Western Wednesdays: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

     The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was released on November 9th, 2018. Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It is an anthology film comprising six western vignettes. It was one of the best reviewed films of 2018 and received three Oscar nominations.

    The first story were presented with is "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" and features Tim Blake Nelson as the titular character, a singing cowboy and a wanted man. Buster gets in a variety of confrontations thanks his provocative demeanor but, thanks to his skills with a gun, he comes out with a smile every time. Scruggs is a cross between singing cowboys like Gene Autry (the song "Cool Water" was originally sung by the Sons of the Pioneers and is featured in the Roy Rogers films Along the Navajo Trail) and some of the more playful figures from Spaghetti westerns like Terence Hill's Trinity. The Coen's are clearly using Buster to subvert the archetype of the western hero and Nelson does a good job playing this rather obnoxious character but the gag where thin pretty quickly and the ending is kinda dumb.

     In "Near Algodones" a outlaw, played by James Franco attempts to rob the bank of Tucumcari (a reference, I suspect, For a Few Dollars More, which also features the Mexican town) but his efforts fall short when the teller turns out to be more resourceful then he expected. Franco's character barely escapes hanging by a band of vigilantes only to be caught with stolen cattle and convicted once again. This segment feels very much in line with the Coen's other work, it's filled with black humor and quirky characters. It ultimately feels a little pointless but perhaps that is the point, to show how absurd and futile life can be at times.

     "Meal Ticket" eschews the (comparatively) light-hearted tone of the first two stories to tell a really grim, piteous and ultimately disturbing tale about a young man with no arms or legs (played by Harry Melling) who makes a living as a traveling actor alongside an impresario (played by Liam Neeson). As the story progresses, the pair become less and less able to make a living from the young man's performance until, finally the impresario finds another source of income, leading to a rather shocking ending. Harry Melling puts in an outstanding performance as the limbless actor and Neeson is also great as the scrupulous impresario.

     "All Gold Canyon" is the most uplifting story of the bunch, following a prospector played by Tom Waits in his search to find a vein of gold in an isolated valley. Waits carries this vignette single-handedly for most of the runtime and you become really invested in his search for the gold vein (that he dubs "Mr. Pocket") by the end. The mountains of Colarado make for a picturesque location for this story of man and nature. A simple but effective vignette.

     "The Gal Who Got Rattled" is more of a character study then the previous shorts. It follows Zoe Kazan's Alice Longabaugh who is traveling to Oregon on a wagon train along with her brother Gilbert (Jefferson Mays). When Gilbert dies suddenly from cholera Alice is left to fend for herself. She meets and eventually falls in love with Billy Knapp (Bill Heck), one of the train's leaders, who offers to marry her. The ending is utterly tragic and somehow this didn't bother me despite feeling slightly contrived. Alice and Billy manage to be well written and fully fleshed out characters despite the short runtime thanks in no small part to Zoe Kazan and Bill Heck, who have excellent chemistry together. The rest of the cast do a fine job as well especially Grainger Hines as Billy Knap's crotchety partner, Mr. Arthur.

     "The Mortal Remains" is more of a horror story then a western and follows five characters who are riding to Fort Morgan on a stagecoach: Thigpen, an eccentric Englishman played by Jonjo O'Neill; an Clarence an Irishman played by Brendan Gleeson; René, a Frenchman played by Saul Rubinek; an old Trapper played by Chelcie Ross; and Mrs. Betjeman an opinionated ministers wife played by Tyne Daly. It is implied that the three latter passengers are actually dead and on their way to the afterlife, though they don't seem to realize this, while Thigpen and Clarence are some sort of reapers or “Harvesters of Souls” as the Englishman puts it. The script imbues all the characters with really interesting and distinctive personalities and the cast all play off each other wonderfully.

     The vignettes are routinely well directed. The Coens are master's of visual storytelling and know how to bring together strong scripts, unique performances and beautiful cinematography to strong effect. The cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel (who also worked with the Coens on Inside Llewyn Davis) is quite good and, incidentally, the first time the pair have used digital film. The various segments were shot on location in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nebraska and the natural scenery is used to great effect. The score by frequent Coen Brothers collaborator Carter Burwell is great as well. Utilizing a variety of folk songs (as well as new material written for the film) the music fits the movie's western story collection theme really well.

