Fences

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland




















Michael's Movie Grade: A+

Review: Why, no seriously why can't we see more films like this in theaters (art-house theaters not included)? Movies that aren't afraid to take their time. That aren't afraid to make us think or have complex characters, that are not just cardboard cut outs. In other words this is an incredibly good movie.

On of the best things about this movie is the main character. He is both very well written and acted (shocker a character played by Denzel Washington  is well acted). This is a very complex and fascinating character. At times we don't know whether to admire him, or hate him. Because of this he is extremely fascinating and hard not to get caught up in him. Because the character is so fascinating, the story around him is much more interesting. The main character isn't the only great character his wife is also a fantastic character, as well as his kids. The scenes revolving around his mentally ill brother are extremely touching and profound. He is almost equally fascinating and real. In fact all the characters are so real that at times I had to remind myself this wasn't based off a true story because it felt so real. Screenwriter August Wilson (who also wrote the play this was based off of), and director (and star) Denzel Washington are obviously so passionate about the film and characters that it is hard for us not to be passionate about it as well.     

Despite this being such a dialogue heavy movie, it remains visually interesting. Charlotte Bruus Christensen's cinematography and David Gropman's design work are both absolutely fantastic. The whole film looks like the time period it takes place in, and because of this the film also stands out among most of the films coming out today.

The pacing in this movie is also amazing. The pace is much slower than your average modern movie, and this works perfectly for the story. Unlike too many other modern movies it takes enough time for us to become fully invested in the story and characters.

This is one of the best movies of this year and a must watch for all fans of great movies and all of those who want alternatives to most movies being put out today. It is beautiful, profound and extremely well done.

-Michael J. Ruhland   

Sing

Review Written by Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade: B+

Review: An excellent film. With this and The Secret Life of Pets, things are really looking up for Illumination.

One of the best things about this movie is the design work of Eric Guillon. Guillon also did the amazing design work for The Secret Life of Pets and he successeds just as well here. The whole film is just a joy to look at. While the animation may not be up to the standards of Disney or DreamWorks, this great look is so appealing, you may not care.

Important for a movie about a singing completion, the voice artists all have great voices. Many of you probably already know that Seth McFarland has a really good voice (though it probably surprised you at first as well), and as a fan of the old crooner type of music his singing Pennies From Heaven and My Way is a definite highlight to me. However just as great is Torri Kelly's beautiful vocal performance of Leonard Cohen's Halleluiah. In fact all of the voices are great. The song selection is very varied and though there are quite a few instances of songs I don't like, there were just as many that I did like.

The story is good but predictable. You could see just what was coming too often. Also there were too many side stories for the film's running time. Because of this we are not always given the time to appreciate or get sucked into them. However we do care enough about these characters for moment of these stories to work. The main story however is given enough time to be quite fleshed out, and while it is predictable it works surprisingly well.

I am looking forward to what the Illumination will bring us in the future.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:F

Review: Pure and utter boredom, easily the worst Star Wars movie and yes I am including the prequels in that.

The biggest problem with this film is the characters. All of them are completely devoid of any personality. This is especially true of our two main protagonists. After watching the movie, I still can't tell you what their personalities are, because they don't have any. The side characters though are not much better.

As I've stated in previous reviews, if I don't like the characters, the action scenes are extremely boring. This is even worse in this film, because the action scenes are the slowest, and longest seeming scenes in the movie. In fact the pacing in this film is awful. I like Star Wars movies for the atmosphere more than anything else. However with the exception of the action scenes, the film jumps around from place to place and character to character much too quickly. This allows us no time to soak in what is the best part of these movies, despite making us sit through some of the most boring action scenes imaginable.

The only things good I can say about this movie is that I liked a very brief scene involving Darth Vader, and the score wasn't bad. That is it though. Everything else in this movie is awful and a pain to sit through. I sat through it all because I heard the movie gets better as it goes along. Well it didn't at all.

Since this takes place before episode 4, we know all that is going to happen. Combined with the boredom of the characters and action scenes. This gives me nothing to even care about.

To say this movie is a disappointment, is being kind to this horrible movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

La La Land

Review Written by Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:A+

Review: Pure movie magic. Probably my favorite film of this year.

This is an incredibly passionate love letter to 1940's and 50's Hollywood movies (particularly the musicals), and to just the beauty of music and art. What makes this film so great is that you can tell writer/director Damiem Chazelle is truly passionate about what he is paying tribute to. The last musical number, a scene in a museum and quite a bit more of the movie captures nearly perfectly the art of an old movie musical. While there may be clichés in the story, these never feel like they are here because they are expected, but because Chazelle truly loves this type of film and wants to make a film close to the spirit of the classics, and due to his passion he actually captures it. Also very important to this movie being so good is that Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are perfect in these roles. The perform the serious and the fun scenes with an equally commitment and excellence. Their performances of the musical numbers are especially excellent. As this film is a tribute to classic movie musicals, it looks fantastic. Color here is used much better than it is in most current movies. We are so used to color in movies that we take it for granted. However this movie doesn't it truly uses color to it's full advantage.

