Throughout a distinguished career that’s seen them duck in and out of various genres, filmmaking brothers Ethan and Joel Coen have maintained an often darkly comedic tone, with their leading characters frequently cast as fated victims in a cruel and unforgiving world, where circumstances just beyond their control doom their best efforts. Their latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, an evocative portrait of creativity’s grind set against the backdrop of the pre-Dylan 1960s folk scene, tracks loosely along these lines. As the title character (Oscar Isaac), a talented but downtrodden singer-songwriter, works hard to improve his station in life, he encounters a colorful gallery of friends, lovers and peers — hoping a change in luck lurks just around the corner. I recently had a chance to speak to the filmmakers at a Los Angeles press day, about their movie, the unique means they took to capture its wonderful music with T Bone Burnett, and cats. Wait… cats? Yes, cats. The conversation is excerpted over at ShockYa, so click here for the read.