My top 10 favorite Coen brothers movies

The Big Lebowski

This weekend I did some revisits with the work of the legendary directing duo -- the Coen brothers. For years they were beloved darlings of film snobs but following some breakout hits in the last decade, the mainstream has grown hip to their style and charms.

I have not loved all of their films. In fact some of their most acclaimed work is a tad overrated in my mind (here's looking at you Inside Llewyn Davis).

Still, all of their movies are interesting. Visually, all their films are astounding. And they're usually pretty funny, incredibly well-written and filled with top-notch performances from both movie stars and established character actors.

I make a point to see all their films when they come out because I know that no matter what I'm in store for a wholly original experience.

By my count they've only made 16 films since their major motion picture debut exactly thirty years ago (1984's Blood Simple). So it wasn't incredibly hard to narrow their filmography down to my 10 favorites.

10) Barton Fink (1991) - A little mannered and self conscious, but still a very intriguing exploration of the challenges writers face, with a dash of Hollywood studio satire thrown in. The picture works best for me because of Coen movie MVP John Goodman, who gives an Oscar caliber performance as a seemingly genial man with a disturbing dark psyche.

9) Burn After Reading (2008) - This unfairly maligned spoof of the lack of intelligence in the D.C. intelligence community is divisive among Coen fans, but I loved it. The cast is hilarious fun -- with Brad Pitt and John Malcovich as particular standouts. And the use of cliched thriller music is a brilliant touch. This is one I enjoy more each time I see it.

8) True Grit (2010) - The Coens' biggest commercial hit is very accessible but also totally faithful to the classic novel it's based on. Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon are note perfect but the breakout performance comes from young Hailee Steinfeld, who brings, for a lack of a better word, grit to the role of a brave heroine seeking vengeance for her slain father. A wonderful western with modern style.

No Country for Old Men

7) Miller's Crossing (1988) - A badass, deadly serious gangster film that works for me a lot better than some of their other more high-minded projects. Gabriel Byrne has a timeless quality as the lead and the Coens also get great supporting work from John Turturro and Albert Finney. Striking to look at with plenty of panache. A landmark in the genre.

6) Raising Arizona (1987) - A delightfully madcap comedy from Nicolas Cage's early heyday. Wildly inventive and fast-paced as hell, it's shocking to me that this oddball gem wasn't more of a commercial success. Easily one of their most likable pictures, this goofy story about a couple (Cage and a terrific Holly Hunter) who kidnap a baby is a lot of unadulterated fun.

5) O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) - Arguably the Coens' first real crossover hit, this beautiful looking fable showed that George Clooney could be a great comic lead and it also placed the Coens in an unfamiliar terrain with terrific results. The soundtrack is the stuff of legend but this take-off of The Odyssey has a lot more going for it. The scene where Clooney snaps at a shopkeeper who doesn't sell his signature hair gel is one of my favorite movie moments ever.

4) Blood Simple (1984) - The Coens' first movie is still one of their most effective. All the hallmarks of their filmmaking persona are on display here. A corker of a plot with a mixture of gallows humor and genuine thrills. Some of the creatively gory violence of No Country for Old Men is already on display here, as is dynamic camerawork. One of my all-time favorite Coen creations is M. Emmet Walsh's grotesque private eye.

Burn After Reading

3) Fargo (1996) - Just re-watched this masterpiece on Saturday. I was struck by many things. Although the film is just over 90 minutes, it feels appropriately epic. It's both endlessly charming and somehow also pathetically tragic. This true crime movie should have won best picture over the tiresome English Patient. The cast is incredible and so real -- from William H. Macy to Frances McDormand this is a master class in exceptional character work. .

2) No Country for Old Men (2007) - In my opinion, cinematic perfection. This the Coens working at the peak of their cinematic power, bringing Cormac McCarthy's stark, violent and existential thriller to life with intensity and power. I was so thrilled this uncompromising film won best picture and best director. A compelling meditation on violence
with one of the greatest villains of all time.

1) The Big Lebowski (1998) - I have a special place in my heart for this cult classic. It's probably not their greatest film -- but it's my favorite. I saw it for the first time while recuperating from wisdom teeth surgery. I was laughing so hard blood was oozing out of my mouth. I don't know what compelled the Coens to make an homage to detective films with a middle-aged stoner in the gumshoe role, but I will forever be grateful to them for it.