Walk in the Woods

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland




















Michael's Movie Grade:C

Review: Quite enjoyable movie, but I can't help but feel it could have been better.

The best thing about the film was simply seeing the beautiful scenery of the trail. This film simply captures the beauty of nature very well. Considering this film is a movie about people going for one last adventure, this enhances the film a lot.

The story is a quite good story, and the characters are quite likable. However both do feel like they could be better fleshed out. I simply feel I could have known the characters better, and could have been more emotionally involved in the story. However both are still likable. The acting is quite good, and defiantly adds to the likability of the characters. Robert Redford, and Nick Nolte, are very important to the likability of this film, Emma Thompson is also great though her character feels underused, and Kristen Schaal's character marks a definite highlight of the film (though I can't be the only one who couldn't help, but think about Mabel from Gravity Falls).

Overall this is a good film, but unfortunately it feels like it could have been better.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Shaun The Sheep Movie

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland














Michael's Movie Grade:A+

Review: One of the most cleverly made TV shows of recent years, becomes one of the most cleverly made feature films of recent years. This film is shear enjoyment for anyone, and will definitely hold a special place in many cartoon and movie lovers' hearts.

Shaun the Sheep attempts something very few modern film would attempt, let alone a family film, it is completely without dialogue. There are noises that sound like words, but no words are actually spoken. This works heavily to the movie's advantage. The characters express themselves beautifully through pantomime. Both this film and the TV show contain some of the greatest character animation ever done in stop motion. Not only slapstick humor is shown through this pantomime, but also some truly heart warming moments as well. Showing that a movie does not need to delve into dialogue to tug at your heartstrings, but can do it with simple facial expressions, and physical gestures. Some scenes that revolve around Timmy, the baby lamb (Who has his own spin-off TV series that is also well worth watching), will definitely give you a warm feeling inside.

This film takes a very simple story and turns it into something that is both touching and funny, along with being something that is unique in today's world of dialogue heavy films. The story is simple to follow, but is not without depth.

Overall this is a great film that is shear enjoyment for the whole flock. By the way if you like this movie definitely check out the great TV series that this film is based off of.

-Michael J. Ruhland    

The Man From U.N.C.L.E

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: B

Review: Fun playful movie, overcomes weaknesses in the plot, with a addictively  fun spirit, and by not taking it's self too seriously.

This film is just plain fun, and helped heavily by great direction by Guy Ritchie. It plays with the art form of film as much as it can, from subtitles (for characters that speak foreign languages) getting bigger when a character is speaking louder, great jokes happening in the background of scenes, 1960's style pans between scenes music starting and stopping abruptly, and much more.

Speaking of music the soundtrack is perfect for the film, and compliments it beautifully. It adds the perfect amount of energy to the film, and like the rest of the film never takes itself too seriously.

The story itself is pretty standard but not bad. You have seen this story before and you will see it again. However it is pulled off pretty well without feeling too much like any other movie.

Overall this is a very fun film, and despite weaknesses in the plot it has an addictive energy, and great direction that will make it a worthwhile time spent at the movies.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Vacation

Review Written by Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: F

Review: Unfunny comedy tries to hard to be like the classic first vacation film, but has none of the heart that that film, Christmas Vacation, or even the disappointing Vegas Vacation, and European Vacation.

Despite all their vulgar and gross out comedy, what made the other Vacation films work was that we felt like we were watching our family on screen, We laughed at the comedy because we related to it, not because of it's vulgarness. In this film the characters are so unreal and unrelatable that all we are left with is vulgar, and gross out comedy, and without the heart, it is no where near as funny as those classic films. It is also not funny on it's own without being compared to the other movies.

This also suffers from something that was not present at all in the previous films, and that is a sense of real meanspiritedness. This film gives us suicide jokes, the least funny conservative stereotype of all time, the bloody death of a cow, cannibalism, and rape jokes, all played only for laughs. This meansprirtedness runs throughout the whole film and is never funny enough to be justified.

While the film does attempt to add some heart towards it's end it feels forced, and simply put in there because the other films had it. There is nothing emotional about these scenes in the least, and they feel out of place.

Overall this is an awful movie that does real injustice to a great comedy series.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Southpaw

Review written by Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:D

Review: This film is simply not as good as it is obliviously trying to be. It is not as much a bad movie as it is forgettable.

The main character is simply not as likable as writer Kurt Sutter seems to think he is. The script is constantly trying to make you feel sympathy for this guy, when there is nothing especially appealing about this character. Occasionally we do feel sorry for him, but that is more due to the circumstances than the character, and those times don't come as often as the script makes them seem like they should. Though I will admit Jake Gyllenhaal gave a good performance.

Without giving much away one really bad scene involves trying to make the audience feel sympathy for a side character who we barley spent any time with.

We've seen everything in this film done before. Most of it is handled fine, but none of it is handled well enough to overcome that fact.

Overall this is an unremarkable, and forgettable film, but nothing that will leave much of a bad taste in your mouth.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Gift

Review by Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade:A

Review:  Joel Edgerton's feature film directorial debut, is a fantastic thriller that thankfully relies much more one being psychologically disturbing rather than on gore. It is a nice refreshing change to see a modern film that can be this disturbing without being gorey.

The film knows when to take it's time. It lets you get involved with the characters and the situation they are in before starting the suspenseful or scary scenes. Again this enhances the movie because we become emotionally attached to what is going on, and therefore are much more interested in the mysteries of the characters. This makes the twists in the film much more effective.

What would simply be cheap jump scares in a lesser film actually add to this movie. They get us into the character's paranoid mind, and therefore make us more emotional involved instead of just being cheap scares.

I can't talk much more about this film, without giving too much away but if you like slower paced, psychological thrillers, that don't have to rely on gore than this movie will be a treat for you.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Fantastic 4

Review by Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: F

Review: Awful. One of the worst superhero films ever made. This is on par with Superman 3 & 4. This is a film that makes one question if anyone working on it even thought it was good.

A long time is spent on the origin story, which would be no problem if it added anything to the film but time. However it doesn't. It gives you no reason to care. The characters are as bland as characters get (in this film version that is), The story is bland and needs to be much more fleshed out. What is at stake is not presented until near the end of the film, and by then it is too late to care anymore.

Near the end we get and the first and last action scene, which again wouldn't be a problem if there was anything to care about, and wow is it bad. It is rushed, and goes by very fast in fact so fast, that we never get the feeling anyone was in any danger, or the villain was all that powerful. (spoiler the superheros save the day).

This is an awful movie with nothing to recommend. Avoid at all costs.

-Michael J. Ruhland