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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
A modern re-telling of "The English Dance of Death"
Perhaps the Coen Brothers have heard of, possibly even perused, the book "The English Dance of Death", a "forgotten" classic with plates by Thomas Rowlandson and verse by William Combe. Perhaps the Coens have not ever heard of this work. Irrespective, this film, like the book, brilliantly employs entertaining vignettes, all darkly humorous by varying shades, to remind the viewer that Death is ever-present and will leisurely stalk and claim its prey in the end. Death's dart is often times depicted as striking in an absurdly comical manner. And who Death takes and how is, as in life, at times bizarely unpredictable and a quite unjust. The portrayal of Death in such scenarios is disturbingly amusing, if only because the viewer witnesses events at a safe distance. For those who enjoy and admire Combe and Rowlandson's literary masterpiece, "The Tale of Buster Scrugs" is a superb re-telling of the age-old theme of Danse Macabre via a modern medium for contemporary audiences. Were "The English Dance of Death" ever to be made into a film, it is doubtful that such a work could better the mood and intent of "Buster Scrugs".
People Like Us (1999)
Fabulous series
I purchased a copy of "1001 TV series you must see before you die" the other day and was pretty PO'd, but not surprised, to see that this great show did not make the cut.
"People like us" unfortunately had a number of things going against it:
1. It was one of the very first TV shows to move the mockumentary style from the large screen to TV. As the saying goes, don't be the first mouse to get the cheese. "The Office" (UK) tightened up the formula and made a better fist of it. However, the genre really took off and hit mainstream (and pay dirt) with "Modern Family" (2009) -- a mere 25 years after the genre commenced with "This is Spinal Tap" (1984).
2. A lot of people just don't get irony, subtlety and nuances of any sort - this tends to be an observation of outsiders of Americans in the US and A, but arguably also Canadians, if we go by a previous post on this forum.
3. The show relies heavily on grammatical confusions and wordplay, not just visual gags: a strategy that falls flat in a world increasingly inhabited by people with an appalling grasp of correct grammar. It is obvious to see that a lot of the humour is radio-based, with observers needing to listen, not just hear.
There are so many memorable scenes in this series: the worker daubing "Big Shitt" on his ex-boss' car parking space; the photographer undergoing a hilarious mid-life crisis; the NHS administrator suggesting in a meeting (for which she did not prepare) that the new building is facing the wrong way (and should be turned around!); the pilot giving Roy a roasting, with Roy dubbing over him verbatim.
With the passing of time, an obvious legacy of "People like Us" has been that so many actors partly cut their teeth with this series and went onto bigger things soon after: Bill Nighy and David Tennant just to name two.
For mine, the best episode is "The Vicar": the dysfunctional couple, with the wife aching for it with Roy (LOL), an interlude of "Stairway to Heaven" on the organ, the parishioner pigging out on the biscuits, and the hilarious blessing: "Bless this living stroke dining room".
It may not have been as popular as other mockumentary series, but "People Like Us" has lasted well and still has a charming and agreeable nature about it, and employs subtlety to great effect. Compare this with the second series of "The Office" (UK) which is so overly cringing and awkward as to arguably be a tough watch indeed.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
T-X - you can terminate me any day, babe!
For what my view is worth, I was dubious to say the least about the merits of a T3 but came away impressed with the end product. I for one will happily watch it again.
I'd rate this 8/10 and rank it below T1 and above T2. Will T1 ever be topped for tightness of storyline, a nerve-tearing mixture of excitement and palpable fear, an ever-present sense of foreboding, not to mention conceptual inventiveness? Unlikely.
All I remember T2 for is the introduction of morphing to cinema audiences worldwide, as well as xcellent stunts (equalled in T3). T2 was too long, too reliant on special FX, and suffered from a wandering storyline.
Arnie : more menacing in T3 than T2 - in T2 he was pathetically cast as a kiddie's toy (the ultimate aim being to humanise him and to soften and tone down his ultra violent T1 image). He'll never top his menacing T1 character.
The T-X : more frightening and lethal than the T-1000 in T2. Loken's emotionless facial expressions, ice-cool demeanour and machine-like body motions were A1. Her testing of blood samples for DNA was brilliant. A Terminator with a chasis is more beleivable than one made of 100% liquid metal.
John Connor : Stahl's character is a vast improvement on the weak performance delivered by Furlong in T2.
Kate : movie reviewers in Australia have unfairly criticised Danes. I thought she did the job well. Reminded me very much of Sarah in T1 - innocence utterly destroyed.
Dr. Silbermann : a mind wracked with doubt and regret. Good to see him back.
The ending : the closer it got the more it looked like being a happy one, with John and Kate saving the day. Fortunately we were spared this corny conclusion. Much like T1, the future does indeed look a grim one.