Rambling Film

  How long can this last? Otis (John Magaro) has joined a group of trappers out in Oregon. He's a very skilled cook, hence earning the nickname "Cookie" but he's not well liked amongst those men. It's when he stumbles upon a Chinese man, King-Lu (Orion Lee) that he finds true friendship. They go into a business that involves them stealing milk from a rich man's cow to sell baked goods, even though they know this cannot last long. I've always struggled with director Kelly Reichardt's features, even though I want more than anything to like and support them. The only one I've felt like I truly enjoyed from start to finish was Night Moves . First Cow struggles from some of the same "problems" I have with her other films, it's mundane, many scenes go on for just a beat too long, and the ending was questionable at best. But thankfully, Magaro and Lee are very compelling leads with excellent chemistry together, and that makes the time we spe...

  Handsome. Clever. Rich. Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) is all the things above and has an affinity for matchmaking. Of course, others interpret this as her sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Her newest project is her friend Harriet (Mia Goth) while her friend Mr. Knightley (Johnny Flynn) is there to....point out all the problems with this and provide sexual tension. That sounds like me being an asshole, but that's honestly what this is. I struggled reading this novel. In fact, I struggle reading a lot of Jane Austen's work, it's one of those things that I just think I consume better in film form and Emma is no exception. As silly and flippant as it is, I really enjoyed this pastel coated film we got.  The humor in this is very understated and it works so well, particularly from Bill Nighy, who plays Emma's father and is clearly having an absolute ball making this movie. (And as an aside, the gag reel on this DVD was hilarious) There's nothing about ...

  This week's TV Edition at W andering Through the Shelves was suggested by the lovely Getter of Mettel Ray  and is a theme after my own heart. Journalism. If you've been around here for a while you know how much I love media based on this. At the end of the day, I love a good mystery and films that revolve around journalism are always about getting to the bottom of a story and that always feels like a mystery. Here are three TV shows that I love that feature journalists 1) The Newsroom I loved this show and was gutted when Aaron Sorkin chose to can it after three seasons. I know it's not very fondly remembered. A clip of it's worst scene is frequently circulated on social media even though I don't think it's a good representation of the show at all, but I thought this was great. Sorkin's fast pased dialogue works well in a news setting. 2) Sharp Objects I adored the novel and Amy Adams did a wonderful job of bringing hot mess express Camille to life. It...

 Need Satan? He's here 24/7 Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) is a young man in rural West Virginia. The story starts with his parents (Bill Skarsgard and Haley Bennett) before tragedy strikes and he moves from one small town to another. Now he finds himself at odds with a new preacher in town. (Robert Pattinson) Meanwhile, a pair of serial killers, Sandy and Roy (Riley Keough and Jason Clarke) loom nearby and all these stories eventually connect. I thought the trailer for this film was wonderful but when reviews started coming out, I set my expectations back. Everyone called it bleak and brutal and while it is those things to an extent, it ended up being a lot tamer than I expected. This is a actor's film. There's barely any happiness to be seen in this, but it doesn't make it unwatchable because there are so many wonderful performances. Some actors don't get nearly as much screen time as you would hope. (Like Mia Wasikowska) Tom Holland is the standout for me. After bei...

We've made it to the end of Emmy Season! I was curious how tonight's virtual show was going to go, and honestly I think it went very well. I hope the Oscars, SAGs and Globes take note. This is how you do it.Every show that won tonight will donate $100,000 to No Kids Hungry, which was a nice touch. While there was a fet skits, they didn't overload us with them like I expected to and I liked them having actual essential workers presenting every now and then. As for my picks, I came in at 11/21 with the listed categories below. 50% is still passing, right? Below are my thoughts, the winners are highlighted in  fuchsia because we're fancy tonight. Outstanding Drama Series Better Call Saul The Crown Killing Eve The Mandalorian The Handmaid’s Tale Stranger Things Succession Ozark While Succession didn't sweet like Schitt's Creek did, I'm happy to see it nab the top prize. That theme music is a bop and I never want to stop listening to it.  Outstanding Lead Actress...

  Cartoon Bond. Agent Lance Sterling (Will Smith) is the world's greatest spy, but when a mission goes wrong, a villain named Killian (Ben Mendelsohn) copies his likeness and commits crimes, which results in Sterling having to run from his agency. Then there's Walter (Tom Holland) an inventor who works for the same agency and is fired by Sterling before all of this goes down. His inventions don't harm people, and when he tells Sterling he can make him disappear, Sterling jumps the gun, drinks his latest serum, and then finds out by "disappear" he meant "turn him into a pigeon that no one notices." I was shocked when I logged on to write this review and saw that the film was actually under two hours. It feels so much longer than that. This really is a Bond movie for kids, it borrows all the same beats but Smith and Holland are fun enough to make it bearable. There were quite a few times that I legitimately laughed at things happening, but there were other...

