Coen brothers emerge from hibernation

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:22:00 +0000

Between 2007 and 2010, the Coen brothers released a film a year — then took some time off. The prolific filmmakers are back with "Inside Llewyn Davis," and released the new trailer today. It depicts a young folk singer (played by Oscar Isaac) traveling around the U.S., recording with a session musician (Justin Timberlake, still trying to make his acting career "happen") and breaking the heart of a beautiful woman (Carey Mulligan).

Hopefully, this ends better than the Coens' side project, the "Gambit" remake they wrote, which was only released overseas. But the period feel -- by this point, they've taken on practically every decade of the 20th century -- and the distinctive, assured oddities -- John Goodman's bangs, a cat loose on the subway -- make the trailer feel portentous. The pair never really left.

“Nashville’s” Callie Khouri: “Watching two women go at it is boring”

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 20:30:00 +0000

Callie Khouri, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Thelma and Louise" and the director of "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," is responsible for one of the best, and certainly the most musical, new shows of the fall season: ABC's delightful, grounded soap opera "Nashville."

The show stars Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, an aging country music star embroiled in a love quadrangle, career trouble and a rivalry with a conniving, jealous younger musician played by Hayden Panettiere. It features original songs by the likes of Elvis Costello and Lucinda Williams. (T Bone Burnett, who is Khouri's husband, is the show's executive music producer.)

With the series heading into its third week, Khouri spoke with me about how the show came to be, her disinterest in catfights and how much easier it is these days to make TV for women than it is to make films for women.

How did “Nashville” come about?

Salon.com > T Bone Burnett

Coen brothers emerge from hibernation

“Nashville’s” Callie Khouri: “Watching two women go at it is boring”