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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    New Bern, NC unless it's a home football game then I'm grilling on Devil's Alley

    The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

    Oooh, I hadn't noticed that there was a Coen Bros movie coming out, and double Ooooh, it is being released on Netflix!

    This one is an anthology, apparently a mix of stories they have written over the course of their career. None of the six stories are connected, other than they all have a western theme. Netflix has a track record of releasing some really badly filmed movies, but this doesn't look like it will be one of those, whew. It has won a few awards at film festivals, which is always promising.



    Currently at over 90% on Rottentomatoes, it will be out in a few theaters this weekend, then streaming on the 16th.
    Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Undisclosed
    Thanks for bringing this to my attention, CB& B. Will definitely check it out!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Hot'Lanta... home of the Falcons!
    Quote Originally Posted by CameronBornAndBred View Post
    Currently at over 90% on Rottentomatoes, it will be out in a few theaters this weekend, then streaming on the 16th.
    Netflix is releasing it in theaters (even though it's anthology nature is not a traditional theater format) because they think there is Oscar potential in this.
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    New Bern, NC unless it's a home football game then I'm grilling on Devil's Alley
    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    Netflix is releasing it in theaters (even though it's anthology nature is not a traditional theater format) because they think there is Oscar potential in this.
    Have you been able to screen it pre-release?
    Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Hot'Lanta... home of the Falcons!
    Quote Originally Posted by CameronBornAndBred View Post
    Have you been able to screen it pre-release?
    I have not. There is a screening late this week but I will not be able to make it. I am sorta buried with other content at the moment (elections, tons of Oscar contending movies being screened right now, and I chair the film selection committee for the world's largest Jewish Film Festival).

    -Jason "it will be on Netflix in 10 days... I can wait and see it then" Evans
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  6. #6
    Off topic but since we all saw multiple commercials for "Widows" last night, is it going to stink or be ok?

    Sure looks stinky, despite some of the actors in it.
    Nothing incites bodily violence quicker than a Duke fan turning in your direction and saying 'scoreboard.'

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by weezie View Post
    Off topic but since we all saw multiple commercials for "Widows" last night, is it going to stink or be ok?

    Sure looks stinky, despite some of the actors in it.
    95% on Rotten Tomatoes. FWIW

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Undisclosed
    Did not realize until this morning that Tom Waits is in it somehow. Even if he is only in the random background, I’m sold.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by OldPhiKap View Post
    Did not realize until this morning that Tom Waits is in it somehow. Even if he is only in the random background, I’m sold.
    He's the featured actor - essentially a solo performance - in one of the stories, as an old prospector.

    I found the entire thing fairly entertaining and interesting. Some stories have much more than meets the eye (Meal Ticket; The Gal Who Got Rattled); others, IMO, less (Near Algodones). Loaded with violence. Some comic/absurdist; some soberingly realistic. The cinematography is superb, and I liked the use of a story-book (complete with color plates preceded by tissue pages) as a vehicle for transitioning between the stories. I have read that there are homages to and echoes of Westerns from long ago; as someone not well-versed in the genre, I'll take their word on it - but it may add to the enjoyment for those of you who do know the work of Leone, Ford, and others.

    In the last segment (which many argue persuasively would be better swapped with the pentultimate one), there's an actor named Jonjo O'Neill whose performance fooled me into thinking he was Ralph Fiennes.

  10. #10
    I watched this last night and thought it was excellent. Lots of meta commentary to be had. The final story reminded me of Sartre's "Huis Clos" (No Exit).

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Northwest NC
    Watched this last night and I thought it was great! As usual with the Coen Brothers it is high quality work. The first short is hilarious! I liked them all but the 4th one was my favorite. Just some really great storytelling. If you like the western genre or just good stories check it out.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Walnut Creek, California
    I don't think I've ever seen an anthology/serial quite like this. Maybe Twilight Zone. Each of the vignettes is special in its own way. And the stars who suddenly appear in off-beat roles are absolute surprises. That's almost as much fun as the stories themselves. The first, Buster Scruggs, is a parody. The last, Mortal Remains, is philosophic. In between are bathos and pathos--black humor and death is the common motif. There is a certain sweet, sad poetry in all this, particularly highlighted by the lyrics of the various songs. Cowboy's Lament (Streets of Laredo) is a fitting example.

    If you've got Netflix...it can all be had in one sitting. Well worthwhile.

  13. #13
    We all watched it while flaked out on the couch after Thanksgiving. It's terrific.

    Drop dead scenery, too. Excellent.
    Nothing incites bodily violence quicker than a Duke fan turning in your direction and saying 'scoreboard.'

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Undisclosed
    “. . . First time?”

    Just watched it with family, enjoyed it. Loved Tom Waits, loved the nod to Sartre’s No Exit.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Seattle
    Looks like I might be the only one who didn't care for this.

    Generally love the Coen brothers, but this was hard to get through at times.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Quote Originally Posted by luburch View Post
    Looks like I might be the only one who didn't care for this.

    Generally love the Coen brothers, but this was hard to get through at times.
    Well, you're not totally by yourself.

    I love the Coen brothers, too, and there were scenes, dialog, and scenery in these stories that I thought were outstanding. But overall I did not end up feeling like I was really glad that I had watched it. There were lots of pieces that I loved, but I just didn't feel good about it when it was all over.

    But whatever they do next, I'll definitely check out.

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