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