Fargo (1996)– 30 Years Later

 Romanian version here. 

The first time I saw Fargo was on VHS at Nae Caranfil's home. It was a memorable evening for all of us who were there. Some time had already passed since the premiere, the film had become famous (we're talking about the pre-download era, when films were still hard to get hold of), we were all devoted Coen Brothers fans, and we passionately debated the story and the mise-en-scène in a way that nowadays only happens in the excitement surrounding premieres or film festivals.

Oddly enough, Fargo was never released theatrically in Romania, so the TIFF.25 screening was a royal treat, giving you the chance to see it the way it should be seen.

Its premiere was at Cannes, in the Official Competition, where Joel Coen won the Best Director Award. Then came the Oscars (2 awards from 7 nominations). It was the Coens' Academy Award (everyone knows they direct together, although Ethan is officially credited as producer), the Best Picture of the year, and Frances McDormand's first Oscar (Best Actress—she has three now!). Who had ever seen a pregnant police heroine wearing a Siberian-style earflap hat?

Fargo- thirty years later: an absolute cult film and an ultra-influential one (#185 on the IMDb Top 250). Its biggest admirer: Noah Hawley, who in 2014 created the TV series Fargo, whose first season is directly connected to the original while also retelling it. Five seasons inspired by the Fargo universe have been produced—an anthology unlike anything television had ever seen.

The poster is brilliant, embroided on a hoop, with the words "A homespun murder story" stitched in red. The title comes from the town of Fargo, North Dakota, on the border with Minnesota, where the events are supposed to take place, marketed as a true story—but of course that's another Coen Brothers gimmick, and everything is invented. It's winter, there's a blizzard, there's snow, and the South Dakota/Minnesota accents are absolutely wonderful. All the characters have Nordic names, just like the origins of the area's inhabitants (Gustafson, Gunderson, Lundegaard). William H. Macy is a sad and utterly pathetic figure, the car salesman who sets an absurd domino effect in motion.

Two of the Coens' longtime collaborators make a major contribution to this unique universe. Roger Deakins' cinematography condenses this immense white landscape, while Carter Burwell's score adds a sense of space and drama; it was later used as the theme for the television series.

But without the Steve Buscemi/Peter Stormare tandem, the film would be in vain...

"I'm going crazy down there at the lake." Ja.

Alin Ludu Dumbravă

This article was published in Aperitiff | June 12, 2026 

Fargo - 30 de ani mai târziu

Prima oară am văzut Fargo pe casetă video la Nae Caranfil acasă, a fost o seară-eveniment pentru noi toți cei prezenți. Trecuse deja ceva timp de la premieră, filmul era celebru (vorbim de pre era download, cînd încă era greu să ai acces la filme), eram cu toții fani dedicații ai fraților Coen, am dezbătut aprins povestea și mizanscena așa cum azi nu mai faci decît în febra unor premiere sau festivaluri.

În mod ciudat Fargo n-a rulat niciodată la noi în cinema, deci proiecția de la TIFF.25 a fost un Regal 😊 și a fost prilejul să-l vedeți așa cum trebuie.

Premiera a fost la Cannes, în Competiția Oficială, unde Joel Coen a primit premiul pentru cel mai bun regizor. Au urmat Oscarurile (2 premii din 7 nominalizări). A fost și Oscarul Coen-ilor (se știe că ei regizează împreună, desi Ethan e trecut ca producător), cel mai bun film al anului, și primul premiu Oscar pentru Frances McDormand (cea mai bună actriță, acum are trei!), cine a mai văzut o eroină polițistă gravidă cu căciulă cu urechiușe tip siberian?

Fargo după treizeci de ani: un film-cult absolut și ultra influent (locul # 185 în topul 250 IMDb). Cel mai mare fan: Noah Hawley, care în 2014 a creat serialul Fargo, al cărui prim sezon are legătură directă cu originalul, dar este și e o repovestire. S-au produs 5 sezoane inspirate de Universul Fargo, o antologie cum nu s-a mai văzut în TV.

Afișul/posterul e genial, țesut pe gherghef, pe care scrie cusut cu roșu, ”A homespun murder story”. Titlul vine de la orășelul Fargo din Dakota de nord/ la graniță cu Minnesota,acolo unde se întîmplă evenimentele, marketate ca o poveste adevărată, dar normal, e un gimmick al fraților Coen, și totul este inventat. E iarnă, e viscol, e zăpadă și accentele de South Dakota/Minnesota sunt absolut superbe. Toate personajele au nume nordice, la fel ca originea locuitorilor zonei (Gustafson, Gunderson, Lundegaard). William H. Macy este o figură tristă și absolut patetică, vînzătorul de mașini care pune în mișcare un absurd domino.

