★★★★
Joel and Ethan Coen’s latest film is a brilliantly conceived, smartly written and gorgeously shot – on digital, for their first time – anthology Western. Six vignettes, tied by the framing of an unseen reader flicking through a book of ‘tales of the American frontier’, unfold across the two hour runtime, each showcasing the brothers’ innovative flair and talent for vivid characterisation. With its dark humour and light heart, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a symphonic delight.
★
Flynn, Costner and now Egerton, Robin’s hood is a threadbare thing these days. Over a century since cinema first told the story of the Nottingham based vigilante and his merry men, it really was about time the well worn formula was gifted a shake up. Just…not like this.
★★
There’s no denying Kurt Russell’s credentials as cinema’s coolest Santa. Whereas Richard Attenborough gave the legend a twinkle and Tim Allen made him an everyman, Russell offers a wry, Elvis impersonating twist. It’s a bummer, then, that the film around him is so bloomin’ lame.
The Film Blog 