For decades, Joel and Ethan Coen operated like one brain split between two people, and were synonymous with razor-sharp dialogue and dark comedy, creating some of the best characters in the most memorable American films of the last half-century, like Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men. When the brothers stopped making movies as a duo after 2018’s untraditional western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, fans assumed something big must have happened behind the scenes. But according to Ethan Coen, the real reason for the brothers’ split is far less dramatic.

Promoting his 2025 movie release, the hardboiled detective riff Honey Don’t, in an interview with Collider alongside his wife and collaborator Tricia Cooke, Ethan Coen set the record straight, admitting the “split” wasn’t really a decision at all, and was rather just timing and circumstance:

That detour led Ethan to rediscover his interest in filmmaking, while Joel pursued his passion project in The Tragedy of Macbeth. The result, Ethan says, was simply a matter of the two “getting out of sync.” As he put it:

Ethan confessed that after years of back-to-back projects, he was burned out. Taking a break not only gave him space but also helped him rekindle his curiosity. During lockdown, he and Cooke pivoted to archival documentaries before diving into scripted features like last year’s sexy but flawed Drive-Away Dolls and now Honey Don’t, which they describe as a spiritual cousin to The Big Sleep and Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye.

In the new flick, which has been met with mixed reviews critically, Margaret Qualley stars as Honey O’Donahue, a sharp detective whose banter channels Humphrey Bogart (with a dash of Lauren Bacall). Aubrey Plaza co-stars as a cop, while Chris Evans leans hard into sleaze as a corrupt reverend. It’s the kind of genre experiment that feels very Coen-esque, even without Joel’s name in the credits.

Joel, the other half of the Coen Brothers, has carved out his own solo lane, starting with Macbeth and reportedly developing a still-untitled horror project. Ethan acknowledged that the brothers still share unfinished scripts and even have ideas they once outlined together. It’s not so much a conscious parting as it is two artists working at their own rhythms.

So, are the Coen Brothers finished for good? Don’t count on it. Ethan emphasized there’s no rift, no creative divorce, and no finality. As for Honey Don’t, it just landed in theaters, so be sure to check your local listings. And while fans may miss the Coens’ signature joint credit, Ethan’s explanation makes it pretty clear that their partnership isn’t over, it’s just on pause.

The directors on this list are among the greatest in the history of cinema, with films that are considered the best of all time; films that will never be forgotten. What about those movies they brought all their tremendous talents to, but which aren’t remembered as well? Here is our list of great movies, by great directors, that don’t get talked about enough these days. 

The Frighteners - Peter Jackson

The Frighteners is such a great movie, and it’s criminally underrated. No, it's not as sprawling or overwhelming as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, but it has all the heart and more. Michael J. Fox leads as a con man/exorcist who can see and interact with ghosts. The Frightners is really funny, well-paced, and delightful. 

The King Of Comedy - Martin Scorsese 

When you think of Martin Scorsese, “comedy” is not usually the first word that pops into your head, but The King Of Comedy is really a pretty great movie, and while it’s technically a comedy, it’s really dark. Goodfellas has some comedy in it, like Joe Pesci acting like a clown… but a true (dark) comedy? This Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis-led film stands alone in Scorsese’s canon. 

Peggy Sue Got Married - Francis Ford Coppola

Peggy Sue Got Married is a deceptively simple film. Unlike Francis Ford Coppola’s more-talked-about epics like The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now, this film, starring Nicolas Cage and Kathleen Turner, is smaller, but that doesn’t mean it’s lesser. It’s a weird time-travel tale, but at its heart, it’s really a love story, and while it's not Coppola’s best work, it’s well worth a watch and should be talked about more often. 

Jackie Brown - Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Taratino has famously said that his next movie, his 10th, could be his last. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen, but it’s a safe bet Jackie Brown will still be his least talked about.

Strange Days - Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow’s won Oscars (for The Hurt Locker) and she’s directed cult classics (Point Break). Strange Days is certainly closer to the latter. In it, Bigelow dabbles in science fiction, a rarity for her, but it’s unsurprising, as Strange Days was written by her then-husband James Cameron. It doesn’t have the iconic quotes that Point Break has, nor is it as white-knuckle as The Hurt Locker, but it is a great time capsule to filmmaking in the mid-90s and well worth remembering. 

Amistad - Steven Spielberg

Wedged between The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan in Steven Spielberg’s filmography, is Amistad. It’s easy to understand why this powerful historical drama revolving around a landmark court case regarding the slave trade is overlooked, but it shouldn’t be. It’s a moving story, told expertly as only Spielberg can, with a monster cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, and Djimon Hounsou, among many others. 

Clockers - Spike Lee

Let’s be clear here, Clockers is not Spike Lee’s finest work. It doesn’t reach the heights of movies like Do The Right Thing or Malcolm X, but it's still a really good movie. It gets lost in Lee’s stellar filmography, which is understandable. It’s also a testament to just how good Lee’s career has been. 

Talk Radio - Oliver Stone

Talk Radio has everything you expect from an Oliver Stone movie. Its pacing and storytelling are perfect, it’s a fascinating and terrifying story that pulls from the real-world events of a murdered radio show host. It also has a healthy dose of conspiracy, as any great Stone film does. 

The Bling Ring - Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring is a meta-tastic heist film that is not only a ton of fun to watch with celebrity cameos and great acting performances, but it also touches on some of the emerging trends that exploded in the years after the movie came out, notably influencer culture. It’s too often overlooked in Coppola’s stellar filmography. 

The Game - David Fincher

David Fincher is a master, and his filmography is full of great movies, like Se7en and Fight Club. The movie he made between those two classic is The Game with Sean Penn and Michael Douglas. Understandably, it’s overshadowed, but it’s an amazing film that is every bit as good as those two more talked-about movies. Even when people watch Fincher’s whole body of work, The Game gets overlooked and it shouldn’t. 

Casualties Of War - Brian De Palma

Casualties of War was released in 1989, which was the tail end of a slew of excellent Vietnam War movies released in the late ‘80s, like Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Hamburger Hill. Despite earning well-deserved praise from critics, the Brian De Palma film bombed, and as such, it's unfortunately one of the director’s least talked about movies when it should be one of the most. 

Matchstick Men - Ridley Scott

Usually, when movie fans talk about Ridley Scott, it’s his sprawling historical epics like Gladiator or Napoleon that dominate the conversation, along with sci-fi classics like Alien and Blade Runner. Matchstick Men is a smaller movie, a dark comedy about a con man with a myriad of personal problems played by Nicolas Cage. It’s a wonderful performance by Cage, and despite not performing well at the box office, it’s been well-reviewed over the years.

Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson

Inherent Vice from Paul Thomas Anderson is a complicated movie, based on a complicated book by Thomas Pinchon. It’s easy to understand why it’s not as talked about as some of Anderson’s other movies, like There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights, but it’s every bit as good as those, featuring great acting performances and wonderful cinematography. 

