Poor Barton Fink. He only wants to pen a cultural masterpiece, but everything and everyone seems to be against him. Still, the Coens' story about a fish out of water in 1940s Hollywood is a thought-provoking art piece that will require multiple viewings to fully undestand (for me, at least). I always had a difficult relationship with the Coens' body of work, especially Fargo. I think they're aboslutely great at setting up the frame, but their storytelling feels a bit drab at times. Still, I'm a fan of No Country for Old Men and thought Burn After Reading was rather entertaining. But I can't find a place for Barton Fink. I don't know if I liked it or if I…

Barton Fink is packed full of symbolism, allegory, and open-ended questions. About one man's struggles as a screenwriter in Hollywood, the film is at once realism and surrealism; comedy and tragedy. Willing you to discern meaning behind images and lines, Joel and Ethan Coen tease the viewer with a multitude of possible interpretations of their story and its characters. Littered with references to other films, novels, and poems, the viewing experience is overwhelming but rewarding.

With exhilarating performances from John Turturro, John Goodman, Michael Lerner, and Judy Davis, this is very much a character driven piece. Exploring the "life of the mind" from different angles, we are introduced to a variety of characters, each with their own issues and secrets.…

Barton Fink is no less than a directorial masterpiece. You can say what you will about the characters, even about the story itself, but there is no denying that it is masterfully executed in the way that only the Coens could manage. What struck me most is their skillfulness showing action off screen or behind a wall and give their audience just enough visual clues to leave them jumping with anticipation (the best example in their filmography is the hotel door scene in No Country for Old Men.) This works so very subtly and so very well in countless scenes. Consider, if you will, the box that John Goodman's character gives Barton. We can only help but wonder, what's inside…

I think I need to own a typewriter, maybe I'd be a happier person if I did. Every time I see/hear one in a film I instantly respond like I'm coming home to familiar and safe surroundings. It adds a profundity that isn't always warranted, but in the case of Baron Fink, it totally is.

Or maybe I just really like typewriters.
 
Barton Fink is badass in an intellectual and heady way. I really enjoyed all of the references to literature and the hidden meaning in seemingly mundane details. The camerawork and cinematography are beautifully done, fitting in well to the Coen-esque atmosphere of tension and suspense they've built around their better films. Those long takes when they zoom in…

With the Coen's name on a movie always come high expectations but this is the one I had been looking forward to the most out of all the ones I've yet to see. It's odd just how close this was to the other movie I saw today, Lost Highway, both in terms of mood and theme, but also because it's similarly demanding from the audience. Barton Fink may very well be the most ambigious Coen film I have seen so far and thankfully also one of the better. As much as I like them they don't always click with me and although I'm sure there is much to be explored in further viewings this is certainly one of the more…

"Barton Fink" is best defined as a subtle force. This films has it all: symbolism, allegory, allusion, philosophy, open-ended questions, comedy, tragedy,.....and the filmmakers, those Coen Brothers, were able to successfully condense of all these elements, without sacrificing any of their effectiveness, into a relatively simple and basic story.

What's it about? Barton Fink is a New York City playwright whose newest piece about fishmongers (the common man) has struck a cord with the theatre's most elite. This intrigues Hollywood film producers who in turn hope to convince Barton, despite his many objections, that he should venture west and write for the pictures. Fink begrudgingly heads to L.A. where he encounters a severe case of writer's block.

And that's it.…

Poor Barton Fink. He only wants to pen a cultural masterpiece, but everything and everyone seems to be against him. Still, the Coens' story about a fish out of water in 1940s Hollywood is a thought-provoking art piece that will require multiple viewings to fully undestand (for me, at least). I always had a difficult relationship with the Coens' body of work, especially Fargo. I think they're aboslutely great at setting up the frame, but their storytelling feels a bit drab at times. Still, I'm a fan of No Country for Old Men and thought Burn After Reading was rather entertaining. But I can't find a place for Barton Fink. I don't know if I liked it or if I…

With the Coen's name on a movie always come high expectations but this is the one I had been looking forward to the most out of all the ones I've yet to see. It's odd just how close this was to the other movie I saw today, Lost Highway, both in terms of mood and theme, but also because it's similarly demanding from the audience. Barton Fink may very well be the most ambigious Coen film I have seen so far and thankfully also one of the better. As much as I like them they don't always click with me and although I'm sure there is much to be explored in further viewings this is certainly one of the more…

This is one of my favourite Coen Brothers movies and I also think its one of the best. The framing, scripting, acting, soundtrack...they all build this lost melancholy feeling. A deep, dark, longing for something more but disappointed with all things around them. A truly amazing piece of cinema with a depth that is rarely seen.

John Turturo is Barton Fink. A script writer for the common man, trying to put the truth and the common man on stage and in pictures but struggling with writers block. Turturo delivers a passionately lost and disconnected performance which is perfectly balanced. John Goodman is terrific as Charlie, Finks neighbour often heard crying and laughing through the wall. Disturbing yet the best friend…

This is a film I had been meaning to see for several years, but like Fink's writer's block, the opportunity evaded me. I couldn't even find it in stores to blind buy it. Well, the other day I miraculously came across it in a store for $7, so I had to buy it (plus Coen films are always good for a rewatch anyway, good value blind buy).

Barton Fink is a hyper-Coen film, crystalizing their entire approach to cinema, for better and for worse. The screenplay is quite allegorical, and you pay attention to it because you know a line like "piece of mind" might have bearing later on in the story.

But this is Joel Coen's movie. As far…