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TheFiend13420 (21 KP) rated Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) in Movies
Jun 2, 2022
Some inventive chainsaw massacr...ing (2 more)
Excellent Work by Leatherface Actor Mark Burnham
The Fucking Bus....
It's About Freaking Time!!!!!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I always go into a Chainsaw Massacre movie with as open of a mind as I can. Knowing full well, that the last few entries haven't been up to par.
Netflix....you beautiful bastards you...
From beginning to end, this film kept me going. I sat, literally on the edge of my chair the entire time. Waiting to see what this big, Momma face wearing Slasher would do next.
The first kill nearly made me spit out my Coke. I wasn't expecting such ferocity of the hop.
The writers making this a true after the first film sequel, did everything right in my book.
The cast, minus the lead, Sarah Yarkin, were not your basic, run into the basement kind of kids that have been cannon fodder for good ol' Leatherface in the past. They seemed as logical as they could for a bunch of 20 somethings fending off a once dormant serial killer, who has been woken by the death of his 'Mother'.
Yarkin, who was playing main character Melody, seemed to try and grasp hold of the Scream Queen crown left behind by prior Chainsaw Final Girls Marilyn Burns and Jessica Biel, but failed miserably. She is the one thing out of this movie that I just couldn't get in to.
And, I will admit. That ending. While waiting for the basic good old jump scare. I sat, clenching the sides of the chair I was in, waiting anxiously for it to come. And when it finally did. It did not disappoint.
Look out for a stand out preformance by Olwen Fouere, who plays the role of Sally Hardesty. The lone survivor of the original 1974 film. As well as Mark Burnham as Leatherface and Elsie Fisher as Lila, Mel's sister, and a survivor in her own right.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of the first films in the horror genre that I ever seen. Leatherface will always hold a special place in my Dark little heart. And after some clusterfuck films in the series. It's nice to have one strike a chord and make me want more.
Netflix....you beautiful bastards you...
From beginning to end, this film kept me going. I sat, literally on the edge of my chair the entire time. Waiting to see what this big, Momma face wearing Slasher would do next.
The first kill nearly made me spit out my Coke. I wasn't expecting such ferocity of the hop.
The writers making this a true after the first film sequel, did everything right in my book.
The cast, minus the lead, Sarah Yarkin, were not your basic, run into the basement kind of kids that have been cannon fodder for good ol' Leatherface in the past. They seemed as logical as they could for a bunch of 20 somethings fending off a once dormant serial killer, who has been woken by the death of his 'Mother'.
Yarkin, who was playing main character Melody, seemed to try and grasp hold of the Scream Queen crown left behind by prior Chainsaw Final Girls Marilyn Burns and Jessica Biel, but failed miserably. She is the one thing out of this movie that I just couldn't get in to.
And, I will admit. That ending. While waiting for the basic good old jump scare. I sat, clenching the sides of the chair I was in, waiting anxiously for it to come. And when it finally did. It did not disappoint.
Look out for a stand out preformance by Olwen Fouere, who plays the role of Sally Hardesty. The lone survivor of the original 1974 film. As well as Mark Burnham as Leatherface and Elsie Fisher as Lila, Mel's sister, and a survivor in her own right.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of the first films in the horror genre that I ever seen. Leatherface will always hold a special place in my Dark little heart. And after some clusterfuck films in the series. It's nice to have one strike a chord and make me want more.
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated On the Way to the Wedding (Bridgertons, #8) in Books
Jan 11, 2022
Another brilliantly written Bridgerton book. This one has all the elements of a thriller. Blackmail, treason, someone showing up to stop a wedding by proposing to the bride, what more could you want in a book?
This book follows Gregory and his pursuit of love, which he firmly believes in, thanks to all seven of his siblings being married and blissfully happy and in love with their chosen spouses. We start the book as he runs into a wedding and proposes to the bride and the chapter ends before we find out both who it is and what she says. It takes about half the book to find out who the bride is, and then another few chapters to find out her answer. The suspense kept me reading as I needed to find out what happened.
