Rambling Film

The first TV edition from Wandering Through the Shelves is putting a spotlight on those series that got their start last year. I had to save another freshman show I really love for a later pick, but here are three shows I started watching in 2019. 1) The Mandalorian This show was so great, but so short. Obviously you know of the cultural impact of Baby Yoda, the one thing in this world that must be protected at all cost, but beyond him the show is really excellent and I can't wait for season two later this year. 2) His Dark Materials I liked, but didn't love this. I feel like I would enjoy it more had I read the novels but it's still a solid watch and I'll be here for season two. 3) Watchmen Watchmen isn't coming back for a second season but the first series ended on a wonderful note that wrapped it up well. I'm sad we won't see them back, because they could've expanded, but at least they had a wonderful season. Give Regina King all ...

You're in prison too. Bernadine Williams ( Alfre  Woodard) has  overseen 12 executions as warden of a prison. The film opens with a botched attempt at lethal injection that only adds onto the weight Bernadine carries. Now another execution is on the horizon. One for a man named Anthony Woods (Aldis Hodge) who swears he didn't commit the crime he is going to be killed for. Bernadine's world crumbles around her as she waits for his execution date, and the possibility of the governor granting him clemency. Calling this bleak is an understatement. Unlike another death row film out in theaters right now - Just Mercy - there is no reprieve. It's a devastating watch. It's interesting to see a film like this from the Warden's point of view. Bernadine is very by the books. She doesn't make exceptions but she's still a human being with feelings and right now those feelings (and lack of) are ruining her marriage and making her question the work she...

We could talk about how much I slacked in the reading department this year, but I'm already wearing the cone of shame. Here's what I did manage to read in 2019.  The Woman in the Window - A.J Finn Once I saw a movie was being made with Amy Adams I checked this out from the library. A.J is a tremendous writer and I like how she handled agoraphobia from a doctor's point of view. It looked at it very clinic-y which I appreciated. That's different. The story itself was pretty predictable but I enjoyed reading it. Though afterwards, I read an article about this author, who sounds like a grade A douche by the way, and I'm not sure I would've picked this up had I read that first.  B Milk and Honey - Rumi Kau r This is a lovely book of poetry that at times is very hard to read. Rumi focuses a lot on sexuality including writing about sexual assault. She had a poem that I related with so much by experience that I cried reading it. I just can't get over how be...

This idea started with a tweet. Someone shared a photo from Maps to the Stars and I thought to myself. "I love that movie, why does no one, including me talk about it anymore?" I decided to take a deep dive into my Indie Gems collection and find some films from the past decade that deserve a bit more conversation. As I selected nearly forty, this post is going up in four parts. I'll also link my old reviews in case you want more information. Be nice to me, it took me a while to find my writing voice. 1) Maps to the Stars This film is apparently meant to be a satire of the fake Hollywood life but I never felt like it was. To me, it felt more like a window into how fucked up some lives can be. The actors were extraordinary and I loved the story. Review 2) I Used To Be Darker  I mean, you know me and my dysfunctional stories. There was a time in my life I could relate very easily to our main character. Depressed, confused, and drifting through life quietl...

This week's theme from Wandering Through the Shelves is a suggestion from yours truly. I love scores and I had a very specific one in mind when I suggested it, and that film is my first pick: 1) Atonement Atonement has my favorite score of all time. I love how they incorporated the typewriter into Briony's theme. It's just lovely and compliments the movie so well. 2) The Lion King Not just for the iconic intro of The Circle of Life, but THIS part of King of Pride rock is probably my favorite piece of music ever written for a film. It's so beautiful and perfect. 3) The Social Network It's funny, I was so mad during the Oscars when this won over Inception for Best Original Score. I still think Inception has a fantastic score but this one has grown on me so much. This and Gone Girl are *chef's kiss*

Movie wise, 2019 has been very fulfilling. I set myself a goal in January to watch all 41 films that I had in my Netflix queue for over a year, and I did that . I saw Avengers: Endgame opening night at the legendary TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles and it was by far the coolest movie going experience of my life. I also got to visit the EYE Film Museum in Amsterdam when director William Kentridge's short films were in residence and enjoyed learning about and seeing the work of a new to me director.  In total I saw 217 films for the first time . And now I bring to you the best of those films! Aside from Avengers: Endgame being at the top - because that truly is my favorite film of the year - the rest are in no particular order. Following that are my favorite performances of the year, plus a few other favorites (and fails) Just missed:  El Camino,  A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 1917 Honorable mentions: Them That Fol...

