Rambling Film

Official Synopsis: If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? I have to say, even after my lukewarm response to The Fabelmans , I was pretty excited for the new Spielberg joint. But I did spiral a bit afterwards. Is Steven Spielberg a dated filmmaker? There were so many moments during Disclosure Day where I thought to myself "Oh, that reminds me of films in the 80's/90's" or "That shot reminds me of things I watched as a kid" at what point are you intentionally nostalgic, or just using dated cuts and edits? It might be a silly question but that's the biggest question I've been asking myself since watching it.  For what it's worth, I did really enjoy Disclosure Day , even if I'm leaning towards "dated." The central mystery was good. Josh O'Connor and Emily Blunt are both excellent actors and it makes their characters easy to follow. Especially Blunt's, as she ge...

Official synopsis: After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's (Inde Navarrette) heart, Baron (Michael Johnston) finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price. I'll admit, when I first saw the trailer for this film, I wrote it off as "horror Ruby Sparks " but when the reviews came out, it piqued my interest and here am I today being humbled.  If you saw my last review for Backrooms , know that Obsession completely rinsed out the bad taste in my mouth from that film. Not only is Obsession effectively scary, it has an actual ending! Imagine that. This film likes to play with shadows and unnatural movements and that's when it's at its most unsettling. It's been a while since I've been genuinely creeped out in a horror film, but there were parts of this film that I was definitely thinking about later when I'd wake up at night. It relies on that more...

Official synopsis: After a therapist's (Renate Reinsve) patient (Chiwetel Ejiofor) disappears into a dimension beyond reality, she must venture into the unknown to save him. I was not familiar with director Kane Parsons' long going Backroom series on the web. And I made the decision not to research it at all before going into this. I really wanted to see if this film worked without knowledge of the existing lore.  The thing is, I was really with Backrooms for the first 2/3 of the film. The production design is outstanding. The 90's setting worked very well and you wouldn't really think of bright yellow office spaces as being unsettling, but it is. It teases you properly with what the reveal could be, but when it comes time to end the thing, it seems Parsons and crew either didn't have those answers, or they cared more about baiting a sequel because this has easily one of the most unsatisfying endings I've seen in a long time. And the more I sit with it, the mor...

  What I knew going in: That famous quote It occurred to me recently that there's a handful of Julia Robert's 90's films that I haven't actually seen, but I feel like I have based on how popular they are in the pop culture zeitgeist. Notting Hill is one of those. Aside from the famous "I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her" quote, what do I actually know about this movie? Not much. Not even the year it was made, because if you had asked me, I would've guessed somewhere between 1990-1994, and not 1999 when this actually came out. I'm not sure how I missed this. I really did just watch Step Mom on repeat I guess. This was cute. Juila Roberts and Hugh Grant are charming. Sure, this film left me with plenty of questions, like how does William survive on a Travel Book Store, what exactly DOES Anna see in him, and how has Spike managed to stay alive all this time? But it doesn't need to be serious enough to answer thos...

Basically all of the shows I've been watching ended over the past couple of weeks, I have plenty of finales to talk about. Diet spoilers ahead. I'm trying to keep them as light as possible.  Daredevil: Born Again - Whether it's on Netflix or Disney Plus, one thing Daredevil has never been able to escape is being dragged into some melodrama. I'm not going to say the entire season was a disaster, because there are absolutely things that worked, and it's not the show's fault that Andor tackled similar subject matter so much better last year. I'm left with the following questions. 1. Why are we still focusing on Heather? It makes sense she's traumatized after nearly dying last season, but now she's Matt's enemy. Do we really need to focus another one of King Pin's underlings? Her choking scene with Buck was very cringy. 2. Where is Frank Castle? I normally try not to ask myself "where is X character" in a super hero universe because w...

Official Synopsis:  Once a lone bounty hunter, Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pescal) and his apprentice Grogu embark on an exciting new Star Wars adventure. As a Star Wars fan, I feel like I'm put in a bit of a precarious position when it comes to this film. Did this NEED to be a movie, instead of a few more episodes of the existing TV show? Probably not. Did Ludwig Gorannson's score absolutely slap in an IMAX theater sound system? Abso-fucking-lutely.  I just can't bring myself to hating on a movie I had such a good time watching in a theater. Realistically, this could've been three episodes of the already successful TV show. It followed the same format of Mando and Grogu's adventures. Rotta The Hut (Jeremy Allen White) was a fun inclusion as the Huts are always interesting to behold. And Star Wars Rebels fans got thrown a bone with Zeb (Steve Blum) The thing is, if you're going to make the extra effort to make this a movie, they could've added a bit more c...

