I know that a lot has been written about the making of Boyhood but I think that few really comprehend the almost miraculous scope of this movie’s achievements. For one thing, not only did Linklater produce a masterpiece with one brilliant child star performance, he did it with TWO, and over the amazing period of […]
Boyhood

Film Title
BoyhoodDirector
Richard LinklaterCast
Ellar Coltrane
Patricia Arquette
Ethan Hawke
Lorelei Linklater
Marco Perella
Guardians of the Galaxy

Film Title
Guardians of the GalaxySynopsis
Guardians of the Galaxy save the universe from destruction
Director
James GunnCast
Chris Platt
Zoe Saldana
David Bautista
Vin Diesel
Bradley Cooper
Lee Pace
Michael Rooker
Glenn Close
Benicio Del Toro
Due to my advancing age, increasing senility and just bitter disdain for any kind of comic book based film, my expectations for Guardians of the Galaxy were low. Yes, I scanned the glowing reviews and watched the trailers, things looked very promising, a can’t miss hit of a summer blockbuster was at hand. Even though […]
Sharknado 2

Film Title
Sharknado 2Synopsis
Flying Sharks and Product Whores make this a stinker
Director
Anthony C. FerranteCast
Ian Ziering
Tara Reid
Vivica A. Fox
Mark McGrath
Courtney Baxter
*Sharknado 1 review is here* I vividly remember a sweltering Saturday night in July of 1975 when my wife and I stood in line with a couple of thousand other people at the Park Theater in Memphis, Tn. We finally procured our tickets, found a couple of empty seats and I purchased two large Cokes […]
The Bug Museum -or- A Creationist’s Worst Nightmare
This is the Bug Museum. I know that Ruthless Reviews is not a travelogue, but I simply must comment on a fascinating place that I encountered in my travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Some of you may have noticed this on my FaceBook page, The Harrell House of Natural Oddities, or The Bug […]
Snowpiercer

Film Title
SnowpiercerSynopsis
The world’s coolest choo-choo circles the globe because of Global Warming.
Director
Joon-ho BongCast
Chris Evans
Kang-ho Song
Ed Harris
John Hurt
Tilda Swinton
Jamie Bell
Octavia Spencer
Alison Pill
Ah-sung Ko
I really like Korean Film (Thanks, Steen!). When I saw that Joon-Ho Bong was making a movie for us Americans, I was both thrilled and apprehensive, not knowing how badly things would be screwed up. Certainly unknown to most casual moviegoers, Joon-Ho Bong is a Master and is known for movies like Barking Dogs Never […]
Mile…Mile and a Half

Film Title
Mile, Mile and a HalfSynopsis
Twenty five days of hiking bliss on the John Muir Trail.
Director
Jason FitzpatrickCast
Ric Serena
Jason Fitzpatrick
Jen Serena
Zee Hatley
Durand Trench
“Sometime you need to just get away….” I don’t know if this was a documentary, an art exhibit, a magnificent display of some of the best cinematography ever, or just the very best of the human condition. Every once and a while in the wasteland of the Netflix click posters you find a real […]
Hombre

Film Title
Hombre (1967)Synopsis
One of the greatest Westerns ever, starring Paul Newman
Director
Martin RittCast
Paul Newman ... John Russell
Fredric March .... Favor
Richard Boone .... Grimes
Diane Cilento .... Jessie
Cameron Mitchell .... Braden
Barbara Rush .... Audra Favor
Peter Lazer .... Billy Lee Blake
Margaret Blye .... Doris Blake
Martin Balsam .... Henry Mendez
Hombre! As I sat lazily in my office, browsing through my DVD collection for inspiration for a review, I found a movie that I have not thought of in years. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this offbeat Western, where less is MORE, especially when you have talents like the great Paul Newman and the always craggy […]
Chef

Film Title
ChefDirector
Jon FavreauCast
Jon Favreau
Scarlett Johansson
Dustin Hoffman
Robert Downey Jr.
Emjay Anthony
Sophia Vergara
John Leguizamo
Bobby Cannavale
Oliver Platt
Chef was a feel good, but predictable comedy written by, directed by, and starred in by Jon Favreau, of Iron Man fame. (He also did Cowboys and Aliens and Swingers) This was the sort of movie that is difficult to review in that the movie could be described as overdone, sizzling, milquetoast, luscious, soggy, zesty, bland […]
Sharknado
Sharknado II here now! Yes, they are doing it again. Just when you think the Summer Season cannot get any worse, we will have the second installment of Sharknado, only this time the setting moves to New York City! Booyah! The other day I watched two really awful movies, but the difference in the two […]
Captain America: A Blockbuster for Blockheads
OK, what is it this time? I was at the movies again yesterday afternoon. Well, good for you. I see you saw “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” Wasn’t it FANTASTIC!! No, I hated almost every minute of it. What? It scored 8.2 at IMDB and 70/100 from 44 professionals at Metacritic. It has grossed […]