Indie Gems: Wild Rose

Not western, just country.

Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley) is fresh out of prison after a year long stint for a drug charged. She dreams of moving to Nashville and becoming a country music star, but the reality is she's not a convicted felon with two children she had before she turned 18. Her mother, Marion (Julie Walters) has been taking care of the while Rose-Lynn has been in prison. Now she must choose between following her dream and her responsibilities as a parent.

Like country music in general, Rose-Lynn is a damn mess. She drinks too much, she's an absent parent and she takes no responsibility for the mess she puts herself in. In fact, the only time Rose-Lynn is in any way put together is when she's on stage performing. Her talent cannot be denied. It's hard sometimes to watch a character like this when you'd rather shake them and tell them to get their priorities straight, but Rose-Lynn thankfully gets there.

Buckley is absolutely amazing in this film. You can tell no one saw it otherwise her name would be everywhere in the Best Actress race. She's a very talented singer, she does a very convincing Scottish accent and best of all she doesn't make Rose-Lynn unbearable which she easily could've been. Walters also gives a strong performance, as does Sophie Okonedo as Susannah, a woman who takes an interesting in Rose-Lynn.

Okonedo is a very sympathetic actress to me. I see her and just want to hug her, so I had a bit of anxiety/annoyance during part of this film because I expected it to go one way, but it was thankfully rectified. A lot about this film is familiar but little touches set it apart. I even enjoyed the music, despite not caring for country at all.

This is out on DVD now in the U.S Give it a watch if you come across it.

Grade: B

Watched on: DVD Netflix

Memorable Quote: "I should've been born in America" - Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley)

Best Shots of the Decade: 2013

This month, I wanted to start sharing "Decade" posts celebrating the 2010's. It's extra fitting that this year is the 10 anniversary of Rambling Film. I decided to split up each year, with 10 gifs from 10 different films. Here are some shots that stood out to me. Onward to 2013!

Previous posts: 2010 2011 2012

Stoker

Prisoners

Byzantium

12 Years A Slave

The Wolf of Wall Street

American Hustle

Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Short Term 12

The Brass Teapot

Violet and Daisy

Note: You may be wondering "Brittani, where is Only God Forgives?" And while I acknowledge the neon drenched lens that was filmed in was gorgeous I fucking haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaated that movie. Also this was such a great year for indies. They deserve to be admired.

Thursday Movie Picks: Super Long Titles

This week's theme from Wandering Through The Shelves is so much fun. I've actually been looking forward to it all year. I love clever movies titles. I did an entire blogathon about favorite movies titles years ago and this week we get to talk about the longest of them. 

1) Me and You and Everyone We Know

I feel like I talk about this movie all the time, but I really love it. It's part dark and disturbing, part light and funny. The lives of the group of people we follow are never boring.

2) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Sometimes I forget Birdman actually had this long as title because no one ever uses it, but this was an excellent film and I am forever grateful that it beat Boyhood for Best Picture at the Oscars. 

3) A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

I watched this Swedish avant garde film based on the title alone. And much like that title, it's pretty weird. I enjoyed most of it, but there were a few parts I hated. 

2020 Screen Actors Guild Nominations

Did the SAGs make up for some of the mistakes the Globes made? Well, they righted one wrong in Best Actress. Here are a list of the Screen Actors Guild nominations plus my thoughts. 

Cast in a Motion Picture
“Bombshell”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Parasite”
Parasite being here is HUGE. I'm also happy about Jojo Rabbit being here. I'm surprised Knives Out was snubbed. I did see that screener for that got out late, but they seemed like a perfect fit for this category. Bombshell is also a surprise, I didn't think this movie would play so well. 

Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture
Christian Bale, “Ford v Ferrari”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Taron Egerton, “Rocketman”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Banders, Sandler, Murphy, and DeNiro are out there giving highly buzzed about performances but somehow Joaquin Phoenix is better than them? Fuck outta here. They should issue Eddie Murphy an apology.

Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture
Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Lupita Nyong’o, “Us”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
Renee Zellweger, “Judy”
I have a feeling this is going to be the Oscar line up. Earlier in the year I speculated about Johansson getting snubbed but it seems a lock. Awkwafina is likely going to miss out, which is unfortunate. I'm just glad Lupita is finally here after the Globes made the mistake of leaving her out. I wish Florence Pugh were also here for Midsommar though.

Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Jamie Foxx, “Just Mercy”
Jamie Foxx is the surprise here. I do want to see Just Mercy. I'm still surprised Waves is nowhere to be found. I thought Sterling K. Brown would be getting more nominations from it. 

Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Nicole Kidman, “Bombshell”
Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
Shuzhen Zhao missed out again here, but I'd be surprised if both Bombshell nominees make it to Oscar or even Johansson in Jojo Rabbit. I think this category will likely change a bit aside from Dern and Lopez.

Ensemble in a Drama Series
“Big Little Lies”
“The Crown”
“Game of Thrones”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Stranger Things”
I would've liked to have seen Watchmen here. As terrible as Game of Thrones was this last season, I'm glad the actors are the only ones recognized here because they were good. 

Male Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Steve Carell, “The Morning Show”
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
David Harbour, “Stranger Things”
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
It's funny to see all this industry love for Morning Show when nearly every review I've read of it has been lukewarm to terrible.

Female Actor in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown”
Olivia Colman, “The Crown
Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
No Regina King for Watchmen is egregious. I really had an issue with S3 of The Crown, I'm so meh on it. 

Ensemble in a Comedy Series
“Barry”
“Fleabag”
“The Kominsky Method”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
“Schitt’s Creek”
I haven't seen Kominsky Method of Schitt's Creek but I enjoy the three other shows and am happy to see them here. Nothing for Veep's final season is surprising, even though it wasn't that strong.

Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method”
Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”
Bill Hader, “Barry”
Andrew Scott, “Fleabag”
Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Andrew Scott! I love that Hot Priest is getting recognized. The horn storm was strong.

Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Christina Applegate, “Dead to Me”
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag”
It's a bit of a shame not to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus here one last time for Veep, but I'll be routing for Mrs. Maisel and Fleabag.

Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Jharrel Jerome, “When They See Us”
Jared Harris, “Chernobyl”
Mahershala Ali, “True Detective”
Russell Crowe, “The Loudest Voice”
Sam Rockwell, “Fosse/Verdon”

Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Patricia Arquette, “The Act”
Toni Collette, “Unbelievable”
Joey King, “The Act”
Emily Watson, “Chernobyl”
Michelle Williams, “Fosse/Verdon”
Toni Collette being the Unbelievable nominee is surprising because I thought Meritt and Kaitlyn both had a lot more to do. I'm happy for the continued love for Joey King, she was amazing. 

Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“Avengers: Endgame”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“The Irishman”
“Joker”
"Once Upon A Time In Hollywood"
Well, there's a nomination for Endgame. I think they should've been in ensemble cast, personally. Also, fuck Joker.

Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
“Game of Thrones”
“GLOW”
“Stranger Things”
“The Walking Dead”
“Watchmen”

Review: Dark Waters

They knowingly poisoned people.

The true story of a corporate defense attorney, Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) who takes on a case from a farmer in West Virginia, Wilbur Tennant. (Bill Camp) Tennant claims a chemical company's dump near his land is poisoning his animals. This turns into Bilott taking on all of the powerful company DuPont and uncovering all their terrible secrets.

If you've been reading here for a while, you know I love movies like this. I love legal dramas. Anything that has a courtroom, a journalist, or whistle blowers leaking government documents always has my attention. This one in particular because I follow Mark Ruffalo on instagram and he's been talking about this film for a while. He clearly put his heart and soul into this and I don't blame him. It's a fascinating and frustrating story.

I found the film to be very engaging up until about the last half hour or so. I'm sure it's deliberate on director Tom Haynes' part. When you think we're nearly finished, Bilott hits a roadblock. Then another. Two decades span from the day he took Tennant's case until the final payout. The last half hour of this film is excruciating. It was a bit strange how much I wanted them to get to the point when I was happy to follow along with everything up until that point. It tests your patience. 

