Rambling Film

Official Synopsis : Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four (Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn) must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. (Julia Garner) My dad's favorite comic book character has been Silver Surfer as long as I can remember, so that was always my primary interest in anything Fantastic Four related. I've always preferred the X-Men or Avengers over "Marvel's First Family" but that doesn't mean I haven't given every FF movie a chance. So how does this stack up to the misfires of the past? The only thing all three versions of The Fantastic Four have in common is casting Sue Storms that don't pull off blonde. This version, with Wandavison director Matt Shakman's very capable hands gives us a retro 60's vibe with a big focus on family.  This film easily has the best Marvel...

Official Synopsis:  In a climate change-ravaged world, a utopian society optimizes life, including parenthood assessments. A successful couple, Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Arayan (Himesh Patel) faces scrutiny by an evaluator, Virginia (Alicia Vikander) over seven days to determine their fitness for childbearing. When I first heard about this film coming off its festival run, I thought it sounded a lot like The Pod Generation , a 2023 film also about couples and pregnancy in the future, but the two films couldn't be more different. Where The Pod Generation was light hearted, The Assessment is uncomfortable. Mia and Arayan probably would be good parents, but Virginia puts them through the ringer in a way that will make you squirm in your seat. I love an Uncomfortable Dinner Scene ™ and boy does the Assessment have one.  All of the actors are putting in some of their best work here. Alicia Vikander is here to remind you that she is an Oscar winner and her range is on full display ...

Official synopsis:  To celebrate Lukas'  ( Paulius Markevicius)  victory at the martial arts tournament and Tomas' ( Giedrius Kiela)  birthday party, their wives, sisters Juste ( Agne Kaktaite)  and Ernesta ( Gelmine Glemzaite) organize a weekend at the country house with their families. Then the two families must navigate a near tragedy that occurs.  Lithuania's entry for Best International Film at the Oscars earlier this year now finally sees its U.S release. I'm not familiar with director/cinematographer  Laurynas Bareisa prior work. Here, he takes us through stages of grief. Not always linear, not always cohesive, but real all the same. The film jumps back and forth between time making you question what really happened and how the family was driven apart. This is a film for patient people. You might think that's an odd thing to say about a film with a runtime of 88 minutes, but Bareisa streeeeeeeeeeeeeetches some scenes to the maximum. I actually w...

Official synopsis: I n May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff, Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor Ted (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico. Ari Aster is one of the most talked about directors of the last few years. He started off with a bat-shit crazy short, then made two great features, and his last go at the theater - Beau is Afraid - was a self indulgent mess. But still, Aster has promise. And despite not like Beau Is Afraid and not wanting to sit through a COVID movie, I gave him the benefit of the doubt.  Three people walked out of my showing of Eddington at various points, and they were the lucky ones. I didn't think it was possible to be worse than Beau Is Afraid, but Eddington manages to be completely insufferable and ultimately has nothing of substance to say. And granted, the lead character of Eddington is SUPPOSED to be insufferable. He's an anti-masker and general doofus, but I kept waiting...

I'm a few days late with this post because (you guessed it) I've been traveling. But the 2025 Emmy nominations are here! Once again the Emmy voters voted like they've only seen 5 shows in some categories, but there are some nice surprises here.  Best Drama Series Andor The Diplomat The Last of Us Paradise The Pitt Severance Slow Horses The White Lotus I'm so happy to see Andor here after their amazing final season. I've seen 4 of the shows in this category, and others are on my never ending "I need to start this" list. I'm bummed for The Rings of Power, which never had a chance but I really enjoy.  Best Comedy Series Abbott Elementary The Bear Hacks Nobody Wants This Only Murders in the Building Shrinking The Studio What We Do in the Shadows I'm very happy for What We Do in the Shadows making it in for their final season. It really should win for how consistently hilarious it's been over 6+ years. I hear so many good things about The Studio and...

Hulu recently dropped season 4 of the much debated but beloved The Bear , so you know I was there to watch it. All 10 episodes went by very quickly, so here are my likes, dislikes, and hopes for season 5. LIKES * The cast is still top notch and I admire this show's commitment to the entire cast and not just the "main characters" They've made an effort to flesh everyone out. * The returning guest stars. It may have been kind of flimsy getting Will Poulter's character back in Chicago, but I loved it anyways. Luca is a great addition, as is the rest of the Ever crew that came along.  * This was Abby Elliott's standout season and I will scream if she's not Emmy nominated for it. Her fight with Neil in the office about Francie was hysterical.  * Syd's "I'm getting my hair done" and that guy responding "oh so like an hour?" COMEDY DISLIKES * Ebraheim's side story of expanding The Beef should be working, but the fact that it's...