Gaurdians of the Galaxy Vol.2

Review written by Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: B+


Review: A very fun movie that is highly recommended.

This movie successeds on many levels. The characters are very likable and relatable. By the end of the film we feel that we completely know the main characters. Unlike a lot of these type of movies it does not confuse backstory with personality and understands that a good backstory can never be a replacement for likability. Though there is a lot of backstory here, the main focus is these characters and simply what made people like them so much in the first film (or comics for that matter). The backstory however is quite interesting and really complements the character. As well as this even though they are often comic relief, Rocket and Baby Groot are just as likable and real as any of the other characters, and who can't like Baby Groot. The humor in this film is fantastic. There are very few jokes that miss, and some jokes are flat out fantastic (Baby Groot and that toe especially). The music once again complements the action perfect and makes the scenes more exciting, funny, emotional and of course the songs fit Star Lord's character perfectly.

On the downside, the story while good has been done before and it is not hard to guess the movie's twist. This film is very similar to many other superhero movies, story wise. Gomorra's side story with her sister, honestly could have just been dropped. It isn't bad at all, but it is very rushed and doesn't add much to the film. Maybe it could have been better if it was either the focus of the movie or just given more time, but as it is it is kind of the weakest part of the movie. Despite all this the movie is more than fun enough to make up for these faults and still comes out as an excellent movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland    

I am Groot.

Born in China

Review by Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: B+

Review: Excellent film, is a pure delight especially on the big screen.

The nature photography in this film is absolutely incredible. Like Disney does so often in these films, I haven't the slightest idea how they got the shot, but I am too busy being amazed that I don't think about that until after the film. This is a movie that will definitely be better if you see it in a theater (though most movies are better in the theater (except obviously those made for TV)). From the first shot you feel as if you have been transported to China.

However this film does have a fairly big downside and that is John Krasinski's narration. While it isn't all bad it certain does get in the way. The attempts at humor through this narration (especially when he voices an animal character) fall really flat. There is also a really inappropriate use of the song, Burn This City, but that is so brief it will not affect your enjoyment of the film. Still these faults are completely overcome by the sheer beauty of the nature photography, which is so breathtaking, you can overlook these faults no problem.

By the way do not go away when the end credits start. There is plenty of great footage of the crew interacting with the animals. This is delightful, fun and would be worth the price of admission easily, even if the rest of the film didn't exist.

This film may have its faults, but if you are a nature lover like me, it is a must see, simply to see the beautiful nature photography.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Boss Baby

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland








Michael's Movie Grade:C+

Review: DreamWorks has proven with the Kung Fu Panda trilogy (yes I know there are more coming and I am excited), that they can make an idea that seems bad on paper actually work. While this movie is not on the same level as Kung Fu Panda the filmmakers takes a seemingly terrible idea and makes a movie that is quite enjoyable.

While so many animated features today go out of their way to make their fantasy worlds seem as real as possible and for us to accept them as such, Boss Baby simply embraces the fact that it is a cartoon by simply having fun with how absurd it all is, and having a field day with their imaginations. This is the film's biggest asset. This is especially shown through Tim's various fantasies and daydreams. Taking a page out of Maurice Noble's design work for the Ralph Philips cartoons of the 1950's all of those working in DreamWorks art department create a vivid, but very stylized look to these daydreams, that is honestly a joy to look at. Also great to see is the fantastic design of Baby Corp., which is so imaginative that it creates a great sense of fun here. The idea of babies and puppies being created by companies rather than well you know is a great one that just helps add to the fun.

The characters are quite likable. While they might not be the best fleshed out characters in animation, they are not just the one joke characters that you might think they are from the previews.

On the downside for a comedy this film has very few laugh out loud moments. This isn't to say that the humor is bad, but I giggled and smiled more than I actually laughed out loud. There are some laugh out loud moments ("Your parents are Lennon and McCartney"), but there are just much fewer than there should be for a movie like this. Also while the film is full of imagination, it is not lacking in Clichés. There are many moments where you know just what is going to happen and I think many people will see the ending coming.

So this isn't Kung Fu Panda by any means it is a fun movie, and definitely worth a watch.

-Michael J. Ruhland     

Power Rangers

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland.
















Michael's Movie Grade:C

Review: A surprisingly good movie, even if it is far from a great one.

What surprisingly works well here is the characters and the emotional moments. This almost feels more like a Breakfast Club like movie, with teenagers who happen to be super heroes. Scenes like the one around the camp fire as well as the Red and Pink Rangers speaking in his bedroom, were surprisingly kind of touching. To a much different extant Rita was an over the top and quite fun villain. I kind of miss these over the top villains and this one was definitely fun.

This film did however delve into a few clichés that I am so tired of and don't want to see anymore. One of these is a terribly written school bully, who is simply a walking stereotype of a school bully. Another one is (without giving anything away (not that you can't see it coming in the first place)) a scene where they try to make you think the film is going to do something we all know it isn't. Also surprisingly with how good the characters and emotional scenes are the big action scene is kind of underwhelming. It isn't bad but it could be much better.

I would complain about the Krispy Kreme product placement, but it was so ridiculous, I found it funny instead of annoying. There is even a scene where Rita stops in the middle of an action scene to eat a doughnut. Again this so over the top and silly that instead of finding this annoying it is downright funny.

Overall a good movie, even if it is far from a great one.

-Michael J. Ruhland.    

Old Town Music Hall: You Were Never Lovlier (1942)

Review Written by Michael J. Ruhland.













Michael's Movie Grade: A+

Review: Once again I am doing a review of another great time I had at the old town music hall. This is an incredible place for all those who love old movies and if you are ever in El Segundo, California, it is a place that you must go to.

