I paid to see that: She’s All That

Seeing how today is Valentine’s Day and love is all around, I thought I should write about one of the many horrible romantic comedies I’ve paid to see over the years. As luck will have it, the late 1990s to early 2000s saw a ton of teen romantic comedies hit theaters.

I guess we saw a lot of teen comedies around this time because they were cheap to make and the studio could turn a quick profit. However, the quality of these teen romantic comedies varied from good, to “oh my god, why was this made?” One of the movies in the latter group is 1999s “She’s All That.”

I saw “She’s All That” opening weekend at the General Cinema in Braintree MA. The movie was my then girlfriend’s choice, and it was one of the last movies we saw before breaking up a few weeks later. To be fair though, I don’t think her making me see “She’s All That” had anything to do with the breakup.

Anywho, in case you blocked out the movie from your memory (it has been 20 years after all), “She’s All That” was directed by Robert Iscove and starred Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Paul Walker, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Anna Paquin, Kevin Pollak, and Matthew Lillard.

Freddie Prinze Jr. played Zack, a smart kid who has the third-best grade point average in his class and is also the captain of the soccer team. Probably because making a football player would not have been realized. Nothing against Freddie Prinze Jr. but the doesn’t look like he could take a football hit.

Regardless, Zack is a lucky guy. Not only does he run the school, but he is also dating the most beautiful girl in class, Taylor (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe). But early in the film, Taylor breaks up with him after going to Daytona Beach and meeting Brock Hudson (Matthew Lillard), star of “The Real World.”

Thanks to her new boyfriend’s fame, Taylor is sure she’ll be crowned prom queen. That’s when (for reasons I still don’t understand), Zack’s buddies bet him he can’t take another girl and turn her into a prom queen. He accepts the bet and chooses Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook), a quiet nerdy girl who paints in her basement.

Had I known what “She’s All That” was about beforehand, I might have fought to see something else. But I didn’t, so there I sat, one of only a handful of guys in the theater. As the movie unfolded before me, I thought to myself “This plot is very familiar.” Then it hit me: “She’s All That” is basically “My Fair Lady,” but without a talented cast and award-winning score.

“She’s All That” uses the classic formula of turning the ugly duckling into a swan. The problem is that acting-wise, Rachael Leigh Cook is no Audrey Hepburn. I could believe Hepburn was this poor, uneducated girl because her performance was so captivating. I couldn’t buy into Rachael Leigh Cook the same way because I’d seen her on TV before and she is quite beautiful, to begin with. Plus her character here isn’t as endearing as Audrey Hepburn’s was.

Freddie Prinze Jr. as Zack is certainly no Rex Harrison. I’m not saying Prinze Jr. is awful, but in “She’s All That” he seems to have only one facial expression. Even in the scenes where he was supposed to be vulnerable, he just couldn’t pull it off. Prinze lacked charisma in the role, but maybe that’s the script’s fault. Come to think of it, out of all his friends, the only one who has any charisma is Paul Walker as Dean Sampson.

To be fair though, not everything in “She’s All That” was bad. For once, the senior prom wasn’t the central theme of the movie, but simply a subplot. Cast-wise, I really liked Anna Paquin as Zack’s sister, but she wasn’t in the movie nearly enough. Paquin was already an Oscar winner, so I’m not sure why you wouldn’t give her a larger role. I also liked Kevin Pollak as Rachael Leigh Cook’s pool cleaning dad.

One of the only times “She’s All That” made me laugh, was when Prinze Jr. brings a soccer team to clean Rachael Leigh Cook’s house so she doesn’t have to. During all of this, Kevin Pollack is into an episode of “Jeopardy” that he doesn’t even notice all the strange people in his house. That is until one of the soccer players shouts out the right answer to one of the “Jeopardy” questions.

But I can’t help but feeling that “She’s All That” should have been a better movie. There are some good ideas here, and the cast would have been great with the right material. In the end, though, I get the feeling someone at the studio or one of the filmmaker decided to play it safe when it came to the finished product.

