Rambling Film

Official synopsis: A struggling primary school teacher, Maria (Saoirse Ronan) begins to make some questionable decisions after one of her students, Danny (Eddie Waller) is injured. When I first saw the trailer for Bad Apples earlier this year I was pretty excited about it. Saoirse is one of my favorite actresses, so of course this was going to be a watch for me. Then it fell off the face of the planet, at least in the United States. I saw no more promotion, IMDb tells me it's U.S release was September 16th, but I'm guessing that was very limited. The only reason I got to see this movie at all, is because it's available to watch on Delta Airlines' seatback screens. That bums be out because Bad Apples could've been a crowd pleaser. It's a very well acted dark comedy that I feel like a lot of people would've went to go see it had they been given the options.  Ronan is great in the role of a very stressed out teacher. She wants to love her job, but Danny in pa...

Official Synopsis: The adventures of Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) as she sets off to the forests outside Portland to find her kidnapped brother. Ever since the first trailer for Wildwood premiered with "The hands that created Coraline" my family and I have been sold. I didn't realize until after I saw this film that it's based on a book (written by Colin Meloy of The Decemberists) so I can't speak for how the story goes adaptation wise. Count me in with everyone else saying Wildwood is a visual masterpiece because it is stunning. It brought me back to when I saw WALL-E in theaters for the first time and how blown away with how far animation has come then. That feeling stays here. There were several times throughout the film where I just kept thinking "wow" or "how did they pull that off" or "God, that must have taken forever." And these thoughts didn't distract me from the story in any way, it just made the ride so much ...

  Official Synopsis: Dismissed as underdogs before they even step onto the pitch, the Emei Women’s Football Team enters the prestigious Supreme Invincible Cup determined to prove everyone wrong. Back in 2005 I went on a date with a guy who took me to see a movie called Kung Fu Hustle.  He’d loved the director’s previous film, Shaolin Soccer and insisted that it was okay that I hadn’t seen that one before we dove into Hustle. I was pretty flabbergasted with that movie at the time, but I did grow to appreciate how ridiculous it was. So when I saw Shaolin Soccer  was getting a spiritual successor following a woman’s soccer team, I of course wanted to check it out. Unfortunately the majority of the goofy kung fu one would expect from a Stephen Crow film takes a back to seat to complete AI slop. According to Chow, about 50% of the film’s budget went towards generative AI for the visual effects and if I had known that before pressing play, I would’ve skipped it all together on...

Official Synopsis:  When a theft goes awry, a veteran pickpocket, Harry (John Turturro) is sent on a mission through New York to reclaim what he stole A film asking you to follow and sympathize with a thief is already tough ask. Thankfully, a perfectly cast John Turturro is there to help guide us along the way. Even though we’re talking about pickpockets, the love for New York is front and center in this film. It’s beautifully shot in a way only a born and raised New Yorker could do. This is Noah Segan’s second time in the director’s chair for a feature, and he’s clearly put a lot of work into his craft.  I find myself at a crossroads with this film because much of it is good, but there is one plot point that I’m having a hard time getting past. Turturro like I said is perfectly cast. And while Harry is not painted in a good light, he’s still pleasant enough to follow around, even when he’s making awful decisions. Having a veteran actor play against other vets like Steve Busce...

This summer I decided to finally see what all the fuss was about The Diplomat , the Keri Russell led drama that recently premiered its 4th season on Netflix. Now that I'm finally caught up. It's time to put my thoughts down on "paper" The Good * The actors: Russell is perfectly cast and I really need to go back and watch The Americans  * Rufus Sewell is fascinating. I always think of A Knight's Tale when I see him, and this type of role that borders on being a villain is great for him.  * Ato Essandoh should be getting way more attention for this role that he does * Rory Kinnear playing the British Prime Minister again! At least there's no pigs involved in this show. * Georgie Hensley is so sweet. I wish she was in the show more.  * Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford are both great additions to the show later on in the series. * For the story - especially the first season, it moves very quickly and there's always a mystery to be solved.  The Bad * It is v...

Official Synopsis:  Liz Baxter (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor)  works as a nanny for a prominent white family in Oakland, California. In 1967 she discovers that the Connor children are suffering under the hands of their mother, Jane, (Rachel Lefevre) and attempts to step in to protect the children. This film is based on an autobiography of the same name written by Todd Connor, one of the children who Liz ultimately saved. According to Connor, Liz's bravery goes unnoticed for years until he stands up at her funeral and shares how she saved his and his siblings' lives. I haven't read his novel so I can't compare the film to page, but the admiration for Liz is easy to see.  Writer/Director Sterling Macer Jr has a tough task of re-contextualizing a child's story of his caretaker that he loved so much with what was going on in Okaland in the 60's. This was the during the rise of the Black Panther movement and any encounter a black person had with law enforcement in that time...