     The problem with most anthology films is that they often lack a unifying force tieing all the short stories together. This film does not avoid that pitfall. At first I thought there was a common theme of mortality running throughout the vignettes, as three first three all feature the protagonist dying but "All Gold Canyon" broke that trend. In addition to this "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" and "The Mortal Remains" both feel tonally at odds with the rest of the shorts, which are generally much more grounded and down to earth.

     "Buster Scruggs" is the only segment I didn't care for while "Mortal Remains" doesn't embrace it's concept soon enough to fully work. "Near Algodones"was the most innocuous out of the bunch and didn't leave too strong an impression either way. "Meal Ticket" and "All Gold Canyon" were both pretty great and contained the strongest performances of the film. "The Gal Who Got Rattled" was easily my favorite of the shorts and contained the most involving and well written story. At it's best it recalled Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove which may be my favorite western novel ever. In general watching the film is like reading a collection of short stories, it's an enjoyable experience even if the whole is never quite transcends as the sum of it's parts.

Score: 7/10

Musical Mondays: White Christmas (1954)

     White Christmas was released on October 14th, 1954. Directed by Micheal Curtiz (Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy) it stars Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. It is the third and final collaboration between Crosby and songwriter Irving Berlin who had previously worked together on Holiday Inn (1942), where the title song for this film debuted, and Blue Skies (1946), both of which co-starred Fred Astaire.

     White Christmas was originally intended to reunite Crosby and Astaire but Astaire wasn't interested so a replacement had to be found. When Donald O'Conner had to drop out due to illness Danny Kaye was finally hired to co-star with Crosby and new material had to be added to fit his character. This lead to new songs by Berlin and a complete re-write of Norman Krasna's script by Mel Frank and Norman Panama, which was rushed out in eight weeks.

     Perhaps because of this, the story is a little sloppy in places. The drama between Crosby's Bob Wallace and Rosemary Clooney's Betty Haynes is pretty contrived and based upon an easily resolved misunderstanding. On the other hand the story concerning Dean Jagger's Major General Tom Waverly is really quite touching and well done. After the war Waverly, Crosby and Kaye's commanding officer, struggles to get by in civilian life with his inn (which they just happen to stay at) failing due to the lack of snow in Vermont that year. Feeling sorry for the old man, the two hot young entertainers decide to give him a hand by moving their entire musical show to his Columbia Inn and, as a surprise, invite all of the generals former men to come to the inn on Christmas Eve.

     Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye have good comedic chemistry with Kaye brilliantly playing off of Crosby's nonchalant coolness with his earnest, boyish charm. Vera-Ellen also plays well with Kaye and their dancing duet in the middle of the film is a joy to watch. Crosby and Clooney don't fair quite as well as they spend too much of the filming sniping at each other but, in the moments when they fall for each other, they do sell it. Dean Jagger is great as the grizzled old commanding officer who can't figure out how to stop soldiering. Finally. Mary Wickles is a hoot as Waverly's noisy housekeeper Emma Allen.

     Berlin's songs are (mostly) great. While you may not remember the admittedly insipid lyrics of "Snow" or "Mandy" ("the wedding chimes, Bring happy times, For Mandy and me!") but with a grand total of 17 songs there's more then enough great material to make up for it. Highlights include "The Old Man", Crosby and the troops moving tribute to their retiring CO; "Sisters", which introduces Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen's sisterly duo and is later lip-synced by Crosby and Kaye to great comedic effect; and "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing", which is accompanied by a brilliant dance number from Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen. "Count Your Blessings", which serves to consummate the romance between Bob and Betty, is deservedly a classic  and works beautifully in the film. The new version of "White Christmas" sung by Crosby in the film's opening and reprised by the whole cast at the end of the film, is also great.

     While not a perfect film, White Christmas is a thoroughly enjoyable holiday romp and well worth watching for it's charming cast, delightful music and rock solid dance choreography.

Score: 8/10

The Muppet Christmas Carol (Musical Mondays)

This was originally intended for Monday but I caught the flu over the weekend. Better late then never!

