Rambling Film

Official synopsis:  Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature (Jacob Elordi) to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation. I really need to read Mary Shelley's masterpiece because I've seen so many versions of it, and I'm never sure what exactly they're pulling from the book, and what is brand new. One thing is certain, Director Guillermo del Toro has a lot of love for this work. He chooses an interesting framing device to tell this story, one that I'm not sure really works as a whole. It's told in chapters, with Frankenstein and his monster relaying their story to a poor ship captain (Lars Mikkelson) who is honestly having the worst day.  This is a lot of film. At over 2.5 hours, we are on a journey and it feels like it. I think del Toro's love for the property might have gotten in the way of tighter filmmaking. Frankenstein isn't...

Official Synopsis : Two conspiracy-obsessed young men, Teddy and Don (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, Michelle (Emma Stone) convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. You know you can expect "weird" from a Yorgos Lanthimos joint. Bugonia sees him return with his muse, Emma Stone and they continue to be a match made in Heaven. Even when the film isn't as strong (hello, Kinds of Kindness ) those two together is magic. And adding Plemons to the mix is the icing on the cake. I have to admit I was a bit hesitant with this one after reading early reviews. I went in with low expectations but came out pleasantly surprised. While this isn't my favorite of Yorgos', it's nowhere near the bottom either. Bugonia is a biting satire on conspiracy theorists and the scary lengths they can go when they think they are right. Plemons is no stranger to playing evil characters, so it's no surprise he shines ...

Official Synopsis: Something bad happened to Agnes (Eva Victor). But life goes on - for everyone around her, at least. Including her best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie) Eva Victor takes on the triple threat roll of writing, directing and acting in her first feature length film and after this showing, I can't wait to see more from her. I think I tend to gravitate towards characters that feel uncomfortable for whatever reason. And Agnes is somewhat anxious and uncomfortable even before this traumatic thing happens to her. There's a lot of awkward people in this film over all. It's similar to Napoleon Dynamite or Eagle vs Shark in that way, but in no way grating. I really connected with this, not just with Agnes' discomfort, but I was charmed by her friendship with Lydie. It's so beautiful and pure and Naomi Ackie breathes so much life into this role. Everyone deserves a friend like Lydie.  Sorry, Baby might be a bit too irreverent for the masses but I really enjoyed it, ...

I keep falling behind with reviewing the series I've been watching and it started to get a bit daunting, so I'm going to share some quick thoughts instead. We love a concise post. Right? Hacks (season 4) This show is hilarious but I think they've plateaued on where they can take this. Having Deborah lose her talk show by the end of the season was a huge bummer. I felt like they could've kept going with that story. Hopefully they bring it back next season. And I wouldn't be upset if it ended. It feels like the right time. Peacemaker (season 2) I really should've watched a recap of season 1 before starting this because BOY did I forget a lot. The season overall was pretty funny, but I think Peacemaker is at its best when it focuses more on Chris and his friendship with Ads then it does his relationship with Harcourt. It also felt like they dumbed down Vigilante way too much. The best scenes were when the gang was all together.  Tim Meadows and his "bird blind...

Official Synopsis:  Henrik Ibsen's renowned stage drama from 1891 is reimagined in an epic and emotional way. I can't say I'm familiar with Ibsen's play. It was Nia DaCosta, Tessa Thompson and Imogen Poots' names that drew my attention. This puts me at a bit of a disadvantage because I can't really compare the "updated" changes DaCosta made. And after watching Hedda , while I didn't hate it, I also don't feel compelled to learn more about the original play either. Hedda is a rich girl, trapped in her high society facades and it all comes to a crescendo at a party she's throwing in the home she and her husband can't afford.  There's a lot going on here and I occasionally had trouble following how some of these people knew each other. If they were having affairs, or if they were just previous relationships. It wasn't an enticing story to me. That doesn't mean there's nothing here. Thompson, Poots and Nina Hoss are all givi...

