Whenever the Coen Brothers release a new movie, it is of immediate interest to us at High Five: The Podcast, but when they release a movie that is a Western anthology called The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and it looks as star-packed and wacky as this TrailerTown, we get a whole new range of feelings. We know the Coen Brothers can direct the shit out of a Western. They proved that with both No Country for Old Men and True Grit. but both of those were adaptations and had a more serious tone than most other Coen Brothers outings, so to see them play with the majesty they bring to the cinematography of their Westerns and mixing it with their quippy, fun style of dialogue and character development is a marriage made in heaven.

Don’t believe us? Just watch this first TrailerTown for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and then read our top 5 thoughts about it below:

Top 5 Things about The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Trailer

  1. Showin’ Your Coen – When filmmakers known for a particular style gives us movies made in that style (think Wes Anderson or Quentin Tarantino), it’s an exciting thing. Some of the times the Coen Brothers have ventured outside of their signature tones, it has been amazing (i.e. No Country for Old Men and Inside Llewyn Davis), but we always love to see them return to form with movies like Hail, Caesar! or The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
  2. Waits for It – Any actor worth their salt would be thrilled to work with the Coen Brothers, so it’s no surprise to see a wealth of talent on the cast list, but there are a few names that truly got our attention: James Franco, Brendan Gleeson, Tim Blake Nelson, Liam Neeson, Zoe Kazan, Stephen Root, Clancy Brown, and, of course, the indomitable Tom “Mother Fuckin'” Waits!
  3. Antholo-Jeez – Of all the great pure storytellers working as directors today, we’d be hard-pressed to find a lot who are better than the Coens. So, when this movie was announced as being a Western anthology, comprised of six different stories coupled with the fact that the Coens haven’t really done a true anthology movie to-date, it sent shivers down our anticipation spines. The more characters and situations Joel and Ethan can weave together, the happier we’ll be.
  4. Dust in the Wind – It’s a simple moment, but at the 1:20 mark when Tim Blake Nelson’s Buster Scruggs pats the dirt off himself leaving a hanging ghost in the saloon doorway, it more than sold us on the movie more than we already were.
  5. Amber Waves of Grain – Holy hell this movie looks beautiful. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has seen Miller’s Crossing, Fargo or O Brother, Where Art Thou?, but Jesus, how good are they (and their team) at picking locations?!?

Since this isn’t being released in theaters (well, select theaters), but going straight to Netflix in November, you all have no excuse but to watch and love it. Let us know in comments how you feel about this TrailerTown and if you’re as excited for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs as we are!