The lady and I headed out to catch Burn After Reading Saturday afternoon.

She was a little put off by it as it the film unfolds like a Coen-ed out episode of Seinfeld, with the antics of George, Elaine, Cosmo, and Jerry replaced with the overacting of John Malkovich, the rubber band face of Brad Pitt, the lechery of George Clooney, and coldness of Tilda Swinson, and the tomfoolery of Francis McDormand.

I would recommend the flick, but Coen fans should realize they're seeing an updated version of Fargo or The Big Lebowski. I'm sure fans are ecstatic to read that but I'm sure a lot of folks went into the film expecting a softer touch along the lines of Intolerable Cruelty or O' Brother Where Art Thou. Burn After Reading is dark, seedy, and uncomfortably funny. I was laughing at the most inopportune times (but there's nothing new about that).

It's an odd cast but it works well. The CIA office scenes in the middle and end of the film are the funniest, so my hats off to JK Simmons and David Rasche. My only complaint is we get scant backstory on Richard Jenkins' character. They tease us with it but its scope and impact on the storyline is nigh but Burn After Reading was clearly the Coen Brothers just getting back to making uncomfortable, yet cacophonous comedy after the accolades and praise of No Country for Old Men.

As for Choke, I see it next Monday afternoon at a press screening! I'm stoked.

I'm also stoked for Milk, which we saw the preview for before Burn After Reading. It's directed by Gus Van Zant and stars Sean Penn as Harvey Milk. If you're unfamiliar with Harvey Milk, do some research.