Out Of Sight - Steven Soderbergh

Steven Soderberg is known for stylish filming techniques with snappy dialog and interesting plot twists. It’s all right there in Out Of Sight, but the movie still gets overlooked. It was Soderbergh’s first big-budget film, and maybe that’s why it doesn’t get talked about enough. It was also his first collaboration with George Clooney, which makes it even more confounding that it’s not more popular. 

Barry Lyndon - Stanley Kubrick

It’s hard to really argue that any of Stanley Kubrick’s films are not talked about enough, but Barry Lyndon comes the closest here. It’s most revered for its cinematography, but it’s also a wonderful story. While it doesn’t have the panache of A Clockwork Orange or the scope of 2001: A Space Odyssey, it’s still a Kubrick film and it’s one of the best ever made. 

Stardust - Matthew Vaughn

Matthew Vaughn has quietly put together one of the finest resumes in Hollywood. The Kingsman movies are a hot franchise, he’s dabbled in Marvel, and may have inspired the choice of Daniel Craig as James Bond after directing him in Layer Cake. Stardust seems to get lost in the shuffle, but it’s maybe, low key, his best film. 

Ryan's Daughter - David Lean

David Lean is rightfully most remembered for three films, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago. Lost in the discussion of those films is Ryan’s Daughter, a retelling of Madame Bovary set at the end of World War I. It was the last film Lean directed for 14 years and we can only wonder what he might have done had he not semi-retired. 

Fantastic Mr. Fox - Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson has developed one of the most distinct styles in film history, which translates brilliantly to animation, as well. Anderson’s first foray into the genre was Fantastic Mr. Fox, starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Bill Murray, among others. While it may never outshine his live-action classics, it should be discussed more as one of his best works. 

Bound - The Wachowskis

The DNA of the Wachowskis is very evident in Bound, their first movie. It was made on a shoestring budget, so it doesn’t have the over-the-top effects of The Matrix series, but you can see where they were headed in their filmmaking. 

Intolerable Cruelty - Coen Brothers

When you have a filmography like the Coen Brothers, inevitably, some of the movies won’t get talked about as much as others. Intolerable Cruelty is one of those that gets lost in the mix, behind movies like The Big Lebowski and others that are among the best movies of the ‘90s and beyond. 

Insomnia - Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan is among the most beloved directors of the 21st century, creating what feels like independent films, but with monster budgets. That DNA was on display early in his career with Insomnia, which has everything you’d expect from a Nolan movie, but with less than half the budget of Oppenheimer. 

The Fan - Tony Scott

There are few better action directors in Hollywood history than Tony Scott. Most remembered today for classics like Top Gun, and Days of Thunder, The Fan should be talked about more. It’s not a perfect movie, but De Niro’s performance is terrifying (in a great way) as a baseball fan obsessed with Wesley Snipes' character. It’s action horror, and it’s great. 

Vincent And Theo - Robert Altman

Robert Altman had one of the most up-and-down careers in Hollywood history. After a string of successes in the ‘80s, his career was almost sunk by Popeye. It took years for him to rebound, but he did with Vincent & Theo. That led to a career revival, but it’s hardly remembered anymore, overshadowed by his early and later films. 

She's Having A Baby - John Hughes

One of the biggest reasons John Hughes is so loved by people who came of age in the ‘80s and ‘90s was his ability to write and direct genuine teenage characters. That extended to a young married couple starting their lives together in She’s Having A Baby. It’s not as quotable as some of Hughes’ other movies, but it’s still sharply written and a fun watch. 

Only The Lonely - Chris Columbus

Chris Columbus has some directed some huge films in his career, most notably Home Alone and Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone. He's also got movies like Mrs. Doubtfire and Adventures in Babysitting on his resume. One film that is not talked about enough is Only The Lonely starring John Candy as a man looking for a wife, but dealing with a controlling mother. 

Beowulf - Robert Zemeckis

Generations of high schoolers have been confounded and frustrated by Beowulf. Some love the old English classic, but many hate it. It takes a bold director to take it on as a movie. Robert Zemeckis makes it work, and work well. Still, given the material, it’s not a surprise it’s not talked about as much as Zemeckis’ more popular movies like Back to the Future. 

Great Expectations - Alfonso Cuaron

Director Alfonso Cuaron has made some of the best movies of the last 20 years, including Roma, Gravity, and Y tu mamá también. One of his films that doesn’t get talked about much anymore is 1998’s Great Expectations starring Gwenyth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke. It’s a bold modernization of the classic Dickens novel that can be polarizing, but still worth talking about more.

Ed Wood - Tim Burton

Of all the movies Tim Burton has made, it’s unsurprising that Ed Wood is one of his least discussed. It’s a love letter to legendary B-Movie director Ed Wood, and despite being filled to the brim with great performances, it's not as popular as many of Burton’s other works. 

Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil - Clint Eastwood

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is not exactly the kind of film you might expect from Clint Eastwood, but you should. Some of his best work is when he strays away from the tough guy movies he’s so well known for and this is a great one, starring John Cusack and Kevin Spacey. 

Away We Go - Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes is best known for movies that cover heavy topics, movies like American Beauty, 1917, and Road to Perdition. That's probably the reason 2009's Away We Go with John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph isn't talked about as much, but it's a sweet movie about a couple dealing with major changes in their life and how to handle them. 

Sleepers - Barry Levinson

Sleepers is a dark, dark film. It's also really, really good. With an all-star cast that includes Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, and many more, it's surprising it doesn't get talked about as much as some of director Barry Levinson's other work, but given the subject matter, it can be a very hard watch.  

High Anxiety - Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks is a living legend and his filmography is filled with some of the most quotable movies of all time. One that doesn't get quoted much, or even talked about much, is High Anxiety. It was, believe it or not, the first time Mel Brooks also played the lead in one of his movies, so that alone should garner more attention. 

Great directors usually have long filmographies, so it's only natural that some of their finest work would be talked about less than their most groundbreaking or biggest films. That said, many movies should be talked about as much as those classics, but aren't. Here's to that changing now! 

 In the world of the 2024 movie schedule, we’re still in a climate in which a solo Coen Brother will be making a cinematic return. As Ethan Coen prepares to finally release the noir-tinged comedy Drive-Away Dolls, another crazy adventure of comedic errors is on its way. While promoting this movie, the co-writer/director has apparently teased that he’s reuniting with his brother, and it’s in order to direct an upcoming horror movie. See, folks, miracles do happen!

As Montages has now reported out of the recent Tromsø International Film Festival, Ethan Coen made the first mention of this unnamed tale of terror during a masterclass event. Not only are he and brother Joel Coen reuniting to direct the project, they’ve also co-written the script. As to what we should expect, Ethan Coen has put this intriguing pin on the board: 

If you’ll excuse me, I’m about to go mix a White Russian and toast the fates for such news, especially when Ethan is referencing one of the most pitch black classics in the history of Coen Bros. movies as a reference point. Come to think of it, a Coens-written horror movie feels kind of overdue if you really think about it.

