Movie Review: In The Heart of the Sea

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:B+

Review: Excellent film that is not afraid to take it's time, and by doing such makes itself a much better movie.

This film has excellent atmosphere, and fantastic characters. Unlike too many modern films this one does not rush into the action, but rather lets you get absorbed into the world of the film, before the story really gets underway. This makes the film more intense and engaging when the story really does get under way. The characters are complex yet we understand and relate to them quite well.

The whale hunting scenes are quite exciting. They look fantastic, and are full of suspense. This film is in fact full of visual amazement.

On the downside, the dialog often feels forced and the film sometimes feels like it is trying to hard to be deep and meaningful (though often times it is). These faults may hinder some people's enjoyment of the film, but as for me they were surrounded by so much greatness, that I couldn't help but love this movie.

For those who also like slower moving films, this is an excellent experience that can be both entertaining and thought provoking.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland




















Michael's Movie Grade: B

Review: New Stars Wars film plays it safe, maybe too safe, but is fun and atmospheric, which is exactly what a Star Wars film should be.

When I say the movie plays it safe, I don't mean a lack of good and surprising plot twists, but rather that the film at times is very close to A New Hope. A few scenes seem lifted from there. However these scenes are still done well, and there is enough different that this film is by no means pointless.

The film is fun, and offers us a great visit back to the world we enjoyed in the previous films. The characters both old and new are quite likable, the world is awe-inspiring, and the film is engaging. The film is just really fun. Though it may go on a bit long, it never loses the viewers interest, and you never become really bored by it. At times it's predictable, and there is little we haven't seen before, but again the film is too well done to harp too much on these faults.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Michael's Christmas Movie Guide: Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

 

Excellent, warm, silly Christmas romantic comedy. This film doesn't aspire to be anything more than a fun silly comedy that takes place at Christmas time, but it exceeds extremely well at being just that.

This film was directed by Peter Godfrey, who was a prominent B movie director at Warner Brothers during this period, he would later be a fairly prolific TV director. Peter Godfrey would later direct this movie's leading actress, Barbra Stanwyck, in Cry Wolf, and The Two Mrs. Carolls, but this was the first time they worked together.

Barbra Stanwyck was best known as a serious actress, and today is best remembered for a role she played one year earlier in Billy Wilder's classic film-noir Double Indemnity. However she loved being in comedic films like Christmas in Connecticut. She often felt that doing films like this was a great way to wind down after doing a serious film.

Peter Godfrey became good friends with two of the movie's stars, Barbra Stanwyck and Sidney Greenstreet. Godfrey and Greenstreet were said to keep the rest of the cast in crew and hysterics, between shooting the film.

The film was rightfully beloved at the time it was released, and remains a classic with classic movie fans. This is a great watch that I really recommend.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/611/Christmas-in-Connecticut/articles.html

Michael's Christmas Movie Guide: It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

 

Very charming and quite funny Christmas themed comedy.

It Happened on 5th Avenue started life as an idea for a film for Frank Capra's production company, Liberty Films. It was going to be directed by Capra himself, but Capra found a Christmas themed movie he liked a bit better, called It's a Wonderful Life, a film he wanted to make much more. So the film was given to producer/director Roy Del Ruth. It also became the first film made for the Allied Artist company.

This film is a very charming Christmas classic that deserves to be better known. It is very funny, the characters are quite likable, the story is good and most of all it just has a great charm to it. It is a very happy feel good movie that just feels so naturally happy and never forced. On top of that is is just perfectly cast.  Victor Moore, Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles and Gale Storm were all just perfect, and really don't feel like actors, but rather the characters they are playing. Also very charming in a brief role is Edward Brophy, who my fellow Disney fans may recognize as the voice of Timothy Mouse in Dumbo. This is just a Christmas classic that deserves to be much better known.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/274279%7C0/It-Happened-On-th-Avenue.html

Movie Review: The Good Dinosaur

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:A-

Review: While more "safe" than Inside Out, this is still an excellent film in it's own right. Peter Sohg, a Pixar animator since Finding Nemo, makes his first feature film a great worthwhile movie, and I am happy to see what he does in the future.

