The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018)

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Rating: Q=7, P=5 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Western, Tall Tales, Vignettes, Philosophical

Growing up, I heard and read lots of fairy tales and folk stories. It's no surprise that I grew to love them, since my mother taught folklore classes and studied the traditional European stories that were told through the ages, around a campfire, on a journey... In America they are tall tales or, in this case, ballads. I also enjoy westerns and stories about the frontier, so The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was a delight for me. This film is actually a collection of vignettes, all with a rather dark or sobering mood, but all beautiful and poignant. The artistry combined with the stories is admirable--very captivating and makes you think.

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Ford v Ferrari

Ford v Ferrari (James Mangold, 2019)

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Rating: Q=7, P=5 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

1966, Car Racing, Le Mans, Complex Relationships, Drama

 This was a total surprise to me and I was even more surprised in how much I enjoyed the story. Car racing? Me? But this film is so much more than a story about Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles and the 1966 Le Mans. It's a story about competition, taking risks, following a dream, doing the so-called impossible, and living every moment to the fullest. It's also a story about the complexity of friendship. Matt Damon and Christian Bale are great together. A very feel-good film.

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Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino, 2019)

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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

1969, Hollywood, Biopic, Nostalgia, Crime

Tarantino has done it again--created a modern day fairy-tale and rewriting of history. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is brimming with energy, color, nostalgia, and an anxious, restless vibe that is both intriguing and worrying. Much of the story feels like an homage or memoir reminiscent of George Lucas's American Graffiti and Woody Allen's Radio Days, both films that I adore. All three films have a radio soundtrack that acts a powerful narrator. All three are slow-paced and deliberate, caring about the details and little moments as much as the main story. And, in a way, Tarantino's film is also a kind of coming of age--it's a film about the end of an era, the end of two men's careers, the start of a very different world. So much meaning, so much going on. And of course, there is some serious darkness and insane moments that make you feel awful and relieved at the same time. How does he do it?

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Outlaw King

Outlaw King (David Mackenzie, 2018)

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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Middle Ages, Scotland/England, Biopic, Robert the Bruce

I am so thankful that there are filmmakers out there that love the Middle Ages and want to share stories about important events and people of that time period. I know so little about Robert the Bruce, Richard I, and the conflicts of the early fourteenth century. Outlaw King is not only fairly true to history (at least from what I've read) but it is also an engaging romantic story. Mackenzie captures the passionate loyalty of the Scots and the rage and pride of Prince Edward. It really feels like we have gone back in time. It is very bloody and tragic, but a gripping tale.

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