This new section is intended to detail the rest of the work the Coen brothers have busied themselves with over the years. The main site focuses on what I consider to be a true Coen brothers film – a feature length movie that the Coens have written, produced and directed. This section will concentrate on miscellania- lesser filmic works, plays, works of literarature and pretty much anything else they may spend time creating.

If you spot anything I’ve missed or can flesh any of the pieces out with more detail, please let me know by emailing me at – youknowforkids@gmail.com

THE EVIL DEAD

movie, 1981

COEN CONNECTION: Joel Coen was the assistant editor of this awesome Sam Raimi “video nasty”.

DETAILS: I’m sure we’ve all seen this movie by now but if you haven’t you SHOULD. Joel cut his teeth in the movie biz by helping out long-time pal Raimi.

COMMENTS: Simply an amazing film. A great low budget ride. You can see the influence of this movie on the Coen’s work- see Raimi’s flying camera trick used to good effect in Raising Arizona.

AVAILABILITY: Freely available in your choice of about ten million DVD releases. My favourite being the Book of the Dead version pictured above.

FEAR NO EVIL

movie, 1981

COEN CONNECTION: Joel Coen was assistant editor.

DETAILS: I know nothing about this one I’m afraid. Synopisis from IMDB-  “High school student turns out to be personification of Lucifer. Two arch angels in human form (as women) take him on.”

COMMENTS: -

AVAILABILITY: Available in the US on R1 DVD.

CRIMEWAVE

movie, 1985

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen co-wrote with Sam Raimi. The next time they would do this would result in The Hudsucker Proxy.

DETAILS: Sam Raimi directed cheapo, cartoon-comedy, crime caper, starring Louise Lasser, Paul L Smith, Brion James, Sheree J Wilson, Edward R Pressman, Bruce Campbell and Reed Birney.

COMMENTS: This is a pretty difficult 80 minutes to endure. Without being too harsh- the careers of those involved in making this movie were just beginning, but this is pretty rubbish. It’s flat, not funny at all (except for the child getting thrown) and poorly acted throughout. For some reason both bad guys (Brion James and Paul L Smith) have been given ridicluous comedy voices. Brion James, who most will know from his turn as Leon in Blade Runner, speaks with a ratty high-pitched voice throughout. Yuck! It has a couple of Coen/Raimi flourishes, particularly the way the camera follows thrown objects. I paid £3.97 for the DVD from Amazon and, were I not a massive Coen nut buying this for completions sake, I’d consider it too much- way too much. It is notable for a very rare Coen brothers appearance in FRONT of the camera- they have a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo as photographers. Thanks to long time YKFK reader, JD, you can see a screengrab of the Coen’s acting tour de force here. Keep an eye out for the Hudsucker State Penitentiary.

You can watch a clip of Sam Raimi and Bruce Cambell discussing Crimewave on Jonathan Ross’ The Incredibly Strange Picture Show here (thanks to Blake for mailing the link in), and the trailer here.

AVAILABILITY: The DVD is now freely available both here in the UK and in the US.

SPIES LIKE US

movie, 1985

COEN CONNECTION: Joel Coen and Sam Raimi share a very brief cameo as armed hoodlums.

DETAILS: Directed by John Landis and starring Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd.

COMMENTS: I haven’t seen this movie in years and my memories of it are hazy at best.

AVAILABILITY: The movie is freely availble on DVD and you can see a clip of the cameo here. Awesome wasn’t it.

HONDA ACCORD AD

commercial, pre-1998

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen direct an ad for the Honda Accord.

DETAILS: I know nothing about theis beyond it being referenced in this article.

COMMENTS: -

AVAILABILITY: Try as I might I cannot find this anywhere on the net. Let me know if you succeed where I have failed.

HONDA “LAWYER” ADS

commercials, 1998

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen direct an ads for the Honda Odyssey.