The best thing about this film is the interactions with the characters, and it's respect for it's audience. It never cops out, and treats it's audience like they have minds in their heads. It is not afraid to have quiet nice scenes that never feel they have to over-explain anything to it's audience. One scene with Spot and Arlo talking about their families is simply fantastic, and very beautiful. This film has many moments like this that make the film well worth watching.

The film has a fantastic folk music score, and as a folk fan I love it. It is truly lovely, and I recommend staying through the credits just to listen to this music.

Though some may have problems with Arlo's design (I didn't), the animation is beautiful of the type we have grown to except from Pixar.

While this lacks the experimentation and originality of Inside Out, it shouldn't be judged by that but instead enjoyed as the great film it is.

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

Michael's Movie Grade: A

Review: Sanjay's Super Team is an excellent semi-autobiographical film about the film's director Sanjay Patel's childhood. It is touching and sweet, as well as having excellent animation. The relationship between the father and son is sweet. The character design is fantastic. This is a personal film and you can see watching it why this short was so important to the director.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: The Peanuts Movie

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:A+

Review: Peanuts' fifth theatrical feature is the best one since the first, and the best film to come from Blue Sky Studios thus far. This is a greatly written, and perfectly animated movie, and a must see for every Peanuts fan. Charles Schultz would be proud of this excellent film.

The animation in this film is perfect. It embraces the art of the classic comic strips and animated specials and movies, while adding something unique along the way. This movie is just a joy to look at.

The characters are written perfectly. They are still the people we have grown to love. Charlie Brown is just as Charlie Browny as ever. Snoopy and Woodstock are a delight to see. Linus, Lucy, Franklin, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Pig Pen, Patty, and really just everybody else were perfectly realized.  However every scene with Sally was just perfect. She has always been one of my favorite cartoon characters and this film just perfectly shows why. Look around for quite a few characters thrown in their specifically for us Peanuts fans.

The Peanuts Movie needs to go down and history as a classic, this is one of the greatest family films, and maybe even films of any kind of recent years.

However we are not done here we have a short to review...

Michael's Movie Grade:C

Review: This film feels like it is over as soon as it begins, but it is still a fun short with some good slapstick. While not as funny as Scrat was in the first Ice Age film, he is still in good form here. This cartoon is quite entertaining but feels like it need more time to truly take off (pun intended).

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: The Last Witch Hunter

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:D+

Review: A mediocre film that has a surprisingly well done climax.

The characters are extremely cliche, and none of them are truly interesting. Much of the plot also we have seen elsewhere and done better, though it is watchable here. In fact, nearly everything in this film has been done too much in other films.

However this film has a surprisingly good climax. It works, because director Breck Eisner, lets this scene be told just as much in the atmosphere as in the action. This scene is exciting, and very well done. It is unfortunate none of the rest of the film is on par with this climax.

A twist at the end feels unnecessary, and unfortunately brings the worst part of the film directly after the best scene. This is poorly handled and feels like the filmmakers are just trying too hard to play it safe.

Overall this is not that good of a film, but the climax is so good it may make it worth seeing.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Goosebumps

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:C

Review: Enjoyable time passer, nothing more, nothing less. This film is unspectacular, but nothing you will regret seeing.

The best thing about this film is Slappy the Dummy. The puppetry on him was fantastic, and he was voiced great by Jack Black (I preferred this performance over his live action one in this film where he has an accent that is impossible to guess what accent it is). While not exactly terrifying, he is legitimately creepy. Unfortunately with all the monsters in this film he is the only one given enough to do to be an actual character (though the camera seems to fixate on a clown that is barely given anything to do).

The romance is cliche and overly predictable, but harmless. The jokes are hit and miss, but those that do hit are surprisingly good. Unfortunately a twist on a twist happens near the end and without giving anything away is awful.

Overall an enjoyable time passer, but will never be remembered as a great movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: 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

Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania 2

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: C

Review:Only occasionally funny animated comedy is helped by good characters and great animation.

The greatest thing about this film is that there is a lot of great character animation in it. The animation brings the characters alive, and brings a great energy to the film. It is very expressive, and very energetic and is just fun to watch.

If not as developed as they could be, the characters are quite likable. They may not be the most memorable characters, but they do have a real likability.

 The main problem with the film is that it is only funny at times, and it has more times where it is not funny than times where it is funny. None of those funny moments though are laugh at loud funny as they are kind of humorous. For a comedy there just weren't as many good laughs as there should have been.

Overall an enjoyable film with great animation, and good characters, but sadly fairly low on laughs.

Movie Review: 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    

Movie Review: 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

Movie Review: 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

Movie Review: 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

Movie Review: 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

Movie Review: Fantastic 4

 

Review by Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: F

Review: Awful. One of the worst superhero films ever made. 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 superheroes save the day).

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

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland
























Michael's Movie Grade: F

Review: Well everybody seems to like this movie, so I almost regret to say I'm not among that crowd. This is my first and probably last Mission: Impossible film. It just felt bland, and lifeless, and on top of that it went on for much too long.

The main character Ethan Hunt is bland and boring. He has no likability and I just couldn't come to care if he lived or not. On top of this Tom Cruise makes the character worse because it feels as if he is just phoning it in. If I do not care about the main character, I do not care about the action scenes. I am a type of person who can't enjoy an action scene unless I have an emotional connection with the characters, and there was not one character worth caring about in this film.

Director/Writer Christopher McQuarrie perfect understands action movie cliches and there was nothing in this film I felt I had seen before, but done better.

The action looked cool, but since there was no emotional attachment it came off as still boring. However the rest of the audience seemed to enjoy the film a lot, so there is an audience for this movie, I am just not part of it. Maybe I'm just not enough of an action fan. If you are looking for action, and don't want to try anything new maybe you'll like this, but for me it was awful.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Paper Towns

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland




















Michael's Movie Grade: B+

Review: A sometimes beautiful, sometimes funny, and sometimes nostalgic portrait of the High School years, that doesn't view a teenager's life through rose-color glasses or through cynicism. The plot can often times seem quite outlandish, however I have the feeling that that was done on propose, but it still might turn off those who want something more believable.

The best thing about this movie is the relationships between the characters. You truly see how much these characters care about each other, and it made me think of all the great friendships that I have had over the years, both past and present. This film captures a place and time in people's lives so beautifully. This feeling of nostalgia, and of our own friendships is where the film really shines and boy does it shine in this movie.

The cast is amazing in this film especially considering their age. They can even bring some likability to some of the more underdeveloped characters.

However this film is not without it's faults, and is far from a perfect movie. Some of the character's seem very underdeveloped, and this film could have been better, had we felt we knew those characters better. These characters have great relationships with the more defined characters, that really add to the movie, but as characters themselves they don't quite work. While much of the humor does work, there are points were it feels forced and immature. Some pee jokes in particular feel more gross than actually funny, but luckily they are quick and don't hurt the film too much.  However the transitions from comedy to drama are always well handled.      

Overall this film really works though it is not without it's faults. If you can accept outlandish stories, and can overlook it's faults, it is a great movie, that you will probably enjoy as much as I did.


This is amazingly the second feature directed by Jake Schreier. I may have to follow this guy in the future and see what is in store for him.


-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Antman

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: B+

Review: Superhero film raises no bars, but is so good you may not care. A really fun movie, with some surprisingly effective emotional scenes as well.

Unlike most other action films (I'm looking at you Jurassic World) this summer this film waits before getting into the action scenes. It sets up who the characters are and what the stakes are very well before getting into the action scenes. This make the film's action scenes much more effective than those in many other recent action films. Although the action scenes questionably go on too long for the most part they are very well done.

The characters are quite likable and although they are not especially complex, they are not 2 denominational stereotypes. You do sympathize with the characters and care if they make it out of the film okay.

Overall this film is a very entertaining movie that is probably the best action film of this summer.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Pixels

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland










Michael's Movie Grade: C

Review: Decent comedy, is helped very much by great video game style animation, and a very fitting 1980's soundtrack that fits perfectly with the movie. This movie contains some pretty funny moments though they come too far apart to make this a great comedy.

Like many comedies the romance feels forced and definitely is the lowest point of the film. In fact any serious moment is a low point, as much of it consists of tired movie cliches. The characters though are likable enough to keep this from making the film bad.

Not to give too much away but Q-Bert is a highlight of the film, and gets a few true laughs, as does the Wonder Kid (Josh Gad's Character).

Overall an enjoyable time passer, but nothing that will ever be remembered as a great movie, but nothing that will leave a bad taste in your mouth.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Minions

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland








Michael's Movie Grade: C+

Review: While this movie is far from spectacular, it is a fun silly comedy, and what more would you want from a film like this. This film is just what you'd expect, a story that is nothing but an excuse for some silly humor. While obviously this is not screwball comedy on par with say Looney Tunes, Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers, Three Stooges, ect., it is quite an enjoyable little comedy that easily surpasses both Despicable Me films.


Directors Kyle Balda, and Pierre Coffin (also the voice of the minions), and writer Brian Lynch know just what the audience wants and provides that as well as they can. The voice cast is also in top form. And we easily have a much more interesting villain in this film than the Despicable Me films(i'm not counting Gru as a villain, because of reason that should be obvious for people who have seen the previous movies).

While this will never be considered a classic of film comedy, it is a fun movie, that easily surpasses it's predecessors.

Movie Review: Terminator Genisys

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland















Michael's Movie Grade: C+

Review: A fun action movie, even if it is not much more.

The special effects are amazing and help the movie a lot. One reason this helps is the action scenes can be long and unrelenting. This is especially true of the beginning. The film takes a while to slow down and let you care about the story. 

The story, while nothing we haven't seen before is not that bad. The characters while not reaching the emotional strength, the film-makers were pulling for, are quite likable, and you do actually want to see things work out well. Although the story is nothing particularly original, none of the cliches feel particularly annoying as they do in plenty of bad action films.

The acting is top notch, and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfect as an emotionless robot (I know shocking). Emilia Clarke, and Jai Courtney, particularly, bring much needed likability to their characters.

Overall a fun action film, and if you don't expect much more you will enjoy this.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Max

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland

Michael's Movie Grade: B

Review: Quite Good, if faulted movie. 

One of the strongest points of the film is simply the idea of a film about a military animal who suffers from a horrible experience he saw during the war is a fascinating and great idea for the movie. This idea is handled great as well. The film is at it's best when focusing on this idea. 

The relationship between the boy and the dog is also handled very well, and even if we've seen it a thousand times before. It is a believable friendship that does not feel forced in any way. The kid and his parents also seems like believable parent-child relationships.

There are however two big faults with this movie. The first is the inclusion of a villain, and a weak one at that. The dog's trauma, and relationship with the kid are both strong enough to carry the film, and the villain just seems tacked on and unnecessary. These are easily the weakest scenes of the movie. The second is one of the main kids friends, it is obvious the this character is supposed to be cool and hip, but he just isn't. This character can just be annoying whenever he is on screen. It is obvious that director/writer Boaz Yankin simply doesn't know how to write for this type of character. Both these faults can really hurt the film at times.

Overall if you can get past those two big faults this is quite a good movie, that I would recommend.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: San Andreas

Review written by Michael J. Ruhland

Michael's Movie Grade:  C

Review: Surprisingly good action movie for what it is. No this is not a very intelligent film or a very original one, but you have to have expected that going into this movie. Especially with it being directed by Brad Peyton (Cats and Dogs, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island). While it delves into too many cliches, it remains surprisingly entertaining throughout. The Characters while underdeveloped are quite likable, and you actually do care about them. The action while not the most spectacular is impressive.

The acting is quite good. While we often question the films he appears in, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) appears in, he nearly always does a good job in them. Alexandra Daddario provides a likability factor to her character. Art Parkinson is a surprisingly good child actor who gets the only real laughs in the movie. 

However this movie is cliche ridden. Nearly everything in this movie has been done before. Both romances are about as predictable and bland as you can get. Near the film (not trying to spoil anything) dives into a cliche that has been done so many times that it can not possibly cause any suspence or emotional impact any more, and this movie milks it for all it can. This scene goes on too long and hurts the film a lot.

 Overall a surprisingly good film for what it is, and the cliches are not as annoying as they are in say Jurassic World, except for the one near the end I spoke about before. Never will this be a classic, but it is honestly pretty good. So as long as you don't have too high of expectations go see it.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Jurassic World

 

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland

Michael's Movie Grade:D+

Review: Great animation, and action heavily help cliche story line and even more cliche characters. This is the stereotype of the Hollywood blockbuster. It has a story and many characters we've seen before under other names. It simply existed for the action and effects, and this was of course where the movie shined. 

My favorite thing about the film is the animation of the dinosaurs. It was real animation, not just effects. The dinosaurs actually physically showed emotion. They were in fact much better than most of the human actors were. The action was quite good, and didn't drag on too long or overuse slow motion as many post-Matrix action films do (OK, I don't like The Matrix).

The story however was very bland, the characters blander, and the jokes blandest (there were no good jokes in this movie, and there were a lot of jokes). We have seen this all before.

Overall if you want to be amazed visually you will really enjoy the movie however if you want a great story look elsewhere. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Aloha

 

Review written by Michael J. Ruland

Michael's Movie Grade:C-

Review: Fairly enjoyable romantic comedy, never becomes anything more than that. Like too many romantic comedies, the comedy is never that funny. There are simply no true laughs. The romance part works better, while not anything especially great, it is kind of entertaining and the leads are fairly likable. Writer/Director Careron Crowe does manage to put in enough occasional nice moments to keep the chicle story from getting boring.

The acting is quite good, Braddley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel Adams and the rest of the cast provide their characters with enough likability that we can sympathize with them.

What really works in the film is the soundtrack. The choice of songs fit the movie to a tee. Whenever a song comes into the background it enhances the enjoyment and effectiveness of the film.

Overall a pleasant time passer, but nothing great.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Tomorrowland

 

  Review written by Michael J. Ruhland

Michael's Movie Grade:C

Review: With films like The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille, Brad Bird has proven himself as one of the most talented film-makers today. However the greatness of those films can really hurt Tomorrowland in the eyes of his fans. That is not saying this is a bad movie (it isn't), but it simply can't hold it's own among the director/co-writer's best work. 

The visuals of this film are outstanding. While some might complain about an overuse of CGI, it is done very well, and fits in just fine with the story (without overshadowing it). The movie truly has a feeling of a spectacular sci-fi fantasy. 

The action was also well done. Unlike many movies today the action scenes never went on too long, and therefore never lost their sense of excitement.

The acting was pretty good.  Thomas Robinson's performance as a young Frank Walker was quite engaging, and gave a great sense of hope and childlike faith that was needed for his scenes, He also provided a great contrast with George Clooney's  older more cynical approach to the character. Britt Robertson was very effective, and brought an important likability to her character. While Raffey Cassidy brought out a rarely well-done human side to a robot character, without losing the robotic heart of the character. Unfortunately Hugh Laurie played a character that was too bland to care about, so it is hard to grade his performance.

The story begins as a fun action, Sci-fi adventure movie. This is quite well done, and even at times quite original. At this point the character's truly guide the story, and these characters are very likable, and relatable. We can easily see both our own optimism and pessimism in these characters. This also shows us fantastically how different people view the future with either or both hope and fear. This is truly great and subtle human, and social commentary (something the end of the film is sorely missing).  This section of the film is unfortunately not how the whole movie will be.        

The worst part of the movie is the approach to the film's message. The film's message simply should have been told more subtly. In fact it is told subtly at points, and it is still easy to understand the message when it does this. However the movie still feels it has to go into long-winded speeches about this. These speeches have all the subtly of an Al Gore speech, and about the same amount of excitement. These speeches are also an un-cinematic way of getting the point across. Another Brad Bird film, The Iron Giant, gives a great commentary on cold-war America, however that movie never  dives into long-winded speeches, but rather tells the message through the art of film and story telling. The environmental message of Tomorrowland, however, can at times delve into environmental lechers, and not very good ones at that. To make matters worse the villain is a very bland character that whenever he is on screen just seems to spout these speeches. All this would not be so bad if Brad Bird hasn't already proven that he could do all this better, with the subtle social commentary of The Iron Giant, and the complex, well developed villain Syndrome from The Incredibles.    

 However this fault does not completely rear it's head until late, in the movie, and up until then it is a well made, highly entertaining movie that while not a classic is quite enjoyable. The characters are likable, the visuals and action spectacular and fun, and the performances engaging. However do expect a story that starts off fun with bits of originality and great human commentary, but then delves into environmental lechers, that you can hear on a college campus anytime. Overall a good (if faulted) movie, that unfortunately can't live up to what Brad Bird has done in the past. 

By the way be excited, Brad Bird's next film will be The Incredibles 2. I have no doubt that will be really good.