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[BD Review] Lynchian ‘The Rambler’ Intriguing And Bizarre

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Following a Sundance screening of The Rambler, I found myself discussing the film with a stranger outside the theater. The man’s dislike of The Rambler ran so deep, he could hardly convey his opinion in words, relying primarily on frustrated mumbles and dismayed head shakes to get his point across. When I asked if he’d seen Calvin Lee Reeder’s previous feature, the polarizing 2011 Sundance entry The Oregonian, the man admitted that he hadn’t.

Although I could certainly sympathize with the man’s deep dislike for The Rambler, I was somewhat prepared for the experience having endured The Oregonian two years prior. Reeder is an experimental filmmaker with a deep disregard for narrative, coherence, and his potential audience. The Oregonian, at times, seemed designed to literally drive people from the theater. With The Rambler, Reeder pulls from his usual bag of slam-bang sounds and chop suey editing, but he takes the abrasiveness down a notch.

Dermot Mulroney plays the titular character, a recently paroled ex-con trying to make it to his brother’s Oregon pony ranch via a succession of Calvin Lee Reeder brain trips. Buried behind aviator shades and a cowboy hat, Mulroney isn’t given much in the way of dialogue, left to silently work a lit cigarette around his mouth as he contemplates the crazy-ass shit transpiring around him.

Bouncing from episode to episode, the movie skips and stutters like a hallucinogenic fever dream, with Mulroney getting booted out of the house by his old lady (an angry, horny Natasha Lyonne), accompanying a traveling inventor with a device that can allegedly record dreams to VHS, and falling in love with a mysterious stranger (Lindsay Pulsipher).

From the awkward, stilted dialogue to a roadhouse poker game where none of the players can shuffle, the film never bothers to hide its Lynchian underpinnings, but the bizarre-as-shit developments are intriguing rather than irritating. As much as some may dislike The Rambler, it’s a vast improvement over Reeder’s previous feature. Either Reeder is getting better as a filmmaker or I’m just becoming desensitized to his mind-numbing style.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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