THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS

Liam Neeson     James Franco     Tim Blake Nelson     Tom Waits     Zoe Kazan     Grainger Hines

Harry Melling     Brendan Gleeson     Jonjo O’Neill     Chelcie Ross     Tyne Daly     Saul Rubinek

      Ethan and Joel Coen have chosen to produce a western anthology containing six stories for their latest film.  Most of the main characters in each are loners, and there is at least one death in every story, but there are surprises in every one, particularly for the victims.  Characteristic of the Coens as well, humor—even if it’s sick—pops up from time to time. The music by Carter Burwell and cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel increase the artistic quality of the western stories significantly.

     In the first story titled “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”, Tim Blake Nelson is Scruggs, a singing cowboy, who receives a dare everywhere he goes.  He’s a sharp shooter who can even hit his target looking backward through a handheld mirror—which doesn’t exactly jive with his crooning talents.

     In “Near Algodones”, Cowboy (Franco) looks up to see an isolated bank in Tucumcari, New Mexico, thinking it will be an easy target, especially with only one old man as a single teller.

     In “Meal Ticket”, Impresario (Neeson) carries a paraplegic “Thespian orator” (Melling) through western towns to deliver poems and addresses based on the Bible and Abraham Lincoln’s speeches to the local townspeople.  The two support themselves by taking up collections at the end of each performance.  Then, the impresario discovers that a chicken might be just as entertaining.

     The next two stories are the best.  In “All Gold Canyon”, Tom Waits is a prospector panning for gold.  He mumbles constantly—either to his horse or to a deity, or someone else, not sure which—but after panning doggedly for gold, he finds a mother lode.  But…someone has been following him all this time and sees what he has discovered.

      In “The Gal Who Got Rattled”, Alice (Kazan) and her brother are in a wagon train headed for Oregon, where he has a business opportunity and the hope that his partner will want to marry Alice.  Unexpected events occur, which means that Alice is on her own and must make decisions for herself.

     Finally, in “The Mortal Remains” five travelers are in a stagecoach headed for Ft. Morgan.  It’s a motley group: Two bounty hunters, a French gambler, the wife of a minister, and a trapper.  They have rather tedious arguments about humankind (“There are two types, hale and frail”, “No, there are the upright and the sinners”). The trapper says he has only one kind, the dead, “but they’re different…” he allows.  The fears of death among three in the group are readily apparent when it’s time to stop, and the “bounty” of the bounty hunters is carried out in a bag and inside and up the stairs.  They have to force themselves to go inside.   

     The “surprised by death” theme is one thing that connects all the stories, except for the last one in which we’re left with not being sure whether or not the three passengers have something to fear.  At any rate, death is on their minds.  And, by the way, the Coen meanings/points/connections between the stories are not obvious in the least.  

More quirky, thoughtful, humorous tales from the Coen brothers.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

SUBURBICON

Matt Damon     Julianne Moore     Oscar Isaac     Noah Jupe

     Suburbicon is like round 2 of the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple, lots of gore and misfires, and most everyone being unscrupulous and/or not very bright to the degree it makes us laugh, no matter how much gore.  In this case, at least the kid Nicky (Jupe)—whom no one ever listens to—has some smarts and ability to plan ahead. 

     Right from the beginning, the story is a bit confusing and we have to look twice at two of the characters, then we learn they’re twin sisters, and it takes a few scenes before we know who is who.  That’s a bit disorienting.  The script is good (writers, the Coens, director Clooney, Grant Heslov) in doling out key facts gradually, upping the suspense and requiring the viewer to play the role of detective.  But it also calls upon us to decipher the sociological messages contained in it.

     The horror begins when two men come into the Lodges’ home one evening and hold them hostage.   Gardner (Damon) looks terrified, but seems incapable of putting up any resistance.  Soon, he, both sisters, and Nicky are tied up and put to sleep by holding a cloth (soaked with chloroform?) over their noses.  The family situation changes after that, with Gardner’s sister-in-law Maggie (Moore) assuming more of a maternal role.

     Threats to the Lodge family continue, and we get clues as to what the source of the problem is, but simultaneously there is a curious theme of prejudice against a black family, the Meyers, who have moved into Suburbicon, right next to the Lodges.  The Lodges have no problem with this, and even encourage Nicky to make friends with their son; but the rest of Suburbicon is outraged. 

     What proceeds is the simultaneous undoing of the Lodge family and destructive rioting against the Meyers family next door.  The only sense of this juxtaposition that I can make is that it’s a contrast between culpability and innocence.  The Meyers have done nothing wrong and are being persecuted; whereas there is rampant dishonesty and cruelty in the Lodge family, extending to virtually all of Suburbicon.  In fact, the thrust of the story may be to refute the common belief that most crimes are committed by people of color; whereas, the story here is that every white person, except for the child, is corrupt in some respect.  Two families in the city suffer, but for very different reasons.

     The three main actors, Damon, Moore, and Isaac live up to their reputations as fine actors; I would give an edge to Isaac, who lights up the plot when he is on and who shows considerable power in evoking his character.  Mention should go to the child actor Noah Jupe, whose face conveys all the profound confusion, fear, and resolve Nicky is experiencing, as well as the child-like openness to new friendships. 

     Suburbicon, directed by George Clooney, may not have the look of black film noir which so many expected, but I think it points to a major problem in this country, the deterioration of values in many segments of our society and the unjust scapegoating of a minority.  Clooney has transfigured a Coen script to make it more sociologically relevant today.  Unfortunately, the message is not as clear as it should be.

A stark contrast between white-against-white crime and white-against-black crime, one more culpable than the other.

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

HAIL, CAESAR!

Josh Brolin   George Clooney   Alden Ehrenreich   Ralph Fiennes   Tilda Swinton   Frances McDormand   Scarlett Johansson   Channing Tatum

           When the Coen Brothers are having fun, we’re having fun.  And I can just imagine how the whole crew of Hail Caesar! had loads of good times making this film.  As a matter of fact, Roger Deakins, the DP, mentioned that in an interview.  The Coens let their imaginations run wild here, and managed to successfully throw in all kinds of references to movies (mostly), philosophy, politics, history, and American culture, spoofing all.

          The central figure is the beleaguered “fixer” at Capitol Pictures in Hollywood, Eddie Mannix (Brolin), whose long days are spent putting out fires on the multiple sets of films like Hail Caesar!, On Wings as Eagles, Merrily We Dance, and Lazy Ole Moon (Coens came up with the titles, of course).  In addition, Mannix tries hard to pay attention to his family, consider a lucrative offer, and go to Catholic confession frequently. 

           One of his dilemmas now is that his most famous star, Baird Whitlock (Clooney), has gone missing.  A little sleuthing and a phone call reveals that Baird has been kidnapped and the culprits are asking for $100K ransom money.  This is not much of a problem—demonstrating how cash was like play money in Hollywood in the ‘50s—but who is responsible is a testament to the Coens’ wit and fancy in even dreaming it up, but also in its touching a bit on reality.  It’s a motley crew of disgruntled writers and left-leaning professors in a “study group” (I won’t say more).  When the actor comes to after being drugged and learns of the plot, he asks to have a share of the spoils, but the professors quickly say that that would be unethical; ransom money is not for the victim! 

         I thought Brolin and Clooney would be stand-outs, and Brolin is a perfect fit for his part; however, as good an actor as Clooney is, it was difficult to see his character without seeing the Clooney persona, despite his always being in ancient Roman garb.  A surprising standout is the aw-shucks Southern cowboy played by Alden Ehrenreich as Hobie Doyle.  Hobie can stand on his head while riding a galloping horse, do lasso tricks, and sing.  He has a little trouble with the verbal part of acting, but with a little coaching, his timing in saying, “It’s…complicated” is perfect.  And it turns out that he is much smarter than he sounds, but always sincere and honest.

         The film is more like a revue with little vignettes, always light and entertaining and lovely to look at.  Shining in their parts are Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes, and Jonah Hill.

         With the Coens, Cinematographer Roger Deakins and Composer Composer Carter Burwell round out this supremely talented filmmaking team

Sit back, chuckle, wonder, and be entertained in Hail, Caesar!

Grade:  A                                                  By Donna R. Copeland

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

Oscar Isaac     Carey Mulligan     Justin Timberlake     Adam Driver     John Goodman

     Inside Llewyn Davis reminds me a bit of Burn after Reading, also by the Coen brothers, in which there is little about the main characters to sympathize with.  In the earlier film, there is more humor, which softens the impact, but there is little humor in the former.  Rather than humor, Davis’ music is the softening agent to his abrasive personality.  Davis’ lack of social graces or even a smidgen of empathy for others is self-destructive, and thwarts his drive to become an employed, popular artist.  The Coens created this character to tell a story about “real songs by made-up people”, according to Oscar Isaac, who plays the title role, and T-Bone Burnet, the music producer and composer, in a Q&A session after the screening of the film at the Austin Film Festival.

     Llewyn Davis is a struggling folk singer in Greenwich Village in New York in the early sixties.  He has become homeless, and must borrow sofas for the night among his few friends—who are remarkable in their forgiveness of his obnoxious behavior in their homes.  One is a former lover (Carey Mulligan) who lives with her husband (Justin Timberlake) and is furious with him for good reason (a very different role for Mulligan, which she aces).  Another is a music professor and his wife with a lovely cat, which, in Coen playfulness, holds its own as a star at times.  Davis has no apprehension in the least about asking friends he has just met at these friends’ homes to sleep on their couch from time to time.

     A relief from these trying moments comes when Davis picks up his guitar.  The music is the complete opposite of his personality—soulful, creative, vibrant—which is a curious juxtaposition.  Nor surprisingly, the imminently prolific, award-winning T-Bone Barnet is responsible for the success of the music, many of which are classics based on Dave van Ronk’s renditions, such as “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me”, and “Dink’s Song – Fare Thee Well”, and one of which he composed (“Please Mr. Kennedy”).   Apparently, the whole film is loosely—very loosely—based on Van Ronk’s memoir.

     Another significant part of the success of the music is Oscar Isaac’s performances.  Because the Coen brothers wanted the film to be similar to a documentary, Isaac spent long hours before filming, perfecting his sound to be as close to Van Ronk’s as possible.  He was required to perform each song during a single take to give it the documentary quality.  In addition, his portrayal of the character during the entire film is remarkably good.

The music is really what saves this film from complete despair.  There are moments intended to be funny, such as the John Goodman role, or a countrywoman singer with a dulcimer, or Davis’ interactions with the cat, but I found them more pathetic than humorous.  Others may find them genuinely funny, however.

I am a huge Coen brothers fan, and although Inside Llewyn Davis is not quite to my taste, the music and acting are most impressive.

                                               

A story about real songs by made-up people.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland