Rambling Film

Official Synopsis:  A model, Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy)  becomes obsessed with a high-profile murder trial. I think I have a bit of "not like other girls" syndrome when it comes to true crime. I consume a decent amount of it, whether it be documentaries or youtube. But I'm not one of THOSE, right? I don't watch creators who do their makeup while talking about someone's death. I skip episodes that talk about torture in explicit detail. I'm just drawn to mysteries, so I'm not that bad, RIGHT? Red Rooms has made me completely evaluate how (or if) I want to consume true crime in the future. Even days later, I cannot stop thinking about this film. It's easily one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen, and there's not a drop of violence in it. Thankfully, writer/director  Pascal Plante spares us from actually seeing the crimes committed in this film. During the opening scene, a prosecutor summarizes them. At one point, a video is played fo...

Official Synopsis:  A bittersweet memoir of a melancholic woman called Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook) - a hoarder of snails, romance novels, and guinea pigs. I need you to understand how caught off guard I was by this movie. When I received a screener, I saw "Sarah Snook" and "Memoir of a Snail" and was sold on that alone. Cool title, great actress, stop motion. Spectacular. I'm in. Didn't even read the synopsis.  I now feel personally attacked by director Adam Elliott. I couldn't tell you when I started crying while watching this. Definitely early on, but I did not stop until well after the credits rolled. I was not expecting this to be so relentlessly sad.  Even though the film is peppered with some truly hysterical scenes it always comes back to Grace and how alone she is now. I'm not familiar with Elliott's work, it sounds like melancholy is his thing, but at least I know to be prepared next time I watch one of his films. And I will, because tears...

Official Synopsis:  A candid documentary that delves into the life of BTS' leader RM as he navigates global stardom while working on his second solo album, offering an intimate glimpse into his creative journey across multiple cities. While I'm probably not an ARMY level BTS fan, I do enjoy their music and more specifically RM. He's always been my favorite. His solo albums get a lot of play time at my home. As my niece would say, "he's your bias!" So while I don't often watch music documentaries, I was intrigued to see one that follows him. Right People, Wrong Place felt like RM's instagram come to life. His handle is @rkive and that's exactly what this doc is. An archive of moments while finishing his album. There's so many shots of him at various photo shoots. It's visually appealing, albeit a bit repetitive. The commentary he provides during these scenes does elevate it. RM comes across as a very deep thinker. He sits with his moments an...

Official Synopsis:  After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose. After ages of pestering my son to go to this with me, and him blowing me off because "the book was meh" I finally caught up with Dream Work's newest animated creation. Visually, it's stunning. The world around Roz comes to life and it's easily some of the best animation the studio has done.  Roz would not be nearly as compelling of a character if not for Lupita Nyong'o's lovely voice. What starts as normal robot speak grows more natural as time progresses and Roz changes. Being a mother to a son, I loved that part of this film the most. Pedro Pascal makes for great comic release with his fox character and friend to Roz and her son. I don't know if it was because he was also a fox, but his entire way of speaking reminded me a lot of wha...

I am so out of the loop that I didn't even realize the Globe nominations were yesterday! At least I know I BAFTA, SAG and Oscars are all announced in January. I have a lot to say about the nominations since I missed tweeting about them on Bluesky (Yes, I made the jump from the artist formerly known as Twitter to Blue Sky Same handle. Come find me!) BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA The Brutalist A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Nickel Boys September 5 I've only seen Dune and Nickel Boys from these nominations, but I want to see them all. Hopefully I can before the awards ceremony. BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY Anora Challengers Emilia Pérez A Real Pain The Substance Wicked I guess this is Musical, Comedy, and Horror now? I love the Substance so I'm fine with it being here because I legit did get a few laughs from it, but come on now.  BEST DIRECTOR, MOTION PICTURE Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez Sean Baker – Anora Edward Berger – Conclave Brady Corbet – The Bruta...

