Tom Waits In the Coen Brothers’ New Movie, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"*

The theme of death ties it all together. I thought that was fairly obvious.

 

I'ld like to watch it on Netflix but some of us have old computer systems that heat up when that much data is being pushed through the processor and graphics chip. Just don't want to risk it.

Also I'm limited to 12mbps bandwidth where that much clocked data from Netflix will be charged to my internet bill on top of what Netflix charges. My HDtv in my living room has only one bandwidth hook up and that being Spectrum cable. I'm not about to have them provide internet service after what they charged me for a package I had for over 8 years with Time Warner Cable where I then demanded to be dropped down to basic saving me $60 month.

Just curious but has anyone experienced a heated computer playing Netflix movies on them?

 

My Irish wife wants the OST album with Tom singing Mother Machree

 

I guess we're lucky. I'm with Comcast; $188 per month includes:
All the channels plus all the pay channels with 100 hour HD DVR storage.
A Netflix app.
400 mbps internet speed.
1tb per month of wifi usage.
Landline phone.
Plus: 2 cell phones through Xfinity Mobile.
I'd say it's a great deal!

 

if yer interested, the Coen brothers were interviewed today on NPR's Fresh Air

 

Big Coen brothers fan here, and this was an unexpected find while browsing Netflix.

It was fun seeing a much slighter Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter franchise) in the segment with Liam Neeson. That sure was one damn dark segment, though.

 

probably my least favorite of all the segments

 

Yes, for me also. If there was some amount of dark humor or underlying message, it was fairly lost on me. Maybe it fits in the "so creepy it's interesting" category.

 

So obvious I never even thought of it!

 

What piece of hardware is the Netflix app installed on? I take it nothing is going through your computer. Right?

I guess I'm getting gouged at $46/month for basic limited Spectrum cable package that comes with one digital HD box and a remote.

 

I watched this last night. A few good laughs and some groans as well. Very well done as far as story layout and cinematic photography.
-Bill

 

Yeah, but that's gotta be the smartest chicken who ever starred in movies. Great acting.

 

That "Meal Ticket" segment was the most disturbing part for me as there was no humor there. I agree with Bender Rodriquez that death was the common element and set the dark theme for the movie as a whole. It was the last segment "The Mortal Remains", which was the stagecoach ride, that summarized the movies theme IMO. It elaborated on life, love, and mortality in particular. There was a bit of those elements in every segment. One telling part was the conversation about death and life's puzzle which was asked of the bounty hunter, where he responded "How would I know. I only watched.". That tied the life lessons from the other characters in that scene and in the other segments, summarizing for me at least, that life must be lived and that it is both unpredictable and temporary.
-Bill

 

I never thought of that! Here’s to all the ingenues that mysteriously vanished after a good two-year run!

 

I'll have to give that a watch over the long weekend.

My curiosity was piqued when I was in Santa Fe last August helping my folks out. My brother and I took an afternoon to drive up to the top of Santa Fe peak to have a look around and do some hiking.

The filming crew was up there that day doing a shoot...cables dragged everywhere. But, yeah, gorgeous scenery!

 

...stumbled upon this while scanning Netflix...we enjoyed it.

 

Watched last night and watching again this afternoon. Another masterpiece from the Coens

 

Well I've rewatched several times now - as segments, and this is the ONE Coen Brothers film where the parts are greater than the whole - by the very nature of the structure though.

Don't read rest if you haven't seen please:

So a few things I noticed on rewatching - the other underlying (theme? aspect?) is the French Connection.

Fairly obvious to me now that the Frenchman in the Buster Scruggs segment at the card table who goes from deathly serious about the rules of Poker, to jollity and song is the same Frenchman who led a life of leisure (?) or at least women and cards - in the final segment. So guessing the first and 6th part take place about 30+ years from each other. So perhaps the first is earliest, final is most recent. There's also a (throw-away?) line from the pan-shot bank teller about locking up the would-be-robber whose daddy was from "... F-F-F-France..." And from the Buster segment, we know the importance of Frenchman's Gulf, which was "new" to Buster..

And my first assessment on the final section was probably wrong - they're all dead. The good news? Seems no matter what you do in life, be it Buster Scruggs, or the final segment, you seem to go to heaven after you die (the heavy lighting a the top of the stairs at the end was pretty obvious).

And I see now I liked "The Actor" segment a lot more than others - especially on first pass. This really was about the value of a life IMO - all the segments are to a degree, especially the James Franco one, but this one - this hit me over the head. Heart-aching - when his financial value compared to "upkeep" goes in the red and he himself gets scammed (!) but doesn't know it yet... wow. So powerful. The scene with the prostitute, and denying him even the simplest pleasures even when offered... The Actor had noticed "things turned" when Liam got to the campfire drunk, anyway. Did Liam's character know the power/importance of the art from this man?

We never do see Liam realizing he got conned into buying a regular old chicken. My wife missed all that - she saw it once - didn't understand why Liam didn't get the guy's new caravan with the counters... I had to tell her Liam got conned, bought only a normal chicken for a crazy price, but didn't have time to explain the other guys' caravan con as the next segment was here already.

I was assuming the end would have Liam realize the chicken was no genius and be faced with eating his chicken to survive, but... the ending as it was was powerful enough for me. Left all the rest to the imagination.

As an aside, is there a New Mexico/Out West Mark Twain? I love love love Mark Twain and relish his novels that are based on real folk - all taking place near, or along the Mississippi. All of Buster Scruggs takes place at roughly the same time as Huck Finn and the other Twain non-English Royalty fiction, which I'm re-re-reading right now for fun - all just in a different area.

Who are the best fiction/sorta based on real people Western writers who were there and knew characters like these? Looking for my Wester Mark Twain.

Thanks!

Jeff

 

I would like to have seen that. I think it would have made the episode better and better liked.

 

I suspected Liam Neeson was conned. It was probable without being overly obvious. The Coen’s may have been too subtle for their own good and buried the drama in subtle suggestion that doesn’t pay off in a satisfying way. I don’t think the idea for the segment was outright bad so much as it was poorly done with a slow pace and a dreary, depressing tone. It’s a weak idea executed in a way that most people will find unappealing.

 

Some good segments (especially the 1st one and the gold panning one) but overall kind of didn't hold my interest. I'm not disappointed because I didn't go in expecting much. Some of their work is some of my favorite stuff (A Serious Man, Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, Lebowski, etc.) and some of it just falls completely flat (O Brother Where Art Thou, Burn After Reading, Barton Fink). This was one of those experiences for me.

 

Stunning location. Filmed near Telluride Colorado.

I liked the movie, did not love it. Need to see it again though

 

This location is about 10 miles from my home! I drive past it on my way to I-25 when I'm headed for Albuquerque.

 

While I agree with your assessment as it pertains to the entirety of show business, it also felt like a commentary on life and the current state of the union and the unrest in the world. Here's a kid reciting the written word in compelling fashion, and I've said this before; you can't wear conviction. Not good enough. Disposable. Only to be sold down the river (no pun intended) by his keeper (and the watching crowd) because of a chicken who could count. Dark and understated, but very good.