Rambling Film

Official synopsis:  A film that weaves together re-enactments, archive footage and fairy-tale sequences to create a testament to the history of Lebanese and Palestinian women to the political struggles of the twentieth century. Commemorating its 40 year anniversary, Lebanese director Heiny Srour 's film was recently restored and released in North American cinemas for the first time. Shot over the course of 7 years and often times in secret, it takes a look at the lives of women through the time traveling titular character, Leila. ( Nabila Zeitouni) It was impossible to watch this and think of my own privilege. Especially when you're met with such striking images like the women sitting on the beach, clad in full burkas while the men are allowed to frolic in bathing suits. It's a frustrating double standard that is not lost on me. I am a bit ashamed that this film was never on my radar prior to its re-release. This is a special Blind Spot. While my list is normally made up of...

Mike White's "Eat The Rich" anthology series wrapped up its Thailand adventure this past Sunday, and boy do I have thoughts. Unfortunately I have to get into spoiler territory, though I will try to keep it as vague as possible, but the season finale really threw a curveball at me. I'm going to break down my critiques per character "groups" Three Lady Friends Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, and Michelle Monaghan fully stressed me out with their cattiness at the beginning, but in the best way. I actually liked their story from start to finish. My only complaint was the teased connection with Bibb with Parker Posey's character that went absolutely nowhere. The Ratliff's Despite Jason Isaac STRUGGLING with his southern U.S accent throughout, I was actually the most invested in this weirdo family's problems at first, but it ended up being very anticlimactic. They tease something pretty sinister in the last episode, and I think it would've made for a bet...

Official synopsis: A rebellious young woman, Helen Hopper marries a prominent Republican politician, Pete McCloskey twenty-six years older than her. Decades later, anticipating his death, she wrestles with their marriage, her sexuality, and a life spent by his side.  Not being a resident of California, I wasn't aware of McCloskey's long political history. Though reading that he called out Pat Robertson for lying about his experience during the Korean War to the point where Robertson sued him for libel, then had to abandon his lawsuit after McCloskey had receipts to back it up, and instead had to pay all his legal fees gives me great joy. I preface this because I wasn't really sure what to expect going into Helen and The Bear. I just knew I wanted to learn more.  Helen was immediately fascinating to me. She's free-spirited and on paper you wouldn't think she'd fall for someone like Pete, but they make it work. Their marriage isn't one size fits all. Helen s...

  Official synopsis: A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered. I realized with the recent death of the legendary Gene Hackman, that despite feeling like I always knew who he was, I haven't actually seen a lot of his filmography. According to what's listed on letterboxd, prior to The Conversation, I had only seen 5% of it. So I made it a priority to check out one of his films for my next Blind Spot, and his starring role in Francis Ford Coppola's feature sounded like a good place to start. It's fun to see Coppola regulars like Robert DuVall and John Cazale pop up in this ,but the biggest treat for me was Harrison Ford as Martin, the "go between" for the man hiring Hackman's Harry to spy on the couple. He's just so effortlessly cool, even though his character is quite shady. He's on screen for all of 10 minutes yet all I could think of is how ...

Official synopsis:  In 1950s Mexico City, an American immigrant (Daniel Craig) leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student (Drew Starkey) stirs the man into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone. Director Luca Guadagnino started last year on a high note with Challengers and I expected it to end on that same note with Queer . Especially after hearing all the praise for Daniel Craig's performance.  I wanted to like this so badly, but I STRUGGLED with Queer. Craig does give a wonderful performance but Starkey is drag compared to him. It's the same way I felt about Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer in the far better  Call Me By Your Name. The lead is doing all the heavy lifting, and the supporting man just flops. The same could be said for the film itself. It's starts off strong. It's vibrant and interesting, then when our characters leave Mexico City the entire film goes down hill. It almost f...

Official synopsis:  A mysterious woman (Okwui Okpokwasili)  repeatedly appears in Ramona's (Danielle Deadwyler) front yard, often delivering chilling warnings and unsettling messages, leaving them to question her identity, motives and the potential danger she might pose. It's not often that I'll see a PG-13 horror film in theaters. But the trailers featuring the women looked genuinely unsettling and Danielle Deadwyler is a hell of a talent. Surely this film must be something special if she signed on?  The Woman in the Yard might try to force some jump scares here and there, but the image of the woman alone works well. It's creepy and you're never quite sure what exactly is going to happen. I appreciated this about the film. It's a similar film to The Babadook in that it deals with grief, but it keeps you guessing where it's going to go. Even the annoying teenagers in my theater shut up after a certain point to pay attention.  The cast is small, making up of ...

