Rambling Film

Official Synopsis:  Famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting his past and present with his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler). Poignant and humor-filled, pitched at the intersection of regrets and glories It's only natural that George Clooney play a famous movie star in a flick like this. I wonder how much of it he can actually relate to? Jay is pretty out of touch, but longs to get to know the "real" people (us plebs) and his two daughters, who don't want much to do with him. All while his employees, mainly Ron scramble around him.  I can see why this is popping up on a lot of awards season lists. Hollywood loves "movies about movies" after all, but while I think it's a huge step up from Noah Baumbach's last effort, W hite Noise , I just wasn't that impressed with Jay Kelly overall. It's fine. Clooney is good, Sandler is great, I liked the way we see Jay watch his memories, but the fi...

Official synopsis : After losing their son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) to plague, Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) grapple with grief in 16th-century England. A healer, Agnes must find strength to care for her surviving children while processing her devastating loss. Hamnet might be one of the most hyped films of the awards season. I feel like I've been hearing near universal praise for it all year. I'm happy to report it's now my new favorite Chloe Zhao film. Zhao is a very intimate director. Even if I don't completely love a film of hers, I always feel that intimacy. She clearly loves her subjects and this is no exception. Anges makes for a great main character. She's smart, not afraid to be different, and deeply loves her family. She tells us early on the women in her family have visions, and when she sees two children at her death bed, she spends a great deal of time worrying over her surprise set of twins, bringing her total amount of child...

The Golden Globe nominations are upon us! Honestly, I forgot these were being announced today, so this was a nice surprise. Speaking of which, I was surprised by a lot of their choices. Below are a list of nominees, and as always my thoughts.  BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA Frankenstein Hamnet It Was Just an Accident The Secret Agent Sentimental Value Sinners The Secret Agent seems to be surging more and more. I'm going to see Hamnet later today, Sinners is my clear favorite for what I have seen.  BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY Blue Moon Bugonia Marty Supreme No Other Choice Nouvelle Vague One Battle After Another I wasn't entirely sure where they'd put One Battle After Another because it could go either way. I'm sure it will be an easy win here. The biggest shocker to me is Wicked II not making it. Not because it's amazing, but because it's very "globes"  I also didn't realize No Other Choice was a comedy, but it's nice to see more foreign...

I'm back with a quick recap of what I've been catching up with on the small screen! Stranger Things Season 5 (part 1) Frankly, I think releasing season 5 in 3 parts is stupid on Netflix's part, but I get why they want to draw this show's final season out. We've been waiting for this for a LONG time. The first four episodes were very action packed, and they end with a pretty big cliffhanger, though it's something I expected to happen for a while now. I am a bit wary of the next few episodes considering a certain character they brought back. The last time we saw them, we had one of the weakest episodes of the entire series, so I'm hoping the Duffers found a way to write them in a better way. I'm still looking forward to them, but I'm cautiously optimistic.  If there's one thing I struggled with in the first four episodes, it's how distracting the recasting of Holly Wheeler is. I knew that was coming, and I didn't think it was going to bothe...

The Independent Spirit Awards announced their nominations today, and the most exciting part...I get to vote this year! I joined Film Independent for the first time and I'm really excited to contribute, even if it's just a little. And of course to see some great movies.(watching all the nominees is required before voting) Below is a full list of the nominees + my thoughts Best Feature Peter Hujar’s Day The Plague Sorry, Baby Train Dreams Twinless So far I've only seen Sorry, Baby (clear favorite) and Train Dreams. Sorry, Baby is currently in my Top 10 of the year. Best Director Clint Bentley, Train Dreams Mary Bronstein, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Lloyd Lee Choi, Lucky Lu Ira Sachs, Peter Hujar’s Day Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby I'm really excited to see if I Had Legs I'd Kick You, again, I've only seen 2 of these.  Best First Feature Blue Sun Palace Dust Bunny East of Wall Lurker One of Them Days One of Them Days being here cracks me up. I was not expecting this film...