While the works of Joel and Ethan Coen have been mostly regarded as screwball comedies like Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy, and even the supposedly underrated The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, there’s always been an existential side to their filmography. 

That sort of darkness really surfaces in both Blood Simple and Miller’s Crossing, and to a lesser extent in their comedies Barton Fink and A Serious Man. The common thread throughout their joint filmography is existential humor, which delights in slapstick happenstance but also digs into pits of despair, rage, and unchecked aggression. Though the "pure horror" designation of this new movie seems to suggest that things are going to be quite bleak, with little room for chuckles. 

When reading this announcement, the first thing that came to mind was one scene from Barton Fink, involving regular collaborator John Goodman. Though as you can see, Madman Mundt is a bit removed from The Big Lebowski’s Walter Sobchak, and in a way that makes the Vietnam Vet turned bowler look positively tame:

If you needed a reason to get excited about a Coen Brothers horror movie that promises pure “very bloody” action, you don’t need to look any further. While I hope there’s still a hint of the sort of gallows humor that Joel and Ethan love to indulge in present in this new project, I’m also totally ready for these fraternal partners to dive head first into something more akin to Joel’s adaptation of The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Let’s just hope this project doesn’t go the way of the many unrealized Coen Bros projects we still hope to see made, despite their current limbo state. If you really want to get a taste of true horror, gather your most cinematically inclined friends together in a room, and merely whisper the titles To The White Sea and Old Fink. The screams will haunt you for life.

While we wait for the joyous reunion of the Coen Brothers on this mysterious horror project, Ethan Coen and wife Tricia Cooke have the joyful madness that is Drive-Away Dolls on the way much sooner. You can catch this new comedy caper when it opens in theaters, starting February 23rd.

Hollywood isn't quite yet at a place where the line between movie stars and TV stars has fully eroded, but it's coming, and the same holds true for those working behind the camera. Oscar winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen blew some minds earlier this year by announcing they were making the jump to the small screen for the anthology TV series The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and now our minds are blown even more by the reveal that streaming giant Netflix will be the new show's home.

Fans can expect the Coen brothers to feel right at home with Netflix, as The Ballad of Buster Scruggs sounds like it will be right in tune with the streaming service's veritable buffet of genre offerings. The series will offer up six standalone stories set in the American West of yore, with Coen regular Tim Blake Nelson taking on the title role of Buster Scruggs. Other big names reportedly involved include Stephen Root, Zoe Kazan, Tyne Daly, James Franco and more, although not much else is known for sure about what to expect.

One of the big initial projects for the Annapurna Television shingle being run by former HBO president Sue Naegle, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs will be fully written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, who conceived the idea themselves before spinning it into an episodic format. It wasn't clear, however, if Annapurna still plans on giving this project some form of theatrical touch, as it was hinted at earlier on. Given how seemingly controversial it is anytime Netflix programming is meant to hit a real theater, it might just stick to streaming.

I think we can all agree that, judging from their lone official statement in the announcement, that Joel and Ethan Coen are excited about joining the Netflix ranks.

I guess they're into that whole brevity thing.

The Coen brothers are obviously comfortable within the world of Westerns, most notably having directed the acclaimed True Grit remake in 2010; if nothing else, that movie hopefully brings the Coens to get Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld involved. (As well as Matt Damon and Josh Brolin and Domhnall Gleeson and Barry Pepper and all the rest.) And for all that Netflix can boast everything from adult animated comedies to Marvel shows to Stranger Things, the company hasn't invested a lot into the wild west, Adam Sandler movies aside. That will change with Scott Frank and Steven Soderbergh's limited drama Godless, debuting later this year, so hopefully that will be a solid way to spend our time waiting for Buster Scruggs to arrive.

No official release date is set just yet for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, though Netflix will be debuting it around the world at some point in 2018. To see what else this year has to offer, check out our 2017 Netflix schedule, and then widen your choices to include all small screen offerings with our summer TV schedule and our fall premiere rundown.

After spending years in development hell, the long-awaited Scarface remake seems to have finally found its footing. The project has found its new Tony Montana in Rogue One star Diego Luna, and the Coen Brothers have already signed on to work on the screenplay. Now, all we need is a director to bring the entire thing home. As it turns out, the highly anticipated remake seems to have found two stellar choices in the form of David Mackenzie and Peter Berg, and either of these two potential picks has us endlessly excited for what the Scarface update has in store for the iconic gangster tale.

A recent report from THR confirms that the Scarface remake has leveled its sights on two talented filmmakers to helm the story. After a lengthy development process, it appears that the project has finally narrowed its search to Hell Or High Water's David Mackenzie, and Patriots Day's Peter Berg as the two frontrunners. Try to contain your excitement; this is happening, people.

It's hard to accurately discern which of these filmmakers would make the better choice for the Scarface remake. On the one hand, David Mackenzie's work on Hell Or High Water pretty much definitively proves that the guy knows how to helm a beautifully dark crime story with strong thematic ties to economic despair. By contrast, Peter Berg (in many ways a student of Michael Mann's style of gritty filmmaking) has become one of Hollywood's go-to guys for hard-hitting action in recent years.

They're both solid choice, and either one of them would make a perfect replacement for Antoine Fuqua -- who departed the project after a series of scheduling conflicts interfered with his ability to work on the Scarface remake. This project has attracted nothing less than A-list talent, so we remain incredibly optimistic about its potential.

Based on what we know about the Scarface remake, it sounds like the film will try to take the classic tale from the 1980s and give it a much more contemporary feel. Rather than focus on a Cuban immigrant building a criminal empire in Miami during the 1980s, the film will center on a Mexican immigrant in Los Angeles who follows a similar path in the modern era. The Scarface update is expected to follow the basic framework of Brian De Palma's original 1983 crime classic, so fans should prepare themselves to get very, very excited for what's on the horizon.

The Scarface remake is currently slated to shoot, snort, and blast its way into theaters next summer on August 10, 2018.

The Coen Brothers are widely considered two of our foremost filmmakers today, so if they set out to make a commercial, you know it's going to be something special. Well, the duo made a Super Bowl commercial, and it's pretty damn cool. Check it out.

Ah, that's pretty damn quirky, cool and still classy enough to be a Mercedes commercial, isn't it? The Coen Brothers did, as one could expect by now, a fantastic job creating an ad that would get us interested and keep us watching to see just what was being advertised and how it would fit in with a rowdy biker bar. And, really, how often have you seen a better looking commercial than this? I hope the other Super Bowl commercials have really stepped up their game this year, because there's a chance that this ad will end up being one of the most talked about just on looks alone.

