of May 25, 2012 05:02.
Usually ships within one to two business days from New Kensington, PA.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | MOVIES ARE OUR SECULAR CHURCH May 21, 2010 |
Cathleen Falsani perfectly captures the theological and philosophical essence of the Coen brothers great films.
I have long sensed that there was much more going on in their films than meets the eye. That's because it's the ear the gives it away. When you listen to the spoken words -- sometimes in direct opposition to what we see on screen -- only then does a greater meaning of their films suddenly become clear. And I'm not thinking only of the obvious irony.
Falsani tapped into the -- perhaps unintentional -- heart of their films when seen as a whole. Their seems to be a consistent thread or theme. "What's it all about?" is a question with which many Coen characters are obviously wrestling.
Her truncated chapter on A SERIOUS MAN needs to be revised. It was written before the film was released, It is here that some of the theological questions about God and meaning and destiny as old as Job are rekindled. And the answer is not one that generates warm fuzzies. The meaning of life is a matter or perception. Bad things happen to good people. Even worse, good things happen to bad people. The why remains as illusive as ever.
For movie buffs who like to think, this is a sly and wise little volume.
Recommended. | | |  | Hit and Miss Apr 25, 2010 |
Sometimes Falsani has impressive, profound things to say about the Coen brothers' movies. The best essays are the ones on "Fargo," where she shows how Marge Gunderson represents the four cardinal virtues, and "The Big Lebowski," where she introduces the ancient Jewish idea of the Lamed-Vavnick. The essay on "O Brother Where Art Thou" is one of the best as well.
But about half the time, the movies just don't really hold up to intense religious scrutiny. The "moral of the story" that she draws from "Intolerable Cruelty is that love is better than cynicism. Heck, that's the moral of just about every romantic comedy ever made. She also strains terribly to find spiritual meaning in "The Hudsucker Proxy" and "Burn After Reading."
And then sometimes she just misses the boat. Speaking of boats, I was surprised that she didn't catch the clear reference to Gehenna in "The Ladykillers." I really think both "Raising Arizona" and "Barton Fink" are deeper and more profound than she manages to explore. But worst of all, she messes up the plot summary of "No Country for Old Men" (Chigurrh doesn't kill Llewellyn; the Mexicans get there first) and fails to note the significance of making an Old Man the moral good in a parable about good and evil.
So it's hit and miss. A must-read for hardcore Coen fans, but, at the same time, a read most likely unsatisfying, at least in places.
| | |  | Boring Apr 22, 2010 |
| Found it boring, had to stop reading it but it was free so nothing lost IMO. | | | | utterly lazy and fluffy Apr 19, 2010 |
What a lazy, shoddy piece of work; it must have taken the author all of an afternoon to write it. For the most part the book consists of plot summaries of the Coen brothers' films. If you've seen the films you don't need these, and if you haven't they really aren't very helpful in capturing the idiosyncratic tone or visual character of the movies. Each summary is followed by three or four paragraphs of very general comments on the "moral" of that film. These capsule interpretations contain absolutely no original insight; indeed they are as shallow as they could be.
There is a very fine book waiting to be written on the ideas manifested and expressed in the Coen brothers' amazing body of work. To say that this book is not it is a massive understatement. | | | | Scratch the Surface Apr 12, 2010 |
Relentlessly, maddeningly, disappointingly shallow. An award-winning religion writer with a theological education examining some of the more thought-provoking movies being made these days should have created so much more than this. Falsani skates over the surface and never digs in more than enough to craft a brief sermon-illustration's worth of reflection.
Take a pass. | | | Write your own review about Dude Abides
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