This book, although obviously similar to the rest of the series, was a lot faster paced and reminded me more of a thriller (without the darkness of a thriller) with the situations that the characters found themselves in.
I think that Gregory’s story may have moved up to one of my favourite Bridgerton books, although this seems to change with every book I read from the series. But this definitely seemed more like the type of book I usually read and I loved every minute of it.
As I started reading, I realised that the previous seven books didn’t really tell us a lot about Gregory, and I would put him in the same category as Francesca was when I started reading When He Was Wicked. But it was good to read about him and learn about his character so late on in the series as it meant that you didn’t really have any preconceptions about his character and how you believe he should behave in the pursuit of love which happened with all of his other siblings (again with exception of Francesca).
I really will be sad to say goodbye to this family when I read the final book in the Bridgerton series, but I hope that the Netflix adaption stays true to the tones of the books and that we get an adaptation of each book as I believe they will work very well on screen as well as in print.
This book follows Gregory and his pursuit of love, which he firmly believes in, thanks to all seven of his siblings being married and blissfully happy and in love with their chosen spouses. We start the book as he runs into a wedding and proposes to the bride and the chapter ends before we find out both who it is and what she says. It takes about half the book to find out who the bride is, and then another few chapters to find out her answer. The suspense kept me reading as I needed to find out what happened.
This book, although obviously similar to the rest of the series, was a lot faster paced and reminded me more of a thriller (without the darkness of a thriller) with the situations that the characters found themselves in.
I think that Gregory’s story may have moved up to one of my favourite Bridgerton books, although this seems to change with every book I read from the series. But this definitely seemed more like the type of book I usually read and I loved every minute of it.
As I started reading, I realised that the previous seven books didn’t really tell us a lot about Gregory, and I would put him in the same category as Francesca was when I started reading When He Was Wicked. But it was good to read about him and learn about his character so late on in the series as it meant that you didn’t really have any preconceptions about his character and how you believe he should behave in the pursuit of love which happened with all of his other siblings (again with exception of Francesca).
I really will be sad to say goodbye to this family when I read the final book in the Bridgerton series, but I hope that the Netflix adaption stays true to the tones of the books and that we get an adaptation of each book as I believe they will work very well on screen as well as in print.
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Umbrella Academy in TV
Mar 4, 2019
I hadn’t even heard anything about The Umbrella Academy before, let alone read any of the Dark Horse comic series on which this Netflix show is adapted from. The premise, and the trailer for the show, didn’t initially appeal to me if I’m honest. But, it turns out that Netflix have only gone and done it again, turning out yet another binge worthy little gem of a show.
The setup for Umbrella Academy is that one day in 1989, 43 babies were born to mothers who were not pregnant when that day began. An eccentric billionaire, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, purchases seven of those babies and raises them, training them to become a powerful crime fighting team. Living with them at the Umbrella Academy is an android Nanny, who the children refer to as Mom, and a well spoken elderly chimpanzee butler called Dr Pogo (impressive work from Weta, the team behind the recent Planet of The Apes trilogy). Each child is known only by a number given to them by their ‘Father’, Sir Reginald – Number 1 through to Number 7 – ranked in order of their usefulness to him!
Fast forward to present day and the team have all but disbanded, with what’s left of them living out problem filled adult lives. Number 1 (now known as Luther) has been living on the moon for the past 4 years. He possesses super strength and has a very bulky appearance, wearing roll neck jumpers and a long coat. Number 2 (now Diego) is a vigilante and a bit of a knife expert. Number 3 (Allison) is now a famous actress, gifted with the ability to alter reality with her voice. Number 4 (Klaus) is a junkie who can communicate with the dead. Number 5 is able to perform small teleportations, or time jumps, but has been missing since they were all teenagers. Number 6 (Ben) was killed prior to the events in this show and Number 7 (Vanya) is believed not to have any special abilities, always being neglected and overlooked by the others while growing up. When news reaches them all that Sir Reginald has died, they all return to the academy.