One of the best musical films in years a must watch for all movie lovers.

By the way the ending, while I won't give it away really made me cry.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Moana

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland












Michael's Movie Grade: A+

Review: Directing team John Musker and Ron Clements helped redefine Disney feature animation with such films as The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. However they may have dine it again here, this film is an incredible mixture of what made previous Disney animated features so good and great new ideas as well . In fact this may stand as their best film and it is one of my favorite post-Walt animated Disney films.

The look of this film is incredible. The designs are very appealing, and the characters are very well animated. On top of this the film has a brilliant combination of CGI and hand drawn animation done through Maui's tattoos (the head of hand drawn animation was Eric Goldberg, who had previously been the supervising animator for the Genie in Aladdin).

The story is also excellent and told through brilliant filmmaking. The story is told using so many great devices. Making the first few villains comic for instance works fantastically. This makes the climax all the more exciting and makes the threat feel much stronger. In fact the whole mixture of comedy and drama is near perfect. The humor is not only quite funny but it always is there in service to the story and characters. The comedy uses a lot of self referential humor, this is not only quite funny but makes the fantasy all the more acceptable by also talking to the cynic in us that recognizes the clichés of this type of story, while not insulting them to the point of where we don't take them seriously enough. All this of course would be wasted if the characters weren't so likable and luckily they are.

The songs in this film are fantastic. They are in a more modern style quite different from what has been used in many previous animated Disney features. However they work perfectly and like many classic Disney films they are completely at the service of the story and characters. They work brilliantly. This is probably the best use of modern style music in a Disney film.

I think this movie does for me, what Frozen did for so many other animation fans (Don't get me wrong I loved Frozen but I am blown away by this film).
 
If you can't guess I liked this movie.

But don't go away we have a short to Review too.

Inner Workings

Michael's Movie Grade:C

Review: Entertaining little cartoon. 

This film a good message and great animation.

However this cartoon seems almost too short and the jokes miss as often as they hit.

Overall an enjoyable little cartoon, but not much more.

-Michael J. Ruhland

I Am Not Ashamed

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland











Michael's Movie Grade:B

Review: Good character study.


When this movie really works is when it is simply a character study of Rachel. This character is very relatable and likable. Her struggles are very much like are own struggles, and even non-religious people could relate to her yearning to be excepted. This film does a great job at letting us feel what the character is feeling.

On the downside this film features some clumsy acting and a group of bullies are very poorly written. I also have to say saying someone knows Shakespeare real well because they can quote the whole "All the World's a Stage" silique from As You Like It is quite clumsy writing. That shouldn't be a big fault but it is repeated too much this small fault gets very annoying.

While some may criticize this film without seeing it, because they are offended that a movie would use this tragedy for Christian propaganda. It is done in very good taste. Neither the Christian message nor the tragedy are forced into this movie and both are treated with the upmost respect. In fact the ending is extremely moving and will allow some who understandably have trouble with this films faults to forgive them.

Trolls

Review written by Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:B

Review: Very fun movie.

What really makes this movie work so well is the characters and the visuals. The characters, could have easily been boring and two dimensional. Poppy isn't just an obnoxiously happy character, and Branch is not just an overly depressed character. I am not going to say they are complex characters, but they are well thought out and very likable. The visuals are great,  including both design, and animation. The characters have a likable look to them and the world around them looks really cool. The characters are also very well animated and come to life through it. This film is just a joy to look at.

On the downside, most of the songs feel like they are here because they are popular, not because they fit the story. In fact most of them feel quite out of place here. Also the story is often very preditible.

Overall, just a very fun movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

El Jeremias

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:A-

Review: Fantastic movie that is both funny and moving.

As I have mentioned before, one of the many things I love about movies is when, I discover something great that I completely did not except. I just went to this film because I felt like seeing something different from what I have seen in theaters lately, and a Spanish-langue Mexican movie, nobody I know has mentioned felt like just the ticket. I got in just a few minutes before the previews started, and discovered I was the only one in the theater. I began to wonder if I had chosen the right movie to see. That fear was soon quieted. In the first few minutes I found myself laughing and enjoy these characters.

Nearly everything about this movie was great. Martian Castro (his film debut) is a very talented child actor, the whole cast is great in fact, the humor is very funny, the drama is quite touching and the film has a great and very important message, about family, childhood and life in general. There were few predictable moments, when I knew what was going to happen, but with how good the rest of the movie was this was just a nitpick.

This movie was the feature film directorial debut of Anwar Safa. I recommend seeing this film and keeping a track of this director in the future.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Florence Foster Jenkins

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:A-

Review: Intelligent, funny and moving. A fantastic film.