Meanwhile, my girlfriend LOVED “She’s All That” and thought Freddie Prinze Jr. was the best thing ever. The man could do no wrong in her book, she went as far as to say his performance touched her soul. Part of me wanted to ask her if we saw the same movie, but when she told me Prinze Jr. was on her list to cheat with. I replied back “Can Rachael Leigh Cook be on mine?” Let’s just say that line didn’t go over very well.

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Better late than never review: Widows

Possible spoilers ahead!

“Widows” begins in modern-day Chicago when a team of armed robbers led by Harry Rawlins (Liam Neeson) are all killed during a job gone wrong. After Harry’s death, his widow Veronica (Viola Davis) comes to learn that Harry and his crew stole $2 million from Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), a crime boss who’s currently in the midst of a political campaign.

When Jamal pays Veronica a visit, he makes it clear that he wants his money back. He tells Veronica that she has one month to settle her late husband’s debt or she will suffer the consequences. Veronica has no other option but to accept the terms, and when she finds Harry’s plans for another job, she decides to put a crew together. To pull off the job Veronica recruits Linda Perelli (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice Gunner (Elizabeth Debicki), widows to the other members of Harry’s team.

If the women are successful, they will settle their debt with Jamal and secure their futures. However, an already dangerous caper becomes all the more challenging when Jamal’s political rival Jack Mulligan (Colin Ferrell) and his dad Tom (Robert Duvall)  become part of the equation.

With all the talent involved, I had really high hopes for “Widows.”  But I’m sad to say, this film was a mess from start to finish. Part of me was hoping for a fun action caper, or at the very least, a captivating crime drama. In the end, I got neither because “Widows” doesn’t seem to know what kind of movie it wants to be.

The film’s tone is all over the place. Sometimes “widows” plays like a revenge thriller, but the next sequence it becomes a political drama or a sappy soap opera. The movie has very little in terms of action, with the majority of “Widows” composed of characters talking with one another.

I don’t have a problem going in that direction rather than with high-octane set pieces if the conversations mean something. But the movie spends too much time repeating itself. I lost count of how many times the women discussed needing a driver. And most of those scenes were just an excuse for Viola Davis to yell at the other women for the dumbest stuff.

 

Speaking of the cast, Viola Davis does a good job with the material she was given. She had the clearest motivation and was often underestimated by others. One thing I really liked about her performance as Veronica was how angry she became at her late husband. I got the feeling it wasn’t so much for being a thief, but because he lied to her for all those years.

However, Viola Davis is the only actor that gets a full story arc. Linda Perelli (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice Gunner (Elizabeth Debicki), don’t get nearly the same amount of story as Veronica. All I remember about Rodriguez’s character is that she has kids and owned a business. Debicki meanwhile, has a subplot where she becomes a call girl, but I don’t remember this plotline ever leading to anything major. She was, however, the most sympathetic character.

As for the men in the film, Lian Neeson was collecting a paycheck, and Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell deserve better material than this. Brian Tyree Henry has a couple of nice scenes as Jamal, but the whole political race angle of the movie doesn’t have a satisfying payoff. In fact, I didn’t think any of the major plotlines had a satisfying end.

Even the one confrontation I was looking forward to from early on failed to deliver. When this scene finally arrives, it lasts maybe two minutes it not less, and what happens was a letdown.

When all is said and done, with that talented cast and a great director in Steve McQueen, “Widows” should have been a home run. There are glimpses here and there of what could have been a great caper film. But this movie needed some major script edits and maybe one or two fewer characters. More than once I was checking my phone to see how much time was left, and that’s not something I expected.

“Widows” score C-

Better late than never review: Mazinger Z: Infinity

Possible spoilers ahead!

