Rambling Film

Official synopsis: A languid, impressionistic story of three generations of Gullah women living on the South Carolina Sea Islands in 1902. I wanted to add more films directed by women to my Blind Spot list this year, and when doing so Daughters of the Dust was an easy inclusion. It's one I've thought about for a while, and thankfully Mubi is streaming it for all to see. Daughters of the Dust is a gorgeous film. It's poetry in motion with its stunning cinematography and costumes. The film feels like an extended dream sequence. The style reminded me a bit of Picnic at Hanging Rock in that aspect. (I preferred this film far more) Gullah culture is something I'm well versed in, so I can't speak to any smaller intricacies involved, especially with the language used.  Admittedly, there were times my attention wavered, but a lot of that had to do with the very annoying blizzard happening outside my windows, and my kid kicking a soccer ball around the house because of said...

Official synopsis:  Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden beside the camp. With this, I've officially seen all 10 Best Picture nominations. This one has been quite elusive, which is why I went to see it right away, knowing it probably won't hang around my theater for long.  Everything you've heard about this film's sound design is true. What the editors and mixers did with this was incredible. Scary, depressing, but incredible work. The technical elements of this film are the strongest, but it struggles with the story. I give writer/director Jonathan Glazer a lot of credit because this is a very different take on a WWII movie, but I struggled to understand the point of it all when it was over. I expected the Höss'  to be challenged a bit more. To maybe struggle with their decision to be so flippant about the death happening right outside their fancy...

The SAGS are upon us tomorrow and here I am, late with my predictions. This year is starting out to be my flop era of blogging. Anywho, here's who I think will win and in some cases should probably win instead.  OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE American Fiction Barbie The Color Purple Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Who will and should win: Oppenheimer Oppie seems to be gaining some of the momentum Barbie had initially, so I see them taking the big prize.  OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Annette Bening – Nyad Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon Carey Mulligan – Maestro Margot Robbie – Barbie Emma Stone – Poor Things Who will win: Lily Gladstone Who should win: Lily or Emma Stone Emma has all the momentum right now so SAGs are make or break for Lily. Truthfully, the win will mean more for Lily, but I still think her performance is supporting and not lead. If we're talking a true lead, Emma gave the best performance...

Official Synopsis : A pair of business rivals (Josh Sharpe and Aaron Jackson) discover that they're identical twins and decide to swap places in an attempt to trick their divorced parents (Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally) to get back together. I saw the trailer for this film in front of Bottoms last year and it opens with Jackson singing the line "My cock is fucking massive, it always makes the ladies sore." I laughed. It was ridiculous, and I knew that would be the tone for the whole film. But what I was hoping was going to be dumb fun ended up being just plain old dumb. My family and I needed a laugh, and I put this on thinking it would do just that, but it ended up being incredibly annoying and unfunny. There are probably two jokes that land in its entire 90 minute run time. It also chooses to end on an incest joke that just doesn't land. The performances are very inconsistent. Sharpe and Jackson have good chemistry together, despite not being very funny. Lane and ...

Writer and professor Howard Suber takes a deep dive into the art of story telling techniques, tropes, and everything in between in this 6 episode TCM series. Before I get into my thoughts, I must apologize for being MIA recently. A family member died tragically and unexpectedly so writing had to sit on the back burner while I traveled to be with family and help with all the things that come after. (Which is honestly too much) But, if there's one thing that does help distract me from life's curveballs, it's movies and a docuseries about them came at a welcomed time. Each episode focuses on a different theme. First, there's "Popular and Memorable" this episode sets the tone for the series and lets the view know these are going to be very TCM-centric films being discussed. When I hear "Popular" I immediately think of franchises like MCU, DCEU, Fast and the Furious and such, but none of those are mentioned here.  Episode two is titled "Trapped"...

In my last TV recap, I spent most of it raving about how much of an unexpected surprise season two of Dr. Death was. It got me thinking that maybe taking the time to recap a series/season once it is over might be a better format for me. So here I am, late to the party on a Hulu mini series that came out at the beginning of the year, and resurfaced with a SAG nomination for its lead actress, Bel Powley. A Small Light tells the story of Miep Gies, who helped aid the Frank family in hiding during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. We all know Anne Frank's story, so seeing the lens shift to Miep, who was an extraordinary woman in her own right is a welcomed take on a popular story. Powley's Miep is fun. She's talkative, sweet, a hard worker, and her report with Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) is fun to watch. Even though the series hits the ground running with the Franks going into hiding, it does a great job of showing how Miep and Otto's relationship starts from an awkw...