The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

[Astros Fan in Big D]

Highly recommend the new Coen brothers anthology on Netflix.
 

[GreatBagwellsBeard]

Highly recommend the new Coen brothers anthology on Netflix.

The Coens have done some dark shit before, but when I saw the chicken in the back of the trailer, I gasped.

[MRaup]

Watched it Monday night, and it is a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

I really enjoyed it, and ended up staying up way later than I intended because I had to see it all the way through.

Can't recommend it enough. At it's funniest, it's Oh Brother Where Art Thou. At it's most dramatic, it's True Grit. So good!

[Lefty]

This is a fantastic movie.  MRaup's review is pretty spot-on.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

Pan shot!

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

"Didn't hit nothing important."

[subnuclear]

"Didn't hit nothing important."

Up there with "There Will Be Blood" on list of best movies about old-timey mining.

[MRaup]

Pan shot!

Stephen Root is a national treasure.

[HudsonHawk]

Up there with "There Will Be Blood" on list of best movies about old-timey mining.

Apropos to nothing, but There Wil Be Blood may be the single worst film ever made.

[Limey]

Apropos to nothing, but There Wil Be Blood may be the single worst film ever made.

Lewis is a fine actor, but that was overacting at its finest...and it got him an Oscar.

[subnuclear]

Apropos to nothing, but There Wil Be Blood may be the single worst film ever made.

I liked the parts about mining and oil business and bunch of other stuff.

[MRaup]

Apropos to nothing, but There Wil Be Blood may be the single worst film ever made.

You apparently have never seen The Room.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Apropos to nothing, but There Wil Be Blood may be the single worst film ever made.

I liked it and Boogie Nights, I didn't really mind Inherent Vice or Magnolia, I haven't seen Phantom Thread. I fucking hated The Master. I bet you've never seen The Master.   #PaulThomasAndersonFilms

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

You apparently have never seen The Room.

I really want to see it but I'm afraid I'll hate myself afterward.

[subnuclear]

I liked it and Boogie Nights, I didn't really mind Inherent Vice or Magnolia, I haven't seen Phantom Thread. I fucking hated The Master. I bet you've never seen The Master.   #PaulThomasAndersonFilms

Don't forget Hard Eight and Punch Drunk Love.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Don't forget Hard Eight and Punch Drunk Love.

I didn't see them. Are they any good?

[MRaup]

Don't forget Hard Eight and Punch Drunk Love.

Holy Shit! I had forgotten Punch Drunk Love was a thing!

Thanks/Fuck You!

[subnuclear]

I didn't see them. Are they any good?

Phillip Baker Hall is great in Hard Eight and it has some cool gambling stuff in it, but it's kind of half a movie. Punch Drunk Love is kind of offbeat like Magnolia, so if you are in to that it's pretty good.

[Lefty]

Stephen Root is a national treasure.

This is so true, he's amazing in everything he's in, no matter how small a part.

I fucking hated The Master. I bet you've never seen The Master.   #PaulThomasAndersonFilms

I'm trying to think of a more overrated movie and I'm coming up short.

[MRaup]

This is so true, he's amazing in everything he's in, no matter how small a part.

Just Office Space and Oh Brother alone clinched it, the rest is just gravy.

[Limey]

Stephen Root is a national treasure.

And a macho business donkey wrestler, with a super karate monkey death car.

[MRaup]

I've actually watched this again (and re-viewed a few of the chapters more than once), and there is so much great nuance and detail to be found as you re-view it. Highly recommend a second viewing if you enjoyed it the first time.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

I've actually watched this again (and re-viewed a few of the chapters more than once), and there is so much great nuance and detail to be found as you re-view it. Highly recommend a second viewing if you enjoyed it the first time.

In the back scene Stephen Root's character's description of how his second bank robber is doing  in prison is pure genius that I didn't recognize until after I watched it again.

And the way his banter ends when the gun is pulled was so perfect he should win an award.

[Knoxbanedoodle]

Apropos to nothing, but There Wil Be Blood may be the single worst film ever made.

You're insane. The score alone is better than almost any movie I've ever seen.

[HudsonHawk]

You're insane. The score alone is better than almost any movie I've ever seen.

I suppose you have to be awake to appreciate the score, and that's just not possible with that snoozer. 

[chuck]

I pay no attention to movies and had never heard of There Will Be Blood. So I look it up. In addition to having been nominated for 74 Academy Awards, it won some, and the general description of the film I looked at contained something along the lines of "widely considered to be one of the greatest films of all time..."

[jbm]

HH's characterization makes me laugh, as the movie was highly overrated.  If DDL wasn't in it, it would reside in an even deeper obscurity.  It was the same year as No Country for Old Man and some people seriously debated which was better.

[Knoxbanedoodle]

HH's characterization makes me laugh, as the movie was highly overrated.  If DDL wasn't in it, it would reside in an even deeper obscurity.  It was the same year as No Country for Old Man and some people seriously debated which was better.

I was in the TWBB camp hands down. I'm not an uncritical PTA person--I found Magnolia exhausting, The Master a dud, and Inherent Vice a noble attempt at the virtually impossible (converting a Pynchon title to film), didn't see Punchdrunk Love (because Sandler) or finish Hard Eight, but his pairings with DDL are both terrific. I can certainly understand why he wouldn't be somebody's bag--de gustibus non est disputandum and all--but even speaking hyperbolically, putting There Will Be Blood in the same sentence as "worst film of all time" is objectively ludicrous.