Official synopsis:  Phillip,(Brenden Fraser) an American actor in Tokyo struggling to find purpose lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. He rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the beauty of human connection. "Charming" is the first word that comes to mind when I think of Rental Family , and charm goes a long way. The film can introduce an idea that you know is terrible and is going to end badly, but you don't cringe your way through it because the film is just so damn lovely and sincere. That's how I felt watching this. A lesser film would've had me rolling my eyes at some of the decisions made by characters at various points, but I completely understood Phillip's state of mind. I don't think I'd be able to resist a few of these things either.  We meet a lot of lonely people in this film. Writer/Director Hikari reminds us that connections are what make humans thrive. I think...

Official synopsis:  Brave rabbit cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her partner, the fox Nick Wilde,(Jason Bateman) team up again to crack a new case, the most perilous and intricate of their careers. It doesn't feel like it's been 9 years since the first Zootopia graced our screens. The film became such a staple in our household. It holds a special place in my heart because it was the first time my son asked a lot of questions about the themes of the film. That's why Zootopia excelled. It was a great conversation starter about classism and prejudice for little kids. It spoke to both adults and children equally and not in a way that dumbed it down. Plus, it was just plain old entertaining. Zootopia 2 is the same way. Though my son is no longer a bright eyed 6 year old, his teenage brain makes him ask additional questions like "what did they make the gazelle so hot?" I love that we're still talking about these movies, and I'm never letting him forget t...

Official synopsis:  A retail employee, Matthew (Theodore Pellerin) infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom, Oliver (Archie Madekwe). As he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death. Earlier this year I saw trailers for Lurker EVERYWHERE, only for it never to come to my local theaters. Thankfully, Mubi has picked up the film for streaming and I'm finally able to watch the film that caught my attention so many months ago. If you make it all the way through Lurker without the serious urge to punch Matthew in the face, you are built different. Matthew might be one of my favorite movie villains in recent history because he is so damn thirsty and pathetic. And the scary thing is there's probably thousands of "Matthews" out there. So many people have parasocial relationships with artists and creators nowadays. Especially the ones that share so much online. Random kids come up to Matthew and say th...

Official Synopsis: Based on Denis Johnson's beloved novella, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century. I heard great things about Train Dreams leading up to its premiere on Netflix last weekend. Joel Edgerton gives us a very quiet yet emotionally complex performance. A lot is happening around Robert Grainer. Not always *to* him, but he bears witness to a number of things that range from beautiful to completely horrific. And he doesn't always know how to react to them.  This is the type of movie that I think is going to hit differently for everyone. Some are going to be incredibly moved by it. It will speak to them in a specific way, and others will be left feeling cold. I was unfortunately one of the latter. I wanted so badly to like this, but I grew frustrated with how depressing everything about Grainer's li...

Official Synopsis:  Elphaba, (Cynthia Erivo) the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda,(Ariana Grande) the Good Witch of the North. The second of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical. I'm still surprised at how hyped I am for Wicked, despite never caring for the stage show, but something about the first film was magical. Maybe it's the magic of Erivo and Grande (and Jonathan Bailey) together, maybe its the wonderful costumes, either way, it's been working for me, but even I had lower expectations going into this knowing how I feel about the back half of this musical. And that's best, because Wicked For Good is not as strong as the first, and it was never going to be. Everyone knows this show loses steam after "Defying Gravity." That's not to say there's no good songs in For Good, "As Long as You're Mine" and "For Good" remain strong, but they're the only two. Even the two n...