“Mazinger Z: Infinity” takes places years after Koji Kabuto and Tetsuya Tsurugi piloted the mighty Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger super robots against Dr. Hell. his minions and their legions of mechanical monsters. The war took a toll on everyone involved, but eventually, Mazinger and Great Mazinger prevailed against the forces of evil and the world was safe once and for all.

Today, Koli and Tetsuya are older and wiser men, and their respective robots are retired museum pieces for the public to enjoy. The former Photonic Power Lab director Dr. Yumi is now Japan’s prime minister, and his daughter (and Koji’s old flame) Sayaka, is the Power Lab’s new director. Meanwhile, Tetsuya’s old partner Jun is now his wife and expecting his child.

However, the worldwide peace brought by photonic power doesn’t last. When Sayaka’s team discovers a new, bigger Mazinger, Dr. Hell and his army emerge from the shadows and attack the world once again. Soon, Great Mazinger and the latest Mazinger appear lost in battle, which means the time has come for Koji and friends to save the day one more time.

I have been a Mazinger fan since I was three or four years old. The “Mazinger Z” series is the first cartoon I remember following religiously. The show sparked my love for mecha, taught me right from wrong, made me laugh, and gave me and my friends endless hours of entertainment. If it weren’t for Mazinger, I may not be the nerd I am today.

Now, nearly four decades since I first discovered Go Nagai’s creation, I still try to catch anything Mazinhger related from animation, to magazines to toys. So why did it take me almost two years to see “Mazinger Z: Infinity”?

Simple: It took this long because I couldn’t find a copy of the movie anywhere. That finally changed last week when I found it online. My agonizing wait was over and at long last, I got to see “Mazinger Z: Infinity” in all its glory, and I loved everything I saw.

“Mazinger Z: Infinity” is interesting because it’s not only a sequel to the original “Mazinger Z” and “Great Mazinger” series but also progresses the characters. All the characters are older and several relationships have changed. Koji Kabuto has finally grown up in many ways, though he’s still unable to commit to Sayaka. Koli has even given up piloting Mazinger, passing the torch to little brother Shiro, who’s about the same age Koji was when he became Mazinger Z’s pilot. I loved seeing all of this play out, mainly because I wasn’t expecting it.

Yet, everything that I liked from the original show was still there. But now I got to see how the war against Dr. Hell affected each character. In fact, much of this movie is character driven, rather action driven. I even liked seeing Boss, Nuke, and Mucha running a noodle restaurant.

I will admit that I was a little surprised to see Koji’s on again off again girlfriend Sayaka as the new director of Japan’s Photonic Power Lab. But only because in the original Mazinger series she never seemed like the one who would take over for her father. However, she quickly grew on me and I liked how decisive she was in the role.

The only new cast member comes after Sayaka discovers another Mazinger robot buried at the base of Mt. Fuji. This Mazinger one is nearly ten times bigger than Mazinger Z, and inside this new Mazinger is a mysterious A.I. pilot named Lisa. She gives the film a lot of humor and heart. Her childlike innocence is funny to watch play out, but she can be a great ally in battle as well.

It was also cool seeing the villainous Dr. Hell, and his lieutenants Brocken and Baron Ashura, again. There was just something special about seeing all the core characters together again. The filmmakers even brought in Ichiro Mizuki (singer of the original Mazinger Z theme) comes in with a revised version of the song for the film’s opening
Credits.

Take note movie studios: This is the way a long-running franchise can reboot itself but still maintain what made it great in the first place.

“Mazinger Z: Infinity” is a fun and refreshing re-start for a character I’ve loved most of my life. This movie brought me back to being a kid who ran home from the school but so he could catch the latest episode of “Mazinger Z.” on television.

 In the end,  the robot battles in “Mazinger Z: Infinity,” look better than ever before, and the human characters have finally evolved. All of the pieces are here to make “Mazinger Z: Infinity” a must see for all Mazinger fans.

“Mazinger Z: Infinity” score: A

Polar Review

Possible spoilers ahead!!