DETAILS: Two (or more – not sure) ads for the Honda Odyssey people carrier. They were apparenlty made to blend seamlessly with the lawyer type shows they were show during, The Practice and Law & Order for example. Segueing neatly from said shows to the ads they were court room scenes played for laughs with scenarios like this one- ”Your offer to give my clients reading lights would be acceptable,” one lawyer says, peering over the top of his reading glasses. ”If they could read.” The camera turns on two girls in ponytails and jumpers, doodling on legal pads. Another – ”My client doesn’t think we need a third seat.” ”Objection,” replies a lawyer in a pinstriped suit, his hair slicked back. ”My client sleeps back there.” As if signaling agreement, a large dog seated at the table wags his tail. Info from this article.

COMMENTS: -

AVAILABILITY: Try as I might I cannot find this anywhere on the net. Let me know if you succeed where I have failed.

THE NAKED MAN

movie, 1998

COEN CONNECTION: Written by Ethan Coen and directed by long-time Coen bros storyboard artist J. Todd Anderson.

DETAILS: Starring Micharl Rappaport as a chiropractor who moonlights as a professional wrestler under the name “The Naked Man”, all the while spreading the word of good spinal health. He also finds the time to take on a pharmaceutical tycoon who puts his drugstore-owning parents out of business.. Why The Naked Man? Well his costume of choice is a leotard printed to display his organs- as if he’s had his skin removed.

COMMENTS: I have seen this only once a long, long time ago. I’m very fuzzy on the details but remember enjoying this quirky comedy well enough.

AVAILABILITY: Not available on DVD.

GATES OF EDEN

book, 1999

COEN CONNECTION: Ethan Coen’s first published book.

DETAILS: A collection of hilarious, typically Coen style short stories. This from the jacket- “A middle-aged man beheads his wife, then calmly explains how she drove him to it . . . A fat little mafioso is going to war–in the clean, well-mannered streets of Minneapolis . . . A Jewish boy watches with wonder the rise and fall of a Hebrew school rebel–and sees the sadness at the heart of his own family. . . . Welcome to the world of Ethan Coen, one half of the filmmaking team that has unleashed a visionary, brutal, and uproarious portrait of America in such screen classics as Fargo and Raising Arizona, Now Ethan Coen translates that vision to the printed page–in fourteen keenly imagined, sharply etched short stories. Blending parody with pathos, making the heinous heartbreaking, Coen demonstrates his unique gift for stunningly inventive narrative, brutal irony, offbeat characters, and crackling dialogue, delivering everything you would expect from such an original imagination.”

COMMENTS: If you like the Coen’s movies you will like this book. I have read it about 5 times. It is laugh out loud funny.

AVAILABILITY: No longer seems to be in print but use amazon to find used copies.

DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN

documentary, 2000

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen executive produce and appear.

DETAILS: Behind the scenes documentary put together during the old-timey concert the boys put on after the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou? was such a huge success.

COMMENTS: If you watch this expecting insights into the filming of O Brother, Where Art Thou? you’ll be disappointed. This is solely about the concert in question. It features backstage footage and focuses on the genesis of the gig. Could be of interest if you’re a fan of the music and/or artists involved.

AVAILABILITY: Freely available on DVD and was packed in a disc 2 of the UK 2 disc DVD of O Brother, Where Art Thou?

THE DRUNKEN DRIVER HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY

book, 2001

COEN CONNECTION: Ethan Coen’s second book.

DETAILS: A collection of humourous poetry.

COMMENTS: I have not read it but one review states- “Sadly, to call it poetry is to be kind. These are, at best, sophomoric rhymes, bawdy jokes, and off-the-wall nonsense”

AVAILABILITY: No longer seems to be in print but use amazon to find used copies.

A FEVER IN THE BLOOD

short movie, 2002

COEN CONNECTION: 12 minute movie based on one of the short storys from Ethan Coen’s book Gates of Eden (above).

DETAILS: The story concerns a private detective who loses an ear in a fight and then he sets himself up as a “hearing impaired detective”. Written for the screen and directed by Andrew Pulver. Thanks to YKF reader Joel (no not that Joel) you can see a clip from this on good old YouTube.

COMMENTS: I have not seen the movie but the story it’s based on is pretty funny.

AVAILABILITY: I couldn’t find it for sale anywere.

H&R BLOCK AD “TAXMAN”

commercial, 2002

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen direct an ad for H&R Block.

DETAILS: To help the people of the US with 400+ tax law changes the Coens were drafted in to create this ad which was shown during the Superbowl XXXVI on February 3rd 2002.

