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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
New territory for the brothers, and they effortlessly create one of their best and unique flicks
He way The Ballad of Buster Scruggs subverts any type of label is a credit to the writing ability of the Coen brothers. After 30 years of filmmaking, they have moved into new territory yet again, creating an anthology with stories that define any label or genre. Each chapters is taken from a book, where a basic visual effect is used as the cryptic words in the book fade as the desert of the West comes into focus, the mountains providing an incredible looking environment.
Chapter one of this anthology is short and gets to its point quickly. We meet Scruggs, whose singing and guitar playing is something to behold. Dressed in all white, the 'good guy', this chapter is filled with violence and gun-slinging, the Coens having fun and paying tribute to John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, and other classics of the genre. Of course though, there is a Coen twist to this homage.
Tim Blake Nelson is Scruggs, the singing cowboy, but when he enters a saloon, the people around him are touchy, dangerous and aren't impressed with Scrugg's singing. The burst of violence that soon follows is not only amazing to watch, the script is flawless as laughs are almost a guarantee: the singing cowboy cracking wise with his overly optimistic attitude while he uses his six shooter to effect. However, he then meets a fellow singing cowboy, this one dressed in all black. Played by James Franco, he nails his role in this new territory for him. The interaction and chemistry between the two is beyond interesting as we wonder how their meeting is going to end.
The chapters slowly get longer as the overall themes come into focus. The chapters are, at its core, about life and death. There is death in every chapter, while life causes the basic human instinct to fire: fight or flight, to try and survive at all costs even if violence is required. It is a constant theme that connects each short story, with a dark cloud always above.
The second chapter features Franco again, this time in a precarious position. Laughs are still apparent while again and explosion of violence hits the screen. Franco manages to free himself, only to decide to try and rob a bank.
We next see an old man hunting for gold near a river, pick and shovel in hand as he tries to track down his goal. The scene of his glimpses towards his methodical hunt is long and patient, the camera placed perfectly to capture his reactions and also what he has found. Again, this chapter ends with another violent encounter.
The next scene is rather disturbing, as Liam Neeson as an Impresario has his armless and legless (and possibly his son) perform on stage. It is another desperate need for survival as the Impresario tries to gather money from audience members, whose numbers begin to swindle. There are many scenes of the child singing the same song, showing just how many times he performs. But again, the ending of the the chapter is deeply unsettling and again displays the human instinct to survive.
Next is the best and longest chapter of the film. We see a convey of carts crossing a dry desert. A woman is heading in their direction and becomes a part of the group. The ride through the desert is long and hard, and survival instincts again take over. When native Americans attack, more violence erupts as arrows and bullets fly, with some of the violence again funny in a very black way. The chapter ends much like those that preceded it.
Lastly, a cart ride in the dark, with five strangers, is incredibly awkward and again patient as different conversations render the ride long, yet interesting. It is eventually made apparent that two of the passengers know each other, and happen to be bounty hunters. Yet again, this chapter ends on an extremely somber note that provokes discussion. This is an anthology that needs to be watched many times over. Much like many of their previous films.
Each chapter of the book is excellent in its telling of a story within a short time, meanwhile the cinematography of both the characters and the incredible backdrops, not to mention the script, mark this as a instantly recognisable Coen film. It is new territory, and unsurprisingly the result is a success, as it is thoughtful, emotional, and certainly a step up from Hail Ceaser. This film is one of the best creations from the brothers. This is amazingly unique, unlike any film or anthology in existence.
The Nightingale (2018)
After The Babadook, this is surprising, and amazing!!
A step up in scope for Kent after The Babadook, The Nightingale is a brutal, bloody and honest look into the life of woman and Aboriginal People during a period in Australia's history that many seem to forget, all while telling an amazing story.
Based somewhere around the 1830's, Clare is an Irish convict living in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land as it was known), now able to live a life out of physical chains, though this alleged freedom was made possible by a leftenant with ulterior motives. Her character begins as an innocent woman, but once this man causes tragedy to strike in an ruthless way, her attitude changes. Upset and enraged, she becomes hell bent on chasing the officer responsible. However, he has already left the village, using an Aboriginal tracker to lead his group north towards a promised promotion.
Clare also decides to enlist the help of a tracker, only after others in the community find it apparent that no words can stop her from leaving. An unfortunate but necessary and true trope of films of this nature, the tracker, Billy, is of course an Aboriginal person. The two begin to follow the movements of the officer's group. Their journey is long and fraught with as much emotional torture as there is physical.
The two at first share a very unstable bond, a partnership of sorts that forms the centrepiece of the film; both how their relationship changes over time but also how Billy and Clare change and become new people. Clare is haunted by nightmares during the trek, a reflection of what has happened to her before she left, the reason for her trip of vengeance, and ultimately what she plans to do herself.
The promise of another Schilling at the end of the journey begins to leave Billy's mind as he starts to care about Clare's well being. What started as an extremely hostile mutual agreement morphs as the characters learn more about each other. All this and more demonstrate how two people from different worlds can understand each other as best they can. Their shared hatred towards the English doesn't hurt in this regard, one thing that they have in common as these 'settlers' wreaked havoc in both their lives.
Despite the ruthless violence and images that are peppered throughout, with some scenes hard to watch, this is ultimately about grasping onto hope when the way forward seems impassable. To continue pushing forward despite the odds. The final act drives this idea further and ends on a note that at first seems underwhelming, until the meaning behind it becomes apparent. It then takes on much more power.
