Train Dreams (2025) Review

Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella Train Dreams is a quietly epic and occasionally surreal story of the life of Robert Grainier, a self-described hermit who works on the American railroads around the turn of the 20th century. It was a beautiful and powerful piece of Americana and I absolutely loved it. So I was intrigued, and admittedly a bit worried, when I read it was being adapted for film.

Thankfully, the film manages to mostly live up to the high bar set by Johnson’s phenomenal novella and in some ways, even surpasses it.

Eddington (2025) Review

Ari Aster’s latest film, Eddington, diverges from his horror roots to explore a COVID-era neo-Western. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as a wannabe mayor navigating political extremes, the film offers dark humor and commentary on the impact of social media. Despite its polarising reception, the film showcases Aster’s typically bold storytelling and visually striking cinematography.

Hardcore (1979) Review

Despite being behind the camera on a string of well-regarded films spanning almost 50 years, most film fans will know Paul Schrader as the scribe of four Martin Scorsese films. Or perhaps younger film fans will know Schrader best as the crotchety old Grandpa on Facebook.

Either way, Hardcore, Schrader’s 1979 thriller set in the adult entertainment industry of the west coast, is worth checking out for Schrader fans new and old.

Mycreativeramblings’ Alternate Academy Awards 2023

2022 was a strong year in film, and this was rightfully reflected in this year’s Oscar’s lineup. From Baz Lurhmann’s instant camp-classic Elvis, to Martin McDonagh’s jet-black depression morality tale, The Banshee’s of Inisherin, to The Daniel’s insane ode to science-fiction/martial arts/the works of Wong Kar-wai; Everything Everywhere All at Once, it’s a refreshingly diverse line-up (at least in terms of genre, there’s still a depressing lack of representation for female filmmakers). Everything Everywhere All at Once ended up taking away the big awards which were rightly deserved.

However, while the line-up of films this year is surprisingly decent, I feel there have been some omissions. Here at mycreativeramblings.org, we wanted to rectify that.

The X-Files (Seasons 1-4) The 5 Best Episodes

The X-Files is one of most daring and unashamedly insane shows on mainstream TV of the last 50 years. I started watching it months ago and I am slowly but surely making my way through the entire thing.

So, as I finish the very excellent season 4, I thought I would take a look at what I think are the 5 best episodes (so far).

Brian and Charles (2022) Review

Brian and Charles is a feature length adaptation of the 2017 short fil of the same name. Starring and written by David Earl and Chris Hayward and directed by Jim Archer, the film is a bittersweet and often hilarious look at lonliness and letting go.

100 words or less – The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988)

After the success of his 1984 film Vigil, director Vincent Ward followed it up in 1988 with The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey; his underappreciated (but arguably better) science-fiction film.

100 words or less – Road Games (1981)

Richard Franklin’s hugely underrated thriller is a highpoint of Ozploitation cinema with a fantastic and funny central performance from Stacy Keach,

The Top 5 Films Based on Marvel Comics

With the imminent release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and following the multiversal hi-jinks of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the lines between the canon MCU films and the other ‘legacy’ films are becoming more and more blurred and in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel it appears Patrick Stewart’s Professor Charles Xavier is about to make a return.

To honour this, I thought I would whittle down the 60+ films based on Marvel Comics to just the top 5. That’s 1998’s Blade all the way through to Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The 5 Best Films of 2021

Creating a top 5 list of the best films of 2021 proved to be surprisingly difficult. We were spoilt for choice as films began actually releasing again.
From the local art house cinemas to the giant multiplexes to everything in between, cinema felt like it was on a come back in 2021. And with the unprecedented shortening of the window between a cinema release and a home release, more people had access to great cinema than ever before.
But with so much to choose from, which 5 films actually made the cut?