The Netflix film “Polar” is based on the webcomic-turned-graphic novel of the same name by Victor Santos. “Polar,” tells the story of infamous assassin Duncan Vizla/The Black Kaiser (Mads Mikkelsen), who is weeks away from retiring after a long career. But the organization he worked for wants him hunted down before he can retire. Why?

Because the company’s leader, Blut (Matt Lucas) decides It’s cheaper to kill Duncan than it is to pay him the $8 million-dollar retirement pension he’s owed. Blut’s second in command, Vivian (Katheryn Winnick) repeatedly warns him going after Duncan is a bad idea, and suggests paying him is the smart move. That way she argues, they don’t have to look over their shoulder for the rest of their lives.

Blut refuses to take the advice, and instead sends his most elite squad of assains to take Duncan down. The foursome takes out anyone that may know where Duncan is living, but as the body count rises, Duncan is living a quiet life in his Montana cabin. However, the assassins eventually track him down, and when they involve Duncan’s innocent neighbor,  Camille (Vanessa Hudgens), he isn’t just out of retirement – he’s out for blood.

“Polar” was without a doubt a crazy film. This is not a movie for everyone, and it certainly wasn’t what I expected at all. The Jonas Åkerlund directed film is a wild ride from start to finish, with a ton of action, sex, and a massive body count. “Polar” was also a lot darker than I would have thought based on the trailers, but there are still a few laughs along the way.

One of the best things “Polar” has going for it is its lead, Mads Mikkelsen. It’s clear the actor put in the work to look like the killing machine Duncan supposed to be. He looks great in the fight scenes and convinced me he was someone to fear. But Mikkelsen also gives Duncan a nice amount of heart, which was nicely captured through his subplot with Vanessa Hudgens’ character.

While this type of relationship is another trope we have seen before in films like this. But, it still provided enough genuine dramatic moments that it kept me interested in the fates of these two characters. I’m no fan of Vanessa Hudgens, but she did a nice job with the part. This is certainly the most grown-up role I’ve seen her in and I appreciated that her relationship with Duncan was one of father figure rather than a love interest.

However, that subplot is simply a vehicle for the over the top violent action-sequences in “Polar.” Mikkelsen was fantastic in these scenes, with a nice blend of gun-play, hand-to-hand combat, and dark humor. He made the killing spree’s a ton of fun to watch. which I realize is a strange thing to say.

One of my favorite action sequences was the one where Duncan tells one of the assassins sent to kill him, “Try not to be afraid.” He says it over and over again in a calm manner, and even explains why he’s saying. With just a few words, he showed how menacing Mikkelsen could be without a gun. It’s a simple scene, but quite effective I thought.

As I said before, Mads Mikkelsen is the best thing “Polar” has going for it. But this comes at the expense of some of the other characters who get little to no development. I’m still not sure why Blut (Matt Lucas) refused to pay any of his retired assains. Maybe he was just cheap, but considering how much he was spending on killing his former employees, it might have been cheaper just to pay them off.

Some of the supporting cast of character are almost cartoon versions of killers including a quiet one, the sex-pot, and more. One of the assassins sent to kill Duncan has one job: seduce the target. So, of course, we get more than one sex scene with her and so many ass shots that I lost count. Some of her scenes were the type of stuff you’d see on Cinemax after dark.

The only supporting character that gets any sort arc is Vivian (Katheryn Winnick). For much of the film, we don’t really know which side she stands on. I got the feeling maybe Duncan had been some type of mentor to her, so she was well aware of what he could do to them, but I don’t recall if this was ever confirmed or not.

I also liked Vivian’s sense of style. I think she had a different look in every scene she was in. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see her in action. Most of the time she’s on the phone or yelling at Blut. But I liked her and was left wanting to know more about this mysterious assassin.

In the end, “Polar” is a roller coaster ride of a film with some good and bad parts. However, if you like ultra-violent assassin movies and don’t mind some borderline sex-scenes, then “Polar” is just right for you. If nothing else, it’s checking out for Mads Mikkelsen’s performance.

“Polar” score: B (speak)

Movie Flashback: Twister (1996)

Every so often a movie comes out and the hype for it is so massive that when you finally see it, the film doesn’t live up to the hype and you’re completely let down. For me, there have been several movies that fit that bill. But one that always sticks in my mind is the 1996 film “Twister” directed by Jan de Bont.

Because of work and school, I didn’t get to see “Twister” when it was released in May 1996. It was nearly two weeks later when I finally had the chance to go to the theater to see the movie. But during that whole time, classmates and co-workers kept telling me how amazing and action-packed “Twister” was.” But what they all failed to mention, was that this movie was a love story.

In case you weren’t around back then, “Twister” starred Helen Hunt as Jo Harding, and Bill Paxton as Bill “The Extreme” Harding. The two are still married but currently separated. The movie never explains what happened between the two, but they worked happily together as storm chasers for several years before something went wrong and Bill left storm chasing and Jo behind.

Bill and Jo haven’t seen or spoken to each other in a while until Bill shows up with divorce papers for Jo to sign. Not only is he taking a job as a TV weatherman, but he’s brought along his new fiance named Dr. Melissa Reeves (Jami Gertz). Sounds simple enough right? Get Jo to sign the papers, and go live your life. Except that “Twister” is a movie and Jo still loves Bill. No need to worry though, that’s where the tornadoes come in.

It doesn’t take long before Melissa is not happy fiance. One minute she’s taking calls on her giant cell phone from her from crazy patients, the next minute, she’s cowering in her pickup truck while a tornado drops a truck in front of her. Bill meanwhile, forgot what the rush was like, and can’t wait to find another tornado.

While I wasn’t a huge fan of the love triangle plotline in “Twister,” I did get a good laugh when a frightened Melissa says to Bill: “When you told me you wanted to chase tornadoes,” she tells him, “I thought that was a metaphor.” Seriously? He told you he was a storm chaser, what would that be a metaphor of?

Anywho, by the end of the film, we have seen houses, trees, TV towers, drive-in theaters, trucks, barns and most famously of all, cows get sucked up by the tornados. Well, maybe it was only one cow. This scene always sticks with me because when I saw the movie in the theater, a little girl near the front shouted “Mommy, moo coW!” and the entire audience laughed.

Along the way we’re also introduced to Jo’s crew which includes Philip Seymour Hoffman as “Dusty” Davis, I’m not really sure what his job was, but he’s pretty funny in the movie. There’s also Alan Ruck as Robert “Rabbit” Nurick, he’s the map guy who would be out of a job today thanks to GPS. There are others, but those two were the main ones. So if you think about it, with Helen Hunt and Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Twister” features two future Oscar winners.

And despite being about the power of tornadoes, the film still has a villain role in the form of Jonas Miller (Cary Elwes), also known as the “Night Crawler.” He is also a storm chaser, but the unlikable kind. While Jo and Bill and their friends are in it for the science and to help people, Jonas is in it for the money and glory.

So “Twister” didn’t do it for me back in 1996. But in the nearly twenty-three years since the film’s release, I’ve come around on “Twister.” I don’t think the movie is perfect, and I’m still not a huge fan of the love angle. Yet, today I appreciate the film’s humor, quirky set of characters, and the incredible special effects. The tornadoes are big, loud, violent and scary. They still look great today, but experiencing them in the theater was quite an experience.

There’s one sequence in particular that always brings a smile to my face, and it’s when the team arrives in Wakita, to visit Jo’s, Aunt Meg. She cooks them a huge meal of steak and eggs and mashed potatoes and who knows what else. To this day I don’t think I’ve ever seen steaks that big, and every time I see the movie this scene makes me hungry. I also love that when the team leaves, she hands Phillip Seymour Hoffman a bag of sandwiches.

