Rambling Film

Official synopsis:  A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff (Owen Cooper as a child, Jacob Elordi as an adult) and Catherine Earnshaw. (Charlotte Mellington as a child, Margo Robbie as an adult) I'll start off by saying that I don't care about the novel and I barely remember any of the versions of this I have watched. Not to sound flippant, but I mention this because I don't have a dog in the current internet fight going on over this film. Emerald Fennell has shown in all her directorial efforts that she's a provocateur and I love that for her. And that worked out great for me because I thoroughly enjoyed Wuthering Heights. Like many adaptations, it doesn't do the full book, it keeps Cathy Earnshaw and Heathcliff as the main figures, and that's fine. The production design and costume design are absolutely breathtaking. The use of reds and pinks i...

This is my first year as a voting member for Film Independent! I didn't get to watch the broadcast live since I was traveling, but I'm excited to see the results. Below is a full list of the winners + my thoughts.  BEST FEATURE Peter Hujar’s Day  The Plague  Sorry, Baby  Train Dreams Twinless  I went all in for Sorry, Baby but it was Train Dreams that won the big one.  BEST FIRST FEATURE Blue Sun Palace Dust Bunny East of Wall  Lurker  One of Them Days Lurker is a really strong debut so I was happy to see it win here. It's what I picked.  JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD  The Baltimorons Boys Go to Jupiter  Eephus  Esta Isla (This Island) Familiar Touch  I didn't see all the films in this category so I didn't vote, but from what I did see I would've went with The Baltimorons.  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 – Sor...

While musing in one of my favorite blogs 1001plus' comment section, I was reminded of one of the most long standing disappointments for me when it comes to Oscar wins; Best Actor in a Leading Role. So to air my grievances, I figured I'd put together a quick Who won/Who should've won list going as far back as I need to in order to fill out a Top 5.  2024   Who won: Adrian Brody - The Brutalist Who should've won: Ralph Fiennes for Conclave or Colman Domingo for Sing Sing 2023 Who won: Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer This was correct! Cue "it's been 84 years" meme. We've got a bit of a gap until we hit #2 2022 Who won: Brendan Frasier - The Whale Who should've won: Colin Ferrell - The Banshees of Inisherin  2021  Who won: Will Smith - King Richard Who should've won: Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog  2020 Who won: Anthony Hopkins - The Father Who should've won: Riz Ahmed for The Sound of Metal, or Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey's Bl...

Official synopsis:  After being unemployed for several months, Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) devises a unique plan to secure a new job: eliminate his competition. Director Park Chan-wook keeps delivering us hit after hit, and yet the Academy refuses to nominate him. This film was South Korea's submission for Best International Film at this years Oscars, where it unfortunately missed and after watching it, I can confirm they've made a grave mistake. No Other Choice is a dark comedy. It starts with a happy, almost dream like moment between Man-su and his family before his gradual descent into an over the top plan to kill off his competition to get back into the Paper business. It has to be paper. That's what he knows and what he's good at. Nothing else will do.  Lee Byung-hun gives a great performance. He really makes you think for a while that he won't go through with what he's about to do, and when everything starts playing out, he still gives you hope that he might no...

We made it! The Oscar nominations are here and there are some great surprises (Delroy! Ugly Step Sister!) Some weird surprises (Wicked For Good completely blanking) and of course some egregious snubs. (I hunger and thirst for The Testament of Ann Lee) Sinners is now the most nominated movie of all time with a whopping 16 nominations! Below is a list of the nominee + my thoughts and comparisons to my predictions that I shared on Blue Sky. Best Picture Bugonia F1 Frankenstein Hamnet Marty Supreme One Battle After Another The Secret Agent Sentimental Value Sinners Train Dreams I went 9/10 with my predictions. I had It Was Just An Accident over F1. F1 is the only one I haven't seen yet, so I'll be getting on that soon. I never expected that movie to get so popular.   Best Director Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another Ryan Coogler – Sinners Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value Chloé Zhao – Hamnet I went 5/5 with my predictions here! I think this i...

Official synopsis:  As Spike (Alfie Williams) is inducted into Jimmy Crystal's (Jack O'Connell) gang on the mainland, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) makes a discovery that could alter the world. We are very lucky to be blessed with The Bone Temple so soon after the great 28 Years Later came out last year. This time, it's Nia DaCosta in the director's chair, and she fits perfectly into the world that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland has crafted. She perfectly blends the film's superior budget while still throwing in some shots that feel very reminiscent of 28 Days Later , the film that started it all.  While the first part of Years caught me off guard with how emotional I felt watching it, Bone Temple caught me off guard with laughs. Which is kind of insane considering how dark this film gets. Ralph Fiennes' Dr. Kelson takes center stage this film and his interactions with his Alpha Sampson are one of the strongest parts of the film. They provide a lot of humor all whil...