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The Silence (2019)
The Silence (2019)
2019 | Horror
Nothing new
I’m starting to get a little sick of all these apocalyptic end of the world type films. It’s not so bad when they’re actually done well, but sadly this is not one of those films. It’s a very poor relation of A Quiet Place, and an unnecessary one at that. Apart from Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka, I don’t really have anything good to say about this film.

It’s mostly predictable and pretty dull really, with a lot of plot ideas being taken from other films and shows. There’s nothing truly original about this other than the creatures themselves, and that’s not something to be proud of. Whilst on first glance the creatures might be slightly weird and creepy, the more you see of them the more you realise they’re not actually that scary after all. I started to find them quite laughable. The characters in this are mostly stupid making silly mistakes and despite its short 90 minute run time, this really drags to the point where I was quickly losing attention. And the ending was just lame and rushed.

If you want to watch a creature horror film about silence, watch A Quiet Place, not this.
  
Ghost Stories (2018)
Ghost Stories (2018)
2018 | Drama, Horror
Good cast (1 more)
Some creepy moments
Weird 3rd act (0 more)
Disappointing
I was looking forward to this British Horror as it looked a bit different to most horror films.
Unfortunately the early part of the film relies too much on jump scares and loud noises. The first horror tale was eerie but not scary. The second was more creepy and uneasy, although cut a bit short I felt. The third was ok but then it starts to get a bit weird.
I didn't like the ending much and thought it took something away from the film by changing the whole feel of the film. Something of a marmite film I think.
  
The Live Ghost (1934)
The Live Ghost (1934)
1934 | Comedy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Okay mid-period Laurel and Hardy short. Stan and Ollie are hired by regular antagonist Walter Long to help kidnap men to crew his allegedly-haunted ship; perhaps inevitably, they end up press-ganging themselves. Better not mention the ghost to the captain...
About as close to over-plotted as you can get with a L&H movie; some good stuff near the start but it gets a bit busy as it goes on - too much story, not enough slapstick. Concludes by recycling the (slightly gruesome) closing gag from the same year's Going Bye-Bye! Has its moments, but not as many as some other films from the boys.
  
Contagion (2011)
Contagion (2011)
2011 | Drama
I had such high hopes for this film and it just let me down. I watched 'Outbreak' not too long ago and that was such a great film that in comparison to it, 'Contagion' just fell short. I think of the pandemic films I've watched recently, this film is definitely the most accurate to what the world is experiencing currently, but the level of urgency just wasn't felt in this film in comparison to 'Outbreak.'

I think this film was fine, it wasn't jaw-dropping and it didn't keep you on the edge of your seat, but it wasn't the worst thing ever so I guess that counts for something.
  
The Last Duel (2021)
The Last Duel (2021)
2021 | Drama, History
Adam Driver (1 more)
Good battle scenes
At least 30 minutes too long (0 more)
Drawn out sword drama
Missed this at the cinema last year, it didn't get a long run. Now on Disney+ the cast is really good and the trailer looked promising. You get the story as told from 3 different perspectives of the main characters, this does lead to a lot of repetition of some scenes. The battle scenes are good if very short, not on the scale of other films like Gladiator. Adam Driver really stands out above the others in this. A decent film but just a fair bit longer than it needed to be.
  
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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) in Movies

Jan 10, 2019 (Updated Jan 10, 2019)  
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Drama, Western
A winning anthology
I am NOT a Coen Brothers apologist. For every good/great film that they have made (like FARGO, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN or underrated THE HUDSUCKER PROXY) there are duds/movies that didn't work for me (like O' BROTHER WHER ART THOU, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS and the movie I ranked as the worst film of 2016, HAIL, CAESAR). So when I heard that the latest Coen Brothers flick was going straight to Netflix AND (like HAIL, CAESAR), it was a film anthology of 6 short stories, I dragged my feet in checking this out.

But...I am glad I finally got around to it...for THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS is a strong film, taking on a heavy subject (death) in a variety of ways - light-hearted, poignant and deadly (pun intended) serious. The tone of this film - or, more accurately, these 6 short films - worked for me and I felt they wove together very well to tell an overarching story of man's relationship with death - as seen through the eyes of Wild, Wild West characters.

And what characters they are! From Tim Blake Nelson's titular character, Buster Scruggs, to James Franco's hapless (but lucky) Outlaw to Liam Neeson's traveling theatrical show to Tom Waite's grizzled prospector to Zoe Kazan's lonesome Prairie Widow to the group of passengers on the Stagecoach in the last vignette, all are interesting to watch, and listen to.

Credit, of course, needs to go to Joel and Ethan Cohen. These characters are interesting to watch, because these two put wonderful scenes and scenery up on the screen with dialogue (or lack of dialogue) that perfectly reflects what is going on and what the characters are feeling. In my opinion, the Coen Brothers are at their best when they focus on gritty subjects with poignancy (BARTON FINK) but fail when they try to get "wacky" or "over-serious" (BURN AFTER READING, A SERIOUS MAN), this film is full of the former and has very little of the latter.

I'm sure, like all Coen Brothers films, that this anthology of short films is not for everyone - and not every film will work for everyone - but they did for me. I thought each short film was the better than the one before it. I caught the vibe of what the Coen's were after and I fell under their spell.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars out of 10 and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)