  Official Synopsis:  Two sisters Racine and Anaia (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) embark on an epic quest for revenge; confronting a charged family history that will push them to extraordinary lengths. Is God Is sold me immediately on the trailer alone. At the time, I had no idea this was writer/director Alesha Harris' debut work. And even after watching it, it's hard to believe this was someone's first time behind the camera. Harris has such a clear vision for what she wants here. A southern gothic revenge story that feels like you're watching poetry in motion. There times when the twins are talking to each other with looks only, and the accompanying subtitle comes up on screen. I thought she used that very effectively (and at times hilariously) There's a decent amount of dark humor in this story, which is much needed considering it follows two women looking for one of the worst on-screen fathers I've ever seen in my life. You know all along Racine and Anai...

No new theater watches for me this week so here's what I'm watching on the small screen.  Half Man (Episode 3) We have a 3 year time jump from episode 2. Niall is finishing college, and Rueben is going to trial for his attack on Alby. I felt we learned so much more about Rueben in this episode. We already knew he didn't like his father, but the reasons for why it runs so deep really came out in this episode. Ep 3 was frustrating to watch. It's hard watching Niall contemplate lying, it's hard to watch his mom try to manipulate him into doing so, and of course it's hard to see Alby again post his assault. Bless Richard Gadd's brilliant mind though, this is the best show I'm watching on TV right now. I'm glad we'll start seeing more of Gadd and Bell next week. Nothing against the younger lads, they've been great, but I really want more of adult Niall and Rueben. The Testaments (Commitment) After last week focused heavily on Lydia's back st...

Official Synopsis:  Two unlikely allies (Betty Clark and Jessica Zitter) work to bring curiosity, connection, and compassion to a broken healthcare system, one patient at a time. I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to Chaplains in hospitals. I didn't even realize they are mostly non-denominational and serve everyone. I just assumed, since the U.S puts such a heavy focus on Christianity that they would be too. I'm sure some are. But Betty Clark prays and shows compassion to everyone. While I came in skeptical, she easily swayed me. Jessica Zitter, the titular doctor and director of this doc is initially dismissive of Betty. When Betty calls her out on a microaggression in the work place, Zitter at first gets angry, then realizes she was wrong and apologies. And that's one of the main points of this documentary. Acknowledging your biases, and trying to move through them. We see plenty examples of this through their interactions with patients. A black woman with sickle cell ...

Official synopsis:  Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) reunites with Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) as they navigate their careers amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing. When this was initially announced as a sequel, I had zero interest in seeing it. With so many legacy TV shows and movies doing reboots lately, it's just not something I'm ever moved to see, no matter how much I loved the original product. But, like I'm sure the studio would have it, the marketing began to sway me, and suddenly I was accepting of a sequel to a film so iconic. Get my clown make up ready, because I loved this. I went into it with expectations on the lower side and I came out enjoying it almost as much as I did the original. (No Adrien Grener really helps) The fan service to the original was integrated well and kept brief. The story ended up being a lot more intriguing than I gave it credit for. Choosing to focus on the decline of journalism in print was a good choice. I think there'...

  Official Synopsis:  An American POW in the Korean War is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy. What I knew going in: The basic plot I worked at a movie theater in high school when the 2004 remake of this came out, but I never watched it. All I knew is that they changed a lot of major plot points to modernize it. I figured when I was ready to take the Manchurian plunge, I'd start with the original. And I'm not going to lie, there were times where I wished I was watching Denzel instead of Frank Sinatra or Laurence Harvey, because lets be real they don't hold a candle to him, BUT thankfully this is a solid political thriller overall. It did a good job making you guess and building tension, though not without a few red herrings. It's the ladies that are the biggest draw and also the biggest question mark of this film. Angela Lansbury give a great villain performance. Her scheming Eleanor Shaw is by far the most memorable characte...

Official synopsis : Long-buried wounds rise to the surface when iconic pop star Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer, Sam  Anselm (Michaela Coel), on the eve of her comeback performance.   Coel, Hathway, beautiful costumes, pop music, horror elements, could anything be more made for me? That's what I hoped to find with David Lowery's latest. He's a director whose films I've enjoyed in the past. So did he do it? For the most part, I was absolutely vibing with everything. Coel is giving a Shakespearean performance. Her monologues are intense and full of intrigue. Hathaway is broken, but comes alive on stage. She's very committed to her role as a pop star. Especially during a particular dance number that's stripped quite bare. Lowery wants the audience to have their own interpretations to what's happening now, what happened then, he leaves a lot of room for us to fill in the blanks. Almost too much room...

