The Tragedy of Macbeth 2021
Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand play a pair of 60-somethings, which turns the play from a story about ambition into one about legacy. Both hosts call it austere and a little cold, despite handsome visuals.
The Big Picture · Review · Discussion · Rankings
‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ and the Coen Brothers Movie Rankings
January 19, 2022/ 95 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Sean and Amanda review Joel Coen's solo debut, then Sean drags Amanda through a full re-ranking of all nineteen Coen brothers movies.
42 films across 6 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The Tragedy of MacbethJoel Coen's first film without Ethan
Macbeth (and Shakespeare) on screenhow the play's been filmed before
Macbeth (1948) 1948
Orson Welles, stark black and white, a Scottish brogue Sean says just doesn't work.
Throne of Blood 1957
Kurosawa's version, one of Sean's all-time favorites since he saw it in 11th grade English class.
Macbeth (1971) 1971
Polanski's, brutal and monologue-driven: you hear a lot of Macbeth's psychology narrated in his own head.
Scotland, PA 2001
A Sundance-era comedy riff Sean isn't a fan of.
Macbeth (2015) 2015
Justin Kurzel's, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. Sean calls it a slog.
Henry V 1944
Olivier's, the pick for a genuinely text-faithful Shakespeare adaptation.
Much Ado About Nothing 1993
Kenneth Branagh's, with Denzel, one of his earlier Shakespeare turns.
Romeo and Juliet 1968
Zeffirelli's, the one everybody's shown in high school.
The Best Actor raceten contenders, four real ones
King Richard 2021
Will Smith, the frontrunner. Amanda is emotionally invested in this one winning.
Tick, Tick... Boom! 2021
Andrew Garfield. Amanda cannot get on board.
Nightmare Alley 2021
Bradley Cooper, doing some early press.
Pig 2021
Nicolas Cage, whom Sean is rooting for even though he doubts a nomination happens.
Don't Look Up 2021
Leonardo DiCaprio.
Licorice Pizza 2021
Cooper Hoffman, getting less acclaim than his co-star Alana Haim.
Cyrano 2021
Peter Dinklage, singing in a new musical version, bumped from a January release to February 25.
Stock up: Red RocketSean Baker, Simon Rex
Red Rocket 2021
Simon Rex as a washed-up porn star hustling back into his Texas hometown. On Sean's 10-best list of the year; he calls it a pure-charisma performance.
The Best Picture racestock question mark
The Power of the Dog 2021
Still the presumed frontrunner, as it's been since September.
Belfast 2021
The sentimental-old-voter upset pick.
King Richard 2021
Dune 2021
Licorice Pizza 2021
West Side Story 2021
Spielberg's remake. A weak opening box office killed its momentum despite near-unanimous praise for anyone who's actually seen it.
The Coen Brothers Movie RankingsSean's full re-rank, best to worst
No. 1
Miller's Crossing 1990
No. 1: "the Irish Godfather," and the best-written of all their movies.
No. 3
Fargo 1996
No. 3: the first Coen movie Sean ever saw, and the one that changed what he thought a "serious" movie could be.
No. 13
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000
No. 13: Sean thinks it's a bit overrated, best remembered for the soundtrack.
No. 14
True Grit 2010
No. 14: their adaptation of Charles Portis's novel, better than the John Wayne original.
No. 16
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 2018
No. 16: down from No. 11 in 2018; Sean says he overrated it then.
Also mentioned raised along the way
In passing The French DispatchBoogie NightsThe GodfatherDog Day AfternoonGoodfellasTrue ConfessionsThe DepartedRangoSkyfallTrue Grit (1969)
Visual touchstones for Macbeth NosferatuThe Cabinet of Dr. CaligariThe Night of the Hunter
Sean Baker's other films StarletTangerineThe Florida Project
Teased for next episode House of GucciVenom: Let There Be Carnage
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV Station ElevenSuccessionGame of ThronesMoon KnightRed Table Talk
Games FIFA World Cup Launch Edition
Ads Plain English (podcast promo)Boar's Headsportsbook adAmerican Express Business PlatinumPepsiWayfair