The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a western anthology film from the minds of the Coen Brothers. The tales that this movie covers include a singing cowboy named Buster Scruggs (played by Tim Blake Nelson) who just so happens to be the fastest gunslinger in the west, a cowboy played by James Franco whose attempt to rob a bank goes very wrong, a story about two traveling companions played by Liam Neeson and Harry Melling (better known as Dudley from Harry Potter), a prospector played by Tom Waits digging for gold, a woman named Alice who sets out for Oregon with her brother and is possibly intent on getting married, and a story about five strangers riding in a stagecoach together. For those who don’t know, I am a fan of the Coen Brothers. I’ve enjoyed practically all of their films that I have seen, including the likes of Hail, Caesar, O Brother Where Art Thou, and the remake of True Grit. I even liked their much-maligned Ladykillers remake. These are two talented filmmakers with their own unique style. I bring all of this up because even I didn’t really know what to make of this film. In many ways, I found this movie legitimately difficult to get through. The first major problem I have is that I don’t think this movie needs to be two hours and ten minutes long. This feels especially true when you consider that the first three of the six stories in this film cover roughly the first third of the movie. Some these stories do feel like they have fat on them that probably could have been trimmed down a touch. I wouldn’t mind some the pauses in the film if it had been one continuous story, but in my eyes, they feel unnecessary here. This feels especially true of the story entitled The Gal Who Got Rattled. It is the longest story in the movie, and  Don’t get me wrong, there is good stuff in this movie. Some of the performances work (primarily those of Liam Neeson, Harry Melling, and Tom Waits). On the other hand, James Franco’s performance in the film didn’t work for me. I actually like the guy as an actor, but he’s just not the guy you think of when you want someone who’s supposed to play a cowboy. I also found the first story, which is the film’s title story, to be annoying. This was largely due to Tim Blake Nelson’s performance, another actor I normally like in anything he’s in. I get what they were trying to do, but it just didn’t work for me. The film also looks nice, especially when you get some fantastic landscape shots in the film. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, at the very least. Ultimately, this is just one of those movies that I didn’t really agree wit the critics on.

4 / 10  

Scorched Earth

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Bounty hunter Atticus Gage (played by Gina Carano) infiltrates a town where only outlaws are allowed. The movie takes place in a future where people have to where masks and filter air, or something like that. I figured at best this would probably be mediocre, and at worst it would be absolutely awful. Yeah, this came out with the best-case scenario. It wasn’t good, but it was far from being one of the worst things I’d ever seen. I thought Gina Carano was fine in this. She’s never been a particulary strong actress, but she served her role well enough. The plot wasn’t terribly interesting. I’ve seen this story before. Sometimes, the directing could build up the tension, but most of it was just bland, which is the perfect description for this movie as a whole. The one thing I think rose above the material was John Hannah as a character named Doc, who serves as Gage’s mentor. There was one element to the plot that did surprise a little bit. It ties into the protagonist’s backstory. When they didn’t go the route I was expecting them to go, I was actually kind of surprised. The action sequences are really just sort of standard. They aren’t awful, but they aren’t mind-blowing either. They’re just sort of there. The futuristic sci-fi element adds nothing to the movie. They could have just made this a typical western, and it really wouldn’t have changed anything. Scorched Earth is just bland. It’s neither good nor bad enough to really leave you with an impression on it either way.

5 / 10  

The Dark Tower

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The Dark Tower is one of those movies that’s been moved around on the release schedule for along time before this year. From a lot of what I’ve heard, it combines elements from multiple books in the dark tower series into this movie that clocks in at around an hour and a half. To say this movie is a bit of a mess an understatement. There’s a lot that is glossed over, which actually makes it really confusing and difficult to follow. This could be related to the fact that I’ve never read the Dark Tower books. The story centers on young Jake Chambers (played by Tom Taylor) who discovers that the dreams he has been having are all too real. He teams up with lone gunslinger Roland Deschain (played by Idris Elba) to prevent the man in black, also known as Walter O’Dim (played by Matthew McConaughey) from destryoying everything. Taylor as Jake is pretty hit and miss. There are times where the young actor genuinely seems to be trying and putting emotion into his performance. There are other times where he feels a little too flat. This is better than some of the minor actors’ performances. No performer fits this better than the actor who plays Jake’s stepfather. The man just never came across as natural or emotional. Jackie Earle Haley is a talented actor who was just underused in this movie. He doesn’t get enough to do, or enough screen time. The same can also be said of Katheryn Winnick as Jake’s mother, Laurie. She is one of three performers in this movie that I personally feel stood out. She actually came across to me as a mother who is genuinely struggling. Of course, it’s Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey who really put their all into their performances. With Elba as Roland, you understand why he is the way he is. Admittedly, there isn’t much development to the character of Walter, but McConaughey actually brings a strong level of menace and intimidation to his role. The Dark Tower has a couple of strong performances, but is let down by sloppy execution with poor pacing issues, clumsy writing, and bland direction. That makes this one of the year’s most disappointing movies.

