Rambling Film

Normally I don't even hate enough films in a year to fill out a top 10. I usually tack a "5 worst" at the end of my Top 10 of x year list. But this year, I somehow managed to watch a lot of bullshit. So here's what didn't work for me this year. If you like a film that's on this list. I'm jealous, trust me. I watched all of these films hoping I'd like them. 10. Superman - I've never cared for Superman as a property, but I thought if someone could make me like him, it would be James Gunn. Turns out he only made me like Lex Luther. The dialogue in this movie was horrendous and only Nicholas Hoult sounded natural.  9. Snow White - Rachel Zegler is a star and deserved a better film that didn't include nightmare fuel CG dwarfs and a walking cardboard cut out playing the evil queen. 8. Death of a Unicorn - The trailer for this looked like such a great time and it ended being so dull. Easily the biggest disappointment on this list.  7. The Woman in C...

We're a week away from the Golden Globes! I'll be traveling back home next Sunday so I'm hoping I get home and settled in before the ceremony starts. Below are my predictions on who I think will win, and in some cases, should win.  BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA Frankenstein Hamnet It Was Just an Accident The Secret Agent Sentimental Value Sinners Who will and should win: Sinners The only film that could even slightly challenge One Battle After Another for Best Picture at this point is Sinners, so I see it taking the prize. It's also the strongest movie of all the nominees, in my opinion. BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY Blue Moon Bugonia Marty Supreme No Other Choice Nouvelle Vague One Battle After Another Who will and should win: One Battle After Another I would be shocked if something else one. Truly shocked. While I think Marty Supreme is right up there with it, One Battle is a better film overall. I can't speak for No Other Choice or Blue Moon, the only two f...

Official Synopsis:  In 1970, failed architect James Blaine Mooney (Josh O'Connor) and cohorts wander into a museum in broad daylight and steal four paintings. When holding onto the art proves more difficult than stealing them, Mooney is relegated to a life on the run. I say this every time I review a Kelly Reichardt, but I want to like her movies SO badly. It's like being a dorky kid in school trying to fit in with the cool crowd. You try, but something about it just doesn't quite feel right. I watch everything she puts out, and rarely love any of it. Unfortunately, I didn't care for this one either. There are two things that really stand out. One, is the score. It's fun and jazzy and gives the film a much needed pep in its step. The other is Josh O'Connor, who has played so many different characters this year alone. James kind of sucks. He's not a great dad, or husband, or person, but O'Connor at least breathes some life into him. My biggest gripe with ...

Despite watching as much TV as I do, I don't think I've ever put together a yearly Top 10 like I do for movies. Thankfully one of the few bright spots of 2025 was some excellent television. Here are my Top 10 TV series of 2026 10. The Handmaid's Tale - The #10 spot ended up being the hardest one for me to fill between this, White Lotus, Abbott Elementary and Hacks, but ultimately I decided this show deserved the spot since we're sending off such an iconic show. The finale wasn't without its issues, but it can't be stressed how important this show is. 9. Stranger Things - Season 5 was a mixed bag overall, but the finale absolutely nailed it. I loved how they integrated flashbacks from the earlier seasons. It fit with the nostalgia this show has always been about, and it was so sweet to see the kids little again. I cried three different times. I feel like it's a bit hard to find positive things about the finale online, because there's a very loud section ...

Official synopsis:  Amélie, a Belgian child in Japan, explores life with her companion Nishio-san. Her third birthday becomes a turning point, marking the beginning of life-altering events that shape her understanding of the world. I didn't know much about this film before renting it on Prime. Only that it's been getting great reviews and that it's highly likely to be in the Best Animated Feature line up at the Oscars. That's enough for me really. So imagine my surprise when this film starts with a child voice telling us that they're actually God, then having a divine moment by tasting white chocolate. That's the tone for Little Amélie . Sweet, whimsical, and occasionally pretty funny. The animation is bright and colorful. Amélie looks at everything with such wonder, especially Japan. Even though she's a daughter of a diplomat, she sees herself as Japanese and the film shows how her caretaker Nishio-san introduces her to the Japanese culture, even though not...

Official synopsis:  An unassuming mechanic, Vahid ( Vahid Mobasseri)  is reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he encounters a man he suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor. ( Ebrahim Azizi)  Panicked, he rounds up a few of his fellow ex-prisoners to confirm the man's identity. Looking at the poster for It Was Just An Accident, it would be understandable if you mistook this for some type of buddy comedy. A bride and groom in full wedding attire pile into a van and drive from place to place.  Jafar Panahi's film has those moments of levity, but make no mistake that this has some serious subject matter. Panahi wrote it after serving a prison sentence himself. He also shot this film entirely in secret in Iran and used a blend of professional  and amateur actors. Mariam Afshari, who plays Shiva, one of Vahid's fellow prisoners is a karate instructor in real life. Not a professional actress, and you would never tell. The casting is impeccable...