Rambling Film

Welcome back to me still trying to figure out how I want to talk about TV on my blog. It's been a BUSY TV month. I only made it to the theater three times (Solid films all around though) and the rest of my movie watching has been on airplane seat backs as April was another busy travel month. But I watched a ton of TV and have so many thoughts. The Pitt (Season 2) - The season is officially finished. I don't think it wrapped up as neatly as season 1 did, but I won't lie and say I wasn't glued to my TV every Thursday waiting to see what happens next. I am worried that Robby "getting close to hitting rock bottom" will be a bit overbearing if they keep going that route in season 3. There's only so many times Noah Wyle can stare sadly at the screen before he turns into an Elizabeth Moss Handmaid's Tale staring parody. I'm sad a talent like Supriya Ganesh is leaving. I get it's a "teaching hospital" and makes sense characters would leave, ...

Official Synopsis:  John Davidson (Robert Aramayo) was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at a young age in the 80's which alienated him from his peers as he struggled with a condition few people had witnessed. I've been singing Robert Aramayo's praises for the past couple of years due to his work on Prime's Rings of Power. His Elrond is better than Hugo Weavings. There, I said it. So I've been anticipating this film for quite some time. Even with the BAFTAs controversy looming over it, I Swear will likely go down in history as THE movie about Tourette's Syndrome.  We meet John as a young teenager played by Scott Ellis Watson. Life is going good for him until he starts developing ticks that he can't control. We then skip 13 years and catch up with John as an adult, who starts to live with his friend's family and bonds with Dottie ( Maxine Peake) and eventually gets a job alongside Tommy. (Peter Mullen)  The film skips the initial diagnosis process in...

  What I knew going in : Nothing Two Blind Spots in one month? Who is she?! Someone who hasn't been to the theater to see a new wide release and who has been spending a lot of time binging TV shows, that's who. But I missed talking about movies, so I decided to head over to the Bette David collection on HBO Max. What drew me to The Star , aside from the fact that it stars both Davis and Natalie Wood was the fact that the premise sounded so similar to All About Eve , which I loved. I just had to see why Davis would want to do this again. And while the stories are very different, one of them is a clear winner. And this ain't it. I wouldn't call this movie "bad" because Bette is truly captivating as always, but she is the only one that is delivering her lines in an unstilted way. This is a very weak script, especially when it comes to the dialogue. There's plenty of platitudes and exposition. Poor Natalie Wood basically has to word vomit all her thoughts beca...

Review:  A directionless man, Colin (Harry Melling) is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker, Ray (Alexander Skarsgard) takes him on as his submissive. Alexander Skarsgard in leather? Say no more. I have been wanting to see this film for ages and my local indie theater finally opened it. And while I'm not surprised a film like this didn't get any academy love, I can't believe they let a performance like Harry Melling's just fly under the radar this year.  Colin is a nice, but awkward guy. His parents are trying to set him up on dates, but he's drawn to Ray. Of course you can't blame him. LOOK at Ray, but Colin gets thrown head first into what it's like to be in a dom/sub life. I think because I'm not as familiar with that kink, I expected there to be a bit more talk on consent. Maybe that's the point director Harry Lighton was trying to make. Colin can't just go with the flow in a relationship. He too has needs that dese...

Official synopsis:  A happily engaged couple (Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails. What would you do if your partner told you the worst thing they ever did? And it was....intense. That's the situation Emma and Charlie are in. After things get a little too real during a light hearted date, now Charlie is re-evaluating his entire life, all based on one thing Emma did.  The Drama is darkly funny. You will cringe several times throughout. Director Kristoffer Borgli chooses to tell this story with a lot of hard edits, blending flashbacks into the present. It works very well and fits the chaotic energy the film has.  Zendaya and Pattinson both give excellent performances. Emma is a bit awkward and charming and I still felt that way about her even after we hear about what she did. Pattinson spends the majority of the movie crashing out over this, and it's probably one of the best performances he's ...

  Official Synopsis:  When his family goes away for summer vacation, Richard (Tom Ewell) with an overactive imagination is tempted by a sexy new neighbor. (Marilyn Monroe) What I knew going in: Only Marilyn Monroe's iconic skirt scene.  Movies like this make me question my attraction to men. Every man in this film is a complete dog. I'm used to that with films in the 50's but damn was it dialed up to 11 here.  Objectively there was some decent comedic timing here and there. Ewell and Monroe are both believable in the caricatures they are playing. You can hardly call them anything but that. I'm mostly just a little shocked at how much I disliked this. I wasn't expecting anything groundbreaking but everything about this was just so off putting.  When the nicest thing you can say about a film is "Marilyn Monroe is beautiful" there's a problem. This one wasn't for me. Grade: D 

  It's been a while since I talked about what I've been watching on the small screen, but believe me, plenty has been going on. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - Okay, technically this was a February watch, but it's been my favorite show of the year so far and it feels SO GOOD to love something from Game of Thrones again. This show has a much lighter tone from it's predecessors and that fits very well into the Dunk and Egg short stories its adapting from. Some of cut-a-ways they do are funnier than what's happening in actual comedy shows right now. I love it. It's only 6 episodes, so if you haven't started, you really should. Casting is A+++ as always.  The Pitt Season 2 - I was late to the Pitt party so I was able to binge the first season back to back, and let me tell you it's EXCRUCIATING not being able to do that for season 2. Don't get me wrong, I like having something to look forward to next week, but every episode immediately makes you want th...

Official synopsis : WWII-era Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) emerges from rural solitude when son Duke's (Barry Keoghan) Birmingham gang strikes a deal with a Nazi agent (Tim Roth), trading war supplies and counterfeit currency that threatens to destabilize Britain's wartime economy. Peaky Blinders wasn't always a perfect show, but it's one I enjoyed quite a bit. I was late to the party, I didn't start watching until COVID, but you're never too late to start. Peaky Blinder's final season was easily the weakest. One of the main cast members, Helen McCrory passed away from cancer, so they had to completely re-write the story and her Polly Gray was such an integral part of the plot that it was never going to match the greatness of the previous seasons. Still, even after all of that, I was looking forward to The Immortal Man and getting back into the Peaky universe. I can say as a fan of the series, that I regret watching this movie. It's not that it's po...