The opening episode of The Umbrella Academy is packed full of thrills, mystery and a very exciting setup for the remainder of the season. We get a taste of the childrens abilities and teamwork, impressively taking out a bunch of bad guys. Then in present day, Number 5 suddenly appears from a portal in the sky. He claims to have spent decades living in a post-apocalyptic future, having jumped there all those years ago, but unable to return. He survived there until the age of 58, but on his return to present day he returned to his 13 year old appearance. We get a glimpse of the apocalyptic world that Number 5 arrived in and discover that whatever causes it is due to happen in just a few days from present day.
From there, the show suffers with what a lot of high concept shows tend to suffer from – second episode drag. That’s not to say that it’s boring, but we begin to delve into some of the Daddy issues that the various team members have, along with issues some of them have with each other and it’s a sharp contrast to the impressive opening episode. If I’m honest, by the end of episode 3 I was considering giving up, but I stuck with it. I really grew to like this dysfunctional family, and as the show dips back and forth between their teenage years and the present day, I really became invested in the show and its characters. They begin to band together to work through their issues and try and find a way of working out what causes the impending apocalypse, and how to stop it.
There are certainly consequences which play out throughout the season though. We discover that during his time in the future, Number 5 became involved in an organisation which works to correct events in time in order to ensure the destined timeline plays out as it should. Because of Number 5’s return to the present, he is now being hunted by a pair of black suited assassins called Hazel and Cha-Cha. Consequently, the body count in this show is pretty high, usually accompanied by a killer soundtrack!
I’m glad I stuck with it, because the whole thing soon became compulsive viewing, building to an incredibly entertaining and satisfying finale. With the apocalypse imminent, the whole team finally work together once more – a few twists and turns along the way, and a great cliffhanger setting things up for another season. I really loved everything about this show and the way that something so completely bonkers is presented so well, so believable and so intense.
The setup for Umbrella Academy is that one day in 1989, 43 babies were born to mothers who were not pregnant when that day began. An eccentric billionaire, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, purchases seven of those babies and raises them, training them to become a powerful crime fighting team. Living with them at the Umbrella Academy is an android Nanny, who the children refer to as Mom, and a well spoken elderly chimpanzee butler called Dr Pogo (impressive work from Weta, the team behind the recent Planet of The Apes trilogy). Each child is known only by a number given to them by their ‘Father’, Sir Reginald – Number 1 through to Number 7 – ranked in order of their usefulness to him!
Fast forward to present day and the team have all but disbanded, with what’s left of them living out problem filled adult lives. Number 1 (now known as Luther) has been living on the moon for the past 4 years. He possesses super strength and has a very bulky appearance, wearing roll neck jumpers and a long coat. Number 2 (now Diego) is a vigilante and a bit of a knife expert. Number 3 (Allison) is now a famous actress, gifted with the ability to alter reality with her voice. Number 4 (Klaus) is a junkie who can communicate with the dead. Number 5 is able to perform small teleportations, or time jumps, but has been missing since they were all teenagers. Number 6 (Ben) was killed prior to the events in this show and Number 7 (Vanya) is believed not to have any special abilities, always being neglected and overlooked by the others while growing up. When news reaches them all that Sir Reginald has died, they all return to the academy.
The opening episode of The Umbrella Academy is packed full of thrills, mystery and a very exciting setup for the remainder of the season. We get a taste of the childrens abilities and teamwork, impressively taking out a bunch of bad guys. Then in present day, Number 5 suddenly appears from a portal in the sky. He claims to have spent decades living in a post-apocalyptic future, having jumped there all those years ago, but unable to return. He survived there until the age of 58, but on his return to present day he returned to his 13 year old appearance. We get a glimpse of the apocalyptic world that Number 5 arrived in and discover that whatever causes it is due to happen in just a few days from present day.