What a night at the SAGS. Robert De Niro got the lifetime achievement award and gave a wonderful speech. Hollywood in general continues to be embarrassing giving Joker awards, and tabloids everywhere are going to be sharing THAT photo of Aniston and Pitt all through 2020. Including the stunt nominations I guessed 10/15 picks correctly. Not bad. Here are a list of the winners + my thoughts. Cast in a Motion Picture “Bombshell” “The Irishman” “Jojo Rabbit” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” “Parasite” I am sooooooooooooooooooo happy about this. I know 1917 is probably winning that Oscar but I so wish Parasite would. The room clearly loved the film and I'm happy to see them get this win. 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” Phoenix's speech was much better but it was also a massive camp...

I'm back again doing the Blind Spot challenge. Truthfully I'm not sure if anyone is officially hosting it this year, but I enjoy the challenge so I'm just carrying on what Ryan started and Sofia continued. What I knew going in: That it was based on a play. Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor) goes with her alcoholic and stuck in his glory days husband, Brick (Paul Newman) to his family home to celebrate his father, Big Daddy's(Burl Ives) birthday. But there's more to it then that, Big Daddy was recently at the hospital with a colon cancer diagnosis so the party is also a cover for going over matters of his estate. Maggie and Brick are in a rocky point in their marriage on top of it.  The cast of characters range from okay to flat out deplorable. It's hard to root for anyone really. A lot of my sympathy for Maggie came from amusement over her calling her nieces and nephews "no neck monsters" (Seriously, those kids were awful) But it runs in the family. ...

We're back for more torture! The Screen Actors Guild awards are on Sunday and after failing all over my Golden Globes picks, it's time to guess who will win that glorious actor statue. And in some cases, who should win. Cast in a Motion Picture “Bombshell” “The Irishman” “Jojo Rabbit” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” “Parasite” Who will and should win: Parasite I would love it if Jojo Rabbit won too, but I have a feeling the SAGs are going to show Parasite the Best Picture love it deserves. At least I hope they do. 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” Who will win: Joaquin Phoenix Who should win: Adam Driver Somehow Phoenix is the front runner even though Adam is the one giving the best performance. *sigh* I would love a Driver upset but I doubt I get it.  Female Actor in a Leadin...

This week Wanderer asks to reflect on 2019. I decided to pick releases that I don't feel like were talked about nearly as much as they deserved to be.  Here are three films released last year that were wonderful, and you should see them if you haven't 1) Luce This film is about a family coming to terms that son they adopted from a war torn country isn't as perfect as they think. The actors are great and I think this film asked a lot of interesting questions. I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this.  2) Waves Of these picks, this is the one I was sure would get at least some Oscar love. Mostly from Sterling K Brown. This is the story of a father who puts so much pressure on his teenage son (Kelvin Harrison Jr, who also stars in Luce) until his life implodes, then we follow his sister and how she deals with the aftermath. I hated the camerawork in this movie but the way the story is crafted feels very fresh. 3) Official Secrets There we...

This isn't how the law works. Fresh out of Harvard, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) moves to Alabama to work on overturning wrongfully convicted Death Row inmates alone side, local Eva. (Brie Larson) One of these inmates is Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx) whose case was so clumsily thrown together that its baffling. He must force the racist lawmakers and police officers in McMillian's town to see that they made a mistake and arrested the wrong person. Bryan is a real person and is still fighting for those wrongfully convicted today. I think this film does a fine job of telling one of those stories. I worried director Destin Daniel Cretton would go the romanticized route he took his last feature, The Glass Castle , and though some of this feels familiar I think he handled it well and the actors elevated a story we have seen before. The racism in this film is very strong. I think at one point I would've said it was over the top but I am no longer of that mind...

I will. Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) are given a mission to cross enemy territory during WWI and deliver a message to call off a planned attack that will see 1600 men killed, including Blake's brother.  After what felt like an eternity I finally got to watch the recent Golden Globe winner for Best Drama and it lives up to every bit of hype. I am in awe of this film on a technical level. It's masterful film work. Much has been made of the "single take" method of shooting, and it looks wonderful. It makes us feel like we're in the trenches with Blake and Schofield. We're right there next to them seeing the hopelessness of war. The annoyances and fear of their fellow comrades as they push by them on what feels like a suicide mission. The score, which is beautiful is one of the things that had me on the edge of my seat. Every time it picked up I was afraid of something terrible happening - ...

I can't believe I set my alarm and got up early on my day off for this. This is the most frustrating year of following the Oscars for me, and that's saying something after the mediocrity that was Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody won a bunch of Oscars last year. We now live in world where Joker has the most nominations and the Oscars are still so white and so male. There are a few bright spots that I'm excited about, like Jojo Rabbit getting way more Oscars that I expected, but I'm just disappointed with so much. Here are a list of the nominations plus my thoughts.  Best Picture Ford v Ferrari The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women Marriage Story 1917 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Parasite Would it kill these people to just use 10 slots? You're telling me there was no room for Knives Out or Dolemite is my Name here?  Best Director Martin Scorsese - The Irishman Todd Phillips - Joker Sam Mendes - 1917 Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time i...