This is one of the strangest yet most satisfying movie experiences of the year, one of those films in which you can't really appreciate what you've seen until it's over. You just have to trust that the trip is worth the trouble. And it is. The broad, black humor of the Coens' early features has ripened over the years into a sadder, more philosophical brand of comedy (A Serious Man) that puts them in a class with Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch (yeah, you heard me).

Inside Llewyn Davis is a fantastic movie with a very well developed plot and an outstanding cast. It's a very engrossing film as we follow a week in the life of a young singer who is struggling to make it big. By the end of the movie, I felt very connected to Llewyn Davis, having being given a very good feel of his day to day life and how he navigates through all his problems. My only real complaint about this film would actually be that it is far too short. Running at just over 100 minutes, I felt it had more to tell us, like the story could have been more developed, that this character had more potential. Once the credits came up, I was a little underwhelmed.The performances is what could make or break a film like this, thankfully each part is perfectly casted, with everyone managing to find a lovely balance of humour and drama. Oscar Isaac shines as Llewyn Davis, every subtle choice he makes for the character adds so much depth and he is truly connected from start to finish, he is also joined by a stellar supporting cast that includes Carey Mulligan, John Goodman and Garrett Hedlund. It's a very sweet Coen Brothers film with some beautiful music and relatable characters. An engaging plot and top notch cast, Inside Llewyn Davis is worth the watch for anyone looking for a good drama. Follows a week in the life of folk singer Llewyn Davis as he navigates from day to day. Best Performance: Oscar Isaac

The Coen brothers have made a movie about a self-important, obnoxious bum who sponges off people because he believes he was meant for better things than holding down a job. But such a movie, without any frills, would immediately be dismissed as irritating and boring. And so it needs some frills.First, they decided to make this bum a folk singer. They had previously made the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?" (2000), which succeeded with people that liked the music, although it failed miserably with anyone that did not. So maybe they figured this movie would appeal to people that like folk music. And even if the folk music in the movie is pretty bad, at least as far as the music performed by the title character is concerned, we know we are supposed to overlook the fact that he is a self-important, obnoxious bum because he is an artist, and that means we are supposed to care.Frill number two is a cat. Having a cat continually appear and then disappear gives the movie a motif, making it appear that there is some deeper, hidden meaning to it all. There isn't, but something has to get this movie on its legs. The cat eventually turns out to have the name Ulysses. Gosh, you mean the return of the cat is like the return of Ulysses? Well, telling a dumb story with parallels to "The Odyssey" worked for James Joyce, so maybe the Coen brothers figured it would work for them too. And it recalls the main character in the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?" So make that two dumb movies by the Coen brothers that are supposed to be spiced up somehow by alluding Homer's epic, with the second one also alluding to the first.Finally, there is a time loop. Sort of. Except that in the second iteration of the time loop, the cat does not get away. Now, there are some pretty good time loop movies. "Dead of Night" (1945) was the first movie I know of to try this, and it worked fairly well. And, of course, the greatest such movie is "Groundhog Day" (1993). But does a time loop belong in a movie about a folk singer? I mean, some genres don't really mix well. It's like a movie that starts out as a murder mystery, and halfway through, while we are trying to figure out who done it, Godzilla comes to town. However, the Coen brothers were desperate for another frill to keep this movie from seeming to be what it really is, and so a time loop is what we get.

The Coen Brothers have impressed me yet again with this dark, emotional, and beautiful comedy-drama about life, love, music, and cats. It's a heavy film at times, and a hilarious one at others. Throughout the film the Coen's show off their talent for filmmaking to much success. Every ingredient of this film is put together in such a way that it forms an impactful, funny, and original masterpiece. A film that I recommend to anyone with a heart and soul, this is one of the most realistic, yet, at times, somewhat surrealistic films that I have ever seen. The performances are all excellent, especially Oscar Issac who fills his performance as the wonderfully three dimensional character of Llewyn Davis with all of the emotion and complexity necessary for the likable and, at times, horrible main character. Other stunning performances come from John Goodman-whose performance is extremely funny, Carey Mulligan- whose performance is extremely emotional and, at times, downright despicable, and Adam Driver-whose performance is quite brief but is still manages to be pleasingly quirky and humorous. This is a very different and beautiful film, the type of film that you don't come across all too often, but when you do, it's like buried treasure.