Official Synopsis : A minor disagreement between neighbors in Florida takes a lethal turn, with police body camera footage and interviews probing the aftermath of the state's controversial "stand your ground" laws. When the Gotham Award nominations were announced the other day, someone kindly posted on Blue Sky where you could watch a handful of the nominated films on streaming. This documentary is currently on Netflix, and despite trending at #2 as I write this, I somehow completely missed it.  This documentary is not only a very necessary commentary on Florida's "stand your ground" laws but it's a test of endurance. Because you will be watching lot of bullshit unfold and you're only going to get madder as it goes on. Murderer Susan Lorincz called the police on the children in her neighborhood for having the audacity to play in a field near her apartment that was NOT her property so many times that there was enough body cam footage of it to make a f...

Official Synopsis: A college professor Alma (Julia Roberts) finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star pupil Maggie (Ayo Edeberi) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues, Hank (Andrew Garfield) and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come to light. Luca Guadagnino is one of those directors that I keep trying to love. Often, I find myself lukewarm. I think highly of Call Me By Your Name and Challengers for the most part, they're not perfect, but the pros far outweigh the cons. With After The Hunt, I was so on board with what this film was doing for the longest time, until it felt like it was starting to interrogate me with endless "what ifs" then didn't even have the courtesy to answer all of them. I'm begging writers to stop using ambiguity as a crutch. Materialists caught a bit of flack earlier this year for how it frames a character's sexual assault, but by the time this film was over, I think what After The ...

Official Synopsis:  Valentín (Diego Luna), a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina (Tonitiuh), convicted for public indecency. An unlikely bond forms as Molina recounts a Hollywood musical plot starring Ingrid Luna. (Jennifer Lopez) I'll start off by saying I've never seen the 1985 version of this film, nor have I seen the stage show. So fortunately for me, I don't have anything pre-existing to compare this to. And even more fortunately for me, I LOVED every moment of it. Sometimes a film feels like it's made for you, and this one feels like that for me. A film about a movie lover, that breaks into a technicolor musical, yet also features some very good dramatic performances. It had everything I could want.  Diego Luna has chemistry with everyone he encounters. I've known that in a while, but I feel like between this and Andor I've spent a lot more time with him this year and it really hammers it home. I loved both his scenes in the musical numbers, and ...

Official synopsis:  Follows headteacher Steve (Cillian Murphy) battling for his reform college's survival while managing his mental health. Concurrently, troubled student Shy (Jay Lycurgo) navigates his violent tendencies and fragility, torn between his past and future prospects. You've got to love Cillian Murphy winning that Oscar and going back to making these smaller scale, quiet films he loves. This time he's re-teaming with Small Things Like These director Tim Mielents. This film touches on mental health, how underfunded some of the resources are, and how you really have to be caring and committed to help these individuals through it. And to top that off, they're all being filmed for a news segment.  Steve is shot pretty frantically at times, which perfectly captures the hot and cold moods we find at this school. Mielents manages to do this in a way that doesn't feel amateur. Sometimes it was a little distracting, but it always made sense. If anything, this fil...

Official Synopsis: In Northern England, Jem (Sean Bean) heads out on a journey into the woods to reconnect with the estranged hermit brother, Ray (Daniel Day-Lewis) with whom he shared a complicated past that was altered by life-changing events decades ago. Sometimes you have to thank good old fashioned nepotism because without it, we might not have seen the return of the great Daniel Day-Lewis. This film, written and directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis is the first time we've seen him act since 2017's Phantom Thread .  He's still got it, but no one ever doubted that. Anemone is a very slow burn about the relationship between brothers and fathers and sons and every time the film stops to discuss those stories, it's great. There is an excellent story here, unfortunately it might have been a bit too much to handle for a first time director who's eager to show what he can do behind the camera. A lot of this film is lost on long takes, montages, and sweeping scenery. ...