This film is really great. It is very funny, often times laugh out loud so. However the drama is equal effective. The combination between the drama and comedy is done amazingly. Neither the drama, nor the comedy, get in the way of each other. In fact the compliment each other very well. The comedy makes the drama better and the drama makes the comedy better.

The entire cast for this film are fantastic in their roles. Despite them being well known actors and actresses, you see them as the characters rather than the people playing them. They feel like they are the people their playing. They are very funny, but they never play it in a way that the characters feel less real. This allows the comedy to be as funny as it is and the dramatic scenes to be as great as they are.

The time period used for this film is represented great. It looks very authentic, and allows the film to have a great look different from most films today.

This is simply a great film.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Magnificent Seven

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: D

Review: Bland, forgettable, and boring western, comes nowhere near it's predecessors.

The characters in this film are lacking in personality. At the end of the movie I don't feel like I know them at all. I have no idea what their personalities are. A great cast is completely wasted playing these characters. The story feels very rushed and I never got a feeling or danger or excitement. The action scenes are  well made, but since we don't know the characters they quickly become boring. Seven Samurai was three and a half hours and I was never bored watching that movie, but I got bored watching this two hour and twelve minute film with basically the same story. 

On the plus side the musical score is downright fantastic, and should have accompanied a better movie.

Skip this film and watch Seven Samurai (that movie is a masterpiece) instead.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Sully

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:B+

Review: Well done movie is made even better by a fantastic performance from Tom Hanks.

Tom Hanks' performance in this film is incredible. He becomes the character of Sully. While we know the actor so well, we do not see the actor but the character instead. This is something kind of rare in films staring such big name stars. He isn't the only good performance here as everyone in the film is quite good, but there is something special about him in this film. On top of this the story is quite good, and Clint Eastwood's direction is very good. The opening scene and much of the trial at the end are particularly well done.

However on the downside as good as the story is, it can feel a little stretched out. The main problem with this fault is that we see the landing two times. It would have been much more effective to only see it once, as this takes away from how dramatic the second time we see it is, and it feels a little forced in the first time. Also other than Sully I feel we didn't get to know the other characters well enough. Despite this it still is a good story, and it is often very well told.

Overall an excellent film.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Tri

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland












Michael's Movie Grade:A

Review: The feature film debut of director Jai Jamison, is a fantastic uplifting movie.

This film has an undeniable great sense of charm. The characters are very engaging. Both the writing and acting for these characters are fantastic, and they really come to life on the screen. The story is a simple and very well told uplifting story with a great message. The photography is great here and gives a great look at the nature that surrounds much of the Triathlon. The pacing is perfect, it is slow enough for you to fully get into the characters and story, but fast enough for it not to ever be boring. However the best thing I can say about this movie is even though the story is essentially complete, I still wanted to see more of these characters lives after the film was over.

Though you may not have heard of this movie, you really should see it. This is a fantastic movie that definitely deserves more attention than it is getting. I have to check out what this director does in the future, I have a feeling more great stuff is in store.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Kubo and the Two Strings

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland




















Michael's Movie Grade: A+

Review: Simply incredible film is possibly the Laika Studio's best film and that is saying a lot.

Every single second of this film is filled with such a great sense of imagination. This is true of the story, the characters and the visuals. It is simply unbelievably breathtaking. It sucks you into the world of the film extremely well. The whole film is just filled with one of the best senses of atmosphere in recent film history. Much of this movie even reminds me of the great Studio Ghibli fantasy films.

On top of this the story is top notch. It never talks down to an audience like so many films do, but treats you with respect and intelligence. On top of this the characters are extremely likable, the animation is amazing and the humor is often funny.

Nearly everything in this movie works and it stands as one of the best films of recent years, and a must watch for movie lovers everywhere.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Pete's Dragon

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland










Michael's Movie Grade:A+

Review: Incredible film, represents fantasy film making at it's best, and just why Disney films are so great.

Everything about this film is great. The characters are very likable, the film looks amazing, it has a fantastic story, and a great soundtrack. The film has a fantastic sense of pacing. It doesn't rush anything, but at the same time it never feels slow either. This way we are sucked into the characters and settings in the way a faster movie couldn't allow us too, but at the same time there is nothing even remotely boring about this film. This also works so well because the story and characters are well worth getting sucked into. With this buildup, the climax becomes extremely exciting. The music in this film is not only great, but fits the movie to a tee. The music is very folk like, so it is also the perfect soundtrack for someone with my taste in music. Really anything I can say is wrong with this film would be a meaningless nitpick.

This is probably the best film of the summer and a must watch. Also it is just an incredible movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Suicide Squad

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland

















Michael's Movie Grade: F

Review: Simply a horrible horrible movie. Deserves a place along side the worst comic book movies ever made.

