Jason's guests this week on the pod are Micheal Chernus and Emily Simoness, a married couple who join him to take a very deep dive into all the wonderful, like, greatness, man, of 'The Big Lebowski'.   Michael's a Julliard-trained stage, TV, and film actor currently appearing on TV as speechwriter Ken Rosey opposite Edie Falco on the CBS series 'Tommy'.     You might have also seen him as  Piper's brother Cal Chapman on 'Orange Is The New Black' or playing Congressman Edward Tavner in Amazon's 'Patriot'.   Michael's movie roles include portraying The Tinkerer, the original McGyver, in Marvel's Spider-Man: Homecoming; playing Tom Hanks' first mate Shane Murphy in the excellent Paul Greengrass film 'Captain Phillips'; and appearing opposite Will Smith in 2012's 'Men In Black 3".     The other half of this power-couple, Emily, is the founder and executive Director of SPACE on Ryder Farm, a non-profit artistic residency program and organic farm located on the grounds of a 225-year-old family homestead in Putnam County, New York.   But outside their professional accomplishments, they're just wonderful midwestern good people, whose self-effacing humor and innate smarts you'll hear on display in the podcast as we discuss the Coen Brother's 'The Big Lebowski'. ABOUT THE MOVIE:  The Big Lebowski (/ləˈbaʊski/) is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted as a result of mistaken identity, after which The Dude learns that a millionaire (also named Jeffrey Lebowski) was the intended victim. The millionaire Lebowski's trophy wife is kidnapped, and he commissions The Dude to deliver the ransom to secure her release; the plan goes awry when the Dude's friend Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) schemes to keep the ransom money. Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, John Turturro and Philip Seymour Hoffman also appear, in supporting roles. The film is loosely inspired by the work of Raymond Chandler. Joel Coen stated, "We wanted to do a Chandler kind of story – how it moves episodically, and deals with the characters trying to unravel a mystery, as well as having a hopelessly complex plot that's ultimately unimportant."[4] The original score was composed by Carter Burwell, a longtime collaborator of the Coen brothers. The Big Lebowski was a disappointment at the U.S. box office and received mixed reviews at the time of its release. Over time, reviews have become largely positive, and the film has become a cult favorite,[5] noted for its eccentric characters, comedic dream sequences, idiosyncratic dialogue, and eclectic soundtrack.[6] In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7][8] A spin-off based on John Turturro's character, titled The Jesus Rolls, was released in 2019 with Turturro also acting as writer and director. Cast Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski. Bridges had heard or was told by the Coen brothers that they had written a screenplay for him. John Goodman as Walter Sobchak; a Vietnam veteran and bowling partner and friend of "The Dude." Walter was based, in part, on screenwriter and director John Milius. Julianne Moore as Maude Lebowski; Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski's daughter, a feminist and an avant-garde artist. Steve Buscemi as Theodore Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos; a bowling partner and friend of "The Dude." Walter's repeated response, "Shut the fuck up, Donny!" is a reference to Fargo, in which Buscemi's character was constantly talking and interrupting conversations when he is not paying attention to the story. David Huddleston as Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski; a millionaire philanthropist for whom "The Dude" is mistaken. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Brandt; Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski's executive assistant Tara Reid as Bunny Lebowski; Jeffre