Fargo: The Movie

If you are a fan of neo-noir comedy films or series like Breaking Bad you will like Fargo (both movie & TV Series). This film is nearly 20 years old and if you are watching or thinking of watching the series - it's best to also watch the film to get the background and links between the stories in the movie and the series. 

Although the title is Fargo - a lot of things did not happen there. It is written, edited, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It earned a couple Academy Awards, one of them Best Leading Actress for Frances McDormand (she's married to Joel Coen), It's basically a murder story that was supposed to be simple but not simple. One mistake (due to incompetency and sheer madness) leads to another and another. It's hilarious and a quite sad at the same time. And Steve Buscemi was so young! Despite the fact it's about murders, the cinematography is beautiful.

The TV series of the same name pays a lot of homage to the original film - but is set 10 years later and the first season was screened last year in the US with the Coen brothers as Executive Producers. Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton acted superbly, especially Thornton. I'm not a fan of his but in the series he's just wonderful. Bob Odenkirk is also good and so different from the role of slick criminal lawyer he played in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. It's still a murder story but a different one with more characters, more murderers (criminal minded and not) and of course, more dead bodies.

Olive Kitteridge

I did not know Frances McDormand until I saw the film Fargo  a few months ago. I though she was wonderful in Fargo but after I have watched Olive Kitteridge, I think she's amazing.

Olive Kitteridge was made into an HBO's 4-pert mini series in 2014 basing on a Pulitzer Prize winner novel of the same name by Elizabeth Strout. The novel itself consists of 13 short stories of Olive Kitteridge over the span of 25 years. The TV 4-parter does not contain all the 13 stories but picks up the main parts to tell Olive's story.

Olive's character is quite complex and Frances McDormand has done a good job playing Olive, as a strict no-nonsense Math teacher, wife and mother. Olive's husband, Henry, was played by Richard Jenkins. I recognise him from Six Feet Under. Bill Murray had a part two in the last 2 episodes (they have to find very good and pretty strong actors to be opposite McDormand, and these two are not at all disappointing) . The story took place in a small seaside town in Maine. It's about people, normal and strange, their families, their interaction & interaction, Olive's up-tightness and  sharp tongue ruffle too many feathers but her well meaning and good heart also touch many lives along the way. The series conclude where and how it should. Strongly recommended!