Ruffalo is great in the lead role. You can tell he really cares. The towering Tim Robbins playing his boss was a nice addition. I expected him to constantly be a hurdle for Bilott to jump over but he took his side even when he was wary about the whole process. Bill Camp gave the best performance as the very angry farmer. My biggest complaint was Bilott's wife Sarah, played by Anne Hathaway. She's a very solid actress but her character was an absolute mess and was regulated to long suffering wife. Her characterization was all over the place. Early in the movie, Bilott is freaked out on by the head of DuPont in a very public setting, yet somehow Sarah is mad at her husband. She continues to be mad at her husband even when he finally explains the point of the lawsuit. She complains about him never being there, but this movie is almost exclusively about the case so the level of anger thrown at him seems over the top. It's frustrating when this is the way the main female character was treated. They could've done better. Hathaway deserves better.

That frustrating aside, this is a solid film. Not as strong as The Report or Official Secrets have been this year, but certainly worth your time. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B-

Memorable Quote: "You do that again and I'm going to cut your balls off and mail them to DuPont myself." - Tom Terp (Tim Robbins) 

Review: Marriage Story

Let's do this as friendly as possible.

Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) live in New York with their 8 year old son, Henry. (Ahzy Robertson) He's a theater director, she's an actress, but she longs to go back to LA. When a pilot opportunity comes her way, she decides to start doing what she wants and serves Charlie divorce papers. Now they must try to end their marriage as easily as possible for the sake of their son, but that's next to impossible.

Watching this movie came at an interesting time for me personally. Due to a house fire my family and I have been displaced from our home for a few months (we got lucky and didn't lose everything) but we occasionally joke that we feel like divorcees sharing custody because our temporary living situation is a bit strange. Now I'm sitting here alone, watching this couple go through something so difficult and the final scene wrecked me.

The film tries to keep it very fair and doesn't overtly ask us to pick sides. I feel the script does lean more towards Nicole, but Adam Driver's performance really draws you to him. Both characters have flaws, both have fair points and even though we meet them at their most defeated, you can't help but wish they'd somehow work it out. But they don't. That's not a spoiler, this is a movie about divorce and sometimes no matter how much you want love to prevail, it just doesn't.

Adam Driver is absolutely outstanding in this. It's easily his best performance and that's saying something when he's been so consistently good in everything. Laura Dern also has a wonderful turn as Nora, Nicole's lawyer. It reminded me of a friendlier Renata from Big Little Lies but that just made me love it more. I think this film could've easily made the lawyers exceedingly awful but even though they don't pull any punches, they don't feel like caricatures. Scarlett Johansson also gives a great performance but she's overshadowed by others at times. I freely admit I went into this film assuming I'd have some bias against Nicole because of well,....all the dumb shit Johansson has said lately, but she's just good and I never once disliked Nicole. I understood all of her concerns.

Now this is the part where I lose all my blogger and #FilmTwitter cred by admitting I don't actually love Noah Baumbach's work. Aside from The Squid and The Whale and to a lesser extent, Frances Ha, I've been "meh" on everything, but this is by far his best film. I love the care that he gave this story. I love how he started and finished it. It could've used a bit more editing in the middle as parts felt repetitive but it's such a wonderful story and came together so well. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "I can't believe I have to know you forever." - Nicole (Scarlett Johansson)

2020 Golden Globe Nominations

I let myself sleep in for the Globe nominations earlier today, so when I woke up the first thing I did was give them a read and while there are some nice surprises there was a lot of garbage. I'll have my wine ready for the ceremony. Below are the nominees + my thoughts.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
1917 
THE IRISHMAN 
JOKER 
MARRIAGE STORY 
THE TWO POPES 
The Joker here is the biggest - I hate to say it - joke at all. I can't imagine thinking this movie is better than some of the other dramas out there. The rest I expected.


