By George Robbins
[usr 4.1]
The 1944 classic rendition of ‘The Canterville Ghost’ is a fantastic movie that is a joy to watch even in modern day. Watching an older film can more often than not become difficult to watch and have your immersion broken due to technology at the time. This film is one that you can watch all the way through and not really have that issue. It is a film that was made for everyone to enjoy, no matter what your age might be. It also has its fair share of drama and dark moments as well, but it is still enjoyable for people of all ages. If there is one classic I will always go back to, then it would be this film a majority of the time.
By George Robbins
[usr 3.8]
I feel as though I need to first preface this by saying that I have never had any problems with clowns, but this movie made me feel uncomfortable around them now. The titular Klowns are just creepy and eerie looking, and they just make you feel awkward by looking at them. The film itself has a ridiculous premise, so of course it is a comedic horror movie, but that still doesn’t mean it’s not creepy to sit through. If you like horror movies, then this is definitely a movie for you to watch, and I strongly recommend that you do. Just know that it is exactly as weird as you may think it is, and if you have seen it, you can definitely agree with me at least to some extent. If you are already afraid of clowns, then you may just have candy-coated nightmares for the rest of your life. That is, assuming the film doesn’t give you a heart attack.
By George Robbins
[usr 4.8]
I hardly ever get truly sad at the end of a film, but this is one of those films that I do get sad finishing. The bittersweet feeling that is left after the film is proof that the film itself had a huge impact. The way that all of the characters are portrayed within the film is something that makes it feel almost too real and makes crave affection. The whole movie is just a story of a lost affection and what some people would do in order to reacquire it. It is an odyssey for the characters involved and it makes me wonder whether or not I would be willing to go to the same lengths. If you suddenly had the one thing you loved taken away would you do anything to get it back. The main character of the film, masterfully portrayed by Haley Joel Osment, would do anything to get that back and it proves that he doesn’t need living tissue to feel the need for affection. Some people are even more mechanical than he is even though they are human, and this just shows that anyone or thing can yearn for something. Does it make you human or machine to want those things?
By George Robbins
[usr 4]
This film is one that I watched having no idea who the director was at the start. Just a few seconds in however I had found my answer to that question. Wes Anderson has a very unique style to the way he does his films. The way that the camera work is done combined with the straight-faced delivery of the lines is a combination that he has made unique to himself. That’s not to say other films won’t do the same, but the way he does it, you can just tell that it is him. This film in particular is not one of his best works, but it is still an excellent film nonetheless. The witty humor comes out strong through the film. Bill Murray kills the role as always, and the rest of the cast is excellent in both the way they handle the scenery and how they deliver their lines. There are certainly better Wes Anderson films such as ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ and more recently as of the writing of this review, ‘Isle of Dogs,’ but this film is still a great film on its own.
By George Robbins
[usr 3.2]
This film has a special place in my heart as being a science fiction movie that you can love to hate sometimes. It is supposed to be a horror movie to some degree, but it just comes off as being another action movie. Don’t get me wrong however, because the film is still fun to watch. All I’m saying is that there are other options for horror or action films. This isn’t even the best film for horror with sharks, the obvious and cliched answer, but also the correct one is ‘Jaws.’ For an action movie with sharks, this might just be the best in the category. It’s a stupid fun movie to watch and is worth any time you put into it.
By George Robbins
[usr 4.3]
There are a lot of classic horror movies out there in the world, and a lot of them have very similar themes. This movie is no exception to this, however that does not mean that it isn’t an interesting movie to watch. All of the characters, like most people in real life, have something that they try to hide. This is something that is unavoidable, but it doesn’t mean that it is something that should be ignored or forcefully forgotten. Nearing the completion of the film it can be seen that the main theme is to accept your own shortcomings and grief so that you can try and move past them. This film shows that sometimes the best thing to do in situations is to face them head on and sometimes fight like your life depended on it. This is something that can be taken into everyday life; even if you have something go wrong no matter how big or small, you should fight to try and get through it. For me this is the most poignant point that I see being made in this film. If people don’t agree with this, that is fine, but it is advice that should be followed nonetheless. We all have the capacity to fight to make our lives better, and that is shown at the film’s climax. The Ritual is not just some horror movie to me, it is a movie that makes me think about how I should act in my own life, and for that reason I believe it is a film that is worth the watch. That is the true horror that is a result of this film.
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