Rambling Film

Okay fine, there are definitely people who have their complaints about HBO's House of the Dragon and the changes they've made from the source material, George R R Martin's Fire & Blood . But there is one thing I can't help but think when I read the mountain of criticism the show seems to be getting after each episode on Twitter.... Y'all remember that Fire & Blood wasn't very good, right? The book is quite literally a recounting of Targaryen bullshit. It's in-universe second hand and third handle knowledge of past events. And, sure, some of it was interesting, but it's also told by people who were not there. And thus, it gives the House of the Dragon showrunners a lot of wiggle room in how they choose to adapt it. I'd argue most of what they are doing is working. There are only a few instances where I thought something didn't. Overall, I've found watching House of the Dragon far more enjoyable than when I read Fire & Blood, an...

Official Synopsis:  A forgotten Peter Parker (Tom Holland) lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy (Sadie Sink) emerges. Anyone vaguely familiar with me knows that I love a good Spider-man movie so of course I contributed to that record breaking box office number over the weekend. (Holy shit, we're topping Avengers Endgame already?!) And it did not disappoint! I had a great time watching this, but I also had a bit of an epiphany awards when it comes to the larger MCU.... I need to stop watching Daredevil . Depending on how familiar you are with what  Daredevil  is doing on Disney Plus   will directly effect your experience AFTER watching this film because they are meant to exist in the same universe. And I say "after" because Brand New Day is fun and fast paced throughout, so while some something may through you off guard immediately, it's when you sit and think about it that you realize how...

  Official synopsis: Joe (Seth Rogan) and Angela's (Olivia Wilde) marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors (Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton) for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places. I was a bit skeptical of this film when I first started hearing about it. Olivia Wilde doing Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? Is this going to be a Book Smart scenario where so many beats are just another version of Superbad ? I had low expectations, which slowly grew and grew as I read more positive reviews after its premiere at Sundance. While you tell Virginia Woolf very much inspired the film visually, the rest of it easily stands on its own. I feel pretty confident in saying this is the best Olivia Wilde has been both in front of and behind the camera. The way this apartment is shot is so visually appealing. It feels so grand, even though we spend the majority of the film in this one setting.  Wilde has always had strong comedic timing...

                                           Official Synopsis: After the Trojan War, Odysseus (Matt Damon) faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops, Sirens, and Calypso (Charlize Theron) along the way. I'm not going to pretend that I remember exact details of reading the Odyssey, or the Iliad for that matter. It's been so long since I've read those stories that there was just no way I was going to be a book purist about anything in this film. I do know if someone was going to reignite my interest in these stories, it would be Christopher Nolan and this insanely large cast. Did Homer write the first popcorn flick? I think he might have. Everything about this adventure is so exciting on the big screen. From the epic battle scenes, to the SFX work on the creatures, to the amazing score by Ludwig Gorranson, This film was just fun...

The Emmy Nominations are upon us and while the Comedy and Drama categories have all the usual suspects, the Limited Series line up is what truly shocked me.  OUTSTANDING DRAMA The Diplomat The Gilded Age A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Paradise The Pitt Pluribus Slow Horses Your Friends & Neighbors I'm so happy to see A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms here. That was the drama series I was rooting for the most. Of these, I haven't seen any of The Diplomat, The Gilded Age or Your Friends & Neighbors. I'm sure The Pitt has this on lock. I wasn't as high on Pluribus as others were.  LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age Chase Infiniti, The Testaments Keri Russell, The Diplomat Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus Zendaya, Euphoria I'm happy to see Chase Infiniti for The Testaments. I wish there was room for Lucy Halliday too. Zendaya getting nominated for all 3 seasons of Euphoria is a great stat for her. She deserves better than that 3rd season gave her.  LEAD ACTO...

  Official Synopsis:  Two teenage boys, Naim (Joe Brid) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen) must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most - each other. Joe Bird is certainly making a name for himself as an up-and-coming Aussie talent to watch. After his excellent turn in another horror flick, Talk To Me , he's back again as the lead here. Leviticus will no doubt draw a lot of comparisons to It Follows. It's about an entity that "follows" its victims after all, but this time instead of being framed like an STD, it's explicitly passed along in a nonconsensual religious ceremony? Possession? I'm not even sure what to call it. It's specifically used to target LGBTQIA youth. This is what sets this film apart. It also effectively builds tension because at times you're never sure if Naim and Ryan are interacting with each other, or the entity.  I might be projecting my own feelings into this a bit, but as much as I enjoyed Leviticus ...