The Western Netflix that Needed

By: Joshua Lenahan, Practicum Reporter

The short attention-spanned, bingeaholic, audiences of 2018 are tough to produce movies for, but if anyone can pull it off, would it not be the Coen brothers? 

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is the Coen brother’s elegant response to a changing cinema audience. With six distinct chapters, The Ballad keeps viewers interested by telling a new story every 20 minutes or so, appealing to the short attention span of today’s Netflix-gorging viewers. An interesting platform for a Coen brothers release, Netflix’s decision to work with the duo resonates with its attempts to bring not only more, but higher quality, original TV shows and movies to the site, which is under the stress of new competition in the streaming world. 

The richest part of the movie is hands down the characters. While we only get to know them for a short period, they leave deeper impressions in 20 minutes than most characters in feature length films. Add in an all-star cast, and the characters become increasingly memorable. Rich, unique characters are combined with carefully scripted dialogue (and monologues), then paired with beautiful shots filmed all over the West. It all adds up to a satisfying viewing experience that’s becoming increasingly rare. 

An emotional rollercoaster, the plot twists and turns throughout each story while playing with viewers’ emotions. Drawn out, but intricate dialogue is complemented by quick plot twists that rapidly move the film along. They mix in tragedy with laughter and put depressing moments next to silly ones – a new concept for a Western. Hopefully, this movie sparks a wave of new Western films.  

The choice to release the film both in theaters and on Netflix is an interesting one for sure but emphasizes the actual experience of going to the movies. Directors of “Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski,” “No Country for Old Men,” among others, it isn’t surprising the Coen brothers have produced a hit like this. In today’s cinematic landscape, it’s refreshing nonetheless. 

The last tale in the movie ends with a long section of back-and-forth dialogue, songs and philosophical thought; it’s a deep reminder of the kind of movie the Coen brothers can produce. The story even ends with a conversation about death, a lesser friendly reminder of how harsh the West was years ago.

Every story is a struggle with death in one way or another, but many are watered down with laughter and wittiness. The last story ends the movie on a solemn note, but it respectively ties up the golden thread of the movie’s many scenarios, proving again that the Coen brothers rarely disappoint. 

‘Free Solo’

By: Paul Hunter, Practicum Reporter

Award-winning directors and husband-and-wife team Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have captivated audiences again with their intricate documentary following the journey of world-renowned rock climber, Alex Honnold. The documentary follows Honnold through his life, into a relationship, and up the face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park … unroped.

While claiming its spot as a transformative movie for climbing enthusiasts, the movie presents non-climbers with a display of what it means to transcend fear and move beyond perceived human capabilities. It also shows what it means to be in a relationship with a man who doesn’t believe in attachments — to location, objects, people, or even to life.

Recalling his early being, Honnold remembers not being hugged as a child. He recalls finding solace in nature and, because he was alone, that meant climbing without gear or a belay partner. He remembers always being asked by his parents why he didn’t do better, something that lead to his experiencing a “bottomless pit of self-loathing.”

This is the childhood that kicked off his record-breaking, 1,000+ free solo climbs and led him to the base of El Capitan on Saturday, June 3, 2017. It is also, possibly, what causes Honnold’s brain not to recognize or process fear like you and I. Some say his brain is super-human, while some say it’s broken.

The cinematography in “Free Solo” is characteristic of the work done by Vasarhelyi and Chin. Each camera angle is equally cunning and terrifying, both more than the last. Captivating and exhilarating footage leave theatergoers sitting on the edge of their seats, wiping the sweat from their palms. Gasps and jumps are close-to-guaranteed in scenes where Honnold hangs from exposed edges with his thumb and forefinger gripped onto a small indentation. These scenes are contrasted with tender moments he shares with Sanni McCandless, his now long-time girlfriend who has tasked herself with bringing the “real Alex” out of his shell by overcoming the obstacles of his attachment-void life. 

The film takes on an eerie feel as cast members recall free-soloist friends who’ve died, some in expeditions they were on. They recall phone calls telling them about long-time climbing partners’ deaths. These stories come between flashes of Honnold’s obsessive training on El Capitan. Journals of his days on the crag contain scribbles that, even if deciphered, are gibberish to laymen. His logs are completely devoid of emotion; they are mechanical memories of the climb up Freerider, the route to the top of El Capitan. They are hundreds of sequential movements, descriptions of rocks, jumbled in the mess of the climbing vernacular. They almost don’t seem like English. 

In an interview with McCandless, she opens up about how hard it is to be in a relationship with Honnold, but her interactions with him show otherwise. Their chemistry is undoubtable, and she holds her ground when Honnold pushes back. He describes their relationship as the longest-standing, most affectionate relationship in his life. When he talks about “the L-word,” Honnold emotionlessly states that he’s never used it before, not even with his parents. It only seems fitting, then, that as he’s descending El Capitan, the biggest feat of his life, he calls McCandless, thanks her for everything and tells her, “I love you.”