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Recently, the trailer for the Coen Brothers' latest film, A Serious Man, was released. If you haven't seen it, go right ahead to the end of this article to do so—posthaste. What's really great about it is that it eschews the traditional trailer structure in favor of something more memorable (and hilarious). There's a playful sense of rhythm to it that's unmistakably Coen.

Starring Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man marks the Coens' 14th feature film. In their long and consistently fabulous oeuvre, the Coen Brothers have done both this type of unique trailer narrative and a more traditional one for their previous films, though even the latter ones are still fantastic. Case in point: the No Country for Old Men trailer exemplifies how generic thriller trailers can evoke great tension in just 3 minutes. You have to wonder if they cut these themselves.

Here are eight of their Coenesque trailers, in chronological order leading up to A Serious Man, that's worth looking at again.

• • •

Blood Simple (1984)

Here is a trailer for a crime thriller that only hints at the plot. Instead, it cleverly shows the scene impetus for the film, followed by great snippets of violence. As a very nice touch, it uses a quote from Hitchcock, talking about the famous scene in his 1966 film Torn Curtain, and makes it appear as if it's some kind of hitman mantra.

Miller's Crossing (1990)

Setting us up for one of the greatest American gangster films ever made, the Miller's Crossing trailer is probably the most "traditional" out of all the ones we're featuring here, but it still has some unique qualities to it. Instead of specifying the plot, it introduces all the characters with Voice-Over Guy talking in hard-boiled taglines like "Bernie: Will he turn the tables?" Good question.

Barton Fink (1991)

The Barton Fink trailer is a personal favorite. It's so feverishly cool that it's almost a short film by itself. Snapping into a start with the typewriter shot, it then whirls the character through a series of Hollywood ups and downs, coming to a near-surreal climax. It goes through the ordeal, amazingly, without spoiling anything; unlike trailers of today that use this same structure.

Fargo (1996)

Fargo's trailer may not seem that unique when you watch it now, but we have the gift of hindsight, having seen or at least heard of the film. Can you imagine/remember watching this back then and trying to figure out what this strange thing is supposed to be? From the trailer, what you can pull away is that it involves a kidnapping, a murder, Frances McDormand talking funny, worms and Steve Buscemi's uncircumcised dick. To be fair, that is a crowd-drawer right there.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Here it is. This trailer exemplifies what this post is all about. You really won't know a single thing about the movie by watching it, but if you know what's good for you, you know that you are definitely going to go on opening day.

The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

This trailer is not so much weird as it is low-key and kind of retro. As with other Coen trailers, though, it emphasizes characters and mood rather than plot or money shots. The way the narration overwhelms the trailer and the black & white shots overlap one after another, it recalls the classic noir that the film draws from.

Burn After Reading (2008)

The Burn After Reading trailer is not only hilarious, it's also one of the most energetic trailers in recent memory. Like Brad Pitt's character, it's just so full of spunk in every scene it teases. The highlight comes near the end, when the characters start reacting to the title cards.

All this leads us to, of course, their latest...

A Serious Man (2009)

It opens October 2nd.