Most of the time when a movie fails to live up to the hype, I don’t give it a second thought. But in the case of “Twister,” I’m glad the wifey convinced me to watch it again after many years. All that time allowed me to grow up and understand the character’s motivations more. Now I have a movie I once hated, moved to my “like” list.

Better late than never review: First Man

Possible spoilers ahead!

During the height of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, America continues to fall behind their rivals in several key areas. Looking to finally surpass the Russians, NASA’s Chief of the Astronaut Office Deke Slayton (Kyle Chandler) heads a new mission that if successful, will see the Americans landing on the moon. In order to achieve this very complicated process, NASA recruits several new astronauts, including civilian Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling).

Over the course of the next few years, NASA tirelessly works to make sure their vehicles are safe. As a result, Neil Armstrong dedicates himself completely to the job. All this comes at the same time he and his wife Janet (Claire Foy) are dealing with the aftermath of a family tragedy while raising their two young sons. But with pressure from the government and protestors beginning to mount, NASA attempts to take the final steps necessary to fulfill the wishes of President John F. Kennedy.

I think a lot of people went to the movies thinking “First Man” was going to be a classic like “Apollo 13” or even another “The Martian.” But the true story of Neil Armstrong is nothing like that at all. In reality, Armstrong was a very focused and private person. He didn’t like to mess around, and once he was assigned a job by his superiors, he didn’t stop until every goal was met. That’s how he was in real life and that’s exactly how “First Man” portrays him.

Perhaps this type of character turned off general moviegoers. , as shown here, wasn’t always likable. But I thought the film did a very good job going from the raw emotional looks at the Neil Armstrong’s’ home life, and the high-stakes world of being an astronaut. We get to see how focused on his work the man was, and how that focus may have saved the American space program during Armstrong’s Gemini 8 mission.

At the end of the day, Neil Armstrong just wanted to do a good job as an astronaut, but in the film we also see him playing with the kids at home, having sweet moments with Janet, and the entire Armstrong family having fun with their neighbors and friends. “First Man” also shows that Neil Armstrong also has a subtle sense of humor, like when he tells his fellow astronauts about performing musical theater in college.

The various sides of Neil Armstrong are helped by Ryan Gosling’s very understated performance. This man is a laser-focused and introverted man, but a man who is also haunted by his past. At times, Gossling can come across as distant and cold, but again, that’s how Armstrong was in real life. But Gossling also gives Armstrong a lot of humanity, especially in the way he reacts to the deaths of his friends and fellow astronauts. This might not be Ryan Gosling’s showiest performance, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s his best.

The scenes that make Neil Armstrong look and feel like a well-rounded character are the ones with Claire Foy. She certainly has the showier role of the two and boy does she shine! Janet Armstrong is the rock that kept the Armstrong family together after the death of their daughter. She’s also the reason Neil still acts like a human being. Foy even has one of my most emotional scenes in the film when she goes after Neil for refusing to talk to the kids before Apollo 11.

However, with so much of the focus going to Neil Armstrong, the rest of the supporting cast doesn’t have as much to do. Kyle Chandler acts like a no-nonsense leader, but he could have been playing an entirely new character for all I know. Nothing in his look, mannerisms, or voice told me he was Deke Slayton. Had Claire Foy not called him “Deke” at one point, I don’t think I would have known that’s who he was playing in “First Man.”

I did like what Jason Clarke brought to the role of Ed White, Neil’s fellow astronaut and friend. In some ways, he seemed to be Neil’s closest friend, but once Ed White dies in the Apollo 1 fire, we barely see his family again. Then there’s Corey Stoll who has limited screen time as Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. I don’t have a problem with Stoll, but the script makes Buzz Aldrin look like an asshole. I’m not saying the man was perfect, but in everything I’ve seen and read on the real Buzz, he wasn’t this much of a jackass.

