Rambling Film

James Foster (Alexander Skarsgard) is an author suffering from major writer's block. Looking for inspiration, he and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) take a vacation to the fictional island of La Tolqa where they meet another couple, Gabi and Alban. (Mia Goth and Jalil Laspert) It's through them that James and Em find out about the country's very strange way of dealing with out of control tourists. We're in a time where a very clever and unique film like Everything Everywhere All At Once is getting a ton of well deserved Oscar nominations and right as January is ending, we're given another film that is also unlike anything I've ever seen. Infinity Pool is crazy. There are other films about cloning out there, but the way this film goes about it feels very fresh.  Mia Goth continues to swing for the fences with her performances. She is absolutely the star here. Especially towards the end of the film when things really start to go off the rails. Skarsgard is great...

Our first TV theme from Wandering Through The Shelves of the year asks us to look back at 2022's Freshman line up. There's a couple 2022 shows that I haven't gotten to yet, Abbott Elementary and Severance which I have a feeling I'll enjoy, but here's a few that I did love.  1) The Bear - This gem on FX/Hulu about a man taking over his late brother's sandwich shop is not only a great watch, but will make you very hungry while watching it. If you've ever worked in a restaurant, the familiarity will be amusing. I'm excited for season 2.  2) Andor - The Star Wars TV shows have been knocking it out of the park lately, but Andor was a huge surprise. I had the lowest expectations for this one and it ended up surpassing those by a long shot.  3) Obi Wan Kenobi - This is technically a mini series but I thought it was a nice way to wrap up Obi Wan and Anakin's story. I think Star Wars is at its best when it moves away from the Skywalker Saga, but I appreciat...

Today is one of the most exciting days for anyone who blogs about movies and Oscars...nomination day! Like every year, there's plenty to like, but also plenty to complain about. Here are a list of the nominees + my thoughts. Best Picture All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Banshees of Inisherin Elvis Everything Everywhere All At Once The Fabelmans TÁR Top Gun: Maverick Triangle of Sadness Women Talking We really wasted a Best Picture nomination on Avatar, huh? When The Woman King, the Menu, Babylon and Glass Onion exist? Triangle of Sadness is the big surprise here. It was good, but not over the other films I named, in my opinion. Best Director Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All At Once Todd Field – TÁR Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans Ruben Ostlund – Triangle of Sadness NO women. No Gina Prince-Bythewood? No Sarah Polley? We had back to back women winners the last two years now shut out...

Evelyn (Julianne Moore) and her son Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard) are forever on opposite pages. They don't get each other. They don't try to. Ziggy is out to impress a classmate, Lila (Alisha Boe) and Evelyn puts her interests on another young boy staying at the shelter she works, Kyle (Billy Bryk) Jesse Eisenberg is one of those actors I root for even. This is his first time in the director's chair, shooting something he wrote originally as an audio book. It's exactly the kind of thing I'd expect Eisenberg to make. Witty and awkward, somewhat off beat. It's fitting. Wolfhard's character might have been Eisenberg had he grown up during gen Z. Ziggy is obsessed with his follower count on a Twitch like streaming service. He longs to impress Lila, and his interactions with her, someone vastly more mature are the epitome of cringe. Alisha Boe is a very good actress but having seen her as a teenager 5 years ago in Thirteen Reasons Why , she feels very miscast. I almost ...

A Russian figure skater (Veera W. Vilo, who also penned the screenplay) is found unconscious on the side of the road in Finland. Her grandmother (Leena Otila) whom she hasn't seen in years takes her in and helps her establish a new life there, free from the abuse she suffered before. Vilo wrote the script based on experiences she and other friends had as competitive gymnasts. Her intention is to bring to light the unfortunate connection between female sports and human trafficking. Choosing ice skating as her medium feels very relevant. We're not that far removed from the drama that went on during the winter Olympics with the Russian team.  She carries the film well. The skater (none of the characters have names) has clearly been through a lot, and now she's in a new country where she doesn't fully grasp the language. She's met with patience and compassion, which we see with juxtaposition against the horrid abuse she experienced before. Leena Otila radiates warmth as...

We follow prosecutor Julio César Strassera (Ricardo Darin) and his young team of lawyers who are tasked with taking on the heads of Argentina's military during the country's former dictatorship.  I hadn't realized this film was available to stream on Amazon Prime, otherwise I likely would've seen it sooner. It's surprise Golden Globe win for Best Foreign Film is what pushed me to see it. It's a solid courtroom drama, but I probably should've read a Wikipedia article prior to viewing. I'm quite ignorant about what happened during this dark time in Argentinian history. There are a few quick title cards at the beginning, but I still felt like I was lacking a fair amount of knowledge throughout. Had the film been less engaging, I probably would've paused it and researched like I had to do with the dreadful Silent Twins.  The testimony we listen to regarding the atrocities committed is heartbreaking, and the trial scenes are when the film is at its strong...

  What I knew going in: Not much at all, honestly. We're starting off the 2023 Blind Spot Series on a lighthearted note. This is one of those movies I hadn't put a ton of thought into until many started mentioning it during a previous Thursday Movie Picks theme. Then I felt like the only person who missed it. I thought this was really fun. Dolly Parton brings a lot of sweetness to it. I love when she tells Sally Field that she has a rule that no one cries alone in her presence. Shirley MacClaine is hilarious as Ouiser. Darryl Hannah's character took a turn I didn't expect, but the biggest part of the story is between mother and daughter, played by Sally Field and Julia Roberts. That's where all the drama comes in. This made for a good afternoon watch. It starts on a positive note, pivots to something more devastating but brings us back to something hopeful. All the women involved give great performances and it was a joy to watch. Grade: B

  It's 2023, and it's another year of Thursday Movie Picks over at Wandering Through The Shelves . It's crazy how many years she's been at this, and because it IS tough to think of new themes year after year, this year it's biweekly. We're starting off the theme by talking about 2022 releases. I decided to go with 3 foreign films I saw last year that I really enjoyed. 1) The Quiet Girl - Mostly in the Irish language, this film is about a shy young girl, lost within her own big family who goes to live with distant relatives she's never met for the summer. It's one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. I adored it. 2) Broker - This wasn't South Korea's submission to the Oscars this year, and I wish it was. It's funny and heartfelt, and yes I cried at the end. 3) Saint Omer - I love a good courtroom drama, and this French film is almost exclusively told through a trial. The actresses involved are excellent. It's a tough story to li...

The SAG awards came in hot after the Globes and blessed us with a few great surprises! There is so much to love here and it's really only the TV categories I had *big* issues with. Below are a list of the nominees + my thoughts Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture Babylon The Banshees of Inisherin Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans Women Talking I LOVE Babylon being here and Inisherin is a surprise considering the main 4 actors also got individual nominations. If I had it my way, I would've swapped The Fabelmans for The Woman King or Glass Onion. Not that the Fabelmans had a bad cast, but I just hate Michelle Williams' performance in it that much.  Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture Austin Butler, “Elvis” Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin” Brendan Fraser, “The Whale” Bill Nighy, “Living” Adam Sandler, “Hustle” WHO saw Adam Sandler coming? I didn't. Was he on ANYONE's list? I thought he was good in Hustle so this is quite the surprise....

The Globes are back and host Jerrod Carmichael didn't give them a pass. Overall, i thought the ceremony was fun. There were some great speeches, NO skits, an amazing Scientology joke that should've gotten way more laughs, and of course...fuckery. The camera people messed up multiple times throughout the show, which I found amusing. Michelle Yeoh threatened to beat up the pianist playing her off (which Carmichael had to clarify was a track and not the piano player they showed earlier because Twitter was mad) There was some presenter banter that went on for way too long, but overall it was a drunken mess and that's what I like about the Globes. I went 15/27 with my picks. Below are the winners + my thoughts. Best Motion Picture Drama Avatar: The Way Of The Water Elvis The Fabelmans TÁR Top Gun: Maverick I have no idea why I didn't pick this to win. I should've known better. Best Motion Picture, Comedy Babylon The Banshees Of Inisherin Everything Everywhere All At Once...

