Rambling Film

Official synopsis:  Emilia Pérez follows four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. Cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón)  enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an unappreciated lawyer, to help fake her death so that she can finally live authentically as her true self. When Emilia Perez started making waves at Cannes, I was not expecting this to be a musical about a drug kingpin getting gender affirming healthcare. You really have to hand it to director  Jacques Audiard and his writing team for being this bold. Granted I've only seen a few of his other films, but none of them were as out there as this.  Does it work as a musical? Honestly, I'm not sure, but I appreciated the camp in it. It does function as a very fascinating story. Zoe Saldaña gives the best performance of her career. It sounds like she's going to be campaigned in Supporting Actress for this upcoming Oscar season, which is category fraud at its finest. Saldaña is absolutely the lead and

Official Synopsis : Mismatched cousins David and Benji (Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Jesse Eisenberg. He gets a lot of flack for being "one note" but I tend to enjoy most of his movies. His last time in the director's chair ( When You Finish Saving The World ) was promising, and he's improved even more with A Real Pain .  Culkin and Eisenberg feel made for each other. You couldn't find two better actors to play these characters. You could argue Eisenberg is writing a version of himself but it's a very honest one. David may often get frustrated with Benji, but he also idolizes him in a way. In a few key scenes where he expresses it, I couldn't help but feel for him. I would say I'm a quieter person as well, and I&#

Official Synopsis : Armand, a 6-year-old boy, is accused of crossing boundaries against his best friend at elementary school. His mother, Elisabeth (Renate Reinsve) is called to his school to discuss an action plan. This is Norway's submission to the 2025 Oscars for Best International Feature and I've been itching to see what else Reinsve can do after her excellent performance in The Worst Person in The World . Turns out, she can do anything. I think she's even better here.  I have to acknowledge the elephant in the room (in the blog?) This is going to get A LOT of comparisons to Germany's The Teachers' Lounge and while those are not completely unwarranted - this is another film set entirely in a school where a crime may have been committed - Armand takes a very different look at its subjects and how it plays out.  The way this is shot is very captivating. Director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel clearly knows what he's doing behind the camera despite this being his fir

Official Synopsis:  A mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott (Maisy Stella) face-to-face with her 39-year-old self. (Aubrey Plaza) But when Elliott's "old ass" delivers warnings to her younger self, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about her family, life and love. Never would I have expected to be crying at the end of a film called "My Old Ass" but there I was, sobbing over it on a Saturday night. Considering this film had the lighter subject matter of Director Megan Park's works so far, (the first being The Fallout ) that's pretty incredible. Stella and Plaza may not look alike, but in Maisy's performance you can see how she could grow up to become Plaza later on. Elliott is so thirsty for life and all it has to offer. Her relentless optimism was much needed for me in particular during times like these. I think she's wonderful here and I look forward to what she does in the future. If you're watching for Aubrey Plaza, just

I am very behind when it comes to this Nicole Kidman and Liev Schrieber lead murder mystery. There was a lot of buzz around it when it first came out, but I knew I had a long flight coming up and this seemed like the perfect mini series to download and watch. As always, here are my likes and dislikes. Nothing to look forward to here as it's a limited series LIKES It's JUICY! This is one of those whodunnits that leads you to a different person in each episode and it does that fairly well. It makes a good case for everyone involved being the murderer.  Liev Schrieber has been on my mind a lot since watching him in the wonderful A Small Light, and here he's the complete opposite. A total mess of a father.  Jack Raynor continues to prove that he should have every single one of Chris Pratt's roles instead. Director Susanne Bier *chef's kiss* DISLIKES I love Dakota Fanning, I do, but I did not buy her for a second as this bitchy, gold digger sister in law. As funny as her

Official synopsis:  Sheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick), a single woman looking for a suitor on a hit 1970s TV show, chooses charming bachelor Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), unaware that, behind the man's gentle façade, he hides a deadly secret. Anna Kendrick not only stars in this film, based on an insane true story, but it's also her first time in the director's chair. That alone made this a priority for me after it premiered at Sundance. Now, thanks to Netflix, it's easily accessible for everyone. I think Kendrick has promise as a director. She has some great set ups here, and she thankfully does not focus on Alcala's sexual violence. She finds clever ways to let you know what happened without actually showing the act.  The biggest issue with Woman of the Hour is that it's telling the wrong story. Yes, it's insane that a serial killer ended up on nationally aired television dating show, but other than that, Sheryl Bradshaw doesn't have much to do with Al