Everything that could go wrong with this film did. I believe none of the characters, and many of them are so underdeveloped that it is impossible to say what their personalities are (Especially Killer Croc and Captain Boomerang). On top of that we are supposed to feel sympathy for many evil characters. I am sorry I find it hard to sympathize with someone who kills people for no reason but to get money, or because they think it is fun. Despite this I am supposed to feel really bad from them at scenes. They way the go about doing this is extremely predictable and simply doesn't work. All these characters have been done much better elsewhere. On top of this the film is never fun, the humor doesn't work, and the story is a mess. To make matters much worse, this film includes the worst version of the Joker imaginable. Watching Jared Leto play the Joker is like watching someone do a terrible impression of Heath Ledger. Every scene with this character in it is painful to watch.

With films like this and Batman Vs. Superman I am really worried about what will happen to DC movies, because these films are some of the worst movies of recent years. let's just hope they can turn themselves around and make better movies, I hope they do, but I'm not sure they will.

This movie however is a terrible movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Nerve

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:D-

Review: This movie has a good premise that could make a great movie, but doesn't deliver. It's neither a good social commentary or a fun thriller. Instead we mostly watch characters do stupid things. This is neither fun to watch nor is it though provoking it is just annoying. Rather we just feel embarrassed for the characters. There are emotional moments, but all of them have been done before much better elsewhere. The main character is likable enough, but everyone else in this film is simply a stereotype of movie characters, with no depth or anything to make you care. This movie tries to have a good message at the end but there was to little depth to the movie for that message to have any power behind it. The way this message is told is just very poor. Rather it's attempts at social commentary feel very out of place.

On the bright side the film is pretty to look at and the main character is likable, but this simply can't make up how much of a mess the rest of the film was.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Jason Bourne

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland










Michael's Movie Grade:C+

Review: Fun action movie.

What really makes this movie is the characters and action. The characters are very relatable and understandable and this is what makes the action scenes so exciting.  It doesn't hurt that most of these characters are played very well by the actors. The action scenes are also very well done, though there is a lot of action in this film, it rarely becomes too overwhelming. Also the action scenes and the characters lead for a good amount of excitement that manages to hold for most of the film.

On the downside the camera feels like it can't stay still. It is constantly moving and sometimes you just wish it would stop for at least a few seconds. Rather than enhancing the action this becomes simply very distracting. This is a huge fault. Also this film covers nothing that hasn't been done in various action movies before. It does it well, but still if you want something new this may disappoint.

Overall a fun movie that is definitely worth a watch even if it has big faults.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Ice Age Collision Course

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland













Michael's Movie Grade:D

Review: Bland forgettable movie has little of the charm that made the first one so great.

When I think of Ice Age, I think of a film that had a great sense of humor along with some great emotional moments. This film is lacking in both departments. Few of the jokes are ever funny, and the emotional scenes just seem phoned in. In fact this whole film seems like it is just going through the motions. Everything here feels like the film is just doing what the filmmakers believe people expect. It doesn't feel like the writers of the film put any effort into this movie. The basic story idea for this film, while far from original could have worked quite well if the same love and effort was put into this movie that was so obviously put into the first one. But instead there is little love put into anything and it leaves little to no reaction.

With what this movie could have been, and what the talent behind it was capable of bringing us, this film can only be called a major disappointment. Oh well the first film (and the second to a much lesser extant) is still a great movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Star Trek Beyond

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland






















Michael's Movie Grade:B+

Review: Really good film.

This movie has great characters, a good sense of humor and a good story. The characters in this film are just as likable as these characters have always been. Though these roles have been taken on by different actors all of them do a very good job. This is especially true of Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, who turns in a great performance here. The writing on these characters is also great. This film contains quite good humor. Most of the jokes hit, and none leave a bad taste in your mouth. This film is simply fun from beginning to end.

However on the other hand the film goes by too fast. I really wish we could have had more scenes establishing atmosphere. I enjoyed the atmosphere in this film but I felt I could of gotten more out of it if the movie was just a little longer. Also the story is a bit predictable at times. There are many twist that are too easy to see coming. However the faults of this film are outweighed by what is good about it.

This film also includes a great tribute to Leonard Nimoy.

Overall a really good movie that is just a lot of fun.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Shallows

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland




















Michael's Movie Grade: C+

Review: Good enjoyable thriller, if unspectacular.

This movie may be predictable and unoriginal, but it is heavily helped by a good performance from Blake Lively and clever film making touches from director Jaume Collet Serra. It is also a fun movie. Blake Lively's performance needs to be good because she pretty much has the whole movie to herself (Ok credit where credit is due, she co-stars with the very talented Sully 'Steven' Seagall).  Luckily her performance is quite good. Also helping a lot here is little visual touches like the way we see what's on her phone to the side of her as she's using it, and the clock at the bottom of the screen in an important scene. However despite all this movie is very predictable and it feels like we have seen it before. It is well done here even if not enough for the unoriginality and predictability to be big faults.