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
CYNTHIA ERIVO  -  HARRIET
SCARLETT JOHANSSON  -  MARRIAGE STORY
SAOIRSE RONAN  -  LITTLE WOMEN
CHARLIZE THERON  -  BOMBSHELL
RENÉE ZELLWEGER -  JUDY
I'm glad Erivo isn't getting left out since Harriet got such a lukewarm reception and I'm always excited to see Saoirse Ronan. Lupita Nyong'o is a snub I cannot forgive though. Same with Florence Pugh in Midsommar. What are these people on? It's also sad that some surprise nominations from across the pond didn't come in, like Keira Knightley in Official Secrets or Jessie Buckley in Wild Rose.


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
CHRISTIAN BALE  -  FORD V FERRARI
ANTONIO BANDERAS  -  PAIN AND GLORY
ADAM DRIVER  -  MARRIAGE STORY
JOAQUIN PHOENIX  -  JOKER
JONATHAN PRYCE  -  THE TWO POPES
Again, Phoenix was terrible in Joker, it's quite embarrassing that most of this category will probably be our Oscar line up and so many other lead actors did better than him this year. Please let Adam Sandler get in instead of Phoenix, or even better ANY male actor in Parasite.



BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME 
JOJO RABBIT 
KNIVES OUT
ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD 
ROCKETMAN 
I personally would've replaced OUATIH with The Farewell but there's no stopping Hollywood's love for that film and the HFPA has stupid rules. I'm just happy Dolemite didn't get ignored. 



BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
ANA DE ARMAS  -  KNIVES OUT
AWKWAFINA  -  THE FAREWELL
CATE BLANCHETT  -  WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE
BEANIE FELDSTEIN  -  BOOKSMART
EMMA THOMPSON  -  LATE NIGHT
The only one of these I didn't bother with is Where'd You Go, Bernadette. I figured if Booksmart got in it would be Beanie since Katelyn has a TV nomination.



BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
DANIEL CRAIG  -  KNIVES OUT
ROMAN GRIFFIN DAVIS -   JOJO RABBIT
LEONARDO DICAPRIO  -  ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD
TARON EGERTON  -  ROCKETMAN
EDDIE MURPHY  -  DOLEMITE IS MY NAME 
The most exciting nomination in the entire Globes is Roman Griffin Davis. He was wonderful in Jojo and more people should be acknowledging him. I'm happy to see Eddie Murphy here too.


BEST MOTION PICTURE – ANIMATED
FROZEN 2 
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD 
THE LION KING 
MISSING LINK 
TOY STORY 4 
I had to make sure Lion King wasn't a typo because...really? The only thing I care about is HTTYD, I hope they win.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – FOREIGN LANGUAGE
THE FAREWELL    (USA)
LES MISÉRABLES    (FRANCE)
PAIN AND GLORY    (SPAIN)    
PARASITE    (SOUTH KOREA) 
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE    (FRANCE)    
The Farewell is here because for some odd reason it can't be in the regular line up. Either way, nothing should stop Parasite this season. I really want to see Portrait of a Lady on Fire though.


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
KATHY BATES  -  RICHARD JEWELL
ANNETTE BENING  -  THE REPORT
LAURA DERN  -  MARRIAGE STORY
JENNIFER LOPEZ -   HUSTLERS
MARGOT ROBBIE  -  BOMBSHELL
Shuzhen Zhao getting snubbed is a surprise, as it Annette Bening. I know she had a lot of buzz when The Report came out at Sundance but I thought it had mostly been forgotten.


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
TOM HANKS  -  A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
ANTHONY HOPKINS  -  THE TWO POPES
AL PACINO  -  THE IRISHMAN
JOE PESCI  -  THE IRISHMAN
BRAD PITT -  ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
Talk about a big actor circle jerk. Not that some of these are not deserving that's literally just the first thing that came to mind. 