  This week's theme from Wandering Through the Shelves is about Bands. I suppose you could interpret this as bands of people, but I took it for literal musical bands. Here are some of my favorite films that include them. 1) Breakfast on Pluto I love this movie about a trans woman who leaves her Irish town and heads to London and their cabaret scene. It has an amazing performance by Cillian Murphy. After watching the documentary Disclosure , I know it's not highly regarded in the trans community anymore as Murphy is a cis, straight male playing the lead role, and that makes me a little sad because it's always been an indie film I recommended. Especially for those looking for LGBTQIA requests.  2) God Help The Girl This is one of the most aesthetically pleasing movies I've ever seen. I love everything about it. The music, the fashion, the way the leads make such a great team. It follows a girl fresh out of treatment for an eating disorder, a singer/songwriter, and one of...

Road Trip Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) is a 17 year old girl in Missouri who needs an abortion. She finds out that the closest clinic to her that will allow her to get what she needs without parental consent is in New Mexico. When her boyfriend reacts in a way she doesn't expect, she enlists her former friend Bailey (Barbie Ferreira) to drive her there. Shenanigans ensues. Everything I praised Never Rarely Sometimes Always for earlier this year for not doing happens in this movie, and it only makes me appreciate the former even more. I understand that they're going for very different things. This is more of a screwball comedy to NRSA's melancholy approach, but it harms the movie so much its impossible not to compare the two. Everything goes wrong for Veronica and Bailey, they start out icy given their history, bond, have a huge blow out fight, then make up. That's not even a spoiler, that's just the basic trope. Richardson and Ferreira being delightful actresses ...

  ..Alpine Slide burn? This documentary follows former staff and park goers of a water/amusement park in Vernon, New Jersey that was opened from 1978 to 1996. It was known for its dangerous rides, consistently  uninterested teenage staff, and a healthy flow of booze to aid park goers in their dumb fuckery. It was essentially the first big American water park and judging by all the injuries and deaths that came from it, it's incredible that it was allowed to go on for as long as it did. Don't worry, there's an explanation for that to. After being so bitterly disappointed in I'm Thinking of Ending Things , I turned on HBO Max for this as it had been on my recommended page for a few days, and let me tell you, this is exactly what I needed. I had never heard of Action Park before watching this so it was all new to me. Everyone in the documentary is super engaging and the cheap animation they used to reenact some of the rides was a funny touch. The amount of crimes being bro...

  Can you believe the Emmys are next week already? I have no idea what the telecast is going to look like. I'm assuming it's going to be something like how the Globes had to work during the 2008 Writer's Strike, but either way, I'm excited! A lot of shows I watched this year were recognized and I'm going to break down who I think will win, and in some cases, who should win. Outstanding Drama Series Better Call Saul The Crown Killing Eve The Mandalorian The Handmaid’s Tale Stranger Things Succession Ozark Who will and should win: Succession I can't see anyone else coming out on top this year. The second season was great and it feels like the most talked about show in the drama category, even with Ozark's third season being a hit as well.  Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show Olivia Colman, The Crown Jodie Comer, Killing Eve Laura Linney, Ozark Sandra Oh, Killing Eve Zendaya, Euphoria Who will win: Jennifer Aniston Who ...

What I knew going in: All of it.  Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) is a hardworking woman who starts waiting tables after her husband leaves her. Her spoiled daughter Veda (Ann Blyth) looks down upon this, but she's determined to work her way up to owning her own restaurant. However, now her second husband, Monte (Zachary Scott) has been murdered and she finds herself relaying her story during questioning. I must be one of the few people who watched the HBO mini series before seeing the actual movie. To be honest, outside of really liking Evan Rachel Wood's performance, I don't remember much of it. So even though I knew the story, this film felt very different than what I was expecting.  It's funny to me that Joan Crawford has this bitchy reputation yet she's so good at playing these sympathetic characters. I liked Mildred immediately. Sure, she has her faults, but she's easy to root for. Even if you hate that she indulges Veda so much, you can understan...

  This week's theme from Wandering Through The Shelves is a yearly re-occurring theme, and one of my favorites. Non-English Films! I love seeing what other countries have to offer film wise and I feel fortunate that I'm able to get my hands on so many, even if it takes a bit of waiting. As always, I set a rule for myself not to reuse films I've used in the past, so here's what I came up with this year. 1) Parasite From South Korea, it feels right to mention the only good thing to come from 2020 - and that's this year's reigning Best Picture champion. Director Bong Joon-Ho's quote  “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films” is something I 100% agree with and wish more people would get over. Parasite was an excellent film and one of the rare instances where the festival hype paid off exactly the way I thought it would. I love this movie. 2) The 400 Blows From France, this was a film I had o...