Overall faulty but still good movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Secrect Life of Pets

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:B+

Review: The best film Illumination Entertainment has done so far, and an excellent film.

I can't say this is a perfect movie or that it doesn't have any big faults, but what I can say is that the entire time I was watching the film, I was enjoying my self very much. This film was just plain fun from the beginning to end. It had great energy. This film is never boring nor is it ever annoying, it is plain fun. The characters are very likable, and both the animation and voice work feel like part of characters. In other words you just believe the characters. Speaking of the characters their designs are just fantastic. In fact this whole film is just lovely to look at.

On the downside, the humor is rarely laugh out loud funny. There are  a few laugh out loud jokes but not as many as there could be. However there is still a great energy to these jokes and many of these jokes are still amusing. Also there is one sad scene in this movie that doesn't really work. The movie never slows down to let you feel sad about this scene. Because of this the scene feels very out of place and is a major fault in this otherwise great movie.

Overall this film may have it's faults (including one major one) but this film is very, very fun and definitely a film I strongly recommend you see.

But don't go away we have a short to review.
Mower Minions









Michael's Short Film Grade:C

Review: Not the Minions finest hour, but still entertaining.

This film has a good sense of humor and some quite funny jokes, but the timing feels a bit off. This cartoon is quite funny at times, but there are also quite a few jokes where the timing lessens what could have been a much funnier short.

Overall enjoyable, but not near as good as the feature it accompanied.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Independence Day: Resurgence

Review written by Michael J. Ruhland
























Michael's Movie Grade:C-

Review: Entertaining time passer but little else.

This film has a nice (but not exactly great) atmosphere, and well done action scenes, but is lacking in both the characters and story. The main problem is that this film tries to focus on too many characters and their own story lines. Because of this while the characters are likable, they aren't fleshed out anywhere near as good as they should be. You just don't get to know these characters as well as you should. Also with this many little story lines we see to little of all of them for them to be as effective as they should. The main story has been done many times before and this film does it decently here, it still has been done better elsewhere. The humor is hit and miss though there are still some good jokes in here.

Overall this is an enjoyable film, but there is little to make it stand out among better similar films.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The BFG

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade: B+

Review: Excellent atmospheric fantasy film.

What is really great about this film is the atmosphere. This is handled fantastically. The scene involving the catching of dreams is breathtaking. Many of the best scenes of this film simply build up atmosphere, and in these scenes you are really pulled into the movie. On top of this the characters are just as likable as they were in the book, the story is quite charming and most of the humor is funny.

The only real problem with this film is the pacing, but sometimes it feels quite off. It seems to rush through the opening scenes, and the climax goes by much too fast. Also since many of the scenes with the mean giants are rushed, they don't feel as threating as they would if these scenes were slowed down more. This fault is really a shame with how good the rest of the film is.

Overall this is an excellent film due to great atmosphere, characters, and story, despite some pacing that doesn't always work.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Finding Dory

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland












Michael's Movie Grade: A

Review: Fantastic film is even better than the first.

The best thing about this film is just how great of a character Dory is. She is not only funny, but a genuinely sweet person (or fish) that is much more than a funny quirk. While her memory loss was just something funny in the first movie, it gains a more serious side here, but without every losing the fun that was in the first one. Her memory loss actually is a big problem for her. However with her mind and loving (and adventurous) heart she can overcome this problem. This is what really works about this character and I can't help but think it is a great message aimed at those with disabilities. They don't make her a dumb character like so many other films would, but actually a fairly smart one who does suffer from memory loss. In this character is where the heart of the film lies. While she is just as funny as every there is a great amount of depth to the character here.

On top of all that this film is full of great humor, heart, and just plain fun. This is a film that has a strong emotional center to it, but doesn't let this interfere with the movie's sense of fun, which also doesn't interfere with the emotion. The story may be reminist of the first movie, but it is told even better here.

Overall a fantastic film that all fans of Disney and Pixar should enjoy very much. But that's not all we have a short to look at.

Piper

Michael's Short Film Grade: A-

Review: Delightful sweet cartoon is reminiscent of some of Disney's better Silly Symphonies of the 1930's. This cartoon is a very lovely looking film with a good heart and a sense of humor. This whole film is just very charming. The story is very simple which is perfect for a short. The character animation is fantastic here, and the main character is very well represented for it. Overall just a very lovely short.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Central Intelligence

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: C

Review: Surprisingly funny, and enjoyable film despite big faults.

This film does have big faults. The biggest fault is Kevin Hart's overacting. He is not a bad actor when he doesn't overact, but he can be really annoying when he does overact. The storyline is very predictable and there are many times when you can tell what is going to happen before it does. With these big faults, why did I give the film a passing grade? Well it made me laugh. While there are many jokes that miss the mark, the ones that are funny are quite funny. When this film made me laugh, it did it well. On top of that while the story was overly predictable, it was an enjoyable, even if it was completely unoriginal. We have seen the story done many times before, but it is still done decently here.