Official Synopsis:  A platoon of Navy SEALs embark on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event. I normally only write reviews of new releases on my blog, and share my thoughts for what I watch at home for my letterboxd , but Warfare blew me away and I just NEED to talk more about it. I almost went to see this so many times in theaters, and inevitably something always came up. Now that's it's available on HBO Max, I finally took the plunge, and I'm kicking myself for not throwing some theater money at this.  I can't think of another film that captures the pointlessness of the Iraq war more than this one. Co-director Ray Mendoza, (who is played by  D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai in the film)  wanted to tell the story of this mission. In fact, the entire screenplay was written around his and his fellow SEALS recollections. What struck me was how easy it would've been for them to leave out the parts...

Official Synopsis:  Comic and podcast pioneer Marc Maron reflects on loss and growth after the death of his partner, Lynn Shelton. As he processes grief and crafts comedy, he revisits his career, family struggles, and the evolving comedy world at 60. I like Marc Maron's comedy, but I loved Lynn Shelton's directing. She had a great eye and made so many interesting indie features. She was taken far too soon by a blood disease she didn't even know she had back in 2020. This documentary is a way for her partner Marc to process his grief while still keeping her spirit alive. Are We Good? is a mix of sweet and cynical, just as you'd expect it to be. Maron has always been the type to lay it all out for his fans. His podcast, standup, and instagram lives are proof of that, and he does the same here. What this turns into is a very sweet look into what a Comedian does after loss. Do they still keep being funny? Is that appropriate? If so, how soon?  I realized as this doc came to...

Official synopsis:  When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue one of their own's daughter. Despite Paul Thomas Anderson directing, and excellent talent like Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall and Benicio del Toro being involved, I wasn't quite sure what to think of the trailer of One Battle After Another. It looked....fine. When the second trailer came out, wildly different than the first, I wondered if this was going to have a tone problem. Thankfully, that was just another case of trailer editors' poor decisions, because One Battle After Another has a lot to say, and is far more timely then you'd think.  It's great to see a major studio back a film that is very harshly critiquing those against immigration. Even more so, it lampoons the white supremacists at the very top of the ladder. I wonder if those who see this film will even recognize themselves. In between all of the harshness, it's spri...

Official synopsis:  A young football star, Cam (Tyriq Withers) descends into a world of terror when he's invited to train with a legendary champion (Marlon Wayans) whose charisma curdles into something darker. I knew this film was getting trashed before I bought my ticket, but something about Him has had me intrigued ever since I saw the first trailer. I'm happy to say it's not as bad as I thought it would be. But it's still bad. Writer/Director Justin Tipping shoots this film like he just discovered Nicolas Winding Refn. Sure, there's some great shots here and there, but going full art house and slapping your audience in the face with symbolism is never the way to go. Especially when you actually have an interesting premise. There are TONS of people that treat football like a religion, and it's easy to see how a training camp could descend into a cult of hazing hell. But this film isn't interested in exploring much of that. It would rather show you a fancy...

Official synopsis : A group of young men compete in an annual contest known as "The Long Walk," lead by The Major (Mark Hammill) in which they must maintain a certain walking speed or die. The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence loves him some kids thrown into an possible situation to elevate themselves and their families out of poverty and this time instead of an arena we get 50 boys, chosen via a lottery system to participate in The Long Walk. Winners gets a bunch of money and one wish. Our main protagonist is Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) who signs up for the lottery with very specific reasons. He instantly befriends McVries (David Jonsson) among others. A film with this premise gets about as brutal and gross as you would expect it to be, but what struck me was how instantly attached I got to Garraty, McVries, and their little group. There's a wide range of personalities on the Long Walk. Assholes, stoic meat heads, kids that are definitely not over the age of 18, and c...

