“The Batman” – I only work in black. Or really, really dark grey. Batman has had quite the adventure throughout his Hollywood career. Starting way back in 1966 with two dudes wearing their underwear on the outside of their pants, there have been ten live-action films. After that ridiculous (even at the time) depiction, 1989’s […]
The Batman

Film Title
The BatmanSynopsis
The Batman only works in Black, or really dark grey
Director
Matt ReevesCast
Robert Pattinson
Zoe Kravitz
Colin Farrell
Paul Dano
Andy Serkis
John Turturro
Jeffrey Wright
Studio 666

Film Title
Studio 666Synopsis
What are you doing, Dave?
Director
BJ McDonnellCast
Whitney Cummings
Foo Fighters
Will Forte
Jeff Garlin
Dave Grohl
Leslie Grossman
“Studio 666” – What are you doing, Dave? If I were a Foo Fighters fan, I might have been genuinely excited about seeing Studio 666. I couldn’t pick a Foo Fighters song out of lineup, but I’m sure I’ve heard some of their late ’90s/early 2000s stuff. I might even have liked a song or […]
House of Gucci

Film Title
House Of GucciSynopsis
Patrizia Reggiani marries into the Gucci Family and immediately starts to destroy it
Director
Ridley ScottCast
Lady Gaga
Adam Driver
Al Pacino
Jeremy Irons
Jared Leto
Jack Huston
If one were to pen a tale championing the proper way to end a relationship, and forge toward greener pastures, House of Gucci puts forth an exemplary illustration of what calamities to avoid. That is, were it not for the combination of a biopic-period piece serving as the conceit for achieving so. What else can […]
Starring debuts #12: Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate (1967)

Film Title
The GraduateSynopsis
A newly graduated boy-man tries to make his way in life
Director
Mike NicholsCast
Dustin Hoffman
Anne Bancroft
Katharine Ross
Murray Hamilton
William Daniels
Elizabeth Wilson
There’s a scene in The Graduate where Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman) is lying supine on a hotel bed while Mrs. Robinson (Bancroft), the sophisticated older woman who’s introduced him to the mysteries of sex, sits alongside clad in a black bra slowly unbuttoning his white shirt and running her hands over his smooth chest. Accompanied by […]
Uncharted (2022)

Film Title
UnchartedSynopsis
Nathan and Sully go on a treasure hunt for Magellan gold.Â
Director
Ruben FleischerCast
Mark Wahlberg
Tom Holland
Antonio Banderas
Sophia Ali
Steven Waddington
Tati Gabrielle
“Uncharted” – Inter-National Treasure. Given the number of video games released every year, it’s surprising to see how few of them are adapted into movies. Ever since Super Mario Bros. debuted as the first video game adaptation / cow pie in 1993, it makes sense that studios would be hesitant to make more movies from […]
Fucked-Up Films #2: Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975)

Film Title
Ilsa:She Wolf of the SSSynopsis
Mein Gott!
Director
Don EdmondsCast
Dyanne Thorne
Gregory Knoph
Tony Mumolo
Richard Kennedy
George Buck Flower
What are these sick bastards doing? Obviously inspired by Dr Josef Mengele’s ‘pioneering’ work in Auschwitz, this is a flick that concentrates on the more extreme Nazi obsessions. Ilsa (Thorne) is a ‘fraulein doctor’ in charge of a small medical experimentation camp that at first glance looks like a converted garden center. She’s aided by […]
Blazing Saddles (1974)

Film Title
Blazing SaddlesSynopsis
Women are stampeded and cattle raped in this Mel Brooks masterpiece
Director
Mel BrooksCast
Cleavon LIttle
Slim Pickens
Met Brooks
Harvey Korman
Madeline Kahn
Gene Wilder
Alex Karras
David Huddleston
John Hillerman
Liam Dunn
George Furth
Dom DeLuise
Count Basie
There has been a lot written about some of the outrageous comedies of the past, movies that could not possibly be made today. Movies like Animal House, Life Of Brian, Porky’s, Airplane and all those Blaxploitation movies that Dave Franklin has reviewed at Ruthless. We, as movie lovers, are truly not worthy of movies that […]
Blacklight

Film Title
BlacklightSynopsis
It is time to stop. Now, Liam
Director
Mark WilliamsCast
Liam Neilson
Aidan Quinn
Emmy Raver-Lampman
Taylor John Smith
Claire van der Boom
Andrew Shaw
“Blacklight” – It is time to stop now, Liam. There’s a new Liam Neeson movie coming out, so it must be February. Put another way, it’s February, so what is the name of the latest Liam Neeson action flick? Put a third way, there’s a new movie about a grizzled old lone wolf with a […]
The Fountainhead (1949)

Film Title
The FountainheadSynopsis
Gary Cooper stars in the Ayn Rand blockbuster novel
Director
King VidorCast
Gary Cooper
Patricia Neal
Raymond Massey
Robert Douglass
Kent Smith
Moroni Olsen
Lines and shadows, shadows and lines. The Fountainhead is all sharp angles defined by shadows defined by shadows so sharp they could cut through the self-servicing philosophy of the artless Rand on the airless moon. Only one director could have made sense of this!!! King Vidor of Galveston Texas. He cut through the angles when […]
Death On The Nile (2022)

Film Title
Death On The NileSynopsis
Denial is just a river in Egypt
Director
Kenneth BranaughCast
Tom Bateman
Annete Bening
Kenneth Branaugh
Russell Brand
Michael Ruse
Gale Gadot
Armie Hammer
Emma Mackey
It is just a river in Egypt. Probably. We often hear people complain about the lack of creativity or originality in Hollywood. Almost exclusively, that complaint is directed at big budget blockbusters and franchises. We know that complaint is completely insincere when we hear nary a peep from those same people about a movie like […]