Rambling Film

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...

Official Synopsis : Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four (Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn) must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. (Julia Garner) My dad's favorite comic book character has been Silver Surfer as long as I can remember, so that was always my primary interest in anything Fantastic Four related. I've always preferred the X-Men or Avengers over "Marvel's First Family" but that doesn't mean I haven't given every FF movie a chance. So how does this stack up to the misfires of the past? The only thing all three versions of The Fantastic Four have in common is casting Sue Storms that don't pull off blonde. This version, with Wandavison director Matt Shakman's very capable hands gives us a retro 60's vibe with a big focus on family.  This film easily has the best Marvel...

Official Synopsis:  In a climate change-ravaged world, a utopian society optimizes life, including parenthood assessments. A successful couple, Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Arayan (Himesh Patel) faces scrutiny by an evaluator, Virginia (Alicia Vikander) over seven days to determine their fitness for childbearing. When I first heard about this film coming off its festival run, I thought it sounded a lot like The Pod Generation , a 2023 film also about couples and pregnancy in the future, but the two films couldn't be more different. Where The Pod Generation was light hearted, The Assessment is uncomfortable. Mia and Arayan probably would be good parents, but Virginia puts them through the ringer in a way that will make you squirm in your seat. I love an Uncomfortable Dinner Scene ™ and boy does the Assessment have one.  All of the actors are putting in some of their best work here. Alicia Vikander is here to remind you that she is an Oscar winner and her range is on full display ...