When all is said and done, “First Man” is a near perfect space drama. The movie has compelling characters, thrilling visual effects, a soaring musical score, and heartbreaking and exhilarating moments. Ryan Gossling and Claire Foy deliver some of the best work of their careers, and Damien Chazelle proves he can direct any genre of films. Whether you saw it in theaters or missed it as I did, “First Man” is definitely worth checking out.

“First Man” score: A-

Better late than never review: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Possible spoilers ahead!

Ethan and Joel Coen’s “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is a western anthology movie composed of six separate stories that the Coen Brothers have come up with for Netflix. The film takes place entirely on the old American frontier and kicks off with the eponymous segment, telling the story of one Buster Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson). Scruggs is a sharp-shooting outlaw with a cheerful disposition and a fondness for passing the time by singing.

The second section (“Near Algodones”) shifts the focus to a would-be robber (James Franco), who gets more than he expected when he tries to rob a bank in the middle of nowhere. Before he knows it, Franco is in the fight of his life. This tale is then followed by the third chapter (“Meal Ticket”), which follows an impresario played by a scary looking Liam Neeson, and his star-act played by Harry Melling. He’s an overworked and underpaid actor with no arms or legs

The film’s fourth story (“All Gold Canyon”) shifts the action to an isolated canyon, where a cranky prospector (Tom Waits) mines for what he believes is a giant patch of gold. That’s followed by the fifth story (“The Gal Who Got Rattled”), which changes things as it follows Alice Longabaugh (Zoe Kazan), a young woman who forms a relationship with one of the overseers (Bill Heck) on a wagon train expedition. And last but not least, the movie concludes with “The Mortal Remains”, a tale in which a group of strangers discusses their lives, loves, and beliefs during a wagon ride.

After the Oscar nominations were announced earlier this week, I think a lot of people were surprised to  “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” got nominated. The movie kept popping up on my Netflix, but I hadn’t watched it. I figured with the Oscar nomination, it was about time I check this thing out. Despite a top-notch roster of talent, what I got was a mixed bag. That’s not surprising since that is pretty much how I feel about most of the Coen brothers work.

All six segments in “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” were written and directed by the Coen Brothers, but I thought each chapter had a different tone and feel My favorite segment is the opening one with Tim Blake Nelson as Buster. From the moment he opened his mouth, I was laughing. Even the songs are great, and I liked the quick camera shot from inside his guitar. The humor in the segment was on point, and Nelson’s fourth wall breaking kept things moving at a nice pace.

Tim Blake Nelson is the scene stealer in this movie. He’s funny, charming, and evil, all wrapped into one. I can’t tell if he’s a good guy or not, but it doesn’t really matter. Buster Scruggs is a unique character and one I would have liked to have seen more of him instead of six different stories. But since one of his songs got nominated for an Oscar, maybe we’ll see more of him at the ceremony.

Sadly, the fun did not last long. The rest of the chapters in “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” are darker and even sadder than I expected. While all six stories attempt to manage a mix between bleak comedy and sincere drama, the only chapter that succeeds in this is the Tim Blake Nelson one. The rest of the chapters are either sad or even pointless. The gold digging portion did nothing for me, and the Liam Neeson chapter is arguably the worst of them all.

Not only is “Meal Ticket” sad and depressing, but it seemed to me like it was going more for shock value than anything else. Also, “Meal Ticket” didn’t seem to fit in well with anything else in the film. At least the other segments looked like they took place in the same universe. Now, while each segment does have a bit of the classic Coen brothers dark humor, nothing in the film matches the humor or tone of the opening chapter.

In the end, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” falls well short of what it could have been. The film starts off strong, but it goes downhill from there by completely changing everything that worked in chapter one. The Coen brothers are talented filmmakers, and they put together an amazing cast for “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” too bad the final product doesn’t is a mess.

But if the Coen brothers ever decide to make a Buster Scruggs solo adventure, count me in.

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” score: C