Rambling Film

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...

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...