The commercial, titled "Easy Driver," showed up on the Mercedes-Benz YouTube page and was shot to promote the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster, a car so cool that even a group of drunk and probably easy to anger bikers wouldn't dare touch it if it had blocked them all in in the parking lot. It starts off simply enough, with a somewhat vision challenged member of the motorcycling community deciding to play "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf on the bar's jukebox, not that he actually had much choice in that.

The relatively sedate activities of the patrons then kick into high gear, with arm wrestling matches, head-butts and an intense face pushing match getting interrupted by word that all their bikes are blocked in. Of course, all the building anger in the bar turns on the assumed jackass who ignored those bikes and a large group of men and women rush outside, only to be confronted by one of the coolest convertibles they've probably ever seen. And, who's the lunatic that blocked them in? Well, it's none other than Mr. Easy Rider himself, Peter Fonda. Seeing as how a poster of him from the movie is up in the bar, and one of the bikers who's now standing outside has a tattoo of him on his bicep, they let him roll on down Route 66 and flash a peace sign to the world.

The Coen Brothers made sure this ad really had everything you'd want in a Super Bowl commercial: it's a little bit weird, it's funny, there's a cool product being sold and it's got a nice surprise ending. Who would have thought, going in, that we'd get to see Peter Fonda in this commercial? With these commercials now almost as big of a deal as the game itself, companies have been known to bring in big names to get ads that will get people talking about their products. The Coens have just joined the group of well-known directors who've also helmed Super Bowl ads, which includes talents like Ridley Scott, Zack Snyder, Jon Favreau, Clint Eastwood and David Fincher.

You can, obviously, catch the commercial again when it airs sometime during Super Bowl LI on February 5. And, if you're wondering about the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster, it's scheduled to hit showrooms this fall.

The Coen Brothers 1998 comedy The Big Lebowski long ago entered the pantheon of cult classics. Now, an iconic part of that film has been donated to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), so that it can be turned into a museum and a symbol of architectural creativity.

According to AM2, the home that was used as the set for the home of porn kingpin Jackie Treehorn in The Big Lebowski is now a part of the collection of LACMA. The $40 million home in the Hollywood hills is known as the Sheats Goldstein house, and is owned by James Goldstein. He told AM2 that he feels Los Angeles "should represent a city that's contemporary and moving into the future," and noted that he wanted the house to stand as an inspiration to future generations of architects so that they move "into the future instead of the past."

In case you aren’t up to date on your knowledge of stoner, neo-noir, comedy, crime films, The Big Lebowski was about devoted Los Angeles bowler Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, who also happens to be a devoted middle-aged slacker. After being assaulted due to mistaken identity, he finds out that there’s a millionaire of the same name (the Big Lebowski of the title) who was the intended target. Soon, The Dude is roped into a kidnapping plot and a variety of schemes, double crosses and dirty dealings involving a colorful cast of characters.

The film didn’t start off as a favorite among many. The Big Labowski only made $17 million against its $15 million budget and got mostly mixed reviews from critics. But, over the course of a few years, the movie started to gain the following that it has now. In 2002, an annual festival began, know as Lebowski Fest. The event includes a night of unlimited bowling and contests such as costume, trivia and farthest-traveled. There is even a religion, Dudeism, which is devoted to spreading The Dude’s philosophy and lifestyle.

The home was featured prominently in the film, and is famous for more than just The Big Lebowski. Since buying the home Goldstein and the designer, John Lautner, have refined the property with several additions, including a private club that’s been used for swanky celebrity parties, including recent Grammy Award parties and a birthday celebration for singer Rihanna. The home has been featured in other movies, like Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, and has been used as a set for many high profile fashion shoots. An entertainment complex is currently being added to the property.

For now The Big Lebowski home is still a residence, so the property can only be seen at special times, but at some point it will become a museum. And when that time comes, you can bet that fans of The Dude will come from all over to experience the magic first hand.

Joel and Ethan Coen are best known for their original films, but they have quite a fantastic record with adapted works as well. Past titles include the amazing No Country For Old Men and the spellbinding True Grit - and now it appears as though the writer/directors are planning to expand this area of their resume with a live-action take on author Ross MacDonald's Black Money.

According to Deadline, Warner Bros. has optioned the rights to the 1960s crime novel, and while the Coens are currently only attached to write the script, they are viewing it as a potential directing vehicle as well. The film is going to be shepherded by famed producer Joel Silver - who knows a few things about making crime/detective movies, having previously been partially responsible for films like Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout.

First released in 1966, Black Money was one of Ross MacDonald's most famous novels about private detective Lew Archer. The story begins as Archer is hired by a man to find a "suave Frenchman" who has run off with his girlfriend - but as always happens in these kinds of cases, everything from that point gets much more complicated. Before long the P.I. finds himself deep in a case involving a seven-year-old mysterious suicide, major gambling debts and sketchy casino dealings (the title refers to the money that casino owners take from their profits to avoid larger taxes). This will not be the first time that Lew Archer has made his way to the big screen, as Paul Newman played the character (albeit with an altered name) in Jack Smight's Harper (an adaptation of the book The Moving Target), and Stuart Rosenberg's The Drowning Pool.

I would personally love to see Joel and Ethan Coen take on this adaptation, if not only because the fit between the material and their style could be absolutely perfect. The brothers have shown a deep, deep appreciation of pulp detective stories in the past (one really needs to look no further than The Big Lebowski), and it would be amazing to see them fully take on a classic Lew Archer story.

We're now been without a Coen brothers-directed film for almost two years now, and while the wait has certainly been painful, we're finally going to be some relief early next year. The filmmakers have wrapped production on Hail, Caesar! - their comedy about a 1950s "fixer" in Hollywood - and Universal Pictures has plans to bring the star-studded feature to theaters on February 5, 2016. Once that project is done with post-production and ready to be released in theaters, hopefully they'll start to focus on Black Money as their eighteenth feature film. For now, I'll just keep my fingers crossed, and pray that I'll be able to deliver positive news about this project at some point.

The Coen Brothers’ classic stoner noir comedy The Big Lebowski has inspired legions of devoted fans across the globe, a plethora of bumper stickers with quotes from the movie, and an annual gathering called Lebowski Fest. As the 14th yearly gathering of Dudes and Jesuses and Walters screaming about the rules commenced, the founder of the fest was arrested in the most Lebowski way ever.

According to The Courier Journal, Louisville local Will Russell was arrested at the Executive Strike & Spare bowling alley for possession of marijuana. There were also charges of resisting arrest and menacing thrown in for good measure, but it’s really the bowling alley and the weed that caught our attention, because what is more Lebowski than sparking a J at a bowling alley?

Russell, who owns a pair of novelty souvenir shops called WHY Louisville, as well as an amusement park named Funtown Mountain, was reportedly smoking marijuana in the parking lot of the bowling alley when the police rolled up on him. According to their statement, Russell then clenched his fists and took on a "challenging stance," which the officers interpreted as a threat and responded in kind.

