Actually Never

I told you I’d be focusing on Oscar movies. I just didn’t specify they’d be from 2009.

In fairness, I watched this a few weeks ago. And since my last post, I did watch 2025 Best Picture nominee The Substance and Best Animated Feature Film nominees Flow and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Enjoyed them all. I spread them out over several days and but maybe a marathon would have been the way to go? Would certainly have been an experience.

I also watched Hundreds of Beavers which in some ways is the perfect blend of all three. Don’t ask follow up questions.

What I knew

Surprisingly little, for a movie I bought as soon as it came out on Blu-ray. I like the Coens and have seen most of their movies, but put this one off until now. I had good intentions. Then the disc sat on my shelf for… well, it’s still sitting, I guess, since I watched this on Prime.

What I know

Still maybe not much? There are some movies that take two viewings to really settle in with me. Coen Brothers movies are often among them. But I haven’t rewatched this yet and I can’t think of a good name for a blog where I do things I’ve only ever done one time before.

Blog Where I Do Things I’ve Only Ever Done One Time Before would be the name, actually.

This was really good, though. A dark comedy with extra dark. It wasn’t as straightforward as some movies – I felt like this surely meant something but wasn’t certain what. Gotta do that second watch sometime.

It probably would have helped my viewing experience to be Jewish but there are some things I’m not willing to do for this blog. (I do have a button that says “kiss me, I’m Jewish” but that just means that I’m willing to lie for kisses.)

I checked out some reviews after I watched this and was surprised to find it had been nominated for Best Picture and was on a bunch of Best Movies of the 2000s lists. Not because I thought it didn’t deserve the recognition; just that in my recollection, the movie wasn’t particularly popular or successful. Shows what I know.