Welcome back to me still trying to figure out how I want to talk about TV on my blog. It's been a BUSY TV month. I only made it to the theater three times (Solid films all around though) and the rest of my movie watching has been on airplane seat backs as April was another busy travel month. But I watched a ton of TV and have so many thoughts. The Pitt (Season 2) - The season is officially finished. I don't think it wrapped up as neatly as season 1 did, but I won't lie and say I wasn't glued to my TV every Thursday waiting to see what happens next. I am worried that Robby "getting close to hitting rock bottom" will be a bit overbearing if they keep going that route in season 3. There's only so many times Noah Wyle can stare sadly at the screen before he turns into an Elizabeth Moss Handmaid's Tale staring parody. I'm sad a talent like Supriya Ganesh is leaving. I get it's a "teaching hospital" and makes sense characters would leave, ...

Official Synopsis:  John Davidson (Robert Aramayo) was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at a young age in the 80's which alienated him from his peers as he struggled with a condition few people had witnessed. I've been singing Robert Aramayo's praises for the past couple of years due to his work on Prime's Rings of Power. His Elrond is better than Hugo Weavings. There, I said it. So I've been anticipating this film for quite some time. Even with the BAFTAs controversy looming over it, I Swear will likely go down in history as THE movie about Tourette's Syndrome.  We meet John as a young teenager played by Scott Ellis Watson. Life is going good for him until he starts developing ticks that he can't control. We then skip 13 years and catch up with John as an adult, who starts to live with his friend's family and bonds with Dottie ( Maxine Peake) and eventually gets a job alongside Tommy. (Peter Mullen)  The film skips the initial diagnosis process in...

  What I knew going in : Nothing Two Blind Spots in one month? Who is she?! Someone who hasn't been to the theater to see a new wide release and who has been spending a lot of time binging TV shows, that's who. But I missed talking about movies, so I decided to head over to the Bette David collection on HBO Max. What drew me to The Star , aside from the fact that it stars both Davis and Natalie Wood was the fact that the premise sounded so similar to All About Eve , which I loved. I just had to see why Davis would want to do this again. And while the stories are very different, one of them is a clear winner. And this ain't it. I wouldn't call this movie "bad" because Bette is truly captivating as always, but she is the only one that is delivering her lines in an unstilted way. This is a very weak script, especially when it comes to the dialogue. There's plenty of platitudes and exposition. Poor Natalie Wood basically has to word vomit all her thoughts beca...

Review:  A directionless man, Colin (Harry Melling) is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker, Ray (Alexander Skarsgard) takes him on as his submissive. Alexander Skarsgard in leather? Say no more. I have been wanting to see this film for ages and my local indie theater finally opened it. And while I'm not surprised a film like this didn't get any academy love, I can't believe they let a performance like Harry Melling's just fly under the radar this year.  Colin is a nice, but awkward guy. His parents are trying to set him up on dates, but he's drawn to Ray. Of course you can't blame him. LOOK at Ray, but Colin gets thrown head first into what it's like to be in a dom/sub life. I think because I'm not as familiar with that kink, I expected there to be a bit more talk on consent. Maybe that's the point director Harry Lighton was trying to make. Colin can't just go with the flow in a relationship. He too has needs that dese...

Official synopsis:  A happily engaged couple (Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails. What would you do if your partner told you the worst thing they ever did? And it was....intense. That's the situation Emma and Charlie are in. After things get a little too real during a light hearted date, now Charlie is re-evaluating his entire life, all based on one thing Emma did.  The Drama is darkly funny. You will cringe several times throughout. Director Kristoffer Borgli chooses to tell this story with a lot of hard edits, blending flashbacks into the present. It works very well and fits the chaotic energy the film has.  Zendaya and Pattinson both give excellent performances. Emma is a bit awkward and charming and I still felt that way about her even after we hear about what she did. Pattinson spends the majority of the movie crashing out over this, and it's probably one of the best performances he's ...