Russell has since been released, but as he was being arrested he reportedly apologized for "acting like a savage," and later took to his Facebook page, writing, "Don’t worry. Be happy for me." I’m not entirely sure what he means either, perhaps he had a really good time in jail, or maybe he happy that he got out.

Started in 2002 in Louisville, Lebowski Fest is, as you probably gathered, a celebration of all things related to the Coen Brothers’ beloved 1998 film The Big Lebowski. Traditionally held over the course of two nights—this year it was the 10th and 11th of July, even with the founder in the clink for part of the shindig—it involves activities like bowling, screening the movie, dressing up like your favorite characters, and generally doing things that fans do at gatherings of this sort. Apparently for Russell that also included getting high, which we all know is a favorite pastime of Jeff Bridges’ the Dude.

Since its inception, Lebowski Fest has spread across the land and now holds events in such far-flung places as Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, and many more locales. Russell is not just the festival founder and proprietor of shirts with wacky sayings on them, he’s also co-authored a book about The Big Lebowski titled I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski: Life, The Big Lebowski, and What Have You.

Though you’re too late to join the fun for the Louisville Lebowski Fest, if you happen to be in the Wisconsin area near the end of next month, Lebowski Fest Milwaukee goes down on August 21 and 22. Just make sure to look for cops before you blaze up in the parking lot if that’s your thing, man.

OK does anyone else think this casting smells of genius? Because I think this casting smells of genius. Via TVLine, FX’s television adaptation of The Coen Brothers’ Fargo just went the comedic route, adding the actors of Comedy Central’s Key & Peele to the already-stacked and impressive roster of folks heading to North Dakota. And hooo wee nelly are we ever excited to witness this truly inspired casting on screen.

The duo, as announced by FX on Wednesday, also known as Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, will appear on the upcoming adaptation as Webb Pepper and Bill Budge, FBI partners who become obsessed with finding Lorne Malvo (played by Billy Bob Thornton). It sounds like a recipe for a blunder — in the best way! If you didn't catch it earlier, a teaser for the series recently premiered online just yesterday.

The duo are truly hilarious and if you’ve never seen them before, allow us to open your minds to a whole new world of funny. Their sketch show — which just wrapped up its third season — features tons of kooky characters, silly accents, and off-kilter sensibilities, making the duo a perfect pairing for the Coen’s kooky atmospheric comedy. We’ve compiled some of our favorite skits from the boys, below, in order to school you in the funny ways of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.

1. The Valet Guys Meet Liam Neesons

2. East/West College Bowl

3. Auction Block

4. Continental Breakfast

5. Les Mis

6. Epic Rap Battles: Gandhi vs. Martin Luther King, Jr.

How much more do I need to say beyond “It’s the new Coen Brothers movie” to get you interested in Inside Llewyn Davis? The above trailer, posted on Apple, should hook you … if the original (and equally spectacular) red-band teaser didn’t already whet your whistle. Here it is again, just to refresh your memory.

Honestly, if the rhythms of the dialogue, the pacing of the scenery, and the heartbreaking use of Bob Dylan in the red-band clip don’t get your pulse racing for Inside Llewyn Davis, then this movie isn’t for you. And I'm not sure we can be friends.

The new trailer strums different folk music, but bathes in the same period lighting that gives the new film a nostalgic texture. The use of the folk songs instantly reminds me of the siblings’ brilliant, brilliant O Brother, Where Art Thou? -- a movie that several critics in Cannes compared Inside Llewyn Davis to when the movie screened there earlier this year.

The biggest difference between this new preview and the red-band is that it gives Oscar Isaac more time to shine … an odd compliment given the fact that he’s the star and titular character of the filmmakers’ latest piece. Early clips allowed Isaac's co-stars – primarily John Goodman and Carey Mulligan – the chance to fill in the actor’s silences. In addition to beefing up the music, this new trailer gives us a better idea of the artistic purity Llewyn Davis brings to his craft (songwriting), and paints him as a more complete version of the classic Coen protagonist – a Job-like creature who is crumbling under the weight of his own insecurities, fears and hard-to-reach desires.

The most terrifying aspect of this new tease is the sentence pasted on the bottom of Apple’s page: “In theaters December 6th, 2013.” That’s an eternity to wait for a movie that I already know is going to knock me flat on my ass. Look at Goodman and Mulligan’s disgusted reactions to every little move Isaacs makes! That’s the subtle artistry of the Coens, and even though they are coming off their biggest hit (by far) in True Grit, I don’t see them trading in the storytelling qualities that have made them a valued commodity over the past 30 years. Get here soon, Inside Llewyn Davis, because I’m confident that I’m going to love what you are about to deliver.

Though you’ve probably seen these movies, readers, it’s worth noting that spoilers are present in the following video.

What better way to spend the celebratory day of Easter than to listen to a bunch of big dudes hollering? They’re like loud Easter eggs, really, with language just as colorful as the pastel hues of whatever vinegar-and-food coloring combination is being used. As a rather hefty kid, I used to do my own yelling about never getting any PAAS kits, and that kind of sheltered living has made me the man I am today, which luckily is worlds away from most of the men that Ethan and Joel Coen pepper their films with.

For the supercut video presented by YouTuber Ian Larsen, the focus wasn’t on any of the stylized dialogue or the clever conflicts, but on the fat men involved in these conflicts. The video features clips from films early in the brothers’ oeuvre, like Blood Simple, Barton Fink, Miller’s Crossing, The Hudsucker Proxy,

[[ ahref http dvds the-big-lebowski-collector-s-edition-1221.html www.cinemablend.com ]] The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Ultimately, it’s a video of fear, rage, vengeance and mild insanity and works as a symbol of cinematic catharsis. When is the last time in your life that you reacted to something with a gut-bubbling holler?

And sure, it’s fun seeing the familiar faces like Jon Polito, M. Emmet Walsh and Charles Durning, but this could have easily just been a video of John Goodman’s burly bellows, and even if it was just limited to him running down the hallway of fire from Barton Fink or his rampantly insistent bowling alley wisdom from The Big Lebowski, and it probably wouldn’t have gotten any complaints. Well any quiet ones, anyway.

Joel and Ethan Coen have long been known as writer/directors who typically direct the scripts that they pen, but in recent years that has slowly been changing. There was of course Crimewave back in 1985, which the duo co-wrote with Sam Raimi, but last year their screenplay for the remake of the crime comedy Gambit was put into production with Michael Hoffman at the helm and Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz starring; and now the brothers have taken on another writing assignment that they don't plan to helm themselves.

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the Coens are the now the latest writing team to try and tackle the long in-development biopic about the legendary Lou Zamperini, a project that already has Angelina Jolie set to direct. Titled Unbroken, the film will be an adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand's book of the same name and tell the amazing true story of how the hero and 1936 Berlin Olympics track star crashed his Air Force plane during World War II, survived for 47 days at sea, and would up fighting for his life in a Japanese prison camp.