Official synopsis:  When intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse (Cate Blanchett) is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband (Michael Fassbender) - also a legendary agent - faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country. Steven Soderbergh's newest is a stylish spy thriller that clocks in at an easy 93 minutes. Blanchett alone would have me seated, but her with Fassbender and a strong supporting cast really elevated this film above my expectations.  This was the image that immediately came to mind when the film kicks off with what might be the most awkward dinner table scene of all time and it keeps that energy throughout. It's well paced, it kept me guessing, and it always had my interest.  Blanchett and Fassbender are perfectly cast. She's mysterious and elusive, he's almost robotic in his nature, but it's never off putting. The supporting cast around them is excellent as well. Particularly Naomie Harris and Marisa Abela.  There ...

I was talking about Severance with my friends recently, and one of them remarked on how he hopes the show doesn't "end up like Lost " and not answer all the questions it asks. Thankfully, this season answered a lot of our burning questions. As always with on going seasons, I'm splitting this review up into the good, the bad, and what I'm looking forward to. The Good * Tramell Tillman is an absolute treasure. I have big "i can fix him!" energy when it comes Mr. Milchick. I just know he's got good in him somewhere. With every episode, I feel we're getting closer to him turning. Or at least I can hope.  * We know what the MDR team is going! They could've easily dragged that out another season, but I'm glad we got our answers now. * Less Ms. Cobel. Patricia Arquette is fine, and I thought what we learned about her character this season was very interesting, but I liked that we had less of her and more of Mr. Milchick and the introduction of ...

Official synopsis:  A man, Mickey (Dante Basco) comes up with an outlandish plan to avoid alimony obligations to his fashion executive ex-wife, Avery (KC Concepcion). How far would you go to avoid alimony? If your answer was catfishing a gorgeous yet awkward dude, Lee (Paolo Montalban) on a dating website with the profile of your ex-wife, then coaching him into saying all the right things so she falls in love with him - then you and Mickey would be fast friends. I have to admit I don't watch many rom coms anymore, but the premise of Asian Persuasion was enough to pique my interest. Not to mention, it kind of makes you fall in love with this side of Queens. Director  Jhett Tolentino shot this during COVID, and while that is kind of obvious with how people are staged, it almost gives you more space to enjoy the scenery. Plus Mickey owns a coffee shop called "The Fili Beans" and that is an A+ name. Solid premise aside, the range of acting skills in this film is...vast. Some...

This 4 part mini-series follows the Miller family. There's Mum and Dad (Christine Tremarco and Stephen Graham) and their two children Lisa and Jamie. (Amelie Peace and Owen Cooper) Only, it's not a normal Saturday morning. On the morning we meet the Millers, police are breaking down their door and arresting their 13 year old son for the murder of one of his classmates.  Jamie, small, frail, and confused cries that he didn't do it. His dad of course believes him. Then when all the evidence is laid out on the table, this series turns from the murder mystery you thought it might be to the aftermath of what toxic masculinity and the manosphere can do to a child.  We follow Jamie's story in 4 distinct parts. Episode one is the day of the arrest. Episode 2 is a few days later and follows the police investigation. Episode 3 is a session with a psychologist, and episode 4 goes back to Jamie's family in the wake of it all. Each episode is shot as one continuous take.  What s...

Official Synopsis : Mickey 17 (Robert Pattinson), known as an "expendable," goes on a dangerous journey to colonize an ice planet. I'm a simple woman. I see "new film by Bong Joon Ho" and I go see it. I have not read the novel on which this is based, so I cannot compare the two, but this was on my must see list nonetheless. Mickey 17 can now be counted as the film that finally got me on the Robert Pattinson bandwagon. I never thought he was a bad actor, just one I really cared for. He was never the standout for me in a film, but here he absolutely is. The Mickey we spend the most time with is kind of slow, but very sincere, and Pattinson plays him well. His accent in the trailer sounds somewhat cartoony, but it fits so well in the film itself. When he has to play another more brooding version later, he easily transitions. He's also helped by some tremendously strong supporting performances from Naomie Ackie, Mark Ruffalo, and Toni Collette. Ruffalo in partic...

