I almost can't take this news. The brothers Coen -- Joel and Ethan -- are among the best filmmakers out there. This isn't opinion; it is a fact, supported by such stellar efforts as "The Big Lebowski," "A Serious Man" and the Oscar-winning adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel, "No Country For Old Men." So when the news broke last month that they'd be directing a new take on Chris Portis' novel "True Grit," I was beside myself.

MTV's Josh Horowitz caught up with the duo later in September, in one of their only solo interviews of the Toronto International Film Festival. There they confirmed that Jeff Bridges, previously revealed to be playing Rooster Cogburn, would indeed be wearing his character's eyepatch, like John Wayne before him. "That'd be like doing Richard II without the limp," Joel said. He also revealed the source of the adaptation: "We’re not looking at the movie. It’s a great book. It’s a very funny book." Read more...

Call them "cult classics." "Guilty pleasures." "Comfort movies." We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. Here are some of ours.

I saw "A Serious Man" last night. It was excellent. Better than that even. Joel and Ethan Coen have wrangled quite a few star-powered talents into quirky, offbeat roles over the years, but "Serious" excels even without a George Clooney or a Jeff Bridges in your face for the whole time. It is easily my favorite effort from the brothers Coen since "The Big Lebowski."

What's funny to me now is, I didn't even care for "Lebowski" the first time I saw it. Welcome to this week's Sick Day Stash. Read more...

Please excuse the delay in running this week's Box Office Poll. I experienced some technical difficulties when working from home yesterday, so I put this post off for today. What a week we're in for movies. I don't know about y'all, but every wide release that opens is on my list as well as a fair few of the limited releases. So let's get to it.

Tough to say what the big one for the week is going to be. I think the top contender -- though not necessarily by a wide margin -- is "Zombieland," a comedy-horror flick starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin. As a zombie apocalypse sweeps across the world, the foursome set out on a cross-country trip to... well I'm not entirely sure. They kill lots of zombies though. Read more...

"Barton Fink" is a difficult movie to classify. It's also one of the best efforts from filmmakers Ethan and Joel Coen, the guys behind bonafide classics like "The Big Lebowski," "Fargo" and "No Country for Old Men." Not to mention "Fink," which is held in high regard by just about everyone who's seen it. The story -- about a playwright, the titular Fink (John Turturro), who tries to beat writer's block while residing in a Hollywood hotel -- sounds fairly innocuous, but it's all in the delivery.

The movie is a touchstone within the Coen's oeuvre, but it doesn't really carry the same cult appeal that the similarly genre-bending "The Big Lebowski" does. As such, I never in a million years would have expected a "Barton Fink" sequel. And yet, that's exactly what the brothers hinted at when they spoke to MTV's Josh Horowitz at the Toronto International Film Festival, where they were promoting "A Serious Man," which hits theaters on October 2. Read more...

Who can forget The Jesus? John Turturro's crazed, pedophile bowler in "The Big Lebowski" is an unforgettable character, even with no more than five or 10 minutes of screen time. He's so popular that there's long been a rumor percolating that filmmakers Ethan and Joel Coen would break out a Jesus spin-off movie. Turturro is very insistent about it, as you can see in this video from back in June...

I'm afraid that the actor's excitement just isn't enough to spur the Coen brothers into action. There's always hope of course, but MTV's Josh Horowitz spoke with the siblings last week at the Toronto International Film Festival -- where they were promoting "A Serious Man," which hits theaters on October 2 -- and things are not looking good. Read more...

There are plenty of actors I wish would work with the Coen brothers again: Tim Robbins; Nicolas Cage; Beth Grant; William Forsythe; Tony Shalhoub; Philip Seymour Hoffman. Of course, the one that most of us Coen fans want the most is "The Dude" himself, Jeff Bridges. Well we're in luck, because the "Big Lebowski" star is in talks to join Joel and Ethan Coen for their remake of the 1969 comedic western "True Grit," according to Variety.

Based on Charles Portis' novel, the original "True Grit" starred an eye patch-wearing John Wayne as 'Rooster' Cogburn, an aging U.S. marshal who helps a 14-year-old girl find the man who killed her father. Also along for the ride in the original is country singer Glen Campbell, who additionally performed the film's Oscar-nominated theme song. "Grit" is mostly remembered for being the film that finally won Wayne his only Academy Award, which many fans consider to be one of those career-honoring Oscars. Read more...

My name may be Josh Horowitz but I'm certainly not steeped well enough in my religion to grasp all the nuances of the Coen brothers latest, "A Serious Man," which screened this morning in Toronto. But fear not my goy friends, the Coens are in fine form for their latest often hilarious effort.

I hope you got your star fix in on the last go around with "Burn After Reading," because this one only gets a dose of name recognition by way of Richard Kind, Michael Lerner (a wordless though impactful cameo), and Fyvush Finker (in a fascinating if obtuse prologue). Read more...

It doesn't take much to make me want to see a Coen brothers movie. Existence is my only real criteria, i.e. if there is one, I want to see it. So it is with great excitement then that I greet "A Serious Man," which hits theaters on October 2. As with most Coen flicks, a synopsis doesn't really do it justice. So peep our exclusive image of Richard Kind chillin' on the beach below and then head over to Apple where you can check out the amazing trailer.

Let's get right to it, shall we?

-- It's not exactly movies-related, but there's a new poster up for J.J. Abrams' hit series "Fringe." Both myself and MTV Multiplayer editor Russ Frushtick are fans of the show, and we were just joking at how uninspiring the poster is. I have to ask though... what the hell is Walter Bishop holding in his hand there? (Sci Fi Wire)

-- The first trailer for the Coen Brothers' next movie, "A Serious Man," has hit the Internet. I expect it to be glorious (the movie that is). (Apple)

-- "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" director Jay Russell will helm "Duncan" for Ben Kingsley's production company, SBK Pictures. It's about a grown woman reconnecting with a stuffed animal from her childhood. Kingsley will voice the toy. Sounds family-friendly to me! (The Hollywood Reporter) Read more...

There's a lot to enjoy in the Coen brother's deliciously diabolical new comedy, "Burn After Reading," but probably my favorite performance is the slow (and sometimes fast) burn of John Malkovich. As I've been saying since I saw it, any movie that ends with a scene involving Malkovich in a bathrobe with a gun in one hand and a drink in the other, is a movie I'm going to like. Malkovich tangles with Brad Pitt through much of the film, including one memorable squabble that ends with a punch to the face of the sometime sexiest man alive. Watch as Malkovich talks about the fears associated with said punch below.