As always before the movie Bill Field (an extremely talented musician) played the Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ. This pipe organ has existed since 1925 and still sounds amazing to this day. Then the screen came down and introduced what films and concerts were coming soon. Following this lyrics to songs appeared on the screen, and the whole audience sang along. These songs included such great songs as Mairzy Doats, April Showers, and Pretty Baby.

Following this was a silent short film starring Our Gang. In this short after hearing about Noah's Ark, they decide to make their own Noah's Ark. This was a fast paced and very funny short. Some of the highlights included dressing a dog up as a lion, and a cars reaction to a skunk. The Our Gang kids are really great comic actors easily on par with the best adult comic actors. They were pure professionals and pure talent and nowhere does that show better than on the screen. Accompanying this short was Bill Field on the pipe organ. If you have not seen a silent film with live music, you are only cheating yourself. This is a completely different experience than watching one of these films on TV. Honestly this is something everybody needs to do sometime in their life, esspicially if they are movie lovers.

After a short intermission came the feature and what a great feature it was. Like many movies with Fred Astaire, the story itself is pleasant but predictable. However when watching the movie you don't care at all, because everything is done so well. The dialogue is extremely clever, fast paced and just plain funny ("Just think papa, you've been married longer than we've lived!" "I consider that a very fortunate coincidence, my dear."). The chemistry between Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth is near perfect. You simply believe the relationship between these two so well and it is just a joy to see them share the screen. Of course though the best thing about this film is the singing and dancing. There is so much energy, talent and commitment in these scenes to a level you rarely see in today's films. They may not make movies like this anymore, but after watching this film (esspicially in such a great atmosphere with an amazing audience) I have to say this film has never been lovelier.

-Michael J. Ruhland   

Beauty and the Beast

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland










Note: Before I start anything let me state here this film has a major fault, it is just too darn similar to the 1991 animated movie, and that movie is better. There are some differences (besides being live action), but they make little to no difference. Because of this you may leave the theater not knowing why exactly this movie exists or be less impressed because the 1991 movie was just so amazing that this film can't help but pale in comparison. However this film is fantastic if you do not compare it to the 1991 movie, even though that is hard. Because of this I am reviewing this as a stand alone film and not compare it to that movie, because this truly is a great movie despite that. So the grade this movie gets and the review are not affected by this fault at all.

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

Review: Fantastic film.

What really makes this work is just how good the story and characters are. Every character is extremely likable and well thought out. Belle and Beast bonding over books is a brilliant touch. It makes this romance completely believable. In fact the whole relationship between this two characters is downright beautiful and is utterly believable. More than this though Gaston is an amazing villain. He is a lot of fun, but still threatening. This is a hard combination to do and it is done very well here. The story may be a very old fairy tale, however it was adapted to feel more modern here very successfully, and without compromising any of the magic of the original tale.

On the downside is the designs of the servants who were turned into household objects. To fit in with live action there are made to look very realistic. These designs look just plain strange and can be a little distracting (this is not a comparison to the 1991 film, these designs would be distracting if that never existed). However the design of the castle is fantastic and a joy to look at. This feels like you are entering a fantasy world, it is just that good.

Overall a fantastic movie.

Note: Yeah this was hard to write a review without comparing it to the 1991 movie, because they are just that similar. I will say the Be Our Guest scene pales very much in comparison here though. Overall with the other film in mind this is a great movie, but completely pointless.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Old Town Music Hall: The Gay Divorcee (1934) & Paste and Paper (1923)

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland















Michael's Movie Grade: A+

Okay this is my second time doing this and I think I am going to keep it up. The Old Town Music Hall is a movie theater in El Segundo, California that shows old films and live music. If you are a fan of old movies like I am, and you are ever in Southern California, this is a place you must go to.

The show started with Bill Field on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, a pipe organ dating back to 1925. While you usually never got to see the whole organ, this place let's you see the entire thing clearly. So many parts that were normally hid behind a curtain are shown and lit up, and it is incredible to watch. To make all this better Bill Field is a very talented organist and a delight to listen to. After going through some old songs, the screen came down. There were now song lyrics and everybody sang along while Bill played. Again so much fun before a film even started.

Every sound feature is accompanied by a silent short, while every silent feature is accompanied by a sound short. Since this was a sound feature we watched a silent short. This was a forgotten 1923 Hal Roach comedy directed by George Jesske and staring James Parrott (the brother of comedian Charlie Chase, and also a director of various Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang shorts). This comedy was an utter delight. It was expertly done down and dirty slapstick humor, with a very funny ending. This short being silent was accompanied by Bill Field on The Mighty Wurlitzer and if you have only seen silent films on TV, it is a whole different experience seeing them with live music. It really makes these films come alive in a way you wouldn't know they could watching these films at home. Seeing a silent film this way is more than watching a movie and is just a whole experience and something every film fan should do in their life.

After an intermission, we got our feature film, and what a great film it was. The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers musical directed by Mark Sandrich. The plot itself is rather silly, but fun. However the real treat of this film is the humor and of course the musical numbers. Nearly every joke in this movie works and many are laugh out loud funny. The Continental is an incredible song and dance number that has to be seen to be believed. The whole number is pure movie magic at its best and just incredibly fun. However this isn't the only great song number here. We get a lovely Cole Porter song called Night and Day and Betty Grable and Edward Evert Horton perform a delightful song and dance number called Let's Knock Knees. As well as all this the characters are likable and the whole movie just has a great charm to it.

If you are a fan of old movies and you are ever in Southern California, go to the Old Town Music Hall, you will thank me.

-Michael J. Ruhland