No Coencidence

I'm afraid my blog title makes me look like a pretentious jerk. I may still be a pretentious jerk (I hope not), but the blog title is not indicative of that.

Allow me to explain.

It has been years since I have written steadily. I decided about three years ago to pursue editing rather than writing. One can often make more money and ascend faster as an editor than a writer. For the past three years I have put correcting the poor writing of others above churning out the poor writing of myself. As one who loves to write, I feel the loss.

Most who know me recognize that I am a cinephile. My favorite collaborative pair behind the camera is the Coen brothers. They have written, directed and produced some of the more thought-provoking pictures I've ever seen. If the name doesn't strike a chord, they're responsible for "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", "Fargo" and "The Hudsucker Proxy." One of their harder-to-find films is "Barton Fink" — starring John Turturro as the titular character and John Goodman as his "friend" Charlie.

*** SPOILER WARNING *** Barton is a playwright who is beginning to earn praise on Broadway when he gets an offer to write for the moving pictures in Hollywood. Barton accepts and is told to write a formulaic wrestling flick for his first go-round. As he begins to write, distractions pile up, and he finds himself in writer's hell: He suffers a complete mental block. Charlie attempts to help Barton get his groove back. He also may be a serial killer. The Coens are notoroius for developing films that have multiple meanings; this is my interpretation: It is apparent in "Barton Fink" that Barton has found himself in hell (either literal or figurative). Charlie (who may be part of Barton's imagination or may be the devil himself) gives Barton his mind back. In the climactic scene, Charlie runs down a fiery hallway yelling, "Look upon me, and I'll show you the life of the mind!" After the exchange, Barton's pen is flowing again.

I titled my blog after Charlie's threat/warning/declaration. This blog represents an opportunity for me to exercise (exorcise) my writing mind. Hope this clarifies the matter. I am no mind, I am just trying to know mine.

*** CINEPHILE PRATTLE WARNING *** I warned earlier of spoilers, but I didn't give away enough of the film to keep someone from watching. I invite anyone to see the film and judge for himself or herself what the relationships, settings and events in the picture represent.