From there, the show suffers with what a lot of high concept shows tend to suffer from – second episode drag. That’s not to say that it’s boring, but we begin to delve into some of the Daddy issues that the various team members have, along with issues some of them have with each other and it’s a sharp contrast to the impressive opening episode. If I’m honest, by the end of episode 3 I was considering giving up, but I stuck with it. I really grew to like this dysfunctional family, and as the show dips back and forth between their teenage years and the present day, I really became invested in the show and its characters. They begin to band together to work through their issues and try and find a way of working out what causes the impending apocalypse, and how to stop it.
There are certainly consequences which play out throughout the season though. We discover that during his time in the future, Number 5 became involved in an organisation which works to correct events in time in order to ensure the destined timeline plays out as it should. Because of Number 5’s return to the present, he is now being hunted by a pair of black suited assassins called Hazel and Cha-Cha. Consequently, the body count in this show is pretty high, usually accompanied by a killer soundtrack!
I’m glad I stuck with it, because the whole thing soon became compulsive viewing, building to an incredibly entertaining and satisfying finale. With the apocalypse imminent, the whole team finally work together once more – a few twists and turns along the way, and a great cliffhanger setting things up for another season. I really loved everything about this show and the way that something so completely bonkers is presented so well, so believable and so intense.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Windmill (The Windmill Massacre) (2016) in Movies
May 12, 2018
I spend a bit too much time on Facebook, of that there’s no doubt. As a result, I tend to pay attention to what movies my friends talk about. One such friend is horror author Edward Lorn, and one such movie that popped up in my feed because of him is The Windmill.
Set in Holland, The Windmill is a fun film that follows the traditional “haunted locale” story. Like most movies of this nature, viewers are presented with an abandoned building (the windmill), an old legend, and a supernatural being. In this case, the windmill is considered a gateway to Hell, courtesy of a miller that, after making a deal with the devil, ground the bones of his victims rather than flour. When a group of individuals embark on a tour of Holland’s windmills, what appears to be an every day, run of the mill (pun totally intended) attraction quickly turns deadly.
The Windmill‘s cast of characters fits several different roles, from the uppity doctor to the vengeful model and even the cliché mad woman with daddy issues. These characters remain true to their personality types and don’t tend to waiver, even as things continue to spin out of control, for which I am thankful – even though it means that they’re downright horrible people. The acting is fairly well done in comparison to a lot of available horror movies, too.
One of the things that did bother me about this movie was an extremely brief lack of continuity. At the point in which the tour bus breaks down in middle of the road, an incident occurs and the bus falls over. That isn’t altogether strange, aside from the fact that it appears to have been knocked over by a bird flying into the window. Whether that was intentional or not, I did find it to be a bit amusing. Since I don’t consider this to be much of a spoiler, I figured I’d simply point it out.
While The Windmill contains several elements of the slasher genre, it appeals more to the psyche via the use of the demonic haunting and vivid hallucinations that reveal the deepest, darkest secrets of its cast. It’s not the best film out there, but it is certainly entertaining in its own right and is undoubtedly worth the watch for a bit of cheesy horror fun. The title, also known as The Windmill Massacre, can be found on Netflix in the United States.
Set in Holland, The Windmill is a fun film that follows the traditional “haunted locale” story. Like most movies of this nature, viewers are presented with an abandoned building (the windmill), an old legend, and a supernatural being. In this case, the windmill is considered a gateway to Hell, courtesy of a miller that, after making a deal with the devil, ground the bones of his victims rather than flour. When a group of individuals embark on a tour of Holland’s windmills, what appears to be an every day, run of the mill (pun totally intended) attraction quickly turns deadly.