Last week the Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced, but I haven't gotten a chance to talk about them yet. Below is a list of the nominations plus my thoughts. Apologies ahead of time for the weird spacing. I'm traveling this week and can't seem to fix it from my phone.  BEST FEATURE  Anora I Saw the TV Glow Nickel Boys Sing Sing The Substance I've seen all of these except Sing Sing, which I plan on going to as soon as it opens. It's a nice batch of nominees, with Anora and The Substance being my favorites.  BEST FIRST FEATURE   In the Summers Janet Planet The Piano Lesson Problemista The Piano Lesson is the only one I've seen, and that's a great candidate for First Feature. I keep seeing Janet Planet on Delta's in flight movie selection. I'm going to have to pick it when I fly again later in the week.    JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD  – Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000.  Big Boys Ghostlight Girls Will Be Girls Jazzy The Peop...

Official Synopsis:  Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead, Nickel Boys chronicles the powerful friendship between two young African American men navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida. Director RaMell Ross was already great at capturing a moment in time. We saw this with his Oscar nominated short film Hale County, This Morning, This Evening . Here, he sticks close to his documentary roots and makes the decision to film from a first person POV. The actors are either talking to the camera, or we're sitting directly behind someone's head. It's both a bold and frustrating choice. How you handle the camera work is going to make or break this for you. Having read the book, I knew what I was getting into and I found myself distracted by how I was viewing this story instead of being swept up in the gravity of it all. It dominated all aspects of the film. Yes, the actors were good. The director is talented, but when I think back ...

Official Synopsis:  The story of Claressa 'T-Rex' Shields (Ryan Destiny), a boxer from Flint, Michigan who trained to become the first woman in her country's history to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport. It's fitting that Rachel Morrison, the first woman ever to be nominated for a Cinematography Oscar is centering her directorial debut around another woman who broke barriers. We already know she has a great eye, so it's no surprise that The Fire Inside is shot very well.  Shields' environment is easily told through Morrison's lens. The film doesn't need to rely on a longer prologue into her childhood. The opening tracking shot alone tells us so much.  A good sports movie still keeps you on the edge of your seat even when you know the outcome. But The Fire Inside is about much more than Shields' historic Olympic run. Barry Jenkins' screenplay doesn't end at her first Olympics, but chooses to follow her afterwards, when the brutal realit...

Official Synopsis: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Galinda, (Ariana Grande) a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), their friendship reaches a crossroads.   To be perfectly honest, I never really cared for the Wicked stage show. Defying Gravity is a great song, but I was pretty lukewarm on the rest of it. There was actually a point in time where I thought this movie might bomb based on all the drama that seemed to be coming from shooting. But alas, Wicked fever has taken over, and the talent involved got me to give this another try. Wicked is actually part 1, but the Marketing doesn't want you to know that until after you bought your ticket. The nearly three hour movie only covers the play's first act. On paper that doesn't sound great, but I actually really enjoyed seeing Elphaba's story a little more fleshed out. Especi...

Official Synopsis:  Follows the lives of the Charles family as they deal with themes of family legacy and more, in deciding what to do with an heirloom, the family piano. Denzel Washington is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Not just because he's an incredible actor, but also with what he produces.....talented kids and screen versions of August Wilson's plays.  I haven't been lucky enough to see any of Wilson's works on stage, but between Fences, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom , and now The Piano Lesson , all have transitioned well to film and have opened up new audiences to Wilson.  It's hard to believe this is director Malcolm Washington's first feature film. He's very skilled behind the camera. This feels much larger scale than the previous Wilson adaptations and much of that is how Washington chooses to shoot it. He makes the film feel like it exists beyond the main room it takes place in. That's not always easy for something that starts as a play...

Official synopsis:  The story of a boy, George (Elliott Heffernan) trying to get back to his mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) during the German bombing campaign of London during World War II. Saoirse Ronan has had a year of knock out performances between this and The Outrun . It's not often we see her play a mother. So this feels very new, even though it's a story that has been done several times.  She's not the only one I will credit with a fresh take, most of that goes to Director/writer Steve McQueen. I always enjoy his films and this one feels the largest in scope. Centering this well documented event around a young black boy who constantly has to deal with the racism of his countrymen gives us a perspective we don't often see when revisiting WWII films. And Heffernan does a great job. George is stoic and he goes through SO much in the days that we follow him. Whenever he finds a kind person, like Ife (Benjamin Clémentine) you just want them stay with him and help. The s...

