Hidden Netflix Gems: Raising Arizona
Posted by Nate Kreichman (02/02/2013 @ 9:00 am)
This week’s Hidden Netflix Gem: Raising Arizona (1987)

Even if you haven’t heard of Joel and Ethan Coen, you’ve sure as hell heard of some of their films. The brothers have jointly written, directed, and produced such modern classics as Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, and True Grit. Their work bounces around in time, space, and genre—the Coens never make the same movie twice—and they’ve been renowned for it over the past three decades, with 13 Academy Award nominations and four wins.
Before all those accolades, the Coen brothers made their debut with 1984’s Blood Simple, a neo-noir thriller. Not wanting to make a reputation as one-trick ponies, they avowed to make to their next project as different from their first as possible. Out of that desire, the one-of-a-kind screwball comedy Raising Arizona was born.
Our protagonist is Herbert I. “Hi” McDonnough, played by the polarizing Nicolas Cage, who can make or break a movie depending on whether or not he fits his character. Hi is the type of lovable nitwit that often fills Coen fare: an erudite idiot reminiscent of Lebowski’s Dude, if he’d been born in an Arizona trailer park and had a penchant (though not necessarily a skill) for robbing 24-hour convenience stores. Luckily, Cage slips into Hi’s skin masterfully, right down to the wacky hairdo and funny accent (“Temp-ee, Arizona”). The performance remains one of his best to date, although ultimately Adaptation takes the cake.
Opposite Cage is Holly Hunter as the tight-lipped policewoman, Edwina or “Ed,” who’s always taking the recidivist Hi’s mugshot photos. After one particularly fateful arrest, Hi finds Ed in tears and learns that her fiance has left her. He proposes after his latest release from prison, and the two get married and move into a tiny trailer in the Arizona desert, which Hi lovingly calls a “suburban starter home.” One of the film’s many sources of comedy is the contrast between the upbeat world of Hi’s narration and that of the more objective reality we see on screen.
Hi does his best to “stand up and fly straight” after settling into married life, getting a job in a machine shop, but finds it difficult “with that darned Reagan in the White House.” Nonetheless, as time passes, the couple want to take the logical next step and start a family. Unfortunately, “biology is against them,” as they receive the unhappy news that Edwina is “barren,” and they’re denied the chance to adopt because of Hi’s criminal record.
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Posted in: Entertainment, Movies
Tags: Coen Brothers, Ethan Coen, Hidden Netflix Gems, Hidden Netflix Gems Blog, Holly Hunter, Joel Coen, John Goodman, Nate Kreichman, Nicolas Cage, Raising Arizona, Staff Picks - Movies, William Forsythe
The Light from the TV Shows: Taking a Gander at the 2012-2013 Season
Posted by Will Harris (05/23/2012 @ 9:53 pm)
Sure, the kick-off of the 2011-2012 TV season is still about four months away, give or take, but it’s never too soon to start getting excited about the new shows that will be gracing the broadcast networks come the fall…or to start placing bets on which ones will be the first to be cancelled. I’m keeping my mouth shut on both topics for the time being, but I have no doubt that most folks who check out these network-provided plot synopses and trailers won’t hesitate for a moment to offer up their opinions, so I look forward to reading what ya’ll have to say about what’s coming up…
ABC
666 Park Avenue (Sun., 10–11PM): At the ominous address of 666 Park Avenue, anything you desire can be yours. Everyone has needs, desires and ambition. For the residents of The Drake, these will all be met, courtesy of the building’s mysterious owner, Gavin Doran (Terry O’Quinn). But every Faustian contract comes with a price. When Jane Van Veen (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable), an idealistic young couple from the Midwest, are offered the opportunity to manage the historic building, they not only fall prey to the machinations of Doran and his mysterious wife, Olivia (Vanessa Williams), but unwittingly begin to experience the shadowy, supernatural forces within the building that imprison and endanger the lives of the residents inside. Sexy, seductive and inviting, The Drake maintains a dark hold over all of its residents, tempting them through their ambitions and desires, in this chilling new drama that’s home to an epic struggle of good versus evil.
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Posted in: Entertainment, News, Television
Tags: 666 Park Avenue, ABC, Aidan Quinn, Aja Naomi King, Alana De La Garza, Allison Miller, Andre Braugher, Andrea Roth, Andrew Rannells, Animal Practice, Anna Camp, Anna Lise Phillips, Anthony Anderson, Arrow, Austin Basis, Beauty and the Beast, Ben and Kate, Betsy Sodaro, Billy Burke, Bobby Lee, Brandon Routh, Brian White, Carrie-Anne Moss, CBS, Chicago Fire, Chris Messina, Clare Bowen, Colin Donnell, Connie Britton, Dakota Johnson, Dana DeLorenzo, Dave Annable, David Krumholtz, David Lyons, David Ramsey, Dennis Quaid, Do No Harm, Echo Kellum, Ed Weeks, Elementary, Ellen Barkin, Emily Owens MD, Erin Cummings, Floriana Lima, Fox, Georgia King, Giancarlo Esposito, Go On, Graham Rogers, Guys with Kids, Hayden Panettiere, Ian Patrick, J.D. Pardo, Jai Rodriguez, Jaime Lee Kirchner, James Carpinello, Jami Gertz, jamie-lynn sigler, Janet Montgomery, Jason OMara, Jay Ryan, Jeffrey Nordling, Jesse Bradford, Jesse Lee Soffer, Jesse Spencer, Jonny Lee Miller, Jordana Spir, Julie White, Justin Bartha, Justin Hartley, Justin Kirk, Katie Cassidy, Kelly McCreary, Khary Payton, Kristin Kreuk, Kyle Maclachlan, Last Resort, Laura Benanti, Lenny Venito, Lily Tomlin, Lucy Liu, Lucy Punch, Made in Jersey, Maggie Jones, Malibu Countrh, Mamie Gummer, Maria Howell, Matthew Perry, Max Brown, Michael Chiklis, Michael Esper, Michael Rady, Michael Urie, Mindy Kaling, Mousa Kraish, Nashville, Nat Faxon, NBC, Necar Zadegan, Nicole Gale Anderson, Nina Lisandrello, Partners, Paul Blackthorne, Phylicia Rashad, Powers Boothe, Rachael Taylor, Reba McEntire, Revolution, Ruta Gedmintas, Sara Rue, Scott Speedman, Simon Templeman, Sophia Bush, Stephen Amell, Steven Pasquale, Susanna Thompson, Suzy Nakamura, Taylor Handley, Taylor Kinney, Tempestt Bledsoe, Terry O'Quinn, The CW, The Light from the TV Shows, The Mindy Project, The Mob Doctor, The Neighbors, The New Normal, Tim Guinee, Tim Jo, Toks Olagundoye, Toni Trucks, Tracy Spiridakos, Tyler Labine, Vanessa Williams, vegas, Wendy Makkena, Will Harris, Willa Holland, William Forsythe, Zach Cregger, Zach Gilford, Zak Orth, Zeljko Ivanek, Zoe Jarman