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
BONG JOON HO  -  PARASITE
SAM MENDES  -  1917
TODD PHILLIPS  -  JOKER
MARTIN SCORSESE  -  THE IRISHMAN
QUENTIN TARANTINO  -  ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
This is the most egregious category of the year. The Globes are allergic to female directors at this point. Bong Joon Ho should be here. The Globes were always going to slob all over Scorses and Tarantino's knobs because they're big names, and 1917 looks really strong, but Phillips? PHILLIPS? In a year when Marielle Heller, Alma Har'el, Greta Gerwig, Lulu Wang and Melinda Matouskas are RIGHT THERE? And assuming the HFPA just can't handle a vagina, there were better penises out there in the form of Taika Waititi and Rian Johnson. This category is stupid and I hope every woman in the building walks out when they announce it. 


BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
MARRIAGE STORY
PARASITE
THE TWO POPES
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
THE IRISHMAN
I'm happy for Parasite and Marriage Story, I can't comment on Two Popes as I haven't seen it but there were so many other movies that had better screenplays than the other two. Jojo and Knives Out being two of the big ones.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
LITTLE WOMEN
JOKER
MARRIAGE STORY
1917
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN
This is about the only Joker nomination I approve of as that was the only good part of the entire film. Motherless Brooklyn is a surprise since it was left out everywhere else. I can dig that. 


BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS” — CATS   
“(I’M) GONNA LOVE ME AGAIN - ROCKETMAN
INTO THE UNKNOWN” — FROZEN 2
“SPIRIT” — THE LION KING
“STAND UP” — HARRIET
The Globes always tend to go with star power in their songs so I'm not surprised by a lot of these, but again, after seeing Wild Rose it's disappointing not to see GLASGOW - NO PLACE LIKE HOME here.


BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
BIG LITTLE LIES
THE CROWN       
KILLING EVE
THE MORNING SHOW
SUCCESSION
I knew the Globes would lose it over Morning Show, they can't resist all that A list. The biggest surprise to me is Game of Thrones not getting their final bow, but with that final season, they deserve it. I don't think S3 of The Crown really deserves this either, it's nowhere near as good as the previous scenes. I would've liked to see Watchmen and Euphoria here instead. 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA  
JENNIFER ANISTON  -  THE MORNING SHOW
OLIVIA COLMAN  -  THE CROWN
JODIE COMER -   KILLING EVE
NICOLE KIDMAN  -  BIG LITTLE LIES
REESE WITHERSPOON  -  THE MORNING SHOW
No Regina King for Watchmen  and Zendaya for Euphoria is offensive. I'm also surprised that Emilia Clarke didn't get nominated either. SAGs better make this up to me.


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
BRIAN COX  -  SUCCESSION
KIT HARINGTON  -  GAME OF THRONES
RAMI MALEK  -  MR. ROBOT
TOBIAS MENZIES   - THE CROWN
BILLY PORTER  -  POSE
Kit LOL. I like him, but of all the thrones actors, come on. I'm glad Rami is here because he's been doing amazing work in Mr. Robot and I'm still pretending that Oscar he won is some how for this. 


BEST TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
BARRY
FLEABAG
THE KOMINSKY METHOD
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
THE POLITICIAN
I wonder if Fleabag does a massive sweep here like they did at the Emmys?

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE  -  DEAD TO ME
RACHEL BROSNAHAN  -  THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
KIRSTEN DUNST  -  ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
NATASHA LYONNE  -  RUSSIAN DOLL
PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE  -  FLEABAG
I really wish Showtime would have a free preview soon because I really want to see On Becoming a God in Central Florida. I love Kirsten so much. 


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
MICHAEL DOUGLAS  -  THE KOMINSKY METHOD
BILL HADER  -  BARRY
BEN PLATT  -  THE POLITICIAN
PAUL RUDD  -  LIVING WITH YOURSELF
RAMY YOUSSEF  -  RAMY
Bill Hader! The rest I haven't seen.


BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
CATCH-22
CHERNOBYL 
FOSSE/VERDON
THE LOUDEST VOICE
UNBELIEVABLE
I'm really happy Unbelievable is here. That was such a strong show and I'm a big fan of Chernobyl as well. I thought El Camino would qualify here though and if it did and they left it out that's a huge loss.


