Rambling Film

Official synopsis:  A young football star, Cam (Tyriq Withers) descends into a world of terror when he's invited to train with a legendary champion (Marlon Wayans) whose charisma curdles into something darker. I knew this film was getting trashed before I bought my ticket, but something about Him has had me intrigued ever since I saw the first trailer. I'm happy to say it's not as bad as I thought it would be. But it's still bad. Writer/Director Justin Tipping shoots this film like he just discovered Nicolas Winding Refn. Sure, there's some great shots here and there, but going full art house and slapping your audience in the face with symbolism is never the way to go. Especially when you actually have an interesting premise. There are TONS of people that treat football like a religion, and it's easy to see how a training camp could descend into a cult of hazing hell. But this film isn't interested in exploring much of that. It would rather show you a fancy...

Official synopsis : A group of young men compete in an annual contest known as "The Long Walk," lead by The Major (Mark Hammill) in which they must maintain a certain walking speed or die. The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence loves him some kids thrown into an possible situation to elevate themselves and their families out of poverty and this time instead of an arena we get 50 boys, chosen via a lottery system to participate in The Long Walk. Winners gets a bunch of money and one wish. Our main protagonist is Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) who signs up for the lottery with very specific reasons. He instantly befriends McVries (David Jonsson) among others. A film with this premise gets about as brutal and gross as you would expect it to be, but what struck me was how instantly attached I got to Garraty, McVries, and their little group. There's a wide range of personalities on the Long Walk. Assholes, stoic meat heads, kids that are definitely not over the age of 18, and c...

Official synopsis:  Two young men, Lionel (Paul Mescal) and David (Josh O'Connor)  set out to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen after WWI. Sound isn't just something you hear. You can see it, feel it, associate it with colors and memories. Lionel and David are a perfect match in how much they appreciate songs.  From singing in a bar, to hiking through Maine in search of something new, it's easy to fall in love with these two. I wasn't aware this film was based on a short story until after the credits started rolling, but it that makes sense. I was struck at just how rich this story was. Even though it hits some familiar notes, it felt very fresh. There were some scenes that felt clunky, likely because writer Ben Shattuck had to expand his original work, but they are few and far between. Mescal and O'Conner have been proving themselves as some of the most interesting actors working today for a while now, and they deliver wonderful perfor...

84 years later, I'm here to share my thoughts on the Emmy winners. I didn't get to watch the show live, and I've been traveling since. Below is a list of winners + my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours in the comments Best Drama Series Andor The Diplomat The Last of Us Paradise The Pitt Severance Slow Horses The White Lotus So I knew The Pitt was popular (I plan on starting it after I wrap up 2 series I have on deck beforehand) but I was really surprised to see it overtake Severance here.  Best Comedy Series Abbott Elementary The Bear Hacks Nobody Wants This Only Murders in the Building Shrinking The Studio The Studio winning big was no surprise here. Seth Rogen had a good night.  Best Limited or Anthology Series Adolescence Black Mirror Dying for Sex Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story The Penguin Adolescence had a great showing tonight, and it was very well deserved. I hate that this had to go head to head with The Penguin. In a perfect world, they'd both win...

Official synopsis:  Movie star Marlon Brando (Billy Zane) recruits a Los Angeles architect, Bernard Judge (Jon Heder) to build the world's first ecologically perfect retreat on a small, uninhabited island in Tahiti. Waltzing With Brando showed up on the Oscar shortlist for Best Makeup late last year, only for the film not to meet the eligibility requirements to qualify. Then it felt like it disappeared. (Kind of like Brando seemingly wanted to do in Tahiti) I had mostly forgotten about it until the screener landed in my inbox. Now with release date later this week, we're ready to see Zane's passion project. First and foremost, Zane makes an excellent Brando. He nails his mannerisms and almost sounds exactly like him. The film has Zane recreate some of Brando's iconic scenes, and while not really necessary for the story being told, it was fun to see. I'd love for Zane and the makeup team involved here to really tackle a hard hitting biopic about him. He lived quite ...

Official synopsis:  A tinderbox of competition and resentments underneath the façade of a picture-perfect couple, Theo and Ivy (Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman) is ignited when Theo's professional dreams come crashing down. I'll start by saying I've never seen Danny DeVito's original The War of the Roses , so I cannot compare the two. After watching this, I would like to check it out eventually because this was absolutely hysterical.  Cumberbatch and Colman would make a great couple in any kind of movie, but it's nice to see them get to flex their comedic chops here. Theo and Ivy have a great meet cute, and a great report until things come crashing down for them. They're also surrounded by a (mostly) great supporting cast that matches their energy. Alison Janney shows up for 5 minutes and has one of the funniest lines in the entire movie. I had one minor problem with the film, and critic David Chen summed it up very well on his Letterboxd: "Kate McK...

The Emmys are next week! I won't get to watch the ceremony live due to another commitment, but I plan on following along on my phone as best I can. I feel like I'm constantly playing catch up with movies and TV lately, so I'll probably be way off in my predictions, but these posts are always fun to write. Here's who I think will win, and in some cases who should win. Best Drama Series Andor The Diplomat The Last of Us Paradise The Pitt Severance Slow Horses The White Lotus Who will win: Severance Who should win: Andor...but also Severance. Look, I love Severance as much as everyone else but Andor really blew me away this year. I wish it would take the top prize, but I don't see that happening.  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 Who will win: The Studio Who should win: What We Do in the Shadows I haven't caught up with season 4 of Hacks, and I'm not...