Inside Llewyn Davis: the contender
My wife and I went to see the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis, and then later we watched Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim on DVD that same evening. Since they are both excellent pieces of American cinema, I’ve decided to review them head to head in a Cage Match to decide which is the better film.
Inside Llewyn Davis: A poignant look at self-discovery in the heydey of Folk Music
VS
Pacific Rim: A poignant look at giant monsters fucking up Hong Kong
Head to Head: Let’s Fight!
| Topic | Inside Llewyn Davis | Pacific Rim | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| The protagonist | A struggling 1960s folk musician trying to reconcile his dreams versus the harsh reality of the music business | The dude from new Tron inside a giant nuclear monster-killing robot | Pacific Rim |
| The antagonist | Um, not sure. Llewyn’s own expectations, maybe? | Interdimensional beings intent on destroying Earth | Pacific Rim |
| The soundtrack | Heartfelt folk music from producer T-Bone Burnett | There was probably some dubstep in there, but I couldn’t hear it over the sound of all the explosions | Inside Llewyn Davis |
| The story | So, there’s this guy, and he carries a cat all over New York, then he goes to Chicago, then he comes back, and he’s right where he started. | Bam! Pow! Explosioning! Stringer Bell giving his own life to save humanity! | Pacific Rim |
| Roles played by Charlie Day from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia | 0 | 1 | Pacific Rim |
| The theme | As with all Coen brothers movies, it’s complex. At its core, it’s about self-discovery, maintaining purity in a business all about selling out, and coming to terms with the disappointments of real life. | Don’t mess with the USA! | Pacific Rim |
| Musical performances by Justin Timberlake | 2 | 0 | Inside Llewyn Davis |
| Nude scenes | 0 | 0 | tie |