It's that time of year! You know, that time where I'm three months late with my favorite films of the previous year. The ironic part is the few movies that were stopping me from publishing this list due to their later release dates didn't even make it. Without further ado... Honorable Mentions These films held a top 10 spot at some point throughout the year before they were bumped off A Quiet Place: Day One, Cuckoo, Deadpool vs Wolverine, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Blink Twice, Maxxine, The Outrun, Babes, Nosferatu Bonus Pick: This was technically a 2023 release, but it made huge waves in 2024 that I felt it deserved its own place. Red Rooms No movie got under my skin the way Red Rooms did. A movie I saw for the first time on an airplane screen. It's disturbing without showing any gore and may make you completely rethink how you consume true crime. My Top 10 Films of 2024 10. Wicked Little Letters *Saorise Ronan voice* WOMEN! I adore this charming little flick...

Official synopsis:  During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, an American sports broadcasting team must adapt to live coverage of the Israeli athletes being held hostage by a terrorist group. This is the last big Oscar movie I had to see (and thankfully I did get to it before the ceremony...just late on writing reviews) and I'm glad to have ended on a solid note. September 5 is not the showiest film of the bunch, but it's certainly worthy of its Original Screenplay nod. I already like broadcast/journalism movies to begin with, so this was always going to be up my alley. The entire film takes place in their broadcast room. It's cold and dark. At one point they go outside and the daylight just seems like it's intruding. It's pretty remarkable what this team accomplished considering they normally focus on sports. They ushered in a new way of watching breaking news. This isn't lost on them, and the conversations they have with each other raise all the imp...

Official synopsis:  When twin brothers Bill and Hal (Theo James) find their father's old monkey toy, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. I love a good horror comedy. Ridiculously over the top gore that barely make physical sense? Yes. I'm here for it. Give me that campy garbage. Needless to say, I had high expectations for The Monkey. I'm ready to laugh at dumb things. The thing with horror comedy though, crowds matter and hopefully you're watching with one that is laughing at everything as hard as you are. The wrong crowd can kill the vibe, and that's unfortunately what I got stuck with. Some folks wouldn't stop talking, others kept looking at their phones. Nearly every big moment didn't "hit" right because these idiots were too distracted with other things, and therefore killing the fun for everyone else.  It's a shame because there are prett...

We made it! Conan was a safe host. He had a couple good jokes, but stayed very neutral with politics. There were some puzzling musical numbers, like a Bond tribute full of people who didn't actually write any Bond songs. There were some surprise wins, some for the good, others not so much. Here are my thoughts on all the winners. Best Picture Anora The Brutalist A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez Nickel Boys I’m Still Here The Substance Wicked I will admit defeat here. A lot of people were predicting Anora, I just couldn't see it over Conclave, but it won big tonight, especially Sean Baker.  Best Director Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez Brady Corbet – The Brutalist Sean Baker – Anora Coralie Fargeat – The Substance James Mangold – A Complete Unknown Baker had quite the night. I liked that he thanked the sex worker industry, which has played a huge part in several of his films.  Best Actress Cynthia Erivo – Wicked Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez Mikey Madi...

I can't believe the Oscars are already this Sunday! I'll likely miss the first half hour or so of the ceremony due to my son's sports schedule, but I'll be following along and tweeting on BlueSky. Below are who I think is going to win, and in some cases, who should win.  Best Picture Anora The Brutalist A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez Nickel Boys I’m Still Here The Substance Wicked Who will win: Conclave Who should win: That, Anora or Dune: Part II We have a race! Since BAFTA and SAG both went for Conclave, I'm going in that direction too. I know a lot of people say Anora is still in it, and that would be a great win, but I still feel Conclave is stronger.  Best Director Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez Brady Corbet – The Brutalist Sean Baker – Anora Coralie Fargeat – The Substance James Mangold – A Complete Unknown Who will win: Brady Corbet Who should win: Coralie Fargeat It really could go between Baker or Corbet. Baker has been Oscar nomina...

The SAG awards return to us live and uncensored on Netflix. (was so caught off guard when Colin Farrell's F bomb went through without being muted) Kristen Bell hosted. She started off really shaky, but her rendition of "Do You Want To Be An Actor" brought it home. Jane Fonda received the lifetime achievement awards and gave a powerful speech that is sure to make a bunch of clowns big mad, and we even got a few surprises! Below are my thoughts on the winners.  I went 11/15 with my picks this evening.  Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture A COMPLETE UNKNOWN ANORA CONCLAVE EMILIA PÉREZ WICKED I feel like Conclave is officially our Best Picture front runner now, right? Selfishly, even though I liked other movies better, I'm good with this because the first thing that came out of my mouth when the credits started to roll on Conclave was "This movie is winning Best Picture" and sometimes I love being right.  Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor...