Ìý User Rating 
When the Coen brothers decided to remake Ealing comedy classic The Ladykillers, anticipation was high. Tom Hanks stars as the genteel ringleader of a casino robbery who decides to kill his little old landlady when she threatens to blow their cover - cue the laughs. Ultimately "funny and forgettable", this cheeky remake narked critics who've come to expect something more substantial from the makers of Raising Arizona and Fargo while continuing the Coens' habit of befuddling the mass audience.
One Short Plank
Notoriously reluctant to talk about their weirdly symbiotic working relationship, the Coen brothers only appear in brief snippets for this DVD release. In fact, this package makes no attempt at all to shed light on the creative process, even omitting the standard 'making of' featurette. Apparently that's because instrument maker Daniel Ferrington was the only man willing to talk, and for this reason is given his own featurette. You may be interested to know that Ethan Coen indulged in a bit of guitar strumming between lighting set-ups, but, other than that, The Man Behind The Band would perhaps be more at home in a graveyard slot on the 91Èȱ¬ And Leisure channel. Valuable insights include a chance to get up-close-and-personal with the chunk of mahogany from which an acoustic guitar is eventually carved. Yes, it is a good-looking plank but so is Keanu Reeves - what's your point?
Swing Low
In The Gospel Of The Ladykillers, The Abbot Kinney Gospel Choir, along with Rose Stone and The Venice Four, perform full-length renditions of Shine On Me and Trouble Of This World, excerpts of which were used in the film. Hardcore gospel fans may find something praiseworthy here, otherwise this is merely musical filler - hardly enough to cover the cracks.
Admittedly there is a degree of guilty pleasure to be had in watching take after take of Marlon Wayans getting slapped and pillow pummelled (especially after White Chicks) by an overzealous Irma P Hall, in The Slap Reel. It's also worth paying careful attention to Tom Hanks' wide-ranging repertoire of bemused facial expressions in the background - hence the two Oscars. Sadly, the rest of this disc is an insulting slap in the face for fans of the Coen brothers.
EXTRA FEATURES
