366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 251

The Date: June 7

The Movie: Barton Fink (1991)

What Is It?: The Coen Brothers struggle with writer’s block while composing Miller’s Crossing and create what may be their masterpiece. The humor, surrealism, and absurdity are all as out there as they’d ever be in a Coens film, but the balance and tone was never more perfect. John Turturro is great as a playwright gradually selling his integrity in Hollywood. So are John Goodman as his obnoxious neighbor, John Mahoney as a Faulkner stand in, and Judy Davis as the one character who brings a sense of real realism to this cartoonish nightmare.

Why Today?: Barton Fink was filmed at the Park Plaza Hotel on 607 South Park View Street in NYC, and today is 6/07.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 161

The Date: March 9

The Movie: Fargo (1996)

What Is It?: The Coen Brothers’ black comedy about an idiotic get-rich-quick kidnapping scheme gone horribly wrong is probably their most perfect movie (and it inspired the best series currently on TV). Unflappable Midwesterners end up in insane circumstances that really test their unflapability. Some end up screaming like animals. Some just end up confused.

Why Today?: N. Dakota is the 39^th state, and today is 3/9.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 79

The Date: December 18

The Movie: Miller’s Crossing (1990)

What Is It?: The Coen Brothers’ prohibition-era gangster flick has less wacky comedy than most of their movies but its plot intricacies are wackier than ever.

Why Today?: On this day in 1917, the Eighteenth Amendment passes.