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
KAITLYN DEVER  -  UNBELIEVABLE
JOEY KING  -  THE ACT    
HELEN MIRREN  -  CATHERINE THE GREAT
MERRITT WEVER  -  UNBELIEVABLE
MICHELLE WILLIAMS  -  FOSSE/VERDON
Now Dever and Beanie both have Globe noms! I haven't seen Catherine the Great but I'm really happy with the rest of these nominations. I didn't care for Fosse/Verdon but Williams was good. I hope Joey wins this.



BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT  -  CATCH-22
SACHA BARON COHEN  -  THE SPY
RUSSELL CROWE   - THE LOUDEST VOICE
JARED HARRIS -   CHERNOBYL
SAM ROCKWELL  -  FOSSE/VERDON
Again, if Aaron Paul qualified here, he should've been nominated.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
PATRICIA ARQUETTE  - THE ACT
HELENA BONHAM CARTER  -  THE CROWN
TONI COLLETTE  -  UNBELIEVABLE
MERYL STREEP  -  BIG LITTLE LIES
EMILY WATSON  -  CHERNOBYL
I'd normally be excited for Helena but she barely did anything in The Crown this season. I expect Streep to win this. She'll probably take her wins all the way to the Emmys.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
ALAN ARKIN  -  THE KOMINSKY METHOD
KIERAN CULKIN  -  SUCCESSION
ANDREW SCOTT  -  FLEABAG
STELLAN SKARSGÅRD  -  CHERNOBYL
HENRY WINKLER -  BARRY
I LOVE that Kieran got another nomination and I'm always here for Hot Priest acknowledgement. Also, more grumbling about El Camino because Jesse Plemons was great.

Best Shots of the Decade: 2012

This month, I wanted to start sharing "Decade" posts celebrating the 2010's. It's extra fitting that this year is the 10 anniversary of Rambling Film. I decided to split up each year, with 10 gifs from 10 different films. Here are some shots that stood out to me. Onward to 2012!

Previous posts: 2010 2011

Moonrise Kingdom

Looper

Take This Waltz

The Master

Beasts of the Southern Wild

The Cabin in the Woods

Avengers

Rust and Bone

Ruby Sparks

Another Earth

Review: Queen & Slim

This is not Bonnie and Clyde

Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) is an attorney having a rough day after a client is sentenced to death. Not wanting to be alone, she turns to Tinder and meets up with Slim. (Daniel Kaluuya) Their first date isn't exactly a home run on its own, then they are pulled over by a racist police officer who shoots Queen in the Leg, then is in turn shot by Slim in self defense. The two go on the run because they know they will never see justice.

I point out that they're not Bonnie and Clyde in my header because they're referred to that more than once in the film (but strangely, never as Queen and Slim, at least that I noticed) and these two could not be bigger opposites of those notorious criminals. They don't want to be murders. They never once sit back and enjoy any part of what happened. They didn't ask for the title of inspirational cop killers to be thrust upon them.

I'm quite torn on this. I'll freely admit when I don't understand something and I don't get some of the choices this film makes. I'm getting into spoiler territory here but it's the only way I can explain myself. Queen and Slim meet with a young boy who idolizes them for what they did. Then, in a scene that's intercut with the couple having sex, he goes to a rally to protest police violence on black people, then promptly picks a fight with a black cop, and shoots him in the face. It's such a bizarre choice especially when the previous scene with the boy was so moving. The ending was another massive head scratcher for me.

That's not to say this film is a lost cause. It's shot beautifully and has some of the best cinematography I've seen all year. Director Melina Matsoukas puts a lot of love into every set up, it's the script that isn't strong enough to meet her vision.

Kaluuya and Turner-Smith are wonderful and their characters' journey from awkward Tinder date to love story is the strongest part of the film. I just wish they had more to work with.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: C+

Memorable Quote: "I'm used to saying I'm fine when I'm not." - Slim (Daniel Kaluuya)

DVD Review: Official Secrets

What would you do for your country?

Katharine Gun works for GCHQ and leaks a top secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing smaller, undecided member states into voting for war. It finds its way to reporter Martin Bright (Matt Smith) of the Observer and is published for all to see. Katharine turns herself in and is charged with breaking the Official Secrets act.

