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We'll show you the Life of the Mind this week, as the Seths tackle the Coen Brothers' 1991 perhaps-most-off-kilter entry, "Barton Fink," starring John Turturro and John Goodman. Follow Fink as he, bolstered by some success on the New York stage and emboldened by his irrepressible ego, makes the unlikely move to Hollywood where he hopes to make it big telling highly intellectualized stories of the working class. As he knows it. But the promise of early success starts to slip away as Fink must deal with manic studio bosses, jarring meetings with former heroes, a mysterious murder, a suspiciously decaying hotel, sweaty wrestlers and invisible mosquitoes. Critics loved the film, but audiences were perplexed by its subtle satire and oddly placed humor within an otherwise darkly dramatic exploration into the soul of an artist, and the struggles inherent to bringing personal work to the public eye.
By Seth Chatfield, Seth BlakeWe'll show you the Life of the Mind this week, as the Seths tackle the Coen Brothers' 1991 perhaps-most-off-kilter entry, "Barton Fink," starring John Turturro and John Goodman. Follow Fink as he, bolstered by some success on the New York stage and emboldened by his irrepressible ego, makes the unlikely move to Hollywood where he hopes to make it big telling highly intellectualized stories of the working class. As he knows it. But the promise of early success starts to slip away as Fink must deal with manic studio bosses, jarring meetings with former heroes, a mysterious murder, a suspiciously decaying hotel, sweaty wrestlers and invisible mosquitoes. Critics loved the film, but audiences were perplexed by its subtle satire and oddly placed humor within an otherwise darkly dramatic exploration into the soul of an artist, and the struggles inherent to bringing personal work to the public eye.