A trained singer, all the traditional Irish songs sung by Aisling Franciosis as Clare were recorded live. Her singing adds more to a role take that takes her through what feels like the extremity of every human emotion possible. With her face featuring in many close ups, she couldn't have been more believable. A perfect choice - Kent's determination to use an Irish actress in this independent Australian film was certainly worth the effort.
In his first acting role (though a performer of Aboriginal dance), Baykali Ganambarr won the 'Marcello Mastroianni' Award for Best Young Actor award at Venice, and for good reason. His portrayal of Billy goes hand in hand with Aisling's performance. The chemistry that rises and dips as they journey forward is a testament to Baykali and Aisling's skills. Baykali is seemingly a born actor, though in a Q&A after the film, he was extremely modest and when that exact question was put to him, he didn't know what to say, other that that he hope to act again. This is a man who, if he decides to, could be the next David Gulpilil, who was the first major Aboriginal actor to feature in major Australian films.
An incredibly moving film that could be labelled as an epic adventure, Jennifer Kent has created a near flawless film that emotionally hits hard.
Side Effects (2013)
An accurate and suspenseful look into mental illness and what lies behind the curtains
I've been pretty depressed about the state of cinema in the last few years. It feels as if high quality film is hard to find and requires a certain amount of digging through the usual blockbuster, market-researched money-makers to find an original movie that isn't drenched in CGI. This film has not only restored my faith, it now has me constantly digging for new films with interesting plot lines and stories, and it suddenly doesn't feel like such a drag, because this time the digging was well worth it! I guess I felt a personal attraction to the movie also as it revolves around mental health and within that vast field, the world of pharmaceutical corporations and the doctors they have prescribe their pills.
I have a feeling that a many people will be able to identify with some of the emotions expressed by the patient, although this movie is far from a preachy headache about the ills of pharmaceutical treatment for mental illness. In fact, that is merely the backbone for a suspenseful, surprising and unpredictable journey through the lives of the patient and her doctors (not to mention their colleagues) in the aftermath of her medication's 'side effect'. This film also hits the sweet spot for 'twists' in my opinion, it never felt jarring at all, there were just a few, perfectly timed moments causing a 'No way!!' sort of reaction. I certainly could not see where this film was going, as the guesses I had made were crushed after the relatively tame first 20-30 minutes of the film.
Being a big fan of the late Stanley Kubrick and also Terry Gillam's approach to shooting scenes, I thoroughly enjoyed the camera-work throughout this film, making good use of angles, zoomed out/zoomed in shots, images washing in or out of focus, and some unconventional camera-placement; in particular one scene where the car ride is filmed from a fixed point just outside the passenger window, so as we see Mara's seemingly emotionless face staring out into nothing, we also see trees and scenery whipping by in the reflection of the window. The beginning of this film also sucks you in with its long sequence of very short scenes that leave gaps in the progression of the story, allowing the viewer to fill in these holes. At first it seemed a little choppy, but this technique built up the early suspense perfectly. I may have labeled the first 30 minutes as tame, but that is when compared to the very hectic nature of the second half of the film! The clue we are given at the beginning is vague but at the same time clear; the use of the technique outlined above to build up tension to an event we know is happening, but not when, I felt was expertly handled. After this, the tension and intensity rises as the film progresses right until the unpredictable conclusion.
I take off one point as I felt the acting, (almost) top to bottom, could have been more intense and engaging to complement the hectic pace and the dark tone of the movie; never knowing what is going to happen next. Jude Law did not convince me for the first half of the movie, mainly because I felt he did not come across as a believable psych. And I have seen my fair share of them. When his situation was turned onto its head however, he became brilliantly outrageous at points! This stark contrast could be due to the dialog/script, as I felt this way about his character due to the way he spoke, and more specifically what he said, the questions he asked - they felt very forced, very unrealistic, very cold. But, cold and detached may very well have been the tone Soderbergh was looking for, and it would make sense as a surprising amount of psychiatrists have a very cold and emotionless way about them. The rest of the casts' performance I felt was very good, but not great. More engaging characters/acting would have landed this film a ten from me. I barely noticed Tatum or Zeta-Jones in this movie. They didn't play major roles though so this is not a huge let down.
However, I disagree with those who feel the best of Rooney Mara wasn't brought out. Having been on over half the medications mentioned throughout the film at one point or another in my life, I feel her performance nailed the role of someone suddenly put on a variety of psychiatric meds, and also that of someone who is clearly dissociating from reality to cope with her stresses. This again would make sense as the entire movie is not preachy in the slightest, but definitely seemed like it was out to make a point by simply using a suspense-filled film to comment on psychiatric medicine and the effect it is having on modern society, without going into 'Crash' territory where the 'message' is forced down your throat.
It is a fact that many doctors are very willing to dish out these pills without exploring less dangerous avenues first, and considering the amount of family gatherings I ruined by being a medicated half-zombie, I think Rooney nailed her character and her situation. In that regard then, I feel the tone of the entire film was spot-on.
A dark, tension-filled ride that will have you guessing, surprised, and perhaps laughing a few times if you have a dark sense of humour. Highly recommended for any movie-goer, and especially for those who have suffered from mental illness, or has a close friend/relative in similar a situation.
Just don't expect a happy ending.