Doi colaboratori fideli ai Coen-ilor contribuie major la acest univers unic. Imaginea lui Roger Deakins condensează această imensitate albă, și muzica lui Carter Burwell adăugă spațialitate, dramatism, ea a fost folosită și ca temă a serialului ulterior.

Dar filmul fără tandemul Steve Buscemi/ Peter Stormere e pustiu…”I’m going crazy down there at the lake”. Ja.

Alin Ludu Dumbravă

Articol publicat în Aperitiff | 12 iunie 2026 

 

Spider-Noir (2026)

"With No Power Comes No Resposibility"

The Nicolas Cage is back with something cool in black and white (and color) but I'd rather see it Noir as in the title, Spider-Noir. Premieres May 27th on Amazon Prime as in in collaboration with Sony, who's only Marvel character they got rights too...

I published this in February 2026 but since I can't go back to the post to-date I republished it today !

From the looks it's more of a Sin City / Frank Miller, The Spirit / Will Eisner. And The Shadow. 

Breendan Gleeson is the villain.

Hopefully this will rock, as game based Fallout TV series did, or DC / HBO recently two interesting spinoffs, The Penguin and The Peacemaker and Marvel/ Disney did mega meta Wonder Man.

July 15th Updates:

Well, I saw it all 8 episodes and gotta say I switched from B & W to color, gorgeous colors that is. Advertised as "Authentic Black and White,” or “True Hue Full Color.”  ! It's a pity to see this as simplistic as Black and White when the costumes, sets and cinematography are doing their best in Color. Cues to Edward Hopper and Lily Furedi, as well to Roy Lichenstein.

The whole thing happens in 1933's New York city and it develops slowly. I mean I was about to give up as a pastische of private dicks and some fanatstic elements underveloped until episode Four !

Alos took me a while to settle with Nic Cage's style here. He is channelling all sorts of Noir heroes, from Humphrey Bogart to Edward J. Robinson and James Cagney, in his voice and manierisms. His Ben Reilly alchy PI is funny, dark, and bitter sweet all at once, swinging from cynical and satirical tones to looney tunes overtones.

Interview with Cage in Esquire.  

It is his 1st foray into TV, or TV series, which he said he'll never do. Glad he did. After voicing the character Noir (Spider, not the Noir from The Boys ;), in the Spider-verse animated film in 2018 he was asked to do this and the whole project changed completely with Cage on board (also budgetwise!). 

Great title sequence and opening song, Saving Grace sung by Kirby, Bond like tune. Plus swingin' songs of the period (Dream a Little Dream of Me), Lil Jun Li as Cat Hardy, the singer femme fatale from the Alcove Club. 

The series ends with Amy Winhouse's You're No Good, which, these days is covered by The Rolling Stones on their new Foreign Tongues album. 

Spider-Nor is nominated for 11 Emmy Awards but none for Cage's acting chops. Liked best his de-aging acting in the WW1 flashbacks and Spider transformations.

Jack Huston is as always good as Flint Marko (aka The Sandman) and Andy Robinson (Scorpiooo?!!!) shows up, I kept asking myself why does that guy look so familliar. Gleeson's Mr. Silvermane is used more as a McGuffin, and there is a smart black journalist named Robbie Robertson (a cool Lamorne Morrison) who works at that age's Daily Buggle. There's also references of the films and the shows of that day and age. 

RIP Sam Neill

New Zeelander hero (but born in Northen Ireland)  Sam Neill has gome away at 78.

Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park series for most, but great in Possession (1981), his 1st major European part, his 1st American important part in 1990's The Hunt for the Red October. That came after his intense performance in  Oz director's Phillip Noyce's excellent triangle thriller, Dead Calm (1989). 

He could've been James Bond but he skipped it...

One of his carrers best: John Trent in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1994). 

Also great villain for another John Carpenter flick, Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992).

Great villainy also in Event Horizon, The Piano. 

TV best: season 2 of Peaky Blinders.

Also great parts in Oz and NZ films as  Taika Waikiki's Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) and The Hunter (2011). 

 "I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children. I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world."

-Steven Spielberg-

Sam Neill had his own vineyard and wine, Two Paddocks. 

https://www.twopaddocks.com/

His last interview in The Guardian here.

And in the Australian Guardian, a top of his best 20 roles, Top 3 mentioned also here.