So it turns out I loved The Ladykillers. As you may know, I was very apprehensive going in, being so fond of the original. But it turns out, while it may be a matter of comparing apples and orangutan, the Coen Brothers' version surpasses the original in some ways. The different members of the gang are more developed as individuals (if still caricatures), and most notably, the old woman is a far more interesting woman in the remake. There are deficiencies as well, mainly in the remake's tendency to paint everything in broad strokes. For instance, the notion that the sheriff must suspect the old lady of being a raving loon if the ending is to be believed, so that we get a grating scene of Tom Hanks hiding under the bed while Irma Hall laughs and pratters on. But as I say, you're better off not comparing the two films; the first was full of dry and urbane British humor (I don't know if Alec Guiness could have played off "You brought your bitch to the Waffle Hut?!" as well as Hanks), and the last, well, was directed by the Coen Brothers. I laughed more than I have at any movie in some time. Great soundtrack as well. One of the year's best, no doubt.