273: Slow West + True Grit

[00:00:00] Hello everybody, welcome back to the Film Buds Podcast. This is episode number 273 and my name is Henry. Like last week, it is just me. I will be back in a couple of weeks for the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 show, so stay tuned for that.

[00:00:28] So you're stuck with me just for a couple more weeks, so don't worry. Thanks again for joining us and if you are a new listener, we've been getting some a lot of new listeners lately, so welcome. We hope you'll stick around and subscribe and rate.

[00:00:40] Thank you very much to those who have. Similar to last week and for the next couple of weeks, reviews might seem a little bit more random but we're just trying to fill in some gaps and give you all some cool content

[00:00:51] that maybe films we missed or films that I've been wanting to do for a while and just could never really find the right time to do it. But either way, it should be a very good discussion.

[00:01:00] If you have not yet, please check out our Bandcamp page which is our premium bonus podcast, thefilmbuds.bandcamp.com. We have over 30 plus bonus shows there and counting franchises, actors, directors, trilogies, genres, things like that and many more to come.

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[00:01:28] Please send us anything, any suggestions. This time around though, it's gonna be a bit of a Western special. I love Westerns as I've talked about a lot on the show. I'm gonna be talking Slow West, the A24 Western with Michael Fassbender and then True Grit,

[00:01:44] the Coen Brothers remake or newer adaptation from 2010 with Jet Bridges and Haley Steinfeld Matt Damon. So, should be a great time. Both are pretty cool movies and I think are ones that are a little bit forgotten.

[00:01:58] So, I figured I wanted to talk about them because they are, I think, worthy of a lot of praise or more praise than they're getting. Besides that, again, check out the bonus shows if you have not yet and thank you to all those

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[00:02:24] Besides that, not a lot going on. Still on a little bit of a break from work which is nice. Just hanging out at home with my wife Elle who's also co-host and our dog.

[00:02:34] So, it's been a nice little change of pace and getting a little bit of a breather and catching up on sleep, that kind of thing. And also catching up on FilmBuds obviously. So that's been nice.

[00:02:45] I always hate when I have to miss FilmBuds so I always like making sure we stay consistent and yeah, we hope you all are sticking around enjoying the shows. And as always, if you have criticisms, comments on what we can do more of, less of, just changes

[00:03:00] for the show, please let us know on any of our forms of social media or email us and all that is again is in the show notes. So we'd love hearing from y'all good or bad because we always want to make the show as

[00:03:10] great as we can for y'all and hope it's a nice place where you can come learn about movies, just hang out, hear some good movie talk. So other than that, not too much. Just yeah, getting through normal life these days. A little chaotic, you know, but that's okay.

[00:03:25] That happens. Hope you all are doing alright out there as well wherever you are in the world. Alright, well, not too much else to say. I think we should go ahead and get to it. Two cool movies to talk about.

[00:03:36] Let's get to Slow West and we do have a clip. So take a listen. I know why you need my help. Oh yeah? Yeah. You're lonely. You're a lonely man. Sure kid. Sure kid. Let's drift. A silent, lonely drifter. You're a lonely, lonely man.

[00:04:10] No need to concern over me. Hold still. All I'm saying is there's more to life than just surviving. Yeah, there's dying. Survival ain't just how to skin a jackrabbit. It's knowing when to bluster and when to hush. When to take a beating. And when to strike.

[00:04:40] Alright, so Slow West is by the studio A24, one of my favorites. And it came out in 2015. It is directed, written and directed by John McLean who has not really done anything since or even really much before. So I don't know why that is.

[00:04:57] I wish he would do more. But yeah, this is really his only real feature it seems or at least widely available feature. It stars Cody Smit McFeet, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn. Honestly not a big cast. Jeffrey Thomas, O'Rear Pocky, Karen Pistorius. That's about it really.

[00:05:18] Sorry if I butchered any of those names. And the synopsis is a young Scottish man travels across America in pursuit of the woman he loves attracting the attention of an outlaw who is willing to serve as a guide. A24 had been doing pretty good work up until then.

[00:05:34] I'd already been a big fan of theirs before this movie. This was, I'd say, in Michael Fassbender's prime. He had a really great run of movies in mid-early 2010s. This is definitely one of the best I think. I love Westerns as I've said many, many times.

[00:05:50] I love the genre, I love the worlds, I love the kinds of characters, the outlaw world. I just pretty much always find that fascinating and it is a dying genre. So whenever we get a widely released one or any kind of Hollywood one, I'm always interested.

[00:06:03] Even if it's not always that great, I always seek them out. And so was very curious about this one. I didn't know anything about the writer, director. Just love Michael Fassbender mainly. Love Ben Mendelsohn as well. I think he's such an underrated actor.

[00:06:17] So went in pretty blank to this one. I've seen it maybe three or four times now, I think over the years. I think the movie is awesome. I don't think it's some groundbreaking genre-bending movie. But I think for what it sets out to do, it's fantastic.

[00:06:33] I love it. It's one of my favorite Westerns of the 2010s. Or just let's say modern Westerns, modern made Westerns. Michael Fassbender, fantastic. I don't love Cody Smith McPhee in general. I think in this role, he is that.

