The Life of the Mind

In a body of work that spans 18 films and 4 decades, The Ladykillers has the reputation for the being a singular low point in the Coen Brothers' career, but does it really deserve that reputation? It was Joel and Ethan's first straight up remake, but they can't resists putting their own unique spin on this darkly weird tale of a gang of criminals and the unsuspecting lady who rents them a rehearsal space.

We put out the call to find The Ladykillers' staunchest defender, and the person who answered is a musical creator in his own right, Broadway lyricist and composer Joe Iconis. Joe has the difficult task of convincing us to change our minds about the film, and we came away from this conversation with a new perspective.

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You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

Intolerable Cruelty (2003) was the Coen Brothers' first work-for-hire project in Hollywood. Initially just a script polish, they eventually took over the director's helm as well. While they definitely left their stylistic stamp on this divorce lawyer comedy, it also has the hallmarks of an early 2000s mainstream romantic film, featuring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones as antagonists/lovers. Despite working with their usual crew of collaborators, the Coen Brothers aren't able to fully rescue this film from mediocrity, but we do find some things to appreciate about it.

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You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

In the Coen canon, it's almost the film that wasn't there. Audiences didn't show up for it, but The Man Who Wasn't There remains a favorite among critics and fans of film noir. The Coen Brothers have paid tribute to Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler in the past, but here it's the hard-boiled naturalistic fiction of James M. Cain that inspired the film. It's also the Coen Brothers first black & white film, and it's hard to imagine this movie any other way.

To shine some light in the darkness, we've enlisted the help of the "Czar of Noir" Eddie Muller, host of TCM's "Noir Alley," and author of the book "Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir."

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You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

Continuing their collaboration with music producer T-Bone Burnett, the Coens follow up their biggest cult hit with O Brother, Where Art Thou in 2000, which has a massive impact as it puts Southern traditional music at the forefront of American culture. On this episode we reminisce about the good ol' days, and we don't mean the 1930s. We're nostalgic for the 90s, when movie soundtracks reigned supreme. This episode is heavy on the music talk as we attempt to discern if the O Brother phenomenon is a soundtrack with a movie attached to it, or does the film stand on its own? We're joined by music writer and native southerner Will Hodge to talk about this film's lasting impact.

Follow us on Twitter @CoenBrothersPod, on Instagram @TheLifeoftheMindPod and Facebook.com/thelifeofthemindpod

You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

We're starting off Season 2 with the Coens' biggest cult hit. The Big Lebowski has spawned its own festival, its own religion, and has taken on a life of its own since it was released in 1999. In some ways, it's larger than the whole Coen oeuvre, but where does it fit in? And do you have to be on drugs to fully appreciate it? We test this theory by all being in the same room for the first time and partaking or cannabis and White Russians.

We're joined by podcaster and co-host of Mental Platypus, Jared Duran - the biggest Lebowski fan we know.

It's our messiest and most freewheelin' episode to date. Find out if some illicit substances changed our mind about the film...

Follow us on Twitter @CoenBrothersPod, on Instagram @TheLifeoftheMindPod and Facebook.com/thelifeofthemindpod

You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

Following up a critical and commercial flop, the Coen Brothers deliver one of their most memorable films and cement their position as auteur filmmakers with 1996's Fargo, a film that was purported to be based on a true story, but which turned out to be pure noir invention. We are joined by someone who knows a bit about the crime genre herself - New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Megan Abbott. Megan helps us to separate fact from fiction, as well as delving into the psyche of the typical midwesterner and the cultural specificity that makes this film so resonant. 

Follow us on Twitter @CoenBrothersPod, on Instagram @TheLifeoftheMindPod and Facebook.com/thelifeofthemindpod

You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

Perhaps one of the most underappreciated films in the Coen Brothers canon, 1994's The Hudsucker Proxy is the story of Norville Barnes, a good natured guy who achieves immediate success at Hudsucker Industries and changes the world with the invention of the hula hoop. But like the films of Frank Capra, one of its chief inspirations, it has a darker side. The most expensive Coen film to date, and their first foray into the Hollywood studio system, it failed to achieve success at  the box office and with critics. Nearly three decades since its release the film has found a new audience. We're joined by culture writer Chris Vognar to discuss the Coen Brothers' fifth film. 

Jason recommends two films this month - Is That Black Enough for You and Cotton Comes to Harlem

Follow us on Twitter @CoenBrothersPod, on Instagram @TheLifeoftheMindPod and Facebook.com/thelifeofthemindpod

You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

We will show you the life of the mind, if we can figure out what  the hell that means. 

Barton Fink (1991) might be the Coen Brothers' most personal film, but it's also one of the most difficult. A mixture of disparate genres, and laden with a ton of cinematic, historical, and literary references references, Joel and Ethan's fourth film explores the anxiety of the creative mind with humorous and terrifying results.  We are joined by author and film critic Adam Nayman to try to parse the meaning of this challenging film. Nayman is the author of "The Coen Brothers" coffee table book, which we all would recommend as a companion to this podcast.

Matt Luter's Coen Brothers themed crossword puzzle: https://matthewluter.com/puzzle-80/

Follow us on Twitter @CoenBrothersPod, on Instagram @TheLifeoftheMindPod and Facebook.com/thelifeofthemindpod

You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

What's the rumpus? 

Join us for a nice stroll in the woods with our episode covering 1990's "Miller's Crossing," the Coen Brothers' first period piece. During a period when gangster pictures were experiencing a resurgence, the Coens deliver a darkly funny and understated take on the genre, inspired by the works of Dashiell Hammett. Jen Johans from the podcast Watch With Jen and FilmIntuition.com is our guest for this episode. 

Watch Chris' attempt at making Miller's Crossing a black & white film: https://vimeo.com/765897688

Follow us on Twitter @CoenBrothersPod, on Instagram @TheLifeoftheMindPod and Facebook.com/thelifeofthemindpod

You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

For the Coen Brothers' first comedy, Raising Arizona, we happen to have two native Arizonans and some past and present Arizona residents on the podcast to ask, "Is this really what Arizona is like?"  The answer is pretty much "no," but that's okay because it's what Ethan Coen calls "an Arizona of the mind."  Joining us as guest to talk about this Arizona cult classic is the star of another cult classic, Phil Haldiman, who played Denny in Tommy Wiseau's "The Room."  Phil is now a newspaper editor in Peoria, AZ, so this episode is about to get hyper-local. 

Follow us on Twitter @CoenBrothersPod, on Instagram @TheLifeoftheMindPod and Facebook.com/thelifeofthemindpod

You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

Cinephiles Chris Ayers, Barbara VanDenburgh and Jason Keil discuss the filmography of The Coen Brothers in chronological order.

This episode is all about Blood Simple, the Coen Brothers' 1984 debut film.  We also discuss some of our favorite films and how they relate to the Coen oeuvre. 

Follow us on Twitter @CoenBrothersPod, on Instagram @TheLifeoftheMindPod and Facebook.com/thelifeofthemindpod

You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com

Cinephiles Chris Ayers, Barbara VanDenburgh and Jason Keil discuss the filmography of The Coen Brothers in chronological order.

In this episode the hosts introduce themselves, their history with the Coen Brothers, and talk about their hopes and expectations for the future of this series.

Follow us on Twitter @CoenBrothersPod, on Instagram @TheLifeoftheMindPod and Facebook.com/thelifeofthemindpod

You can also find Chris Ayers' designs for Coen Brothers alternative movie posters at Etsy.com/shop/ChrisAyersCreative

Music by Nick Shelby and Mike Brenner at CosmicAmericanMusic.com