Burn After Reading

[ElPandaRoyal]

And I really thought there would be some more Coen-esque news about this 

[Satcho9]

100 pages into the script. I'm loving it. No one can portray stupid like the Coens.

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[72teeth]

Hilarious Spoiler Pics here: http://imdb.com/media/rm2064030464/tt0887883

[MacGuffin]

Coens' 'Burn' to open wide
Focus, Working Title expand plans for comedy
Source: Variety

Focus Features and Working Title have decided to go wide when opening the Coen brothers' next film, "Burn After Reading," on Sept. 12 because of the film's comedic appeal and cast.

Dark spy-comedy stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, who recently starred with Clooney in "Michael Clayton."

Announcement of the "Burn After Reading" release date comes one week after Joel and Ethan Coen's "No Country for Old Men" picked up Oscar wins for picture, director, adapted screenplay and supporting actor.

The Coens wrote, directed and produced "Burn," which revolves around an ousted CIA official whose memoir inadvertently falls into the hands of two bumbling Washington, D.C., gym employees.

Most of the pics directed by the Coen brothers have followed the traditional platform release pattern employed for specialty films that are less accessible commercially. Exceptions include Tom Hanks starrer "The Lady Killers"; "Intolerable Cruelty," starring Clooney opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones; and "The Big Lebowski."

"Everyone feels ('Burn After Reading') has the capability to play wide at that September playtime," said Focus prexy of distribution Jack Foley.

"Burn" isn't the first pic to stake a claim on Sept. 12. Already set to open on that date is Paramount Vantage's Keira Knightley-Ralph Fiennes starrer "The Duchess," although it will bow in a limited run.

Set to open wide alongside "Burn" are Jon Avnet's Robert De Niro-Al Pacino starrer "Righteous Kill," from Overture Films, and Lionsgate's "Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys Together."

Working Title co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are exec producing "Burn" with Robert Graf, who has worked on the Coens' past five films in various producing capacities.

"No Country for Old Men" is the Coen brothers' most successful film at the domestic box office, grossing $69.7 million through Sunday, according to Rentrak. The moody and violent modern-day Western began as a limited release.

[MacGuffin]

George Clooney Tries To Explain 'Insane' Upcoming Comedies From The Coen Brothers
'Burn After Reading,' 'Suburbicon' are more in the vein of 'Big Lebowski' than 'No Country for Old Men,' stars describe.
Source: MTV

After spending a year with "No Country for Old Men," a serious, gut-wrenching drama that won nearly every conceivable award on the planet, you'd perhaps forgive the Coen brothers if they looked for a little escapism in their follow-up features, "Burn After Reading" and "Suburbicon."

Forget escapism, laughed several "Burn" co-stars: The Coens have finally gone off the friggin' deep end.

"I don't even understand what it is," star George Clooney chuckled of the "Burn" plot. "We have no idea what we've done. The only thing I feel confident about is, as bad and goofy and dim as I am in the movie, [Brad] Pitt might be dimmer. And that makes me know I have a little cover."

"I'm surrounded by buffoons!" co-star Tilda Swinton echoed of the all-star cast, which also includes Frances McDormand and John Malkovich. "It's insane."

"Burn After Reading" centers on two gym employees who wind up with a disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent and their hilarious attempts to sell it.

"I'm married to John Malkovich and I'm having an affair with George Clooney, and I'm really angry about everything," Swinton said of the flick.

And those tidbits about "Burn" are a veritable treasure trove of information compared to what we know about "Suburbicon."

"There's nothing to explain what it is except it's a Coen brothers film — so it's insane," Clooney said of the mysterious project. "[In the movie],

Spoiler: ShowHide

I get clubbed to death with a tire iron.

It made me laugh."

When news leaked online that the Coens were handing "Suburbicon" over to Clooney to direct, it felt strange. Many wondered why they just wouldn't direct it themselves.

Apparently, so did the Coens, laughed Clooney.

"No, no, I wanted to do that, [but] I haven't stolen that one away from them yet. I think they are going to do it," Clooney said of "Suburbicon." "I think they are going to direct it, but I love that project. I have a part in it that I would love to play."

What is it? Who knows! But to focus on either story is to miss the point, the cast insisted, calling the movies, especially "Burn," free-wheeling comedies very much in the vein of "The Big Lebowski."

How free-wheeling? Would you believe that for character inspiration, Swinton looked toward ... "The Simpsons"?

"I look like Mrs. Krabappel in 'The Simpsons,' " she laughed about her appearance in "Burn." "I have this Krabappel hairdo."

And it will make you laugh out loud, enthused "No Country for Old Men" star Josh Brolin, who confessed to stealing a few peeks at the film while on the set of his own Coen film.

"I saw the first maybe seven minutes with Malkovich, who is so f---ing funny in this movie. It's unbelievable how funny he is," Brolin gushed. "The barely contained rage and the sh-- being thrown at him, it's pretty much the funniest stuff I've ever seen."

"Burn After Reading" opens September 12.

[72teeth]

Booo! 8th line spoiler!!!

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http://www.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/burnafterreading/

Before The Devil Knows You're Not Funny

[Sleepless]

Looks fun. Glad they're doing something original again.

[cinemanarchist]

I've probably watched this at least 10 times so far. Very refreshing and that face Brad Pitt gives after getting punched is priceless.

[SiliasRuby]

This is going to be amazing. My most anticipated of 2008. Could be in the same vein of lebowski.

[squints]

Could be in the same vein of lebowski.

COULD BE...is the key here.
It could be terrible. But we'll see. Last year all you assholes were cynical about no country and this year its my turn. But after watching the trailer...J.K. Simmons is my favorite person ever.

[john]

Lets see if the lazy fucking critics will finally catch up with the Coens. It seems that even though they're known for, and lauded for, their thematic dexterity, every fucking time they follow a "SERIOUS OSCAR CONTENDER MOVIE FOR ADULTS" with something lighter, or more humorous, the critics are befuddled and whine about why "MOVIE Y" isn't just an extension of "MOVIE X"

Either way, "I thought you might be worried about the security of your shit" is already one of the best line deliveries in Brad Pitt's career so far. Goddamn, does it make me chuckle.

[squints]

can we change the subheading of this forum from "Feverishly avoiding strike three?" cause i don't think the coen brothers are feverishly doing anything.