This is not one of the all time great comedies. There are too many faults and jokes that miss, but when this film is funny it is quite funny, add a decently told storyline and you a get an enjoyable time at the movies, even if it doesn't come close to being a classic.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Now You See Me 2

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland




















Michael's Movie Grade: C-

Review: Entertaining time passer, but little else.

The characters are likable, but underdeveloped. The plot is entertaining but not much more. None of the twists though are that well devolved and too many of them are quite predictable. The effects look great. The acting is quite good. This movie is entertaining but I doubt it's going to leave much of an impression.

This is an enjoyable movie to watch, but it lacks any depth or anything memberable.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Warcraft

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: F

Review: Extremely boring movie has all of the clichés of fantasy movies, but none of the charm of the better ones.

Even though I have only seen this movie once, I feel I have seen it many more times, and not in a good way. This movie is  simply a collection of tired movie clichés. Nothing new is added here, you are essentially watching a movie that rips off of every fantasy movie ever made, but without adding anything to it. To make matters worse the pace is so fast that I never felt that I got to know who any of these characters are. The characters seem to be nothing but plot devices.

This film might be better for those who have never played the game it is based off of. I have not played this game and I can say I found the movie horrible, and it is  not worth the time if you also haven't played the game, and it might be bad for those who have as well (I don't know).

-Michael J. Ruhland

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade: F

Review: Loud, obnoxious and just plain irritating.

This movie seems afraid to shut up. There is constant noise, whether it be loud music or just characters being obnoxious. This film seems to think if it was ever quiet for a few seconds people would lose all interest. The result is the film just being irritating to sit through. This also leads to another awful thing about this movie. The pace is to fast for us to care about a thing. We never stop and spend anytime with these characters, we never stop and see just how much is a stake. It moves from one scene to the next constantly to the point of just being obnoxious. Attempts to add drama fail horribly, because we barely spend enough time with these serious scenes to care.

To make matters worse this film has horrible villains. Be-bop and Rock Steady are just irritating and loud. Not enough time is spent with Shredder to see him as a real threat. Krang is given a horrible voice that is just a pain to listen to.

I am not expecting high art, but the turtles deserve better than this.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Me Before You

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: C

Review: Quite likable if really predictable tearjerker.

The story offers nothing new. We have seen this story many times before. It is full of storytelling conventions that we have long accepted, and it knows this. The pace of the film rushes quite a bit, however that doesn't hurt the movie because we have accepted these story points and we know they are going to happen before we see them. However despite all this the film manages to be quite likable. This is mainly because of the characters. These characters are very charming and just a joy to watch. Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin have great chemistry. You truly believe the romance between them. On top of that with the fantastic settings this film is a joy to look at. This whole film looks beautiful.

This film seems to be really liked by audiences, but not so much by critics. I personally understand both sides. This film is very unoriginal and it lacks the depth it probably should have. On the other hand the acting is excellent, the movie looks great, and the characters are quite likable. Judge it for yourself whether you should see it or not. As for me I liked it despite it's problems.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Angry Birds Movie

Michael's Movie Grade:D

Review: Just a very forgettable film.

This film has little to make it stand out. The story-line and characters have been done many times before and will be done many times in the future. There is nothing new this movie brings. Everything that is done here has been done better elsewhere. 

What really hurts this film is the humor. This movie assumes just because a joke is immature it is funny. There are jokes about farting, pee, poop, and burping. However there is seemingly no effort put into these jokes. They just assume being disgusting makes them funny. It is strange to think Jon Vitti, who has written some very funny episodes of The Simpsons could have been one of the writers for a film this unfunny.

This film does have some good points though. The main character is quite likable, and the artwork looks nice. However even these good points have been done better in other films.

Overall this movie sadly is just not a good movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland

X-Men: Apocalypse

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade: B

Review: Quite good film, it is not without it's faults, but what works about it really works.

This film is quite exciting. The action as well as the much of the story are very good. This film is heck of a lot of fun to watch. While this is not as great of character writing as there was in Civil War, it was still good enough for us to care about the characters. The story and characters are set up well enough for the big fight scenes to be just as exciting as they should be, and not have them seem like they are there just to be there. This film is a lot of fun to watch and is quite involving.

However this film does have it's problems as well. The story simply focuses on too many characters. Because of this much of the character development feels a bit rushed. Also some of the characters while likable, are very underdeveloped and it feels like we spend to little time with them to have as strong of an emotional connection with them as the film wants us to have. However they are still likable and understandable enough for us to get involved in the story. On top of that much of this movie makes it seem like we have seen this before.

Overall this may be a faulted film, but what is good about it is quite good.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Captian America : Civil War

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland















Michael's Movie Grade: A-

Review: Fantastic film, probably one of the best superhero films of recent years.