Official Synopsis:  An uptight businesswoman (Sarah Jessica Parker) accompanies her boyfriend (Dermot Mulroney)to his eccentric and outgoing family's annual Christmas celebration and finds that she's a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life. 20 years is a little "young" to be a Blind Spot, but we're approaching the holiday season and this film always gets brought up in annual Christmas lists. I was never compelled to watch this back then, but now I'm curious to see what I've been missing. On one hand, this film is surprisingly progressive for its time. I wasn't expecting there to be a gay couple ( Tyrone Giodano and Brian White) much less a gay couple where one of then men is deaf?! We love that representation (though it is painfully obvious no one in this film aside from Giodano actually knows sign language) I also loved bratty Rachel McAdams, and that the closest thing this film gets to a love scene is between the oldest couple. (Diane ...

Official synopsis:  A space princess, Saira (Shabana Azeez)  is thrust out of her sheltered life and into a galactic quest to save her bounty hunter ex-girlfriend, Kiki (Bernie Van Tiel) from the evil incel Maliens. I'm happy to report that this film is every bit as fun as its amazing title. I only wish I could've seen this at a festival or in a packed theater. It's definitely a film that would play well with a crowd.  Saira is an emotional disaster and honestly I could relate. We all get too obsessed with our first love, right? Especially while we're young. I know I did. Plus, I loved all the voice actors. Especially  Gemma Chua-Tran who voices Willow, someone Saira meets on her quest. She has such a lovely singing voice and the few short songs they litter into the film work really well. As you can probably tell by the pun in the synopsis, this film is very heavy handed, but not in a way I found overwhelmingly cringe. I laughed at pretty much every joke (especially ...

Official synopsis:  After writing for Cahiers du cinéma, young Jean-Luc Godard (Guillaume Marbeck)  decides making films is the best film criticism. He gets Georges de Beauregard  Bruno Dreyfürst)  to fund a low-budget feature, with FrancoisTruffaut, ( Adrien Rouyard) Breathless . Every now and then I'm encountered with a movie that I really enjoy, but wouldn't exactly recommend it to everyone I see. Nouvelle Vague is such a film. Richard Linklater's latest is an ode to cinema lovers and French New Wave, and it's only fans of those things that I can see truly appreciating this. And yes, that sounds ever bit as pretentious as a film about French New Wave would, but I'm just being honest. Linklater uses a title cards to call out all the "cameos" of the up and coming French film makers of the time that are sprinkled throughout the film. It's a curious choice that works very well. I couldn't help but smile when I saw "Agnes Varde" pop up on ...

Official Synopsis:  Grace (Jennifer Lawrence), a writer and young mother, is slowly slipping into madness. Locked away in an old house in and around Montana, we see her acting increasingly agitated and erratic, leaving her companion, Jackson (Robert Pattinson), increasingly worried and helpless. I've been thinking of this film nonstop since I've seen it. I'm both in awe of it, and incredibly disappointed as well. I had high expectations for director Lynne Ramsay's long return to the big screen, and while I think she's a very qualified director to be tackling this subject matter, it left a bit to be desired. Ramsay uses surrealism to bring us into Grace's state of mind. And in theory, this is a good choice, but she plays fast and loose with it. There's a character played by LaKeith Stanfield that I was so sure was a figment of Grace's imagination that when he pops up in "real" life, I couldn't help but mumble "what" to my self in t...

Official synopsis:  A small-town private investigator (Margaret Qualley) delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church. Ethan Coen leaves his brother Joel behind once more for a solo directing outing. Instead he teams up in the writing room with his wife, Tricia Cooke, and brings back Qualley once more. I didn't care for their last outing, Drive Away Dolls, but I certainly didn't expect Honey Don't! to be so much worse considering the cast they assembled. I think Coen and Cooke just have a Margaret Qualley fetish. (and who can blame them) because Qualley being hot is about the only consistent thing this film has going for it. They'll introduce plot points, then drop them. They'll attempt to tie characters together in the clumsiest ways possible. They even end a certain character's arc with peak "Palpatine has returned somehow" energy. Calling this film a mess is a massive understatement. This is the type of movie you thirst watch...