[00:06:45] He plays the typical Cody Smith McPhee role where it's kind of like innocent, kind of wary of things, a little not super courageous kind of guy, fish out of water. He's good in the movie for what it is.

[00:06:57] I love Ben Mendelsohn and then I think his coat alone is amazing. His big fur coat being on horseback. It's shot incredibly well. Like I just think the locations are very unique. I don't know why exactly. It just makes it memorable. Just the locations, the cinematography, the score.

[00:07:13] By Jed Kurzel, partly by Jed Kurzel is excellent. I love that composer. I think just the design of Michael Fassbender's character is great. And the writing for that character is excellent. It's a very, as it is with A24, it's a very minimal kind of film.

[00:07:27] It's not some big bombastic, big budget movie. It's more small, low key, quiet kind of film. But that's exactly my kind of movie. I think, for example, I love the scene at the store where there's that shootout. That's great.

[00:07:40] The scene where they're running with Native Americans is an excellent part of the story as well. Because, as it was at the time, the worlds were kind of bending and mixing in together. And you never know what you're going to come by.

[00:07:50] And so I really like that inclusion. Even though it's not a huge part of the movie, I still really appreciate that it's there. The ending, I think it comes down to mainly the direction. But the final shootout at the house is incredible.

[00:08:03] It's just sounds of the gunshots, like the bullet holes going through the walls, the landscape outside and people popping in and out of the shrubbery and the flowers. That stuff just looks amazing. It's so seemingly plainly shot, but there's just something about it that is catching, compelling, suspenseful.

[00:08:22] It's just very well put together, well edited, directed, shot. And the choreography as well. It's so small in terms of its budget and its cast, but it does it. It executes all of it so well. And I wish that there were more Westerns like this.

[00:08:40] And I wish that I would love to see more from John McLean because he clearly has a talent and a very interesting voice. And so I hope he does more. I don't know what's going on with him. Maybe he's just not interested in making more movies.

[00:08:52] I don't know, but I think it is definitely a great 824 movie. One of the better Westerns, as I said, as of late. And a pretty great Michael Fassbender performance, especially from him. I am really excited to see The Killer, his new movie coming out.

[00:09:06] Because I think he had a little bit of a dip where he didn't make much. And a lot of the movies he did make in the later 2010s weren't great. So, he had a little bit of a dip in quality.

[00:09:16] But I think he seems to be coming back with this new David Fincher movie. So, very excited for that. Would love to see him do more Westerns as well. Any Western I'm up for and I always want to see more.

[00:09:27] And there's just not enough because there's a lot you can do with the genre. It doesn't always require a ton of money, clearly, as in this case. So, I hope they do more. But this is, to me, a very, very underrated Western.

[00:09:39] Definitely check it out if you have any interest in any of those things I mentioned. Any of the actors. Because it is really a really cool movie. Five out of five for that one. Five out of five. All right, let's get to True Grit, which came out in 2010.

[00:09:52] And we do have a clip as well. So, take a listen. He dallied in Monroe, Louisiana and Pine Bluff, Arkansas before turning up at your father's place. And why did you not catch him in Pine Bluff, Arkansas or Monroe, Louisiana? He is a crafty one.

[00:10:06] I thought him slow-witted myself. That was his act. It was a good one. Are you some kind of law? That's right. I'm a Texas Ranger. That may make you a big noise in that state.

[00:10:24] In Arkansas, you should mind that your Texas trappings and title do not make you an object of fun. Why have you been ineffectually pursuing Janie? All right. Once again, True Grit came out in 2010, is written and directed by Ethan and Joel Cohen.

[00:10:38] So, this is when they did together, directing and writing-wise. Stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailey Steinfeld in her breakout role, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, who I love. Such an underrated actor, Barry Pepper is. Domino Gleason, Dakin Matthews, few others, Paul Ray. Sorry if I'm forgetting anyone.

[00:10:58] And the synopsis is a study of the film's cast. And the synopsis is a stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. marshal to track down her father's murderer. So, I've been a fan of the Coen brothers for a long time, still am.

[00:11:11] I guess they're called one of the most American filmmakers in Hollywood, which I would agree with. They're just incredible filmmakers. And if you have not seen or heard of the Coen brothers, look them up right now and definitely go through their filmography.

[00:11:24] Because similar to someone like, almost like Spielberg, they have such a variety of genres that they go into. And they seem to be able to do it all for the most part. And this one, as of course with Slow West, I love Western.

[00:11:39] So, I was very interested in this. Oh Brother Where Art Thou is my favorite Coen brothers movie. And No Country for Old Men is another. Going into this, I was very excited. I love the cast.

[00:11:50] And I think the movie, I've seen it three or four times now over the years. I think it's one of their best. Call it a masterpiece, maybe that's too high a praise. But I think it's one of the best Westerns of the 21st century.

[00:12:01] One thing I love about the Coen brothers that they're pretty much better than anyone else is they have an ability to inject comedy into like any situation. Like a film like No Country for Old Men, such a dark movie, but there's so much comedy that feels completely natural.