I personally like to think that this was made to wash the bad taste of Batman VS. Superman out of our mouths (though I know that's not true), because this film does right everything that movie did wrong. This film sets up why these characters are fighting. Many of the ideas in this film are actually thought provoking (something which too many superhero movies try for and fail). The characters are very well developed and we actually sympathize with them. And with all this happening the film still manages to fit a lot of fun in, even when the movie gets dark.

What I really like about this film is that despite how many characters it has it focuses on Captain America and Iron Man. This keeps the film from feeling to busy and allows us to really focus on the story. Speaking of the story I love that this film allows the story to drive the action, and allows the audience to actually care about the action scenes.

With how much superhero movies have been disappointing me lately (especially Batman VS Superman and Deadpool) it is great to see a superhero movie can still be this great. Overall this is just a fantastic film.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Jungle Book

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland










Michael's Movie Grade:B

Review: Quite good film.

This film has a great and really intriguing atmosphere, very likable characters and quite good animation. In the classic Disney way the story allows itself to get dark without really losing it's sense of fun. Kaa is actually quite scary and amazingly well done, though one may question Scarlet Johanson being the voice. Best of all this film can turn from intense to laid back without interrupting the flow of the movie.

The voice acting is quite good, though Scarlet Johanson may have been miscast. Bill Murray was perfect as Ballo, same with Ben Kingsley as Bagheera. Though some will not like it Christopher Walken as King Louie was delightfully weird. Plus Christopher Walken singing I Want to be Like You just makes my day.

However the film does have a few problems. Most of this is because the other wolves and Shere Kahn, both seem quite underdeveloped for the big parts they play here. Also the ending was a change I didn't much care for (not giving it away though).

P.S. I am personally confused by this movie being called the live action Jungle Book, because though Mowgli is in live action, the rest of the characters are animated. In fact with the exception of the live action Mowgli, there is very little other live action in this film. For this reason to me this is an animated film, not a live action one.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Hardcore Henry

Review Written by Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: F

Review: This film has some very clever ideas about filmmaking and a new style of action films. However all these ideas fail miserably.

The ideas of doing an action movie in all first person shots and with a main character without dialog sound like good ideas, but are completely wasted here. They simply add nothing and we are left with bland characters, a horrible story, and gore that exists for no reason other than being gory. All of this is horribly handled.

I hope a film in the future will use this style of film making better, but this film stands as a miserably failed experiment.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland
















Michael's Movie Grade:F

Review: Easily the worst superhero movie ever made, and one of the worst films I have ever seen. This film not only earns it's bad reputation, but it's much worse than that reputation could ever make it seem like.

The whole film is somehow both very unpleasant and bland. The dark look of this movie does not make the film seem more serious, but rather just makes it unpleasant without adding anything. This film is even unpleasant to look at (I can't overuse the word unpleasant because that is simply what the film is). Also with all the versions of these characters this is easily the most bland. There is nothing interesting about the characters here and they are devoid of any personality. The only exception to the bland character is Lex Luther. Instead of being bland he was extremely annoying. Every time this character appeared on screen he just irritated me to seemingly no end. Jesse Eisenberg's performance here was bafflingly bad. He is simply a better actor than this performance, and I don't know what he was thinking here. To make it worse the character's motives are horrible. These motives are for an amateurish pseudo-philosophy reason that this film somehow expects us to take seriously. More than anything though this film is unbelievably boring. However the worst thing I can say about this movie is that there is nothing good about it at all.

Horrible, Horrible movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland












Michael's Movie Grade:C+

Review: While this is far from a classic, it is a charming film.

There may be more jokes that miss the mark than ones that work, but the ones that do work work quite well. The story also has been done many times before, and nothing new is added here. However stating that it works well here. This film is very unoriginal and may not need to exist but it still has a nice charm, a few good jokes and is quite entertaining.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Lady in the Van

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland














Michael's Movie Grade:A-

Review: Fantastic film.

This movie is very well written, touching and funny, but what really makes the film work is Maggie Smith (reprising a role she played on stage and on radio) brilliant performance. She becomes almost consumed with the character, and all you see on screen is that character.

This film's combination of comedy and drama is fantastic. Both the comedy and drama work very well, and neither gets in the way of the other. Instead they complement each other very well.

It is worth noting that this film was written by Alan Bennett, who also wrote the source material. This mostly true story also was based off his own life. His honesty helps make this film work even better.

Overall this is a great movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

God's Not Dead 2

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:B-

Review: A quite enjoyable movie. What really works in this movie is it's story which is great, and the characters who if underdeveloped were quite likable.  The story does get you to root for the characters. Even if this story seems very familiar to the first film, it offers enough variety to make it not a repeat of that movie.

On the downside the film trying to tie itself to the first one seems really forced. The Newsboys especially feel like they are in this movie because of the first movie and to sing the catchy theme song for the first film. However judging from the scene after the trailer hopefully the next movie will do this better. However this movie is sincere and heartfelt as well as entertaining.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Miracles From Heaven

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:B

Review: Quite effective uplifting tearjerker.