[HudsonHawk]

I was in the TWBB camp hands down. I'm not an uncritical PTA person--I found Magnolia exhausting, The Master a dud, and Inherent Vice a noble attempt at the virtually impossible (converting a Pynchon title to film), didn't see Punchdrunk Love (because Sandler) or finish Hard Eight, but his pairings with DDL are both terrific. I can certainly understand why he wouldn't be somebody's bag--de gustibus non est disputandum and all--but even speaking hyperbolically, putting There Will Be Blood in the same sentence as "worst film of all time" is objectively ludicrous.

Being able to stay awake through the entire film I find objectively ludicrous.  But if you like it, knock yourself out.  It was one of the five worst films I've ever seen in my life.  And that even counts all the ones with Brad Pitt in them. 

[moriartp]

I like that DDL and the director chose not to hold back with it. They took their weird shit to 11. The problem is the movie seems to take itself so seriously that if you don't buy in 100%, it plays as almost comically bad.

I think of it as a "fun" movie. I'm pretty sure that's not what they were going for, but it's enjoyable if you approach it that way.

[JimR]

Enjoyed Buster Scruggs thanks to Mark’s tip. The wagon strain story made me want to cry.

[subnuclear]

I like that DDL and the director chose not to hold back with it. They took their weird shit to 11. The problem is the movie seems to take itself so seriously that if you don't buy in 100%, it plays as almost comically bad.

I think of it as a "fun" movie. I'm pretty sure that's not what they were going for, but it's enjoyable if you approach it that way.

The source material is a bit dry, so I think he let the actors go nuts. His movies are great if you like that sort of thing.

[Limey]

The source material is a bit dry, so I think he let the actors go nuts. His movies are great if you like that sort of thing.

I really checked out while watching TMBB, so I went back and read the plot synopsis on Wikipedia.  A bit dry...?

[Lefty]

The source material is a bit dry, so I think he let the actors go nuts. His movies are great if you like that sort of thing.

Watching it, I wanted to beat Paul Dano to death for about 90 minutes, so that payoff at the end was gratifying, at least.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

Enjoyed Buster Scruggs thanks to Mark’s tip. The wagon strain story made me want to cry.

That one still gets to me.

And I'm glad they didn't force us to see the actor get tossed into the river.

[Knoxbanedoodle]

That one still gets to me.

And I'm glad they didn't force us to see the actor get tossed into the river.

Who was "Dudders" from Harry Potter, BTW.

[HudsonHawk]

That one still gets to me.

And I'm glad they didn't force us to see the actor get tossed into the river.

Which would not have had near the impact of leaving it to our imaginations.

[MRaup]

Which would not have had near the impact of leaving it to our imaginations.

You know what they call a man with no arms and no legs in a river, right?


Bob.

[MusicMan]

You know what they call a man with no arms and no legs in a river, right?


Bob.

Yes, but if he’s up against a wall, you call him Art.


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[Limey]

Yes, but if he’s up against a wall, you call him Art.

And if he has a shovel sticking out of his head, you call him Doug.

[Craig]

You know what they call a man with no arms and no legs in a river, right?


Bob.

You could tow him behind a boat and name him Skip.

[Limey]

You could tow him behind a boat and name him Skip.

You could over-stimulate him with caffeine, throw him in a pile of dead leaves, and call him Russel. 

[MusicMan]

You could over-stimulate him with caffeine, throw him in a pile of dead leaves, and call him Russel.

You could put him on the door step and call him Matt.


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[Limey]

You could put him on the door step and call him Matt.

You could remove the shovel from his head and call him Douglas. 

[Limey]

I've actually watched this again (and re-viewed a few of the chapters more than once), and there is so much great nuance and detail to be found as you re-view it. Highly recommend a second viewing if you enjoyed it the first time.

Finally got around to watching it, and it was enjoyable.  Lots if interesting explorations, the most overt being the environmental message of "All Gold Canyon" and the coach ride to the after life in "The Mortal Remains".  I was a little disappointed that we didn't see Liam Neeson get his comeuppance in "Meal Ticket"; my expectation was to see him - broke and starving after the chicken turned out to be a dud - eating the chicken to stay alive (but that's just my logical mind wanting the circle to be closed).

As with Coen Bros movies there's so much great dialog.  I know I will change my mind but, right now, it's Franco's outlaw turning to his fellow gallows occupant and asking "First time?"  It's funny, but it's also a suggestion that he has been here more than twice and was expecting fate to intervene on his behalf once again.  That intimation being reinforced to the audience by his connection with the girl in the crowd...

[MRaup]

Finally got around to watching it, and it was enjoyable.  Lots if interesting explorations, the most overt being the environmental message of "All Gold Canyon" and the coach ride to the after life in "The Mortal Remains".  I was a little disappointed that we didn't see Liam Neeson get his comeuppance in "Meal Ticket"; my expectation was to see him - broke and starving after the chicken turned out to be a dud - eating the chicken to stay alive (but that's just my logical mind wanting the circle to be closed).

As with Coen Bros movies there's so much great dialog.  I know I will change my mind but, right now, it's Franco's outlaw turning to his fellow gallows occupant and asking "First time?"  It's funny, but it's also a suggestion that he has been here more than twice and was expecting fate to intervene on his behalf once again.  That intimation being reinforced to the audience by his connection with the girl in the crowd...

It's really hard to pinpoint a favorite for me. The dinner table conversation was amazing, and Stephen Root's entire character/dialogue was way up there as well.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

The trapper in the stagecoach was played by the dude who played the spitballer in Major League.

The hand that Buster refused to play, aces and and 8's, was the Dead Man's Hand.   Supposedly the hand Bill Hickok held when he was shot.  The lesson being you can't avoid the reaper forever.  "You seen 'em, you play 'em."