Burn After Reading (Coens, 2008)

**Watashi** · 01-31-2008, 08:36 PM

A dark spy-comedy from Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen. An ousted CIA official's (Academy Award nominee John Malkovich) memoir accidentally falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find.

With this and Benjamin Button, 2008 looks to be an unstoppable year for Pitt.

**MadMan** · 01-31-2008, 08:50 PM

I eagerly await a trailer. Any movie featuring Malkovich, Pitt, and Cloney and directed by the Coen Brothers has a great chance of being seen by me.

**Sycophant** · 01-31-2008, 08:52 PM

Photography by Emmanuelle Lubezki. Shot on digital. Can't wait.

**megladon8** · 01-31-2008, 08:53 PM

Is this penned by the Coen's as well?

I wonder what the tone will be for the film - Raising Arizona-like comedy? More mainstream like The Ladykillers? Maybe even totally weird like Barton Fink?

I'm leaning towards it being more in the commercial vein - they seem to do a more art-inclined film every few years, funded by the success of their commercial projects (similar to Soderbergh doing the Ocean's movies)...and No Country For Old Men was arguably their most artful film in the past few years.

Though, then again, No Country has done surprisingly well at the box office.

I don't know what I'm trying to say here.

**Grouchy** · 01-31-2008, 09:31 PM

Quoting megladon8 (view post)

I don't know what I'm trying to say here.

Hahah!

Actually, before Intolerable Cruelty, I don't think I could call any Coens movie "commercial" - I consider that and Ladykillers a bit of a sellout. This looks great so far, but I'm afraid I it will be the return to that formula of "5% Coen weirdness, big stars and cheap laughs".

By the way, I'm dying to see No Country. It's already available in my country on DVD and obviously on the Internet, but I want the theater experience.

**Kurosawa Fan** · 01-31-2008, 09:56 PM

I'm ridiculously excited.

**Ezee E** · 01-31-2008, 11:54 PM

Tilda Swinton is also in this. At the SAGs she even said something about how it's a monster movie or something. ?????????

**chrisnu** · 02-01-2008, 02:52 AM

So is Frances McDormand. I'm pretty stoked.

**Wryan** · 02-01-2008, 03:11 AM

Pitt and Clooney playing "unwise gym employees"???

I'm. There.

**Sven** · 02-01-2008, 04:39 PM

I think Clooney plays an assassin, actually, sent by Malkovich to kill Pitt. That's what my local paper said, anyway. (They could be wrong.)

Some of this was shot a few blocks from where I live.

On the subject of digital, I'm actually kind of disappointed they went that route. I'm sure with Lubezki, it'll still look fine, but I can still tell the difference, and I much prefer the richer tones of film to flatter digital quality. One thing I've always liked about the Coens is that their pictures have that full, round, film quality to them.

**Sycophant** · 03-04-2008, 02:25 AM

Film is getting a wide release in September. I think Thompson is right here in saying that this is at least partly due to No Country's success, but I don't think it's the first time a Coen film has opened wide.

**Sven** · 03-04-2008, 02:28 AM

Quoting Sycophant (view post)

Film is getting a wide release in September. I think Thompson is right here in saying that this is at least partly due to No Country's success, but I don't think it's the first time a Coen film has opened wide.

I don't know about The Ladykillers, but I remember Intolerable Cruelty opening wide.

**megladon8** · 03-04-2008, 02:40 AM

The Ladykillers definitely opened wide - I saw it in the theatre, and we have quite a limited selection up here in Ottawa.

Actually I think the Coens' films are released wide pretty often. The only one I can remember not getting a theatrical release here was The Man Who Wasn't There.

**DSNT** · 03-04-2008, 02:59 AM

Quoting megladon8 (view post)

Actually I think the Coens' films are released wide pretty often.

Not really. I did some snooping around and it turns out only Intolerable Cruelty, Ladykillers and The Big Lebowski opened wide. Even Raising Arizona, Fargo and O' Brother Where Art Thou opened in limited. Hopefully No Country's success will change all that.

**Sycophant** · 03-04-2008, 03:01 AM

The Big Lebowski, I'm sure, only ended up wide because Fargo was such a success. I'd imagine the other two were also coasting off O Brother's relatively good performance.

Ell. Oh. Ell.

**megladon8** · 03-04-2008, 03:07 AM

Quoting DSNT (view post)

Not really. I did some snooping around and it turns out only Intolerable Cruelty, Ladykillers and The Big Lebowski opened wide. Even Raising Arizona, Fargo and O' Brother Where Art Thou opened in limited. Hopefully No Country's success will change all that.

Well then I guess theatres in Ottawa go out of their way to get the Coens' films, because I distinctly remember every one of those movies playing here.

My dad saw O Brother, Where Art Thou? in the theatre, and my uncle saw Fargo - I remember because he got in a car accident on the way home from it.

But it doesn't really matter. I've been an admitted non-fan of theirs in the past, but No Country For Old Men may have single-handedly changed that, and I, too, am hoping more of their films make it to theatre now.

**Sycophant** · 03-04-2008, 03:10 AM

There's a difference between opening wide and playing a lot of theaters. Opening wide is what Spider-Man does. Opening limited is what No Country for Old Men did, even though it's now played in most areas.

Also, Ottawa's pretty major. It's a city in Canada that I in America am aware of.

**DSNT** · 03-04-2008, 03:10 AM

Quoting megladon8 (view post)

Well then I guess theatres in Ottawa go out of their way to get the Coens' films, because I distinctly remember every one of those movies playing here.

My dad saw O Brother, Where Art Thou? in the theatre, and my uncle saw Fargo - I remember because he got in a car accident on the way home from it.

But it doesn't really matter. I've been an admitted non-fan of theirs in the past, but No Country For Old Men may have single-handedly changed that, and I, too, am hoping more of their films make it to theatre now.

I saw them in theaters too, but not on opening weekend. The only Coen Bros film I haven't been able to see in theaters was The Man Who Wasn't There.

**megladon8** · 03-04-2008, 03:15 AM

Quoting Sycophant (view post)

Also, Ottawa's pretty major. It's a city in Canada that I in America am aware of.

But even so, we never get indie or foreign films unless there is Oscar buzz surrounding them, and even then, they only play them when the Oscars are coming up.

Hell, Ellen Page is Canadian, and we didn't get Juno until like a month ago.

Same with There Will Be Blood - we got it only about 5 weeks ago, and it was only here for about 2 weeks.

**number8** · 03-04-2008, 08:31 AM

I don't think you can guess a movie's release range by comparing it to what you usually get. There are different factors that contribute to which cities a certain movie plays at. It's not all just "only big cosmopolitan cities get the indies." I believe market research comes into play.

I'd imagine the other two were also coasting off O Brother's relatively good performance.

That... or the fact that they had Tom Hanks and George Clooney in the leads.

**Watashi** · 05-05-2008, 12:17 AM

New photos!

**Spinal** · 05-05-2008, 05:02 AM

It's opening the Venice Film Festival.

**MadMan** · 05-05-2008, 06:06 AM

Yeah this movie looks great. I can't wait.

**chrisnu** · 05-05-2008, 05:29 PM

Nice. The aesthetics of the first two images remind me of Intolerable Cruelty - light comedy, with a tinge of seriousness. The third reminds me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Bemused, contemplative comedy. John Malkovich holding a gun and scotch whilst in a robe is pure Coen geekery. Can't wait.

**Sycophant** · 05-05-2008, 05:31 PM

Those pictures made me smile.

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