Prior to Jolie's involvement Hunger Games: Catching Fire filmmaker Francis Lawrence was going to make the picture, and writers like William Nicholson (Les Miserables) and Richard LaGravenese (Water For Elephants) had been brought on board to take a crack at the script.

This will be the first time that the Coens have worked with Jolie, though they did previously work with Brad Pitt on the comedy Burn After Reading. The brothers' next directorial effort, Inside Llewyn Davis, was recently picked up for distribution by CBS Films, but doesn't currently have a release date.

Though the Coen Brothers are coming off a surprising financial success with True Grit, they decided to go the indie route with their follow-up film Inside Llewyn Davis. Not only that, but they also bypassed the festival circuit, instead screening the film last week for a group of Hollywood insiders-- and earning the kind of bidding war they would get at Sundance without ever having to strap on a pair of snowboots.

Now Deadline reports that the film has a buyer. CBS Films, the upstart film distribution unit of the TV network, has picked up the rights for close to $4 million. The film stars Oscar Isaac as a folk singer in the mold of Bob Dylan, making his way through the Greenwich Village folk music scene in 1960s New York. A trailer for the film dropped a few weeks ago, and it says everything about the greatness of the Coen Brothers and the potential of this new project that i can't. Take a look:

No word on when they're planning a release, but a fall Oscar-season date seems pretty obvious. In addition to Isaac, an up-and-coming star who's been in everything from Robin Hood to The Bourne Legacy , the cast the people you see in the trailer like his Drive co-star Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund and F. Murray Abraham, plus Justin Timberlake and Girls boys Alex Karpovsky and Adam Driver. Now that we know it's actually got a distributor and is likely to see release this year, it's right at the top of our list for most anticipated 2013 movies.

Someone needs to rescue John Turturro from Michael Bay’s clutches. The once-respected character actor best known for collaborating with the likes of Spike Lee and the Coen Brothers apparently has spent so much time on Bay’s inane Transformers franchise that he’s now convinced everything needs a sequel or a spin-off. And he’d like by branching off and further exploring Jesus Quintana, his beloved, ball-licking bowler from The Big Lebowski.

Granted, Turturro’s intentions are more noble than just cashing in on the enormous cult following enjoyed by Lebowski. As he tells The AV Club, he’d mostly like to do a follow up to the Joel and Ethan’s 1998 comedy so that fans will stop asking him questions about it.

“Because people are obsessed with the movie and obsessed with that guy,” Turturro explains. “It’s really bizarre, because the movie didn’t even do that well when it came out here. Once again, it’s a movie that’s gotten better or something.”

But Turturro isn’t working off the cuff. Apparently he has come up with an outline for a spin-off that he’d really like to get to the Coens in hopes of receiving their approval. Turturro admits that the brothers have no interest in expanding on Lebowski -- sequels never have been their thing – he did say that if they approved his idea, there’s a “very good chance” a Jesus Quintana movie could happen.

It goes without saying that this sounds like a terrible idea. Jesus worked in very small doses. Did anyone want to follow him home from the bowling alley to see what kind of perverse lifestyle he led when not tormenting The Dude? No. In fact, I’m way more interested in the Barton Fink sequel Turturoo teases later in the article, though honestly, I’d actually prefer the Coens to just leave their past films alone and not sully them with remakes, reboots or sequels. And I’m pretty sure they feel the same way.

If there's only one reason why the 2011 movie year ends up being worse than the 2010 movie year, it's because there is no Coen brothers movie coming out in the next six months. Since 2007, the directing duo has released one feature film per year, and those projects have earned a total of 20 Oscar nominations and four wins, including Best Picture for No Country For Old Men. The last time the brothers took some time off it was after The Ladykillers in 2004, and they were absent from the film scene for three years. Hopefully this break won't end up being as long, particularly because it seems as though they've found the subject of their next movie.

The LA Times has learned from an unidentified source that the Coens are now planning a project loosely based on the work of Dave Van Ronk, the New York-based singer who was a figurehead in the coffeehouse folk culture of the 1960s. In addition to music, Van Ronk was also a political activist and under his movement artists like Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Joni Mitchell were discovered. After the artist died in 2002 at the age of 66, a memoir was released titled "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" and the paper says that the Coens will be "drawing in part from material in the book." Giving credence to the story, it was previously reported by The Playlist that the Coens would be working on a "music-based film," and it would seem that this fits the bill. Speaking on a stage with director Noah Baumbach at the opening of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Joel Coen said the songs heard in the movie will be performed live with single instruments.

The last time that the Coen brothers made a music-heavy film the result was O Brother Where Art Thou?, and I don't think I need to explain why it would be amazing to see the directing duo dive back into that territory. Now all they need to do is reunite with John Goodman and Steve Buscemi and it could end up being their best project yet.

The Coen brothers have been making critically acclaimed films since the eighties, and it is high time a collection of their works was available on Blu-Ray. Apparently this opinion holds weight, because Twentieth Century Fox has prepared The Coen Brothers Collection for Blu-Ray on August 30. It seems smarter to call this the early collection, since the four titles included in the set are Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing, and Fargo.

You would think at this point the Coen brothers have amassed enough beloved titles to warrant a lengthier set, but the bigger problem is that a lot of their late nineties and early 2000s films, like Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, have not yet hit Blu-Ray. With The Big Lebowski being revised for a Blu-Ray release, it’s looking like there could be a second Coen brothers set to look forward to in the future.

At least we can hope. Until then, we’ll have to content ourselves with this set, which have some interesting extras and will likely occupy us for a little while. Check out what you’ll get with The Coen Brothers Collection, below.

Blood Simple: Director’s Cut

• Commentary with Kenneth Loring of Forever Young Films

• Cast and crew biographies

• Production notes

• Theatrical trailer

Raising Arizona

• Theatrical trailer

• TV spots

Miller’s Crossing

• “Shooting Miller’s Crossing” a featurette with Barry Sonnenfeld

• Interview bits with Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, and John Turturro

• Stills gallery

• Theatrical trailers

Fargo

• Commentary with Roger Deakins

• “Minnesota Nice” featurette

• Trivia track

• Trailer

• Stills gallery

• Article on the film from American Cinematographer

If your jaw dropped when you watched the True Grit teaser trailer and you've got a thing for minimalist posters with an old-timey feel, well, Happy Friday. In Contention has snagged the first look at the teaser poster for the new film by Joel and Ethan Coen, which echoes the feel of Old West wanted posters or circus flyers, with a bullet hole and a stream of red blood to remind you that, well, this is a Coen Brothers movie about Retribution with a Capital R. And hey, does that tagline "Punishment Comes One Way Or Another" remind anyone else of No Country For Old Men's immortal "You Can't Stop What's Coming"? Check it out below (click for the larger version) and we'll talk after.

True Grit, as you probably know by now, is an adaptation of the same novel that inspired the 1969 John Wayne film of the same name. Jeff Bridges will be slipping on the eyepatch to play Wayne's role of Rooster Cogburn, a former U.S. Marshal hired by 14-year-old Mattie Ross (newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) to track down the man who killed her father. Josh Brolin and Matt Damon, as you can see above, also star. The movie doesn't come out until Christmas, so do your best not to jump out of your skin with anticipation before then. And now, because I like you and I'm excited too, the teaser trailer embedded again below for your viewing pleasure.

If you're not eagerly anticipating True Grit's release this December, well, I'm not sure how to talk to you. Not only is it the next movie from the Coen Brothers, not only is it an honest-to-God Western directed by the Coen Brothers, not only is it the first reunion between Jeff Bridges and the Coen Brothers since The Big Lebowski, but it's Jeff Bridges in a role originated by John Wayne that requires him to wear an eyepatch. Oh, and Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are in it too. Oh, and a 13-year-old girl is the main character.

True Grit won't hit theaters until December probably, but that won't keep me from wishing every day it were out already. To tide me and the rest of you over, Paramount (via In Contention) has released the first still from the movie, focusing on Hailee Steinfeld as tough-as-nails Mattie Ross but also featuring Jeff Bridges, eyepatch and all, in character as Rooster Cogburn. It looks gritty and very much like a traditional Western, but you just know there's some trademark Coen oddity lurking in there somewhere. Take a look below and cross your fingers that this means a trailer is coming soon to go with it.

For more detailed information on the project, check out Josh's review of the True Grit remake script right here.

It was odd news that hit back in January about the Coen Brothers-scripted remake of the 60s caper film Gambit, which the two had written but had no plans to direct. Since when did these two write screenplays for other people? It seemed like the production process for Gambit was a little broken, and that if the script ever got made it wouldn't really feel like a Coens project at all.

But I misjudged things, it seems. Deadline Hollywood reports that Doug Liman, whose Fair Game will be premiering at Cannes next month, is eyeing the script, with Summit Entertainment possibly planning to distribute it. Liman's name has been attached to a lot of new projects lately, from a new Three Musketeers movie to film about the famous Attica prison riot, and it's unclear where Gambit might fit in. But with Summit apparently also interested in picking up Fair Game for distribution, they might be able to convince Liman to make another film for them soon. After Fair Game's premiere next month we may be hearing a lot more about this one.

Hot damn! I usually hate remakes (particularly remakes of films that I love), as each one serves as a reminder that Hollywood is slowly running out of ideas. But with the most recent casting announcements for the Coen's remake of the the John Wayne classic True Grit, it's hard to summon my normal snarky cynicism.

While it's been known for the past two months or so that Jeff Bridges would be playing Rooster Cogburn, Variety is reporting that Josh Brolin, who recently worked with the Coens in No Country For Old Men, and Matt Damon have joined the cast of the western drama. Damon will be playing La Boeuf, the well mannered lawman played by Glen Campbell in the original, while Brolin, in Jeff Corey's role of Tom Chaney, will be the man that the two heroes will be hunting down in Indian territory. The casting news leaves Mattie Ross, the 14-year-old who accompanies Cogburn and La Boeuf, as the only lead not yet cast.

There's a lot to love about Joel and Ethan Coen. They blow us away with an incredible Texas drama that cleans up at the Oscars. Then they get some of the most famous faces they can gather for a comedy about the CIA. This year they veered even further into left field, taking What The Hell Boulevard, and grouped a bunch of no-names for a darker-than-midnight comedy about an unlucky Jew, only to follow it up by putting The Dude in an eyepatch, pairing him up with Jason Bourne, and sending them into the desert to search for Brand Walsh. The Coens don't give a damn about how things are supposed to be done in Hollywood and God bless them for it.

In A Serious Man, Michael Stuhlbarg plays a very nice, very ordinary man forced to the end of his rope by a lot of awful but ordinary circumstances, like his brother's mental illness, his wife's affair with a neighbor, and a student's attempt to bribe him for a better grade. And while Stuhlbarg's life is looking nothing but up, snagging his first lead role in a Coen brothers movie, he shares Larry Gopnik's sense of decency and overwhelming niceness, not to mention an easygoing attitude that probably made him a dream actor for the Coens.

A few weeks ago, in our shared home city of New York, I talked to Stuhlbarg about the process of working with Coens and accepting the little guidance they give him, the resonance of the film's central quote in his own life, and how the movie promotional machine compares to the one that exists in Broadway, where Stuhlbarg is a veteran actor. It's clear just how much thought he's put into the character and the movie itself, not to mention how lucky he feels to be part of it at all. A Serious Man opens in limited release this weekend, and is excellent. Read parts of my chat with Stuhlbarg below.

The Coens have a reputation for being very no-nonsense and quiet on set. DId you know that reputation before getting to the set?

I had heard that that had been the case with some of their other films, but I didn't really know what to expect, and I tried to leave myself open to whatever was going to happen. They did pretty much leave their hands off of what I was doing.

When you saw the whole thing put together, was the film the same as the one you thought you were making?

That's interesting. It's never what you expect it to be in my limited experience with film and television. You can intend to do whatever, but I like being surprised with whatever ends up being there. In this case I was very pleased with what they ended up choosing in terms of particular cuts or shots. And it was different from my impression of what it might be.

Did you think it had a different tone?

I did indeed. The very first time I saw it, I was very taken with Carter Burwell's gorgeous music. It really takes you along on the journey in a way I didn't expect this film to be. It could have been directed many different ways. I think the way it came out was right.

Barton Fink feels like it has the most to do with this film. Did you revisit that one specifically before filming started?

I was actually surprised at how different it was when I saw it again than how i remembered it to be. I also remembered how amazing those performances are. That was a very different character too, so there really wasn't much danger in my opinion. My character was not a playwright, and had a very different sort of life. There's a different energy that comes across with being a Midwesterner.

There's a lot of Midwestern actors in the film. What's it like working with them?

Most of the people in New York are very often from somewhere else. I really didn't find that much difference. There's a great warmth and sincerity and kindness in the people that I met in Minneapolis while I was shooting there. They couldn't ahve been nicer. I don't think I had a bad day the whole time I was there.

What was it like being part of the period film shoot taking over the town?

Everybody was really generous. It was sort of like hometown boys make good, coming back. They love the Coen brothers, although some people have a bee in their bonnet about how thick they laid on the accents in Fargo.

Now that you've seen the ilm, are you able to draw your own conclusions about the meaning of some of the more mystifying parts? Specifically with the prologue.

I think the quote at the beginning of the movie--"Accept with simplicity everything that happens to you"-- has resonance for both that first parable and the rest of the movie. It's a goal to shoot for in one's life, and he tries to do that the best that he can. I don't know that there's much more one can do. I've found in my own life, if you try to struggle against what the universe is telling you, you set yourself up for more of a battle.

How does this film resonate with your own experience of Judaism?

I was raised in a reform synagogue. I think we all bring with us a sense of when hard things happen to us, we find ourselves asking questions of why are these things happening to me at this time in my life. I think in that sense, there's a certain resonance that I carry. It's more of a spiritual resonance as opposed to particularly of Judaism.

The movie promotion cycle is such a slog-- you might be doing it for 5 months. How does it copmare to something like for the Tonys?

Thus far it's much more involved, and I've spoken with many more people. My experience at the Tonys was a lot, very quickly, over just a few days, while I was continually responsible for carrying on that performance night after night. As opposed to this, where I did it a year ago, and I don't have to warm up and sustain what's being asked of me night after night. In that sense, the work is done, which is nice actually. i can talk to people from a different headspace.

The Coens seem utterly unfazed by the awards stuff. Did they pass that on to you?

That sort of attitude I find to be very helpful in terms of just taking it for what it iwas. They bring that kind of energy with them. It's admirable, I find. The work is done, and you stand behind your work. If you can carry that with you, the rest is gravy.

This is a very strange, very specifically Jewish movie. Are you concerned that it won't resonate with as may people as, say, Burn After Reading did?

I don't know. It's a different movie obviously. I think you need to take it for what it is. I think that's the truth with all of their movies. Each one is its own beast, and fabulously so, I believe. I think that it's steeped in this particular community, as particular and as specific as the communities of these other films that they've made. I don't think that it's exclusive either. I think it's a universal story.

Even though this movie hasn't come out yet, has it changed the roles available to you?

I think people are starting to become aware of who I am, and hopefully that will open more doors for me that way.

Joel and Ethan Coen aren't known for talking a whole lot about the meaning of their movies. Good luck getting them to explain the hotel fire at the end of Barton Fink, or what the deeper meaning might be in the Dude's White Russians. So it surprised me first of all that they did roundtable interviews at all for their new film A Serious Man, and I knew better than to try and get them to explain some of the odder elements of their newest, perhaps most inscrutable film.

Instead we talked about bar mitzvahs, Jefferson Airplane and religious scholars, given that A Serious Man focuses heavily on Judaism and the surrounding culture, as it affects a 1967 Minneapolis suburb that strongly resembles the one in which the Coens grew up. Sure, it's probably not the answers you will come out of the movie wanting to hear, but it's the Coens-- you pretty much take what these guys are willing to give. A Serious Man, which I gave 4.5 stars here, opens this Friday.

Where did the story for this film come from?

Joel: It's really always a hard question to answer, because you don't really know, is the truth of it. You start to think back on it and you impose more order and reationality on it than actually ocurred when you were thinking it out. We were thinking about short films years aog, and there was a particular rabbi in town who used to meet the bar mitzvah kids in town, and he was a sphinxlike, Wizad of Oz type of character, and we thought that would make an interesting short movie. And somehow that idea made its way into this movie. We thought it would be interesting to do something set in 1967 in that community, because that was such an interesting point in our own childhood. And part of it came from thinking about the music of that period, the combination of Jewish liturgical music and cantorial music and Jefferson Airplane. Just a bunch of different things.

Out of all the songs of the period, why "Somebody to Love"?

Ethan: Oh, it could have been any number of songs I guess. We just kind of focused on that early, lit on that early, because it's so much of that time. That time really specifically, not even just 60s, but spring of 67. It's so much of that. It smacks of the time. Also, we used the lyrics, they pay off in an end that it became clear it would be useful.

You used a lot of local actors. How do you think that added to the movie?

Ethan: Midwestern Jews, it's a different community, it's a different thing than New York Jews, L.A. Jews. It isn't just about a Jewish community, the geographic thing is kind of specific, so that was important to us.

Joel: That area happens to be a place [where] you can find lots of very, very good local actors. There's a practical reason as well as an aesthetic reason.

Did you have any consultants for the really intricate details of Judaism in the movie?

Ethan: We didn't do any research per se. Once the script was written and we actually started making the movie, there were a couple of people who were our Jew technical advisors, helping us the with the language and the liturgical stuff for the service or whatever. And of course, we got a raft of translators for the Yiddish beginning of the movie. A raft of dueling Yiddishists. Everyone had an opinion about what form of Yiddish we should use.

Joel: We actually did hve on problem we brought to a fluent Hebrew speaker, which is that we wanted to have a Hebrew expression or translation of "Help me" that was exactly 7 letters long.

Ethan: We wanted it to be a phone number. The main technical guy, a cantor and now a rabbi as well, named Dan Sklar, helped us with a lot of that stuff.

What were your bar mitzvahs like? Do you remember hte passages you had to read?

Ethan: God, no.

Did you help each other? What was it like?

Joel: It was, I don't know, a pretty typical conservative congregation bar mitzvah circa 1967. I don't know what they do now out there. I've been to a few in New York. They're not that different. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

Did you feel competition with each other as to who got more presents?

Ethan: There was three years difference, so not so much. We each got a kiddish cup, a gift of the sisterhood.

Do you still have them?

Ethan: Joel still has his, I don't have mine.

Much of the film seems to be contrasting this Jewish neighborhood with the cultural shift of the 60s. What did you feel was important to say about that shift?

Joel: The community we lived in was centered in the downtown area for many years, and it sort of shifted up to the suburbs. These new developments were populated by Jews. It's also a mistake to say that the Jews were in any way a majority of even that community. We grew up in a community that was predominantly not Jewish. It's just that the Jews were a big and significant community. You felt like the Jewish cmomunity was part of your experience. The way we had talked about it is this idea of the post-war thing, where the populations in terms of minorities in cities were shifting, and culturally things were shifting. I don't think we thought a lot about it, but we liked that period generally for that reason.

Do you think you'll help people better understand the Jewish experience, or just confuse them further?

Joel: it wasn't really our intent to have people understand the Jewish experience exactly. It's just a context for a story that we found very interesting because of our own direct experence with so much of where the story takes place and the kind of community and family that it takes place in. But you're always trying to be specific, whether it's about your own experience or whether it's a context that you don't have any experience in whatsoever. That specificity is important for the story. It becomes part of what the story's about, absolutely.

The Coen Brothers seem to have taken on the work ethic of Woody Allen lately with their yearly release schedule. It makes sense, though, considering there are two of them. If Woody can make one a year, these guys should be able to make at least two! Pick it up, Coens!

Anyway, out of good old Mannywood (aka left field for you non-Dodger fans) comes a brand new trailer from the Coen brothers’ newest black comedy, A Serious Man. The movie follows college professor Larry Gopnik as his life begins to unravel after his wife decides to leave him for a more decorated professor. As is always the case with the Coens, the movie looks slick, quirky, funny.

Check out the trailer in HD at Apple or watch it below: