Category: Review

The Top 15 Medieval-themed Films of All Time I tried, but I really couldn’t bring myself to spend money on any of the movies that leached into central Arkansas this past weekend. Of course, I really wanted to see Terry Gilliam’s  The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, but we didn’t get a chance at that one.… Continue reading Top 15 Medieval-themed Films of All Time

The Mustang Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (2019) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/3-12.jpg’ attachment=313′ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] Three Tennysons/Half Shakespeare[/av_image] [av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”] This is a little gem of a film that might not be on your radar, since it has had virtually no promotion and is in very limited release. But it’s… Continue reading The Mustang

Shazam! David F. Sandberg (2019) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tennyson-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’77’ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] Think Penny Marshal’s Big meets a PG-rated Deadpool. That’s basically what you get in the comic but not-so-sardonic-as-Deadpoolnew film from the DC expanded universe, directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) and written by Henry Gayden (Earth to Echo),… Continue reading Shazam

Dumbo Tim Burton (2019) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Susanns.jpg’ attachment=’78’ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=10” appearance=’on-hover’] 2 JACQUELINE SUSANNS [/av_image] One of the most vivid memories of my life is the first time I saw a family of elephants in the wild in Zambia. I was on a river cruise on the Great Zambezi and… Continue reading Dumbo

Gloria Bell Sebastian Lelio (2018) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tennyson-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’77’ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] Chilean filmmaker Sebastian Lelio, winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film for his 2017 film A Fantastic Woman, has gone back in time for his latest project, essentially reshooting his acclaimed 2013 film Gloria, but this… Continue reading Gloria Bell

Everybody Knows Asghar Farhadi (2018) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/3-12.jpg’ attachment=313′ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] Three Tennysons/Half Shakespeare[/av_image] [av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”] We’re certainly in the doldrums of the Hollywood film cycle, with no new films in wide release this week that received anything like a positive critical consensus among reviewers nationwide. It’s… Continue reading Everybody Knows

Captain Marvel Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (2019) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tennyson-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’77’ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] The Marvel Universe’s latest installment actually prompted the online review site RottenTomatoes.com to shut down and purge early audience reviews of Captain Marvel because an overwhelming number of trolls were savaging the film before its release date,… Continue reading Captain Marvel

Fighting With My Family Stephen Merchant (2019) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tennyson-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’77’ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] I’ve always been put off by professional wrestling. Having a respect for the sport in its pure competitive aspect in high school, college, or Olympic venues, I’ve always felt that the professional marketing of the sport… Continue reading Fighting With My Family

Ruud’s Bottom Ten Following the debacle of this year’s Academy Awards, it seemed the perfect time to present a list of the ten worst movies to win the coveted Best Picture Oscar. If you read this space last week, you might be aware of just how much I didn’t think Green Book was deserving of a… Continue reading The Ten Worst Academy Award Winners

The Ruud Top Ten   With the Awards Season crawling towards its culmination in the Oscar ceremony this coming Sunday, I guess it’s about time for my annual Top Ten list of the best films I saw in 2018—or, I should say, the best films made in 2018 that I’ve been able to see, since… Continue reading Top Ten Films of 2018