Too many people slept on this movie. This is a solid drama with an outstanding cast. I've had it on my "Must See" list all year but the reviews I did read were all mediocre at best. Sure, it might not be as exciting as other journalism/whistle blower films but Official Secrets never gives you a moment to feel bored. 

Keira Knightley is wonderful is wonderful as Katharine. I love seeing her in more modern roles since so many things she does are period pieces. I think this is up there as one of her best performances. Smith, Matthew Goode, Conleth Hill, Indira Varma, Rhys Ifan, Ralph Fiennes, and Adam Bakri make up a stellar supporting cast. 

If there's one thing I wish I had more of, it's time with the Observer staff. Their scenes were my favorite but they disappear for quite a while in the middle of the film. I understand why, it's not needed, but the actors were such a joy to watch together I wouldn't have minded if there were more of them.

If you enjoy these types of movies, please don't miss this one.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B+

Memorable Quote: "I'm not sorry I did it, I'm sorry that I failed." - Katharine (Keira Knightley)

The Best Shots of the Decade: 2011

This month, I wanted to start sharing "Decade" posts celebrating the 2010's. It's extra fitting that this year is the 10 anniversary of Rambling Film. I decided to split up each year, with 10 gifs from 10 different films. Here are some shots that stood out to me in 2011. 

Shame (2011)

Pariah:

The Descendants

Drive

Take Shelter

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Like Crazy

Midnight in Paris

Hanna

BONUS

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (2011)

 okay this is because I'm a shameless Romione shipper but I FINALLY got to visualize this kiss even if it was poorly staged. DON'T JUDGE ME.

#idowhatiwant

Click here for my 2010 post

Thursday Movie Picks: Adaptations

This week's theme from Wandering Through The Shelves are films that are adapted from novels. I wanted to avoid series so here are a few stand alone books that were made into movies. 

1) Gone Girl

I think this is one of the best book to movie films ever made. Rosamund Pike is absolutely perfect as Amy Dunne. 

2) Every Secret Thing

I adore Laura Lippman's novels and currently this is the only one of her vast collection that's been adapted into a movie. I think it's good. It has great performances by Dakota Fanning and Danielle MacDonald. I recommend both the book and the film.

3) Never Let Me Go

I haven't read the novel this is based off of, I understand it's pretty different, but I really enjoyed this. At the time I hadn't seen anything like it. 

Review: The Report

The Torture Report

Daniel Jones (Adam Driver) is tasked by his superior, Senator Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening) to lead an investigation of the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program created in the aftermath of 9/11. After his horrifying findings, he works to get the report available to the public but faces several obstacles. 

Right off the bat, Amazon did an absolute shit job of marketing this film. It had so much buzz after Sundance and they gave it a limited release before dropping it on Amazon Prime for their subscribers. Yes, Netflix does the same thing, but Netflix also has more than double the subscribers. This should've gotten a bigger theatrical push. 

I feel so strongly about this because The Report is a great film. It has a talented supporting cast lead by Driver and Bening who both give wonderful performances. I watched this the day after I saw Official Secrets, another similar film that also lacked the publicity it deserved. 

This isn't an easy watch. It makes us revisit a lot of the awful torture techniques used by the U.S during the Iraq war. It brought back memories of all the debates I had about this in high school. How my school eventually had to start banning websites from our library that showed those photos. Thankfully it's only the beginning of the film, but it's such an ugly part of history. It's hard to watch people have such a disregard for human life, regardless of the circumstances. The film doesn't sugar coat that, and even though the film is critical of what happened, they also give the "other side" time to explain why everything went down the way it did. 

Another thing I appreciated a lot in this film aside from the acting is the structure. Sure, they drench the flashbacks in a sepia hue, but they're always very clear on the time line. It's helpful for a film that has to jump around.

I hope enough people see this. I re-signed up for Prime temporarily just so I could watch this, Fleabag, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But I hope Amazon does a better job theatrically next time they get a film like this. Late Night got a wide release. This should have as well. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A-

Memorable Quote: "I hope you took your strong pills today - Senator Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening)