The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a Violent, Heart-breaking Old West Meditation on Mortality

Death has always been a punchline for Joel and Ethan Coen. Its suddenness, its finality, its nihilistic impartiality—these anxieties have flooded their films since their very first, 1984’s Blood Simple, a neo-noir about murderous vengeance horribly spiraling out of control.…

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a Violent, Heart-breaking Old West Meditation on Mortality | NYFF 2018

Death has always been a punchline for Joel and Ethan Coen. Its suddenness, its finality, its nihilistic impartiality—these anxieties have flooded their films since their very first, 1984’s Blood Simple, a neo-noir about murderous vengeance horribly spiraling out of control.…

10 Years Later: Still No Country for Old Men

It’s been ten years since the release of what some might refer to as Joel and Ethan Coen’s masterpiece. Released in 2007 amidst numerous politically-minded, morally serious parables about U.S.’s intervention in the Middle East, No Country for Old Men…

Coen Brothers Ranked: Five Greatest Films

Yes yes, opinions. Hail, Caesar!, the newest film from the Coen Brothers is released this Friday, February 5th, and to celebrate what will hopefully be a bright spot in cinema’s underwhelming winter months, I’m ranking the top five films by…

TV Review: Fargo (2×03) “The Myth of Sisyphus”

In my review of Fargo‘s second season premiere, I criticized the season overall for lacking the wide array of quirky characters that was the first season’s most significant claim to fame. I was disappointed that unlike Season 1, Season 2 does…

TV Review: Fargo (2×02) “Before the Law”

“Before the Law” gives us our first real introduction to one of this season’s best characters, Mike Milligan (played charismatically by Bokeem Woodbine). He works as an enforcer for Joe Bulo of the Kansas City syndicate and is sent to Luverne…

TV Review: Fargo Season 2 Premiere “Waiting for Dutch”

I loved the first season of FX’s Fargo. I loved the ominous tone, the twisted storytelling, and most of all, the many rich characters. Fargo Season 1 was chock-full of wonderfully specific characters. Every single character in Season 1 was dynamic, original, and useful…