The future of toys is M3GAN (Amie Donald) a robotic friend that Gemma (Allison Williams) has been building, much to her boss' chagrin. When her neice Cady (Violet McGraw) is orphaned in a car crash, and goes to live with her, she sees this as the perfect opportunity to test out M3GAN again...to disastrous results.  We all saw the M3GAN trailer. That creepy little doll dance hooked millions, including me. Here I am paying theater money to see CAMP, HONEY! With the correct expectations (dumb fun) M3GAN is a blast. It knows that its ridiculous and that's what you're here for, and it as least has the courtesy to put together an interesting story for everything else in between. I do think it could've used an R rating to up the B movie gore. I get why they went the PG-13 route, but I think an R would've been better. What I didn't expect was to actually be invested in the questions the movie is asking. After Gemma explains that M3GAN can do everything from teach to re...

The Golden Globes are this Tuesday and....yeah, I forgot to post my predictions last week. I'm used to the Sunday schedule. Here's who I think will win, and in some cases, who should win. Best Motion Picture Drama Avatar: The Way Of The Water Elvis The Fabelmans TÁR Top Gun: Maverick Who will win: TAR Who should Win: Top Gun: Maverick I'm a bit torn on this because on one hand, the Globes love stars and Top Gun: Maverick IS the best film on this list, but Tar has just been killing it in various critic circles and you have Martin Scorsese out there saying it's saving cinema. I'm not going to underestimate it.  Best Motion Picture, Comedy Babylon The Banshees Of Inisherin Everything Everywhere All At Once Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Triangle Of Sadness Who will win: Everything Everywhere All At Once Who should win: The Banshees of Inisherin EEAAO is a great film and feels like a front runner, but I just prefer Banshees personally.  Best Director — Motion Picture...

I feel like I barely watched any TV this month. It's been mostly a movie month for me, which is a nice feeling. But I did manage a little, and here are my thoughts.  The White Lotus - The stupidity of some of these characters threw me over the edge in the finale. I didn't love this season, although it did have some great moments, and Jennifer Coolidge's line about the gays trying to kill her will live in infamy.  His Dark Materials - HBO Max treated this like such an afterthought. Barely any promotion, and they released two episodes a week so it was all said and done in 3 weeks. I hate to see prestige TV like HBO get thrown in the gutter because of Discover network. Rant aside, I liked how this wrapped up. Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson really grew with their roles and they have bright futures ahead.  Yellowjackets - After hearing so many good things about this during Emmy season, I finally got a Showtime trial to check it out and it did not disappoint. I didn't love the...

When I was a kid, I lived in a town that was also affected by a train crash. It released ammonia throughout the area. Those who lived in the valley had to rush to high ground with wet washcloths over their mouths. A few days of cancelled school and some sore throats later, everything was back to normal. The characters in White Noise are also affected by a train crash, only it's much more sensational. Noah Baumbach's movies tend to be hit or miss with me, so I go in with mild expectations. Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig gave me a bit more hope, but in the end, that made the disappointment sting even more. I hated this movie. The way it grapples with mortality is drawn out and pretentious. No one talks to anyone else like they're a real person and I get that was a conscious choice. The dialogue feels like beat poetry and hits quirky overload.  Driver, Gerwig and Don Cheadle give fine performances for what the film wants from them, but I guess I wanted something less...annoying...

Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is a morbidly obese man who never leaves his house. His friend, Liz (Hong Chau) is his main care taker. Knowing he doesn't have that much longer to live, he attempts to forge a relationship with his estranged daughter Ellie. (Sadie Sink) Much has been made of Fraser's performance in this and everything you heard is true. He's tremendous and I'm glad he's getting so much attention for this. A movie like this isn't going to work with anyone. Either you'll view it as a week in the life of a morbidly obese person, or you'll view it as making fun of that person. I can see both sides of that, even if I didn't view it as the latter. This film is based on a play, and when you have that type of setting, you really need your actors to make it feel like it's transcending that medium. Fraser and Chau are the only two that do that. Sadie Sink's Ellie is given one mode the entire movie, and that mode is MAD. She has a right to be o...