COMMENTS: Now I know it’s something to with US tax returns but I’ve never heard of H&R Block. Anyhoo the ad is mildly amusing and quite reminscent of The Hudsucker Proxy to my mind.

AVAILABILITY: Watch it online here and at companyfilms.net here where you can also download it (it’s second in a loop of three Coen ads).

GAP AD “TWO WHITE SHIRTS”

commercial, 2002

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen direct an ad for clothing giant, Gap.

DETAILS: All in lovely black and white, Christina Ricci and Dennis Hopper lounge by a pool with a chess board between them. Both wear white shirts. That’s kind of it really.

COMMENTS: Not much to say on this really. It looks pretty and lasts 30 seconds. I wish I had that life- lounging by a pool, playing chess, supping Martinis… can’t be bad can it.

AVAILABILITY: You can watch and download the ad at companyfilms.net (it’s first in a loop of three Coen ads). You can also see a still from the ad here.

PARISIENNE CIGARETTES AD

commercial, year unknown

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen direct an ad for Parisienne cigarettes.

DETAILS: Some kind of musical casting director sits smoking while a ludicrously jolly, portly singer tries out his 1920’s swing style song. The director is moved and asks to hear it again.

COMMENTS: A bit quirky, we’re never really sure why the director becomes so emotional. I kept expecting the trap door to open…

AVAILABILITY: You can watch and download the ad at companyfilms.net (it’s third in a loop of three Coen ads).

BAD SANTA

movie, 2003

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen served as executive producers on this Terry Zwigoff black comedy. Word is that the Coens script doctored it too.

DETAILS: Hilarious comedy starring Billy Bob Thornton as Willie who uses his shopping mall Santa job as a cover for ripping off the stores with his elf pal, Marcus. Willie is in a state of constant insobriety and hilarity ensues. Like most Hollywood comedies it has a warm heart and a [somewhat] happy ending.

COMMENTS: I like it a lot. It’s daft and dark at the same time and funny as hell. BBT is on top form as a pissed-up Santa. Cracking stuff. Not your usual Christmas movie that’s for sure. The Coen’s stamp is all over it- not least in the name of the kid, Herman Merman.

AVAILABILITY: Freely available on DVD and also in a Badder Santa edition. Well worth a purchase.

WHERE THE GIRLS ARE

documentary, 2003

COEN CONNECTION: Ethan Coen executive produced this movie which was co-directed by his wife, Tricia Cooke.

DETAILS: A comedy about the Dinah Shore Weekend, an “active lesbian vacation”.

COMMENTS: I haven’t seen this so cannot comment.

AVAILABILITY: No idea, I couldn’t find it in any of the usual online stores.

ROMANCE & CIGARETTES

movie, 2005

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen served as executive producers on this John Turturro directed musical.

DETAILS: Apparenlty this was quite a passion project for Turturro and it is semi-autobiographical. Essentially a comedy drama about working class steel worker, Nick Murder (James Gandolfini) and how he juggles life with his wife (Susan Sarandon) and his mistress (Kate Winslet).

COMMENTS: Quite a strange but enjoyable movie. Turturro’s third as director. The movie lurches from domestic disputes into dreamy, full-blown Busby Berkely style song and dance numbers in the streets of New York. Stand out performances from Winslet who is the right side of sexy with her Lancashire accent and bright red locks and Christoper Walken who does what he does best- he dances! I liked it a lot and writing this makes me want to watch it again.

AVAILABILITY: Freely available on DVD.

THEATER OF THE NEW EAR

live radio play, 2005

COEN CONNECTION: Sawbones section written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen with regular Coen movie actors starring.

DETAILS: On 28th, 29th and 30th April 2005 in New York and 13th May in London the Coen brothers, along with Charlie Kaufman (writer of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), put on a “radio play” called Theater of the New Ear. It was split in to two parts with each writing and directing one. The Coen brother’s part, Sawbones, was performed first and starred Coen regulars, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, and Marcia Gay Harden among others. Kaufman’s Hope Leaves the Theater starred only three actors- Meryl Streep, Peter Dinklage and the titular Hope Davis. Suffice to say it was a little bizarre.

COMMENTS: I was lucky enough to get tickets for the London performance and you can read my report HERE.

AVAILABILITY: You can download Sawbones right here at YKFK. PART ONE and PART TWO (right-click, save as).

PARIS JE T’AIME

short, 2006

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen wrote and directed the segment Tuileries.

DETAILS: Paris Je Taime is a collection of over 20 short films from directors including Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuaron, Gerard Depardieu, Alexander Payne, Tom Twyker, Gus Van Sant and, of course, the Coen brothers. The Coens segment, Tuileries, stars Steve Buscemi as an American tourist in the titular Paris subway station. Due to a tiny misunderstanding he ends up getting mixed up with two young lovers- snogged by one, beaten up by the other.

COMMENTS: I am still yet to see the entire thing but have watch Tuileries a number of times and, for a five minute short, it is very funny indeed. Buscemi’s facial reactions are the cause of most of the laughs.

AVAILABILITY: Freely availble on DVD and you can watch the Tuileries on YouTube though it might get taken down.

CHACUN SON CINEMA (TO EACH HIS CINEMA)

short, 2007

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen wrote and directed the segment World Cinema.

DETAILS: Chacun son cinema is a collection of 33 three minute short movies by 35 directors about the one theme- the feeling of cinema created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival (2007- the year the Coen’s were in competition with No Country For Old Men).

COMMENTS: I have not seen this at all so I cannot comment.

AVAILABILITY: It is available to buy in France from fnac.com. And you can watch the Coen brothers segment, World Cinema, on YouTube (or at least you could when I wrote this in Aug 2009).

ALMOST AN EVENING

play, 2008

COEN CONNECTION: Ethan Coen penned triptych of short plays.

DETAILS: It ran off-broadway from 9th January to 10th February. Here’s a synopsis- “In the world premiere of Ethan Coen’s Almost an Evening, three short plays unsuccessfully tackle important questions. In Waiting, someone waits somewhere for quite some time. In Four Benches, a voyage to self-discovery takes a British intelligence agent to steam baths in New York and Texas, and to park benches in the U.S. and U.K. In Debate, cosmic questions are taken up. Not much is learned.”

COMMENTS: I’m in the UK, the play was only on in New York so I didn’t see it unfortunately.

AVAILABILITY: N/A

OFFICES

play, 2008

COEN CONNECTION: Ethan Coen returns to writing for the theatre due to success of Almost An Evening (above).

DETAILS: The play made it’s premiere on 15th April 2009 at at ATC’s Linda Gross Theater in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Then opened on May 7, with performances continuing to May 31. Artistic director Neil Pepe (Romance,Broadway’s Speed-the-Plow) directs the triptych of workplace plays. According to ATC, “Hiring and firing are antisocial acts. Workplace pressures make for nasty competition. And the work itself can be meaningless and alienating. Accordingly, the three short plays that make upOffices are comedies.”

Coen (“No Country for Old Men”) reteams with Pepe, who staged Coen’s sold out 2008 run of Almost an Evening and the ensemble cast of 11 includes Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham (“Amadeus,” Almost an Evening), Daniel Abeles (Behold, the Bowery!), Brennan Brown (Atlantic’s Celebration), Aya Cash (From Up Here), John Bedford Lloyd (Some Americans Abroad), Daniel London (“Patch Adams”), Mary McCann (Spring Awakening), Joey Slotnick (Almost an Evening, Lookingglass’ Our Town), Greg Stuhr (November), C.J. Wilson (The Voysey Inheritance) and Daniel Yelsky (upcoming film “Meet Monica Velour”).

COMMENTS: I’m in the UK, the play was only on in New York so I didn’t see it unfortunately.

AVAILABILITY: N/A

CLEAN COAL AD

TV commercial, 2009

COEN CONNECTION: Joel and Ethan Coen wrote and directed a TV commercial to as part of the Reality campaign to highlight environmental issues.

DETAILS: A 30 second spot about a Clean Coal aerosol air freshener which gets your home “Clean Coal Clean”.

COMMENTS: It’s a bit daft but makes its point.

AVAILABILITY: Freely available to watch on YouTube and Reality’s own website.