[00:12:16] And it's the same thing in this. Like it's a sad movie. It's very heavy at times and dark and violent, but there's just seemingly natural, normal humor injected into it that feels completely, feels like it should be there.

[00:12:30] And that I guess is what makes it feel more natural and real. I think Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, very iconic roles for them. One of their more underrated performances. Hailee Steinfeld, this is where she broke out. Very good as well.

[00:12:43] Josh Brolin, always loved Josh Brolin, has worked with the Coen brothers a few times now. He's very good. Once again, I love Barry Pepper. He was in Saving Private Ryan, Flags for Our Fathers and just many other things. I just love him.

[00:12:58] I wish he got more praise than he does. Carter Burwell's score is excellent. It's shot very, very well by Roger Deakins, you know, one of the best, if not the best cinematographer working today. The shootout at the cabin at night is fantastic.

[00:13:12] I love when Hailee Steinfeld rides across the river on the horse. The final sequence towards the end where they have to kill the horse. Very sad moment, but very powerful. And it's just for being a heavy, very classical kind of Western. It's pretty accessible. It's funny. It's entertaining.

[00:13:31] There's a lot to latch on to, a lot to think about. Also have an ability to make things just feel timeless. And I guess that adds to their American Americana style.

[00:13:39] But they just have, whether it's an original script or if it's like an adaptation like this one is, they just have an ability to find that emotional resonance, that timelessness in it. And it's definitely one of their best movies of...

[00:13:52] I mean, there's a lot of great ones in the 21st century, but this is a great one that I think seems to go unnoticed. I don't hear many people mention it. I don't meet many people that have seen it.

[00:14:02] So I think it's definitely worthy of more praise because I think it's incredible. One of my favorites Westerns, as I said, along with Slow West, two, there are two classics, I think. But both for their own reasons, they both feel very different at the same time.

[00:14:15] That's about it, I think. Five out of five, easily five out of five. All right, well, let's just end off with stuff I've been watching. I watched a James Franco written and directed movie and starring movie called Future World,

[00:14:29] which is essentially Mad Max, but like C grade level. It is so desperately trying to be Mad Max. It came out just, I think, three years after Fury Road did. And it is just the most shameful rip off, but the worst rip off that you can imagine.

[00:14:46] Like the same kind of locations, same motorcycle gangs, seemingly even the same locations almost. Like I just... I don't know what they were expecting people to think of this. Like, hey, be inspired by Mad Max, don't rip it off with probably a hundredth of the budget.

[00:15:01] And there are a couple moments that are okay, but for the most part, bad performances, lame writing, doesn't look great. Not much underneath. Action sequences feel completely cookie cutter compared to Fury Road, just not as good.

[00:15:16] I wasn't expecting it to be good, but I was like, this is just ridiculous. Kind of embarrassing because of how close it is to Fury Road, which is my favorite movie of all time.

[00:15:24] Not a great movie, but James Franco doesn't have a great track record with his direction. I appreciate how prolific he is and all the kinds of stories he tries to tell. He just doesn't typically do a great job with it. Hate to say, but...

[00:15:38] Also watched JFK, the Oliver Stone film from the 90s with Kevin Costner. And basically like everyone in Hollywood is in this movie and it's all about the JFK assassination and people trying to figure out what happened, who was the killer, were there multiple killers?

[00:15:54] And obviously there's a million conspiracies out there. This could have happened, that could have happened. I think no matter what the truth is, I think the movie itself is incredibly entertaining. For being almost three hours long, I think it is directed and edited and shot so well

[00:16:10] with the amount of detail. It almost reminds me of something like Zodiac where it's like this incredible attention to detail, a huge amount of information being thrown at you and yet somehow it feels all pretty balanced. You aren't getting overwhelmed, at least I didn't.

[00:16:23] I think it is considered to be one of Oliver Stone's best, one of the best political thrillers. So no matter, I guess, the conspiracy side to it as a movie, just watching it, incredibly entertaining, very well performed, well acted.

[00:16:34] Just a... I really, really enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. Because Oliver Stone, I don't love everything he does, but this is definitely one of my favorites of his. And I am very interested in the JFK assassination and just JFK in general as well.

[00:16:47] But this movie was great. Really, really enjoyed it. And it is worth checking out because it's not really as dry as you would think. It is pretty fast moving and pulpy and a lot going on. So I don't... I really was never bored, surprisingly.

[00:17:02] Very, very good movie to me. And I think that's about it, honestly, really for the show. Speaking of, unfortunately, as I said before, as in the last episode and for the next two, I think it will just be me and these will just be lean, mean shows.

[00:17:17] And then Elle will be back in a couple of weeks for The Guardians show. So you won't be stuck with me just by myself for too much longer. Please check out thefilmbuds.bandcamp.com. Tons of bonus shows, franchises, everything you can imagine.

[00:17:31] And as always, please feel free to give us suggestions on social media, on Letterboxd, wherever you can get in contact with us. Subscribe, rate the show, tell your friends, post about it on social media. Just shout from the rooftops about Film Buds. We hope you'll stick around.

[00:17:46] Love having you here and we hope you enjoyed it, even have enjoyed it. We hope you enjoyed it, even have as much as I did. And see you next time. Take it easy.