The Windmill‘s cast of characters fits several different roles, from the uppity doctor to the vengeful model and even the cliché mad woman with daddy issues. These characters remain true to their personality types and don’t tend to waiver, even as things continue to spin out of control, for which I am thankful – even though it means that they’re downright horrible people. The acting is fairly well done in comparison to a lot of available horror movies, too.
One of the things that did bother me about this movie was an extremely brief lack of continuity. At the point in which the tour bus breaks down in middle of the road, an incident occurs and the bus falls over. That isn’t altogether strange, aside from the fact that it appears to have been knocked over by a bird flying into the window. Whether that was intentional or not, I did find it to be a bit amusing. Since I don’t consider this to be much of a spoiler, I figured I’d simply point it out.
While The Windmill contains several elements of the slasher genre, it appeals more to the psyche via the use of the demonic haunting and vivid hallucinations that reveal the deepest, darkest secrets of its cast. It’s not the best film out there, but it is certainly entertaining in its own right and is undoubtedly worth the watch for a bit of cheesy horror fun. The title, also known as The Windmill Massacre, can be found on Netflix in the United States.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Dirt (2019) in Movies
Apr 4, 2019 (Updated Apr 4, 2019)
Brainless Fun
The Dirt is a Motley Crue biopic that debuted on Netflix last month. It is Jeff Tremaine's, (the director of the Jackass movies,) first narrative feature film. This should maybe give you some idea of what to expect within the movie. If Bohemian Rhapsody, Wayne's World and Jackass had a baby, this would most likely be the result.
Your enjoyment of this movie will probably depend on what you are wanting out of it going in. I am a casual Motely Crue fan, I only know a few of their songs and have a very surface level knowledge of their history. I was watching this movie for a bit of dumb fun after I had seen the trailer and it delivered exactly what I expected it to. If however, you are a die hard Motley Crue fan looking for an in-depth biopic with a sense of grit and realism, you will most likely be sorely disappointed.
The plot to this thing plays out like a Wikipedia article, in the sense that it hits all of the major beats of the band's history, but glosses over so much more and leaves any sense of nuance at the door. It is also incredibly cartoonish and cheesy, at no point in the film do you ever feel that you are watching the actual members of Motley Crue and it is always painfully clear that you are watching a group of actors in bad wigs playing faux, characterture versions of real people.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the cast have anything to do with how shallow or glossy this thing is. I think that Daniel Webber did a decent job as Vince Neil and Douglas Booth is okay as Nikki Sixx. For some reason, Machine Gun Kelly plays Tommy Lee as a goofy, lovable rogue, as apposed to the aggressive violent abuser he is in real life. Iwan Rheon is by far the stand out as Mick Mars, the older, more jaded member of the group who totally dismisses the immature 'sex drugs and rock and roll,' bullshit mentality of his band-mates and comes away with some of the driest, funniest lines in the movie.
Overall, I gave this a 7 based on the brainless fun I had watching it, but it by no means feels accurate or realistic, nor does it feel like it's trying to be. Hardcore Motely Crue fans will probably feel like they were let down by this biopic, but I got exactly what I wanted out of it and enjoyed it for what it was.
Your enjoyment of this movie will probably depend on what you are wanting out of it going in. I am a casual Motely Crue fan, I only know a few of their songs and have a very surface level knowledge of their history. I was watching this movie for a bit of dumb fun after I had seen the trailer and it delivered exactly what I expected it to. If however, you are a die hard Motley Crue fan looking for an in-depth biopic with a sense of grit and realism, you will most likely be sorely disappointed.