   
     Most people probably grew up with one version or another of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. I experienced a few different adaptations growing up. The most prominent (and the one we'd watch annually as a family) was the musical Scrooge (1970) with Albert Finney but we also frequently watched the Mister Magoo version and The Muppet Christmas Carol. Released on December 11th, 1992, The Muppet Christmas Carol is Directed by Brian Henson from a screenplay by Jerry Juhl. It is the first Muppet movie produced after Jim Henson's death in 1990.

     With Henson gone many of the Muppet's had to be recast. Steve Whitmore does a great job with the unenviable task of replacing Henson as Kermit the Frog and would continue to voice the character for another 24 years . David Goelz fills in as Waldorf and David Rudman as the Swedish Chef while Rowlf makes no appearance. Muppet performer Richard Hunt had also passed away just before production started and Beaker and Statler also had to be recast (by Whitmore and Jerry Nelson respectively).  

     The decision to cast Gonzo (David Goelz) as "Charles Dickens" was an inspired one and it allows the film to include much of Dicken's delightful prose that is usually cut out in other adaptations. Unfortunately, Gonzo often comes across rather subdued and out of character in this film as a result. The rest of the Muppets are all perfectly cast, from Kermit and Piggie (Frank Oz) as Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit; Robin (Jerry Nelson) as Tiny Tim; Fozzie (also Oz) as Fezziwig (renamed Fozziwig of course); Statler (Jerry Nelson) and Waldorf (David Goelz) as the Marley brothers (Jacob is humorously given a brother named Robert in this adaptation);  and Sam the Eagle (Oz once again) as Scrooge's pompous schoolmaster.

     Despite all the usual Muppet lunacy this is a largely respectful adaptation of Dicken's Classic. It strikes a good balance between Scrooge's redemptive arc and the message of social responsibility that is so central in the novel. Micheal Caine is great as Ebenezer Scrooge, playing the role perfectly straight in contrast to all the antics around him. The other human actors all do a fine job as well especially Meredith Braun, who plays Belle, and Steven Mackintosh as Scrooge's nephew.

     The Muppet Christmas Carol is a fine musical. Paul Williams, who had worked on the soundtrack for The Muppet Movie along with Ken Ascher, returned to write the songs for this film. Though they don't have the same satirical brilliance of that film's score, the songs in this film still manage to be alternatively funny and heartwarming. We start off with "Scrooge" an irony filled introduction to the film's main character, sung by the Muppety citizens of London. Then, "One More Sleep 'til Christmas", sung by Kermit's Bob Cratchit, is a more uplifting and subdued number, showing the characters quiet optimism. "Marley and Marley" is a particularly spirited song, as Scrooge's former business partners bewail their "avarice and greed" and warn him to change lest he share their fate. Sung by the Ghost of Christmas Present (a wonderful new puppet voiced by Jerry Nelson) "It Feels Like Christmas" is a feel-good number as the jolly spirit shows Ebenezer everything he's missing out on by rejecting Christmas. "Bless Us All" is a heartwarming little song sung by Tiny Tim (Jerry Nelson's Robin) as his family gathers around the table for Christmas dinner. Finally "Thankful Heart" sung by Scrooge himself, is a delightful little ditty which shows the characters change of heart.

     Two songs were cut from the final film, and a third was never shot. "When Love is Gone", which was restored for the VHS and LaserDisc releases (but sadly left off on the DVD and Blu-ray) really should have been kept in the film. Not only does it help explore Scrooge's failed relationship with Belle (Meredith Braun), which the theatrical release covers all too briefly, it also recurs at the end of the film with "When Love Is Found" which is essentially an inversion of the cut song. An alternate version of the song sung by Martina McBride can be heard in the film's end credits (making it's absence in the film even more noticeable). The other song which was cut (though it can be heard on the soundtrack album) is "Room in Your Heart" sung by Dr. Honeydew (Dave Goelz) and Beaker (Steve Whitmire) which was a good song but far less essential for the story. Finally a song by Sam the Eagle called Chairman of the Board was written for the movie but supposedly never shot (though again it can be heard on the album).

     The Muppet Christmas Carol is easily the best of the early Disney Muppet movies, and the only film that stands up next to the classics of the Henson era. It's also one of the best, and most faithful, adaptations of Dicken's beloved tale.

Score: 9/10

In Defense of Ewoks

 

The Rise of Skywalker, a film I have little interest in seeing is hitting theaters this week. As I won't be reviewing it any time soon I figured I'd tried to put up some different Star Wars content.

To start off, here's a video I made about the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Enjoy!

Midway (2019) Video Review

I went to see Roland Emmerich's Midway a few weeks ago despite my skepticism and it managed to surprise me!

     Apparently Roland Emmerich had trouble getting the film financed and went to some of his Hollywood buddies for funds. Midway's budget came completely from this and equity making it the most expensive independent film ever produced. This makes me want to recommend the film even more, as the director was clearly passionate about it.

     To elaborate on some of what I said in the video, the whole sequence portraying the Doolittle raid feels a bit tacked on as none of the films central characters were directly involved in it. It is a well done and pretty historically accurate tangent nonetheless. Incidentally, the famous airmen is portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, one of two actors in this film to take on a role previously portrayed by Spencer Tracy, the other being Dennis Quaid, who plays Admiral Halsey. Tracy played Doolittle in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo and Halsey in Tora! Tora! Tora! The latter film is certainly a model for this one and is also, along with The Longest Day, the benchmark for for big battle movies. While this film certainly doesn't live up to either of those it's still quite good in it's own right and I would definitely recommend it, especially for fans of old-school Hollywood war films.

Score: 8/10

Western Wednesdays: Kansas Raiders (1950)

     Kansas Raiders was released on November 15th, 1950. Directed by Ray Enright, it stars Audie Murphy as Jesse James, who joins up with William Quantrill (Brian Donlevy) and his band of Confederate raiders during the American Civil War.

     Kansas Raiders is not a good western. Though the story shows promise, the quality of the writing simply isn't there. When Jesse and his friends (Frank James (Richard Long), Cole and Jim Younger (James Best and Dewey Martin), and Kit Dalton (Tony Curtis)) first meet Quantrill they are idealistic. Jesse lost his family during a raid by a band of Missouri Jayhawkers and wants revenge. He believes that Quantrill is a brave and honorable man but is in for a rude awakening when he goes on his first raid and witnesses the raiders murdering innocent farmers. He is initially appalled by this and decides to leave but Quantrill convinces him to stay, assuring Jesse that that kind of behavior won't occur again. Why Jesse chooses to believe this is unclear. Perhaps he just has no place else to go.

     In any case he remains with Quantrill, despite the fact that the same kind of atrocities are committed again and again. In the end, when the Union army finally catches up with Quantrill, only Jesse and his friends remain with him. Quantrill, in a final act of redemption (I guess) sacrifices himself so they can escape. After this we are told (through a narration) that Jesse and his friends went on to pursue a life of crime.

     Again, this could be an interesting story, as Jesse slowly descends from an justifiable desire for revenge into becoming a cold-blooded killer. But this doesn't really happen. Instead he continues to follow Quantrill, despite objecting to his methods, for no apparent reason. There is a romantic subplot between Jesse and Kate Clarke (Marguerite Chapman) who is a sort of adopted daughter for Quantrill. At one point they consider running away together but they choose not to out of some misplaced loyalty for Quantrill (I guess).

     The acting in this film is pretty bland but I can't blame the actors for failing to breath life into such badly written characters. This is really too bad as some fine actors (Audie Murphy, Scott Brady, Tony Curtis) are wasted in boring roles. Ray Enright's direction too, is strictly by-the-numbers though Irving Glassberg's technicolor cinematography is nice to look at.

     In the end Kansas Raiders is a dull, frustrating western film. Sadly I can't recommend this one folks.

Score: 4/10

The Complete Westember (2019)

     I decided to edit together all the episodes of Westember into one, long, 2-hour documentary. I've added in a couple bits and pieces I cut for time originally along with a short bibliography. 

     I apologize that my output of content has been lacking of late. I've been work on some bigger projects (including this video) so stay tuned!