hat s your favorite movie? I m asked often, usually a few drinks into a discursive barroom conversation, and I ve always had a tough time answering. But the older I get, the more confident I ve become in my choice: Joel and Ethan Coen s
Fargo, a 1996 black comedy about a string of increasingly bizarre crimes that leaves a trail of dead bodies scattered between Minnesota and North Dakota. The film was released 25 years ago this week, and it hasn t aged a day. It was a critical smash upon its release, with both Siskel and Ebert naming it the best film of 96, and it eventually won two Oscars (for its screenplay and for Frances McDormand s lead performance), was preserved by the Library of Congress and inspired a beloved TV spinoff.
Fargo movie and the
Fargo TV series open up by saying it’s based on a true story––so is it really true?
The
Coen brothers were inspired by two actual crimes, but
Decider found that the cases aren’t connected at all in real life and much of the movie isn’t actually true, saying “It’s not so much that the Coen brothers are lying to us when they claim
Fargo is based on a true story. It’s that they’re commenting on the trend of movies using fact to write their fiction while creating their own crime-filled alternate universe. Basically, that true story bit is another joke.”
Snow movies: 25 flaky films to watch in the winter weather, from ‘Fargo’ to ‘Frozen’
Updated Feb 17, 2021;
We tend to shut things down if even just a few snowflakes fall in Alabama, with good reason. Winter storm warnings this week will give some of us time to snuggle up on the couch and catch up on some work at home, or some movies.
While cooped up inside during one of Alabama’s rare snow days, enjoy this list of films that memorably use snow as a backdrop or even a glorified character, including “Fargo,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “The Grey.”