Official synopsis:  Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature (Jacob Elordi) to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation. I really need to read Mary Shelley's masterpiece because I've seen so many versions of it, and I'm never sure what exactly they're pulling from the book, and what is brand new. One thing is certain, Director Guillermo del Toro has a lot of love for this work. He chooses an interesting framing device to tell this story, one that I'm not sure really works as a whole. It's told in chapters, with Frankenstein and his monster relaying their story to a poor ship captain (Lars Mikkelson) who is honestly having the worst day.  This is a lot of film. At over 2.5 hours, we are on a journey and it feels like it. I think del Toro's love for the property might have gotten in the way of tighter filmmaking. Frankenstein isn't...

Official Synopsis : Two conspiracy-obsessed young men, Teddy and Don (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, Michelle (Emma Stone) convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. You know you can expect "weird" from a Yorgos Lanthimos joint. Bugonia sees him return with his muse, Emma Stone and they continue to be a match made in Heaven. Even when the film isn't as strong (hello, Kinds of Kindness ) those two together is magic. And adding Plemons to the mix is the icing on the cake. I have to admit I was a bit hesitant with this one after reading early reviews. I went in with low expectations but came out pleasantly surprised. While this isn't my favorite of Yorgos', it's nowhere near the bottom either. Bugonia is a biting satire on conspiracy theorists and the scary lengths they can go when they think they are right. Plemons is no stranger to playing evil characters, so it's no surprise he shines ...

Official Synopsis: Something bad happened to Agnes (Eva Victor). But life goes on - for everyone around her, at least. Including her best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie) Eva Victor takes on the triple threat roll of writing, directing and acting in her first feature length film and after this showing, I can't wait to see more from her. I think I tend to gravitate towards characters that feel uncomfortable for whatever reason. And Agnes is somewhat anxious and uncomfortable even before this traumatic thing happens to her. There's a lot of awkward people in this film over all. It's similar to Napoleon Dynamite or Eagle vs Shark in that way, but in no way grating. I really connected with this, not just with Agnes' discomfort, but I was charmed by her friendship with Lydie. It's so beautiful and pure and Naomi Ackie breathes so much life into this role. Everyone deserves a friend like Lydie.  Sorry, Baby might be a bit too irreverent for the masses but I really enjoyed it, ...

I keep falling behind with reviewing the series I've been watching and it started to get a bit daunting, so I'm going to share some quick thoughts instead. We love a concise post. Right? Hacks (season 4) This show is hilarious but I think they've plateaued on where they can take this. Having Deborah lose her talk show by the end of the season was a huge bummer. I felt like they could've kept going with that story. Hopefully they bring it back next season. And I wouldn't be upset if it ended. It feels like the right time. Peacemaker (season 2) I really should've watched a recap of season 1 before starting this because BOY did I forget a lot. The season overall was pretty funny, but I think Peacemaker is at its best when it focuses more on Chris and his friendship with Ads then it does his relationship with Harcourt. It also felt like they dumbed down Vigilante way too much. The best scenes were when the gang was all together.  Tim Meadows and his "bird blind...

Official Synopsis:  Henrik Ibsen's renowned stage drama from 1891 is reimagined in an epic and emotional way. I can't say I'm familiar with Ibsen's play. It was Nia DaCosta, Tessa Thompson and Imogen Poots' names that drew my attention. This puts me at a bit of a disadvantage because I can't really compare the "updated" changes DaCosta made. And after watching Hedda , while I didn't hate it, I also don't feel compelled to learn more about the original play either. Hedda is a rich girl, trapped in her high society facades and it all comes to a crescendo at a party she's throwing in the home she and her husband can't afford.  There's a lot going on here and I occasionally had trouble following how some of these people knew each other. If they were having affairs, or if they were just previous relationships. It wasn't an enticing story to me. That doesn't mean there's nothing here. Thompson, Poots and Nina Hoss are all givi...