Rambling Film

Official Synopsis:  An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indigenous residential school sparks a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve. Residential schools that Native Americans were forced into have been gaining prevalence lately. Survivors are talking about their experiences, their loss of family, their native language, their homes. Unmarked graves are being discovered, like what lead filmmakers Julian Brave Noisecat and Emily Kassie to make this film, following Julian's father, a survivor of these schools among others. They are treated like a skeleton in someone's closet. Even someone like me who grew up near a reservation and saw a decent amount of Native culture integrated in my small Midwestern town never learned about them. Obviously, we know why. Because it doesn't look good for the white Christians who made this torture possible. (sorry, but these schools were faith based. We cannot ignore that) Sugarcane is a necessary watch, but a hard one. ...

Official synopsis:  While serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, Justin (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma, one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict or free the wrong killer. It's been a minute since I've even bothered with a Clint Eastwood movie. I tend to be lukewarm on them at best (except for Changeling , which is my easy favorite) but I'm a sucker for a good courtroom drama and Juror #2 is packed with actors I love like Hoult, Toni Collette, JK Simmons Chris Messina and Adrienne C. Moore. For the majority of its runtime, Juror #2 is a solid film. Justin is a soon to be first time dad, and recovering alcoholic. He obviously had his demons, which makes him see this trial in a different way than his other juror members do initially. But every now and then, the film makes a decision that just seems a little too ridiculous. Like how no one brings up that the case they are working on could be a hit an...

Official Synopsis:  Maria Callas, (Angelina Jolie) the world's greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity and life. Another entry in Director Pablo Larraín's collection of films around tragic women, this time I came into it with little knowledge of the woman in question. I can't say I knew anything about Maria Callas before I heard that Pablo was making this film, though I'm sure I've heard her singing before. It allowed me to entry this film differently than I did Jackie or Spencer . Maybe it was the Parisian setting but I kept thinking of Cleo from 9 to 5. This is very much a "day in the life" type film, even though it spans over the course of a few days. Maria is a fully realized character, even though we meet her at the end of her career. She's addicted to her pain medication, she loves to sing but knows she won't perform. And she goes to restaurants to be adored, damn it! I liked Mar...

Official Synopsis:  A model, Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy)  becomes obsessed with a high-profile murder trial. I think I have a bit of "not like other girls" syndrome when it comes to true crime. I consume a decent amount of it, whether it be documentaries or youtube. But I'm not one of THOSE, right? I don't watch creators who do their makeup while talking about someone's death. I skip episodes that talk about torture in explicit detail. I'm just drawn to mysteries, so I'm not that bad, RIGHT? Red Rooms has made me completely evaluate how (or if) I want to consume true crime in the future. Even days later, I cannot stop thinking about this film. It's easily one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen, and there's not a drop of violence in it. Thankfully, writer/director  Pascal Plante spares us from actually seeing the crimes committed in this film. During the opening scene, a prosecutor summarizes them. At one point, a video is played fo...

Official Synopsis:  A bittersweet memoir of a melancholic woman called Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook) - a hoarder of snails, romance novels, and guinea pigs. I need you to understand how caught off guard I was by this movie. When I received a screener, I saw "Sarah Snook" and "Memoir of a Snail" and was sold on that alone. Cool title, great actress, stop motion. Spectacular. I'm in. Didn't even read the synopsis.  I now feel personally attacked by director Adam Elliott. I couldn't tell you when I started crying while watching this. Definitely early on, but I did not stop until well after the credits rolled. I was not expecting this to be so relentlessly sad.  Even though the film is peppered with some truly hysterical scenes it always comes back to Grace and how alone she is now. I'm not familiar with Elliott's work, it sounds like melancholy is his thing, but at least I know to be prepared next time I watch one of his films. And I will, because tears...

Official Synopsis:  A candid documentary that delves into the life of BTS' leader RM as he navigates global stardom while working on his second solo album, offering an intimate glimpse into his creative journey across multiple cities. While I'm probably not an ARMY level BTS fan, I do enjoy their music and more specifically RM. He's always been my favorite. His solo albums get a lot of play time at my home. As my niece would say, "he's your bias!" So while I don't often watch music documentaries, I was intrigued to see one that follows him. Right People, Wrong Place felt like RM's instagram come to life. His handle is @rkive and that's exactly what this doc is. An archive of moments while finishing his album. There's so many shots of him at various photo shoots. It's visually appealing, albeit a bit repetitive. The commentary he provides during these scenes does elevate it. RM comes across as a very deep thinker. He sits with his moments an...