When WB announced a TV series dedicated to Colin Farrell's Penguin from the Batman franchise, I wasn't sure what to think. Of course I would be watching it, but it just felt like a strange way to go. Now it turns out this is one of the best limited series I've seen all year. As always, here are some likes, dislikes, and what to look forward to.  LIKES * They really made you feel the weight of the destruction the Riddler caused in The Batman . Seeing the flooding from Vic's point of view really raised the stakes and made you feel the devastation in a way that you couldn't fully grasp when we saw Batman handle it in the movie.  * Cristin Milioti, you will always be famous. * This was a great way to view an antagonist. Never at one point did I root for The Penguin, per say, but I did find it amusing when he's come out on top.  * I was on Sofia's side though... * The ending. Wow, that was sad. I wasn't expecting to feel sad at the end of this series. DISLIKE...

I'm very late with this write up, but how wonderful was Agatha All Along? Wandavision has been my favorite Marvel TV show to date, and this was a lovely follow up. It kept the spirit of its predecessor and was a fun story over all. As always, here are my likes, dislikes, and things to look forward to. LIKES * The costume changes! I love how they kept the theme of the changing decades by having them in different outfits with each task. That was a fun way to pay homage to the original * The acting was amazing. I laughed so hard at Kathryn Hahn's Kate Winslet in Mare of Easttown impression in the first episode.  * Ages three and up for a Ouija board.  * The way Billy came to be made sense. * Agatha continued to be a good mix of the villain we know her as in the series, and the more grey version she is in the comics *TEENAGER! (she used his full name) DISLIKES * Billy Maximoff, do NOT speak about your mother that way! * No Wanda cameo - which was always wishful thinking on my part...

Official synopsis:  When he returns home for his father's birthday, Sam (Elliott Page) finds that his family is struggling to accept his transition. While he did not pen the screenplay, Elliott Page is credited with the story. You can tell Page himself has lived some of these experiences. Sam is going back to his small Canadian home town, presumably the same way Page did himself, and dealt with different reactions to his transition. Because of this, I'm affording the film a little more grace. When someone has lived this, it becomes more than stilted dialogue and stock characters. I can appreciate the heart and the struggle, even though I would not call this a "great" film. I feel like I keep assigning caveats to Close To You. It feels like a first feature, with the score being the same few notes played over and over, but surely that's because there's not many studios willing to put up the budget for this? The dialogue is at times feels like the characters are...

Official synopsis:  Emilia Pérez follows four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. Cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón)  enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an unappreciated lawyer, to help fake her death so that she can finally live authentically as her true self. When Emilia Perez started making waves at Cannes, I was not expecting this to be a musical about a drug kingpin getting gender affirming healthcare. You really have to hand it to director  Jacques Audiard and his writing team for being this bold. Granted I've only seen a few of his other films, but none of them were as out there as this.  Does it work as a musical? Honestly, I'm not sure, but I appreciated the camp in it. It does function as a very fascinating story. Zoe Saldaña gives the best performance of her career. It sounds like she's going to be campaigned in Supporting Actress for this upcoming Oscar season, which is category fraud at its finest. Saldaña is absolutely the le...

Official Synopsis : Mismatched cousins David and Benji (Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Jesse Eisenberg. He gets a lot of flack for being "one note" but I tend to enjoy most of his movies. His last time in the director's chair ( When You Finish Saving The World ) was promising, and he's improved even more with A Real Pain .  Culkin and Eisenberg feel made for each other. You couldn't find two better actors to play these characters. You could argue Eisenberg is writing a version of himself but it's a very honest one. David may often get frustrated with Benji, but he also idolizes him in a way. In a few key scenes where he expresses it, I couldn't help but feel for him. I would say I'm a quieter person as well, and I...

Official synopsis: Anora, (Mikey Madison) a young sex worker from Brooklyn, meets and impulsively marries the son (Mark Eydelshteyn)  of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled. Sorry for being MIA since Nov 6th - The election depressed me, and then I had a full week of work travel. Now I'm trying to play catch up with everything I missed. Of course I had to start my return to the theater with one of the most talked about movies of the year. I've come to really enjoy Sean Baker's films. He often depicts sex workers in a very gentle and judgement free way, and that's no different in this story. I'm not quite sure what I expected from Anora , but it ended up being quite a bit funnier than I was anticipating. It could almost pass for a road trip comedy at one point. In a very ridiculous way, sure. But the thought was there. Mikey Madison has been catching viewers eyes in pl...