  Official Synopsis:  When his family goes away for summer vacation, Richard (Tom Ewell) with an overactive imagination is tempted by a sexy new neighbor. (Marilyn Monroe) What I knew going in: Only Marilyn Monroe's iconic skirt scene.  Movies like this make me question my attraction to men. Every man in this film is a complete dog. I'm used to that with films in the 50's but damn was it dialed up to 11 here.  Objectively there was some decent comedic timing here and there. Ewell and Monroe are both believable in the caricatures they are playing. You can hardly call them anything but that. I'm mostly just a little shocked at how much I disliked this. I wasn't expecting anything groundbreaking but everything about this was just so off putting.  When the nicest thing you can say about a film is "Marilyn Monroe is beautiful" there's a problem. This one wasn't for me. Grade: D 

  It's been a while since I talked about what I've been watching on the small screen, but believe me, plenty has been going on. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - Okay, technically this was a February watch, but it's been my favorite show of the year so far and it feels SO GOOD to love something from Game of Thrones again. This show has a much lighter tone from it's predecessors and that fits very well into the Dunk and Egg short stories its adapting from. Some of cut-a-ways they do are funnier than what's happening in actual comedy shows right now. I love it. It's only 6 episodes, so if you haven't started, you really should. Casting is A+++ as always.  The Pitt Season 2 - I was late to the Pitt party so I was able to binge the first season back to back, and let me tell you it's EXCRUCIATING not being able to do that for season 2. Don't get me wrong, I like having something to look forward to next week, but every episode immediately makes you want th...

Official synopsis : WWII-era Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) emerges from rural solitude when son Duke's (Barry Keoghan) Birmingham gang strikes a deal with a Nazi agent (Tim Roth), trading war supplies and counterfeit currency that threatens to destabilize Britain's wartime economy. Peaky Blinders wasn't always a perfect show, but it's one I enjoyed quite a bit. I was late to the party, I didn't start watching until COVID, but you're never too late to start. Peaky Blinder's final season was easily the weakest. One of the main cast members, Helen McCrory passed away from cancer, so they had to completely re-write the story and her Polly Gray was such an integral part of the plot that it was never going to match the greatness of the previous seasons. Still, even after all of that, I was looking forward to The Immortal Man and getting back into the Peaky universe. I can say as a fan of the series, that I regret watching this movie. It's not that it's po...

Official synopsis:  A father-to-be (Daniel Roher) tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity. The Sundance Film Festival is always a good place to start when looking for new documentaries to follow throughout the year. This one in particular had quite a few good reviews after leaving the festival, but even I was surprised to see my theater actually opening it this weekend. I rarely see our big chain theater open documentaries, so I immediately wanted to support it. Of course I was the only one in the theater but hey! I did my part! The same team that brings us the AI Doc also brought us the Oscar winning Navalny . The production value is very good and leans heavily into the art that director/subject Roher makes. His drawings fill the screen in between talking heads, and he gets quite a few of those. The doc starts with the AI doomers, then the AI enthusiasts, then the big CEOs of some of these companies (minus two very well-known douchebags) Then it brings in ...

Official synopsis:  Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up alone on a spaceship light-years from Earth. As his memory returns, he uncovers a mission to stop a mysterious substance killing the sun, and save Earth. An unexpected friendship may be the key. Andy Weir is an author I've really come to enjoy over the past decade. I enjoyed Project Hail Mary too, and I already knew Gosling was in line to play this role while reading it. So how does the film stack up even with my book reader expectations? Pretty darn good! I will admit, tonally the two mediums are quite different. It's no surprise that directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller leaned heavily into the comedic moments. It's what they're good at, and it works more often than it doesn't.  Ryan Gosling is really the perfect actor to tackle someone like Grace. He has the perfect balance between comedic and dramatic abilities. Grace is a dorky middle school science teacher, but he's a damn smart ...

We made it to the biggest night of the year! This was certainly a whirlwind of a production. Host Conan O'Brien started out really strong with a Weapons parody, but the production for the rest of the show left a lot to be desired. The sound wasn't very good (maybe that was just my station?) the orchestra cut off several speeches including retracting the mic and dimming lights on winners. Completely awful look. I also felt really weird about the In Memoriam segment. It's awkward when certain people are called out above others. Because yes, there are arguably more popular people on that list, but they're ALL someone's favorite and it just felt a little odd to single some out, even if it was a lovely tribute I Lied To You and Golden's performances were 10/10 no notes. I went 18/24 with my picks! Even though there was a tie, one of my picks still won so I'm counting it. Below is a full list of winners followed by more thoughts.  Best Picture Bugonia F1 Frankenst...