While this film follows the standard formula for these types of films very closely, it is still very well done and quite effective. Part of the reason for this is that the characters are very likable. You care about the characters, and want the best for them. This film also features some pretty good visual film making. The message is quite beautiful and life being a miracle, is something we all need to be reminded of.

Also for Third Day fans this film contains Mac Powell as the church's worship leader, and gives the movie some quite good music.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Zootopia

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:A-

Review: Fantastic movie. Funny, clever, likable, and very well animated film.

This movie has everything going for it. It has very likable characters, a great story, and the jokes are very funny. We especially have all felt like Judy and Nick at times. This characters are quite real to us. Helping very much is that the message is more complex than much of what is coming out Hollywood today. This message is presented very cleverly and is at the service of the characters and story instead of being forced in.

Disney buffs pay attention for a very clever reference to 101 Dalmatians.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Deadpool

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:D

Review: Despite the hype around this movie, it sadly isn't very good.

Most of the humor simply misses. Except for like one or two jokes it simply is not funny at all. It is immature and crude, but not funny. It honestly feels like it is just trying too hard to be funny. The gratuitous violence simply adds nothing as well. The side characters and villain are not interesting. Honestly this is one of the weakest movie villains I can think of. The story is a bit of a mess, and just doesn't work. However I will admit that Ryan Reynolds was perfectly cast.

There is not not much to say about this film, except it just isn't a good movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Pride+Prejudice+Zombies

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland
















Michael's Movie Grade:B-

Review: Surprisingly very entertaining film. Despite a stupid sounding idea, it overcomes this and becomes a darn good movie.

The story is quite good, but it doesn't have any problem having fun with how silly of an idea the story is based off of. It is quite subtly funny, but that still doesn't stop it from telling a pretty good story. The acting is great, especially considering how serious the actors and actresses take it. This type of acting is great because it makes both the serious and comedic parts work quite good. The cinematography is also quite good.

This film would benefit from better pacing, as much of it just happens too fast, and both the atmosphere and the characters would have really benefited, This may have made the film a classic. However as it is it may not be a classic, but it is very fun, and a darn good movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

13 Hours

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:D

Review: Michael Bay tries to do something very different with this film. I respect that he was trying something different out here, and I think this true life story could have made a great film, but sadly this just isn't a good movie.

The main problem with this film is the characters. We spend so much time with them and yet we barely know them at all. They all seem to have the exact same personality and the only way to tell them apart is the actors. Since these characters are based off of real people, this fault is especially bothersome. When I watch a film like this I want to see what these heroes were like and how they got through what they got through. I just don't feel I got this.

The humor is also very off, and just isn't funny.

The film however does have a few good scenes near the end, but the rest of the film is just not that good. This true life story simply deserves a better movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Kung Fu Panda 3

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:A-

Review: Fantastic animated film that truly is a treat for nearly anyone.

This film has great animation, and a great sense of design. This film is simply fantastic to look at. On top of that though the film has a great story and a great sense of atmosphere, as well as a good sense of humor. However the thing that really makes that really makes this film work so well is that Po is such a great character. We relate to him very closely and both feel sorry for him and kind of admire him. It would be easy to make this character just an another complete idiot character we have seen a hundred times. However this film is above that and truly makes this character unique. He is very likable, and well meaning and can actually be a great hero when he needs to be.

The plot can be predictable, but it is so well done one may not care.

Overall this is a great movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Finest Hours

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:B+

Review: Excellent and very fun adventure film. We have seen it all before, but it is done so expertly here.

The cinematography and editing in this film are down right fantastic, and even when the film is predictable it keeps and maintains an audience's attention. The action scenes are thrilling and edge of your seat fun. The acting is great. This truly an expertly made and very fun film. Helping to make this movie great is a fantastically well done old fashioned atomosphere.

However the film has one major fault. The romance is far too rushed. It is sweet and very likable, but more time needed to be spent on these two characters being together. In fact the beginning of the film just moves too fast, and really could use some slowing down.

Overall an excellent but faulted film.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Big Short

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland
















Michael's Movie Grade: B-

Review: Adam McKay does a surprisingly good job directing such a different film from his usual style, but he could have done better on the script (though it isn't by any means bad).

The film has great direction, that is not afraid to blend more experimental film making with more mainstream film making. It is not as original as it seems to think it is, but it is still very well done. The writing is enjoyable, and fairly well thought out, but it is not up to par with the direction, and feels like it could have used another draft or so. Again the writing, while good seems to think it is more original than it is. The acting however is top notch and makes the script's weak points still enjoyable.

This is not a new masterpiece, but is a very well directed movie with an enjoyable, if underwhelming, script, and great acting.

-Michael J. Ruhland