Yeah, I’d say just make it past the first vignette and you’ll be into the meat of the movie. They really didn’t set up the rest of it that well with that first one. Scruggs is a bit of an annoying douche and that bit feels more “Big Lebowski” meets “O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?” whereas the better scenes feel more like “Miller’s Crossing” meets “Barton Fink.”

It’s six separate short stories, and each is as different from the others as they could be.

I enjoyed the zany first one, "Buster Scruggs." Parts of it made me laugh out loud. The rest were ... meh.

quote:

Originally posted by justjoe:
I enjoyed the zany first one, "Buster Scruggs." Parts of it made me laugh out loud. The rest were ... meh.

If it was one whole film of one or the other, I would still have enjoyed it. But the first one just doesn’t fit the rest. It’s too different. Could have, should have been turned into its own feature, but I suspect they didn’t want to invest that much time and energy into the genre.

“An Anthology of Dead Ends” comes to mind.

Watched this a couple of weeks ago. Entertaining. Odd. Didn't care much for the Liam one. May watch it again to see what I didn't pick up the first go.

quote:

Originally posted by justjoe:
I enjoyed the zany first one, "Buster Scruggs." Parts of it made me laugh out loud. The rest were ... meh.

I busted up laughing out loud when he caused the guy to shoot himself with the table plank. That was hilarious. “I didn’t shoot him. It was more of a suicide.”

I'm watching in pieces after work. I'm half way so far and I actually liked the first one. It's funny and that's all I was really looking for.

ETA: finished it last night. Okay more weird the further on it went. Felt like the Liam, prospector and stage coach stories didn't really have an ending. Just left to your own to figure it out? I think the first was actually the best of what I saw. Don't think I will be looking up the Cohens' other work.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wolfe 21,

sigcrazy7, you're spoiling one of the truly funny moments in the movie there, man. That's not the sort of thing anyone sees coming, so....

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Originally posted by jigray3:

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
I enjoyed it, some vignettes better than others.

But I haven't met a Coen brothers production that I don't like.

I'm really enjoy their fresh perspective but Intolerable Cruelty, a Serious Man, and Burn After Reading? Just Painful.

I love Burn After Reading. Malcovich is great, Swinton too, Pitt is ridiculous and funny.

A Serious Man is my least favorite of theirs, but I still like it.

And Intolerable Cruelty is great for the Massey Prenup bits alone, IMO.

quote:

I busted up laughing out loud when he caused the guy to shoot himself with the table plank.

We make a lot of "you owe me a keyboard" jokes, but I suspect that few of them are literally true. Well, I had just taken a big sip of coffee at the plank scene-- coffee all over myself, the couch, and my dachshunds.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
I enjoyed it, some vignettes better than others.

But I haven't met a Coen brothers production that I don't like.

I'm really enjoy their fresh perspective but Intolerable Cruelty, a Serious Man, and Burn After Reading? Just Painful.

I love Burn After Reading. Malcovich is great, Swinton too, Pitt is ridiculous and funny.

A Serious Man is my least favorite of theirs, but I still like it.

And Intolerable Cruelty is great for the Massey Prenup bits alone, IMO.

Burn After Reading is hilarious, and I can barely stand John Malkovitch, but he did a great job in that role. Pitt’s performance had me gasping laughing a few times, notably the phone call and last few scenes he’s in.

A Serious Man was good, but more a deep think piece about morality, and a bit hard to access as a gentile. I found myself looking up discussion of it after to have it make sense.

Still haven’t seen Intolerable Cruelty, I’ll need to make that happen.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
sigcrazy7, you're spoiling one of the truly funny moments in the movie there, man. That's not the sort of thing anyone sees coming, so....

That thought had crossed by mind, but my post is somewhat buried in the thread, and I tried to be somewhat opaque about when it happens, so I think we're ok here. Besides, it's so damn visually appealing, that it had to be called out, and it doesn't give away any real plot.

I wish the entire feature had followed the tone of the first vignette.

Me and my wife watched last night and thought the first one was hilarious once, he got into town.

There were some weird ones in there but overall we enjoyed it, except the Liam one.

The movie hooked me the second I heard 'Streets of Laredo' playing.

Yeah, the Liam one was a little morbid and depressing. Overall it was an interesting watch for free.

Trying to watch it. I've sat through the first 30 minutes or so.

My take is they are trying to mimic the humor style of Monty Python, but it just doesn't come across as well.

ETA: This series is on Netflix, in case that wasn't mentioned before.

Late to the party, but really enjoyed this one last night.

The wagon train one didn't end the way I thought it would

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:
The movie hooked me the second I heard 'Streets of Laredo' playing.

I like Michael Martin Murphy's version of that song.