The plot to this thing plays out like a Wikipedia article, in the sense that it hits all of the major beats of the band's history, but glosses over so much more and leaves any sense of nuance at the door. It is also incredibly cartoonish and cheesy, at no point in the film do you ever feel that you are watching the actual members of Motley Crue and it is always painfully clear that you are watching a group of actors in bad wigs playing faux, characterture versions of real people.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the cast have anything to do with how shallow or glossy this thing is. I think that Daniel Webber did a decent job as Vince Neil and Douglas Booth is okay as Nikki Sixx. For some reason, Machine Gun Kelly plays Tommy Lee as a goofy, lovable rogue, as apposed to the aggressive violent abuser he is in real life. Iwan Rheon is by far the stand out as Mick Mars, the older, more jaded member of the group who totally dismisses the immature 'sex drugs and rock and roll,' bullshit mentality of his band-mates and comes away with some of the driest, funniest lines in the movie.
Overall, I gave this a 7 based on the brainless fun I had watching it, but it by no means feels accurate or realistic, nor does it feel like it's trying to be. Hardcore Motely Crue fans will probably feel like they were let down by this biopic, but I got exactly what I wanted out of it and enjoyed it for what it was.
Kyera (8 KP) rated Thirteen Reasons Why: (TV Tie-in) in Books
Jan 31, 2018
I would like to start this with a trigger warning because this book covers some sensitive topics. There is the discussion throughout of rape, depression, suicide, anxiety, bullying and other topics that may be harmful to readers. Although I feel it is beautifully approached, I would definitely approach this book with caution if you feel that it may trigger you. I would never want anyone to go into a book uninformed and be harmed by it.
The story was told through dual perspectives which I think really enhanced the impact that this book had. Clay receives the tapes that Hannah has recorded, detailing the people and events that have led to her decision. What she believes to be the tale and connections that made her fall further and further. We hear each story and the heart-wrenching impact another person’s actions have on Hannah’s psyche, whether they mean the harm or not. Everything affects everything. One seemingly innocent, yet mischievous action, can snowball into a very harmful situation.
As the reader, we experience the story through Clay’s eyes and follow the emotional journey with him. We despair for Hannah as the events take place, grow to care for her and see how the smallest action might create a larger impact. Clay’s emotions mirror our own, frustration, horror, despair, outrage, and acceptance. We take the journey and grow along with him, learn to be better people and hopefully make a change.
I feel that beyond the trigger warning, it is best to go into the story without preconceived notions and allow it to have its full impact. So many people have connected to this book over the years and for good reason. It is a fantastically powerful story and I would recommend it.
As an additional note, the Netflix series based on this book is a very faithful recreation of the story. Some minor details may be changed, like a character’s name or the order of one of the stories – but overall it follows the book fairly closely. Some of the more major changes were done for dramatic effects, like extending the amount of time that Clay listens to the tapes, allowing them to add more story to the present day tale. I reiterate my trigger warning and believe that it is even stronger for the show, but would still recommend both mediums of the tale. I don’t believe there is a particular order that you need to or should read versus watch them in.
The story was told through dual perspectives which I think really enhanced the impact that this book had. Clay receives the tapes that Hannah has recorded, detailing the people and events that have led to her decision. What she believes to be the tale and connections that made her fall further and further. We hear each story and the heart-wrenching impact another person’s actions have on Hannah’s psyche, whether they mean the harm or not. Everything affects everything. One seemingly innocent, yet mischievous action, can snowball into a very harmful situation.
As the reader, we experience the story through Clay’s eyes and follow the emotional journey with him. We despair for Hannah as the events take place, grow to care for her and see how the smallest action might create a larger impact. Clay’s emotions mirror our own, frustration, horror, despair, outrage, and acceptance. We take the journey and grow along with him, learn to be better people and hopefully make a change.
I feel that beyond the trigger warning, it is best to go into the story without preconceived notions and allow it to have its full impact. So many people have connected to this book over the years and for good reason. It is a fantastically powerful story and I would recommend it.
