Rambling Film

  Official synopsis: A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered. I realized with the recent death of the legendary Gene Hackman, that despite feeling like I always knew who he was, I haven't actually seen a lot of his filmography. According to what's listed on letterboxd, prior to The Conversation, I had only seen 5% of it. So I made it a priority to check out one of his films for my next Blind Spot, and his starring role in Francis Ford Coppola's feature sounded like a good place to start. It's fun to see Coppola regulars like Robert DuVall and John Cazale pop up in this ,but the biggest treat for me was Harrison Ford as Martin, the "go between" for the man hiring Hackman's Harry to spy on the couple. He's just so effortlessly cool, even though his character is quite shady. He's on screen for all of 10 minutes yet all I could think of is how ...

Official synopsis:  In 1950s Mexico City, an American immigrant (Daniel Craig) leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student (Drew Starkey) stirs the man into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone. Director Luca Guadagnino started last year on a high note with Challengers and I expected it to end on that same note with Queer . Especially after hearing all the praise for Daniel Craig's performance.  I wanted to like this so badly, but I STRUGGLED with Queer. Craig does give a wonderful performance but Starkey is drag compared to him. It's the same way I felt about Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer in the far better  Call Me By Your Name. The lead is doing all the heavy lifting, and the supporting man just flops. The same could be said for the film itself. It's starts off strong. It's vibrant and interesting, then when our characters leave Mexico City the entire film goes down hill. It almost f...

Official synopsis:  A mysterious woman (Okwui Okpokwasili)  repeatedly appears in Ramona's (Danielle Deadwyler) front yard, often delivering chilling warnings and unsettling messages, leaving them to question her identity, motives and the potential danger she might pose. It's not often that I'll see a PG-13 horror film in theaters. But the trailers featuring the women looked genuinely unsettling and Danielle Deadwyler is a hell of a talent. Surely this film must be something special if she signed on?  The Woman in the Yard might try to force some jump scares here and there, but the image of the woman alone works well. It's creepy and you're never quite sure what exactly is going to happen. I appreciated this about the film. It's a similar film to The Babadook in that it deals with grief, but it keeps you guessing where it's going to go. Even the annoying teenagers in my theater shut up after a certain point to pay attention.  The cast is small, making up of ...