Official synopsis:  Two young men, Lionel (Paul Mescal) and David (Josh O'Connor)  set out to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen after WWI. Sound isn't just something you hear. You can see it, feel it, associate it with colors and memories. Lionel and David are a perfect match in how much they appreciate songs.  From singing in a bar, to hiking through Maine in search of something new, it's easy to fall in love with these two. I wasn't aware this film was based on a short story until after the credits started rolling, but it that makes sense. I was struck at just how rich this story was. Even though it hits some familiar notes, it felt very fresh. There were some scenes that felt clunky, likely because writer Ben Shattuck had to expand his original work, but they are few and far between. Mescal and O'Conner have been proving themselves as some of the most interesting actors working today for a while now, and they deliver wonderful perfor...

84 years later, I'm here to share my thoughts on the Emmy winners. I didn't get to watch the show live, and I've been traveling since. Below is a list of winners + my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours in the comments Best Drama Series Andor The Diplomat The Last of Us Paradise The Pitt Severance Slow Horses The White Lotus So I knew The Pitt was popular (I plan on starting it after I wrap up 2 series I have on deck beforehand) but I was really surprised to see it overtake Severance here.  Best Comedy Series Abbott Elementary The Bear Hacks Nobody Wants This Only Murders in the Building Shrinking The Studio The Studio winning big was no surprise here. Seth Rogen had a good night.  Best Limited or Anthology Series Adolescence Black Mirror Dying for Sex Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story The Penguin Adolescence had a great showing tonight, and it was very well deserved. I hate that this had to go head to head with The Penguin. In a perfect world, they'd both win...

Official synopsis:  Movie star Marlon Brando (Billy Zane) recruits a Los Angeles architect, Bernard Judge (Jon Heder) to build the world's first ecologically perfect retreat on a small, uninhabited island in Tahiti. Waltzing With Brando showed up on the Oscar shortlist for Best Makeup late last year, only for the film not to meet the eligibility requirements to qualify. Then it felt like it disappeared. (Kind of like Brando seemingly wanted to do in Tahiti) I had mostly forgotten about it until the screener landed in my inbox. Now with release date later this week, we're ready to see Zane's passion project. First and foremost, Zane makes an excellent Brando. He nails his mannerisms and almost sounds exactly like him. The film has Zane recreate some of Brando's iconic scenes, and while not really necessary for the story being told, it was fun to see. I'd love for Zane and the makeup team involved here to really tackle a hard hitting biopic about him. He lived quite ...

Official synopsis:  A tinderbox of competition and resentments underneath the façade of a picture-perfect couple, Theo and Ivy (Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman) is ignited when Theo's professional dreams come crashing down. I'll start by saying I've never seen Danny DeVito's original The War of the Roses , so I cannot compare the two. After watching this, I would like to check it out eventually because this was absolutely hysterical.  Cumberbatch and Colman would make a great couple in any kind of movie, but it's nice to see them get to flex their comedic chops here. Theo and Ivy have a great meet cute, and a great report until things come crashing down for them. They're also surrounded by a (mostly) great supporting cast that matches their energy. Alison Janney shows up for 5 minutes and has one of the funniest lines in the entire movie. I had one minor problem with the film, and critic David Chen summed it up very well on his Letterboxd: "Kate McK...

The Emmys are next week! I won't get to watch the ceremony live due to another commitment, but I plan on following along on my phone as best I can. I feel like I'm constantly playing catch up with movies and TV lately, so I'll probably be way off in my predictions, but these posts are always fun to write. Here's who I think will win, and in some cases who should win. Best Drama Series Andor The Diplomat The Last of Us Paradise The Pitt Severance Slow Horses The White Lotus Who will win: Severance Who should win: Andor...but also Severance. Look, I love Severance as much as everyone else but Andor really blew me away this year. I wish it would take the top prize, but I don't see that happening.  Best Comedy Series Abbott Elementary The Bear Hacks Nobody Wants This Only Murders in the Building Shrinking The Studio What We Do in the Shadows Who will win: The Studio Who should win: What We Do in the Shadows I haven't caught up with season 4 of Hacks, and I'm not...

