It was fun trying to play spot the landmark during the Nebraska caravan segments, too. Spoiler: there aren't many landmarks out there, and I didn't spot any.


The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: C+
A weird way to start the thing off, I wonder if I'd have responded a bit better to it if it were in the middle. Seemed like essentially an exercise in getting the audience used to the type of language the characters in this world would be speaking, and I suppose it summarizes a lot of what the other vignettes will be about, but it was just a little too fantastical for me to fully get with.

Near Algodones: B+
The potshot and hangman gags were gold, the rustler's cameo was just right, and the cowboy got what he deserved in the end. Simple and clean, I really enjoyed it though.

Meal Ticket: A
I'll admit this was the one I paid the least attention to due to the repetition of it, but the inspired casting makes it the one I felt the most affected by in the end. I hadn't really seen Harry Melling before (I cut out from the Potter films early on) but his is the first of a series of breakout performances for me.

All Gold Canyon: A+
Patience is a virtue.

The Gal Who Got Rattled: A-
Bill Heck felt instantly familiar to me but apparently I actually have no idea who he is. He killed it, and reminded me of Arthur Morgan's capable but occasionally dopey demeanor in RDR2. Everybody in this thing was charming as hell, though along with the earlier nod to Native Americans in Algonodes it was a bit surprising the Coens took such a tired approach to their involvement in the stories. The firefight lacked tension for me as well and their attack patterns seemed both erratic and meaningless; it's a shame because if that scene had delivered for me, this would've easily been my favorite segment.

The Mortal Remains: B+
Fun stageplay that put a neat little bow on the show. Similar to Heck I thought I recognized the hell out of Jonjo O'Neill but turns out I'm completely unfamiliar - good show out of him! Chelcie Ross killed it as the trapper as well. This one also felt like it needed the most tightening up, though, and was also the only segment that didn't show any promise if it had been a full length movie.


Part of me wishes this were broken out into chapters on Netflix, but I get why the Coens don't want to do that. Some I'd rewatch and others I probably wouldn't, but definitely another win for the Coens and Netflix, and a great companion to all the weird stories I've come across during the past two weeks in RDR as well.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz