hat's your favorite movie? I'm asked often, usually a few drinks into a discursive barroom conversation, and I've always had a tough time answering. But the older I get, the more confident I've become in my choice: Joel and Ethan Coen's Fargo, a 1996 black comedy about a string of increasingly bizarre crimes that leaves a trail of dead bodies scattered between Minnesota and North Dakota. The film was released 25 years ago this week, and it hasn't aged a day. It was a critical smash upon its release, with both Siskel and Ebert naming it the best film of '96, and it eventually won two Oscars (for its screenplay and for Frances McDormand's lead performance), was preserved by the Library of Congress and inspired a beloved TV spinoff.