Movie

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

 

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

NETFLIX

Director:

Ethan Coen

Joel Coen

Starring:

Tim Blake Nelson

James Franco

Liam Neeson

Harry Melling

Tom Waits

Bill Heck

Zoe Kazan

Grainger Hines

Jonjo O’Neill

Brendan Gleeson

Saul Rubinek

Tyne Daly

Chelcie Ross

Plot:

An anthology film comprised of six stories, each dealing with a different aspect of life in the Old West.

Review:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a Western anthology in which at least one person dies in every story. The first story is amusing and fun to watch, while each story after that is various levels of depressing. It was not what I expected and while I enjoyed some parts of it and the stories will probably stick with me a while, I didn’t really like it.

The first story is Buster Scruggs, it’s filled with music and seeming magic, it’s fun. The next story is Near Algodones and it is also fairly amusing and fun, with a tragic, though, deserved ending. Things take a dark and depressing turn with Meal Ticket and it made me really sad. All Gold Canyon was depressing in a different way, though, it had beautiful scenery. I ended up talking to the TV a fair amount during The Girl Who Got Rattled and was seriously hoping it would take a different turn than it did. Sadly, by the time we got to the final story, The Mortal Remains, I had checked out and did not pay as much attention to it. So if it was a fitting ending, I’m not sure.

I wasn’t a fan of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, but then it’s not really the type of movie I like to watch. I will say, after watching something so depressing, I’m really looking forward to some Christmas movies.

2/5

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

BlacKkKlansman

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Director:

Spike Lee

Starring:

John David Washington

Laura Harrier

Adam Driver

Plot:

Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, CO, successfully manages to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan branch with the help of a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.

Review:

I chose to watch this instead of election coverage to help my nerves. It totally failed on that front but that’s my problem not the movies lol

Ron Stallworth, John David Washington, is the first black cop in Colorado Springs. He deals with racism and bigots, but also manages to infiltrate the KKK by calling their number listed in the paper. It’s stupidly easy and you can see that he’s just saying things that have been said to him, things that are disgusting and stereotypical, and the KKK people on the phone eat it up. Naturally, they want to meet this amazing new brother and set up a meeting. In steps Adam Driver and things progress rapidly from there.

At times the movie was a bit heavy handed in its contrast between Black and White protests, but I feel like Lee showed a LOT of restraint on that front. There were obvious inferences about current affairs, but I wouldn’t say it went outside plausible conversations for the time period.

The ending with the clips from Charlottesville were just soul crushing. The image of the upside down flag really hit home. I highly recommend the BlacKkKlansman. We have so much work to do in this country.

5/5

 

Oceans Thirteen (2007)

Ocean's 13 Movie

Oceans Thirteen (2007)

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Starring:

George Clooney

Brad Pitt

Matt Damon

Elliot Gould

Al Pacino

Plot:

Danny Ocean rounds up the boys for a third heist, after casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff.

Review:

The glitz and glamour with a convoluted heist were all here, but it didn’t feel as smooth and seamless as the previous movies in the series. I think they had too many call backs. We had the “villains” from both previous movies and because of that the ending was even busier than they usually are.

Still, it was a movie with a gorgeous cast and very well shot. It might not be as good as the first, but I think it’s better than the second. It’s at least as good as Oceans 8. Definitely worth a watch if you like the rest of the series.

3/5

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

the Spy Who Dumped Me

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

Director:

Susanna Fogel

Starring:

Mila Kunis

Kate McKinnon

Sam Heughan

Justin Theroux

Plot:

Audrey and Morgan are best friends who unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one of the women discovers the boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy.

Review:

Audrey, Mila Kunis, is dumped by a d-bag that turns out to be a spy, Justin Theroux. She is then pulled into a plot that involves traveling all over Europe, surviving multiple gun fights, and attempts on her life. The movie is incredibly amusing and fun to watch, I love how competent the friends are, but they also make obvious newbie mistakes, and hijinks ensue.

The real revelation for me was Sam Heughan. I’ve never had a desire to watch Outlander until now, but damn that man can walk down a hallway. The scene where he’s going in to save the women…if my husband hadn’t been sitting right beside me I would have rewound that scene a few times. I actually searched for a gif of it but couldn’t find it. So sad.

The movie was definitely entertaining and has been added to the list of movies I’ll buy when I see it on sale. I could see myself watching it just to have something fun on in the background.

4/5

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

mamma-mia-2-images-1.jpg

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

Director:

Ol Parker

Starring:

Lily James

Amanda Seyfried

Plot:

Five years after the events of Mamma Mia! (2008), Sophie prepares for the grand reopening of the Hotel Bella Donna as she learns more about her mother’s past.

Review:

I’ve been waiting to rent this for what feels like forever. I would have loved to have seen it in theaters, but oh well. I think all of that excitement ended up working against me. I was hoping for a light hearted, music filled, fun story and that’s only kind of what I got.

Donna, Meryl Streep, is dead and her daughter Sophie, Amanda Seyfried, has built the hotel into what Donna had always planned. The movie was a prequel and sequel, and while I normally hate prequels that part was what I enjoyed the most. Young Donna, Lily James was fun to watch, she was sweet and beautiful and completely optimistic. Her daughter, on the other hand, was in mourning and it was a harsh tonal shift for me. I think I might have enjoyed it more if it was a prequel and that’s a bit crazy to me.

We got to see everyone from the original, but not much has really changed there. In fact none of the side characters seem to have grown in any way since the 70s.

All in all I was a bit disappointed by Mamma Mia Here We Go Again, it lacked a lot of what I loved about the original. I am still kind of hoping for a third, but maybe it can be something much more positive and happy.

3/5