Official synopsis : Follows Elvira (Lea Myren) as she battles against her gorgeous stepsister, Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss)  in a realm where beauty reigns supreme. She resorts to extreme measures to captivate the prince ( Isac Calmroth)  , amidst a ruthless competition for physical perfection. It's no coincidence that some of the best body horror films are ones that are about the ridiculous beauty standards placed upon women. "Beauty is pain" after all. The two go hand in hand.  Here, first time director Emilie Blichfeldt takes a classic fairy tale that we all know and dials it up to eleven. Prepare to cringe. Poor Elvira goes to serious lengths to be deemed "beautiful." Nevermind that Elvira IS already beautiful, but she has *gasp* braces and a bump in her nose. ( allegedly) Her mother doesn't support her daughter and tell her she's fine the way she is, instead she encourages the painful procedures Elvira goes through. It's hard to watch on multipl...

Official Synopsis:  Years into their relationship, Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country. With tensions already flaring, an encounter with an unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love and their flesh. Together had a lot of buzz coming out of Sundance only to be hit with a plagiarism lawsuit against another film that was apparently pitched to Franco and Brie back in 2020 - Better Half. I wondered if this would ruin the film's chances at a wide release, but they prevailed and Better Half still doesn't have a distributer to release the film so the world can compare. The lawsuit is still ongoing, though.  I have to admit that did give me pause, but I still wanted to see this. If Better Half ever gets a release, I'll watch that too. Together is exactly as creepy, gross, and amusing as I'd hoped it would be. It makes for a worthy entry into the body horror genre. It's not very bloody, bu...

Official synopsis:  A gay novelist, Owen (Fionn O'Shea) and his psychiatric nurse (Erin Kellyman) bond over a series of "dates" prescribed to "cure" his homosexuality. He tells her how his previous relationship degenerated when his partner, Philip (Robert Aramayo) tried a risky procedure to become heterosexual. Robert Aramayo has been absolutely killing it on Amazon's The Rings of Power , a show that apparently only myself and my husband watch. Through him, this little film came on my radar as it slowly made its way around the festival circuit.  Lilies Not For Me is not a light viewing, and I didn't expect it to be. Any film about gay folks in the 1920's can't possibly be without pain. Though this did take it a few steps further than I expected. While not overly graphic, the things that happen are horrible and it makes you just want to wrap the men in this story in a warm blanket and tell them everything is going to be okay. It's quite horri...

Official synopsis:  When the children from Ms. Gandy's class (Julia Garner) mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance. I've talked on this blog several times about my love for the former comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U'Know and how one of the members, Zach Cregger has turned into a very interesting horror director with his last feature, Barbarian . Needless to say, I was always going to be seated for this. First, I have to say the marketing for this film has been incredible and I wish more studios would take note. One trailer, perfectly explains the synopsis, and doesn't give anything away. That's how you're meant to into every mystery movie. There's a lot of subtle and not so subtle foreshadowing for where there children went, but it doesn't make the road to get there any less fun. Cregger continues to do a great job building dread while still throwing in bi...

Official synopsis:  Frida Kahlo is a little girl who is different. Sparkling and vibrant, everything interests her. And when life's trials and tribulations come her way, she faces them with her overflowing imagination. I suppose most people outside of Mexico discover Frida Kahlo as a teenager or young adult. Her vibrant paintings are iconic, and we've seen plenty of film adaptations from her. But the filmmakers behind Hola Frida , and by extension the original mini series - Frida c'est moi this was adapted from want you to learn about her as a child.  For a children's film, I loved this. The animation style is fun and works well with the fantastical elements of Frida's imagination. The film mostly sticks with Frida as a child and how she overcame polio and the bullying that followed after her right leg never truly heals. It's a good story for kids. It has strong themes of friendship, standing up against bullies while also hearing them and the things they may b...