Coen Brothers Want Justin Timberlake for 'Inside Llewyn Davis'

Justin Timberlake as a folk singer? Coens think so...The Coen Brothers scooped up Drive stars Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan as the leads for their next film Inside Llewyn Davis.  Now the Oscar-winning siblings are eyeing a more musically inclined actor to bring on board the 60's folk music inspired film.  Justin Timberlake's new movie In Time (check out our review here) maybe getting universally dogged by critics, but that hasn't swayed the Coens from wanting him as part of the cast.

Click to read more ...

Oscar Isaac Nets Lead Role in Coen Brothers Folk Music Movie

Many of you may not know Oscar Isaac from Oscar the Grouch, but that's guaranteed to change after he stars in the next Coen Brothers movie.  Isaac recently had a terrific, albeit short-lived performance in Drive, as well as a very creepy (also small) role in Sucker Punch.  According to Deadline, the Coen Brothers think highly enough of the actor to have handed him the lead role in their new folk music inspired film, Inside Llewyn Davis.

Click to read more ...

Coen Brothers Find a Title & Financing for Folk Music Movie

Back in June we posted an article about the Coen Brothers next project, a film focusing on the folk music movement in Greenwich Village loosely based on the influence of Dan Van Ronk.  Part of that story was true, sadly not the portion about folk musician Van Ronk.  Variety reports the Oscar-winning siblings will instead focus on a character called Llewyn Davis, the polar opposite of Van Ronk, and have titled the film Inside Llewyn Davis.

Click to read more ...

Coen Brothers Tackle N.Y. Folk Music Scene of the '60s for Their Next Film

If you haven't seen much of the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, since all the Oscar nominations for True Grit it's probably because they've taken a well deserved break from showbiz.  The dynamic duo is currently working on a folk music themed script for their next film, according to an unidentified L.A. Times source.

The brothers script will be loosely based on the work of New York area singer, the late Dave Van Ronk who was a major player in the folk culture of the 1960s.  Van Ronk was also heavily involved in political activism and his influence on the scene led to popular musicians like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell being discovered.

Click to read more ...

Movie Review: 'True Grit'

True Grit Starring Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen Rated PG-13

Any movie that is based on a book or that can be considered a remake presents a challenge for a reviewer. There will be those that argue it's too similar or too different than the original (yes, this can also be argued to not be a remake), or this was different from the book, or just about anything. And many of our regular readers know I can be rather outspoken when it comes to remakes, reboots, or a movie based on a book I've read. But, to show my proper respects to both the film and to you, the reader, I will forget this film was based on a book, that there was another movie called True Grit made back in 1969, and write my review based purely on the movie directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen.

And what an impressive movie it was.

True Grit is told from the perspective of Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), a fourteen year-old girl whose father was murdered in cold blood by Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). She's a clever, headstrong girl who has but one objective; bring Tom Chaney to justice. After learning that Tom has fled and is low on the U.S. Marshall's priority list, she enlists the drunk, ruthless Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to her cause. Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) rides alongside them, as he too is after Tom Chaney for killing a politician. While a rocky, uneasy partnership, the three chase after Tom, who has aligned himself with Lucky Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper) and his gang, who is also an old rival to Rooster.

Click to read more ...