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Movie Theater Westerns: Hell or High Water, Ballad of Buster Scruggs/Netflix

Strykervet

ain'T goT no how whaTchamacalliT
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Jun 5, 2011
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    Pierce County, WA
    Hell or High Water has Chris Pine (new Capt. Kirk) and Jeff Bridges and some other good actors too. A modern western. Really good, it was nominated for four academy awards. I wonder what it lost to. Bank robbery, chases, close and long range shootouts. Great story, well written and well acted. What's not to like?

    Ballad of Buster Scruggs is actually five stories, also really good, it's written, produced and directed by two of my favorite directors, the Cohen bros. This one is not to be missed. In the vein of Fargo/Big Lebowski/O'Brother regarding writing and dialogue, they just have a style. This is one of the best I've seen in a while and the best of it's kind I've ever seen, an anthology or collection of short stories.

    These two are on Netflix.
     
    Agreed!!

    Hell or High Water is excellent. Taylor Sheridan wrote the screenplay, and I've enjoyed every movie he's created/written so far. His other movies (as a screenwriter) are Sicario, Sicario: Day of the Soldato, and Wind River (which he also directed). If you enjoyed Hell or High Water, definitely check out Wind River.

    Sheridan is also behind the TV Series Yellowstone, but I haven't had a chance to watch any of it yet.

    The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is also great. Every skit is a commentary on death, from a different perspective, and they can be a little dark at times (especially the skit with Liam Neeson), but the Cohen brothers really did a wonderful job with all of it.
     
    I enjoyed the first two stories in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (they were HILARIOUS) but spent the rest of the time waiting for the return of the funny. The abrupt change from the comical to the morose was jarring to me. If I had to give a recommendation on it, I'd say to either watch the first two stories, or the last three (depending on your tastes).