As an additional note, the Netflix series based on this book is a very faithful recreation of the story. Some minor details may be changed, like a character’s name or the order of one of the stories – but overall it follows the book fairly closely. Some of the more major changes were done for dramatic effects, like extending the amount of time that Clay listens to the tapes, allowing them to add more story to the present day tale. I reiterate my trigger warning and believe that it is even stronger for the show, but would still recommend both mediums of the tale. I don’t believe there is a particular order that you need to or should read versus watch them in.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Bad Words (2014) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman) is a man with some issues. At 40 he works away as a proofreader in his small Ohio community and has little going for himself in the way of friends, career, or a social life.
Guy decides to enter into spelling competitions using the loophole that since he never completed the 8th grade, he is still eligible to compete under the bylaws of competition.
Needless to say this does not make him a well-liked person especially when he dominates the competition and wins entry to compete in a nationally televised competition.
To say that the surly Triby is the worst nightmare come true for the competition would be an understatement but despite their best efforts to keep him out and place him at a disadvantage, Guy dominates the competition with a mix of psych out tactics, mind games, and a very well-defined knowledge of spelling.
A journalist named Jenny (Kathryn Hahn), attempts to get Guy to reveal his true reasons for entering the competition but despite the fact that her outlet is sponsoring guy and covering his expenses, he remains largely tight lipped about his reasons and continues to deploy all manner of underhanded tactics to get inside the heads of his much younger competition.
A young Indian prodigy named Chaitanya (Rohan Chad), starts to bond with Guy who despite his best efforts becomes fond of the boy and sees a kindred spirit in the child despite being forced to compete against one another.
As the competition heats up, Guy and his new friend bond which causes Guy to question many aspects of his life all of which results in a funny yet poignant journey.
Jason Bateman is making his directorial debut with the film and does a solid job. While I had expected the film to play much more to the bawdy humor and Guy’s methods to undermine his younger foes, the film actually plays out more as a drama with comedy elements.
The film is not one that is going to light up the numbers at the box office and I would not be surprised if it is largely ignored in favor of the more glamorous films that are opening against it. That being said, the film is a solid and enjoyable story and I believe that when audiences discover it, likely on DVD and Netflix they will come to appreciate the film and the creative team behind it.
As it stands, a very good premise that at times struggles with its identity, but delivers when it counts.
http://sknr.net/2014/03/21/bad-words/
Guy decides to enter into spelling competitions using the loophole that since he never completed the 8th grade, he is still eligible to compete under the bylaws of competition.
Needless to say this does not make him a well-liked person especially when he dominates the competition and wins entry to compete in a nationally televised competition.
To say that the surly Triby is the worst nightmare come true for the competition would be an understatement but despite their best efforts to keep him out and place him at a disadvantage, Guy dominates the competition with a mix of psych out tactics, mind games, and a very well-defined knowledge of spelling.
A journalist named Jenny (Kathryn Hahn), attempts to get Guy to reveal his true reasons for entering the competition but despite the fact that her outlet is sponsoring guy and covering his expenses, he remains largely tight lipped about his reasons and continues to deploy all manner of underhanded tactics to get inside the heads of his much younger competition.
A young Indian prodigy named Chaitanya (Rohan Chad), starts to bond with Guy who despite his best efforts becomes fond of the boy and sees a kindred spirit in the child despite being forced to compete against one another.
As the competition heats up, Guy and his new friend bond which causes Guy to question many aspects of his life all of which results in a funny yet poignant journey.
Jason Bateman is making his directorial debut with the film and does a solid job. While I had expected the film to play much more to the bawdy humor and Guy’s methods to undermine his younger foes, the film actually plays out more as a drama with comedy elements.
The film is not one that is going to light up the numbers at the box office and I would not be surprised if it is largely ignored in favor of the more glamorous films that are opening against it. That being said, the film is a solid and enjoyable story and I believe that when audiences discover it, likely on DVD and Netflix they will come to appreciate the film and the creative team behind it.
As it stands, a very good premise that at times struggles with its identity, but delivers when it counts.
http://sknr.net/2014/03/21/bad-words/
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) in Movies
Jan 10, 2019 (Updated Jan 10, 2019)
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)
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)