2 / 10

The Magnificent Seven

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A young woman (Haley Bennett) seeks help from bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) to get rid of a man terrorizing her hometown. From there, Chisolm recruits six other men to aid him. Antoine Fuqua directs the movie, and once again, he shows an understanding of how to direct action. The other thing I noticed Fuqua knows how to do within this movie is build suspense. The tension that leads up to many of the action scenes can only be described as a powder keg. Of course it helps knowing that Washington, Pratt, and Byug Hun-Lee are all proven action stars. The cast is excellent. Washington, Chris Pratt, Haley Bennett, Ethan Hawke, Byung Hun-Lee, Peter Sarsgaard, and Vincent D’Onofrio all work in their respective roles, and work off each other brilliantly. In particular, I enjoyed watching the actors playing the magnificent seven. These men have great chemistry, and the quiet moments involving these men actually help build their characters. In my opinion, Chris Pratt serves as the movie’s standout performer, however. Some of his typical Chris Pratt-isms are there, but they are very few. His character is a drunken gambler who is mostly likable due to Pratt’s charisma. Something I found interesting is that this movie carries a PG-13 rating. I say this because there are multiple points where I feel that the movie pushes the boundaries of its rating. I also want to compliment the movie’s production design. I can actually feel a lot of the old west setting of the movie based on the sets. The bar scenes have something of a grimy, dirty feel to them, which I honestly appreciate. Admittedly, the movie doesn’t really cover any new ground. This is a story I’ve seen multiple times before. However, the ride I was on for this movie was just a ton of fun.

9 / 10   

Jane Got a Gun

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 Jane Got a Gun faced a lot of production troubles. It was originally supposed to come out in 2014, but was pushed back to 2015, and was then pushed back again to 2016, when it finally came out. At points, the production troubles do manifest, and they are noticeable. For example, the first ten minutes or so feel very rushed before the movie actually does settle into a slower, more comprehensible pace, even if I do think it drags a touch at points. Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, and Ewan McGregor do the best they possibly can with what they are given to work with. McGregor’s villain, named John Bishop, feels underwritten. So, the fact that he is as good as he is really should say something. I will also admit that while Portman and Edgerton do have decent chemistry together, it could be stronger. This is mostly because these two characters are the most developed and the most interesting and because Natalie Portman and Joel Edgerton are good actors. The character of Bill Hammond probably could have been in the movie a lot less, and went on to have less and less need and bearing on the plot. I want to make it clear, I actually did like the movie, even though it was deeply, deeply, flawed. This is a movie I would recommend seeing at rental price, instead of seeing it theatrically.

7 / 10 

The Hateful Eight

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The Hateful Eight is the new film from Quentin Tarantino, and one of my most anticipated movies of the year. As usual, Mr. Tarantino delivers exactly what he promises in all of his movies. I will say that if you’ve never been a big fan of Quentin Tarantino, this isn’t likely to convert you, as it is very much a Quentin Tarantino movie. The cast is great. All of them work well in their roles, and off each other. But, once again, the real star here is Tarantino himself. The script is great, and the actors deliver Tarantino’s dialogue to near-perfection, especially Samuel L. Jackson, who is always awesome. Tarantino does extremely well building tension, as you fully understand that every character has a dark side, and may or may not be who they say they are. The setting of a cabin in the middle of a blizzard works in the movie’s favor, helping build the tension by adding a claustrophobic feel to the movie. As per usual, the film is littered with blood and swearing, which is pretty much a given in a Quentin Tarantino movie, and it is unbelievably entertaining. In terms of flaws, there was one plot point that was brought up that I don’t think was explained, or at least, not as well as it could have been. Other than that, this was a damn good movie, and absolutely worth the watch if you ever get the chance to see it. 

9 / 10   

The Ridiculous 6

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Okay, when I say that this was a bad movie, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “of course it’s bad, man. Adam Sandler hasn’t been funny in years.” Right, but The Cobbler and Pixels aren’t as bad as, say Jack and Jill. This movie absolutely includes a lot of the problems that have plagued most of Adam Sandler’s recent movies. There were elements to it I did enjoy, though not too many. Some of the jokes made me laugh, and there were actors I thought did alright in the movie, like Terry Crews and Jorge Garcia (Hurley from Lost). A lot of the actors just feel miscast. Nick Swardson is in the movie, and I’ve never been the biggest fan of him as an actor. Part of my problem with Taylor Lautner in the movie was that I don’t think his character was very well-written, so he didn’t seem to have much to go on besides act annoying and dumb, and do a stupid voice. Great actors like Harvey Keitel, Danny Trejo, and Steve Buscemi all kind of get pushed to the sidelines, and all Buscemi does is embarrass himself. But,my biggest issue with the cast and characters involves a couple cameos that I really have to question. So, there’s a scene where the main characters have to rob this poker game. At this poker game are General Custer, Mark Twain, and Wyatt Earp, played by David Spade, Vanilla Ice, and Blake Shelton respectively. Seriously!? The movie is also 2 hours long, which is a good 20 or 30 minutes too long for a comedy. Sadly, a great cast and a couple good jokes here and there end up feeling wasted in what ends being an overly long, somewhat racist cringe-fest that might actually rival Jack and Jill for the worst movie Adam Sandler has ever starred in.

2 / 10