RF - RZ
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The Rhythm Section [2020] Riddick [2013] The Rift (Dark Side of the Moon) [2016]
The Ring [2002] The Ring Two [2005] Rings [2017]
Ringu [1998] Ringu 0: Birthday [2000] Ringu 2 [1999]
Rise of the Footsoldier [2007] Ritual [2013] The Ritual [2017]
The Road [2009] Road Kill [2010] Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain [2021]
Rogue Agent [2022]
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [2016] Romeo Must Die [2000] Rorschach [2015]
RRR [2022] Ruben Brandt, Collector [2018] Ruin Me [2017]
Runaway [1984] The Rundown [2003] Running with the Devil [2019]
The Russian Bride [2019] Rust Creek [2018] Ruthless People [1986]
Rogue Agent [2022]

            
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True story about an extremely charming con man who poses as an MI5 agent to win the hearts of others for personal gain and leaves a litany of psychologically devastated human beings in his wake. Despite the 'Rogue Agent' title and tensely edited trailer, this is not a suspenseful thriller but rather a slow paced drama. The acting is exceptional creating well defined, believable characters portraying deep emotions and genuine concern keeping one's attention despite the slow pace. Scary considering this is a real guy who spent less than 5 years in prison.
RRR [2022]
aka Rise Roar Revolt
            

A shepherd, attempting to rescue a girl, unwittingly becomes best friends with a man who works for the British elite that took her. What follows is a story of honor, pride, betrayal, redemption and the most extravagant example of Indian cinema that I have ever seen. Everything about it is exaggerated beyond credulity and it all works. Even in the serious moments, they could break into an epic musical routine at any time. The action is unrealistic stylish, outrageously over-the-top, and fun as hell. Cinematography is breathtaking. What an incredibly exciting ride!
Runaway [1984]

            
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In a near future, where robots have been thoroughly integrated into all aspects of society, someone has begun weaponizing them. Written & Directed by Michael Crichton (The Andromeda Strain, Westworld), this film is quite entertaining despite being rather goofy. The good and bad guys are quickly defined and the story is simple and pretty familiar focusing almost entirely on the robots. Selleck & Rhodes brought a perfect level of credibility to an over-the-top Kirstie Alley and Gene Simmons, who's lack of acting made him a weird and fun psycho. Not bad.
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain [2021]

         

This biodoc takes us on a journey through the life of Anthony Bourdain from dishwasher to cook to chef to writer to world traveler to his suicide in 2018. Exceptionally well presented, we get a real feel and understanding of a man who, despite traveling nearly 700,000 miles around the world, was ultimately unable to escape his own personal demons. The film also elegantly presented a poignant view of the devastation that suicide leaves behind balanced with the knowledge that one is surrounded by people who care. Talk to them!! Well worth a watch.
Ringu 0: Birthday [2000]
aka Ringu 0: Basudei
         
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Prequel to the original Ringu centering around the fate of Sadako. I really wanted to like this film, and it does have some truly inspired and excellent moments, but it was far too slow, far too melodramatic, and the character of Sadako exhibits far too much pathos for me to remain sympathetic ...which is what I believe the filmmakers intended. Concentrating too much on the drama rather than an actual story, I really didn't learn much from this as far as a backstory to the whole ring curse. Not a bad film really, it just didn't have much in it to get excited about.
Ruin Me [2017]

            

6 people sign up for a 'horror movie adventure' in the woods called 'Slasher Sleepout'. What a load of hokum. I stuck it out with this film as the game interested me and I wanted to see where it would go. It certainly wasn't because of the characters who were all stereotypical, shallow and completely unrealistic in their actions and motives. Expecting a profound twist at the end, what I got was a twisted mess which begged the question, "Why go through this much trouble in the first place"? ...and the final scene was nothing more than shock pandering.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [2016]

         

The daughter of the creator of the death star learns that her father placed a vulnerability within it and she needs to get that information to the alliance. A side story detailing the events just prior to A New Hope, this has all the exciting elements we've come accustom to in a Star Wars film. Great action and warfare, superb special effects, and a compelling story that keeps your attention. Sad ending but, except for a few characters we already now, none continue on from here so the sad ending is to be expected. Good stuff!
The Ritual [2017]

         

After tragically losing a friend, 4 guys decide to go hiking in Northern Sweden. After entering a forest, in an attempt to find a shortcut, they find themselves having unexplained visions and being pursued by something malevolent and huge. Heard a lot of praise for this film so I probably went into it with my expectations to high. Struck me as a pretty run-of-the-mill "people being hunted by a monster" film with no real surprises although it's done quite effectively. The monster, however, was some of the most grotesque nightmare fuel I've seen in a while. Worth watching.
Ringu [1998]

            
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The Japanese film that inspired a franchise in both the U.S. and Japan. Watch a tape, die in 7 days. This Japanese version struck me as rather slow with only a few creepy moments. Although many will disagree with me, I happen to like the U.S. version of The Ring much better. This one is more atmospheric but the other has a much fuller story which this one really needed.
The Ring [2002]

            
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The US version of Ringu, about a videotape that causes the viewer to die 7 days after seeing it, maintains the creepiness of the original but adds some seriously intense and shocking moments as well as rounding out the story's complexity. Disturbing with a wholly satisfying story, this film will get under your skin in a major way.
The Ring Two [2005]

         


Rachel and son move to a new home in a new town in an attempt to leave the madness of Samara behind. Well... she's back! Pretty good follow up to The Ring. It has a few flaws and contrived bits but overall, it had some good creeps (although not as effective as the first film) and a nice extension to the story that was so much more than just watching murderous video tapes.
Romeo Must Die [2000]

            

A friendship develops between the son of a Chinese mob boss and the daughter of an African-American mob boss while the two sides are on the brink of a gang war. This is a pretty standard, average, run-of-the-mill mob movie, via Romeo and Juliet, without any particular frills or action scenes except for a few fights to show off Jet Li's talents. Although, the fights were ok, some of the stunts felt more Jackie Chan than Jet Li and included a lot of those cool but physically impossible moves. Overall, good, entertaining film but nothing special.
Rings [2017]

            

A professor finds a copy of the dreaded VHS tape in an old VCR he picked up from a swap meet. When he realizes what it is, he begins conducting experiments in the longevity of the human soul and gets several others involved. Chaos ensues. I'm surprised at the low ratings on this one. Yes, it's somewhat contrived and cliche, nobody's going to win any awards and there's nothing really new here but it was very entertaining, a good continuation of the story with a nice twist, better than Ring 2, and I really enjoyed it quite a bit.
The Rundown [2003]
aka Welcome to the Jungle
           

A mobster sends his retrieval expert to Helldorado, Brazil, to find and bring back his son. Of course, things don't go as planned. A generally entertaining adventure but nothing special. Wasn't serious enough to be taken seriously. The writing and the personalities weren't really witty or sparkling enough to be that humorous ...although it did have it's moments. The action, although done fairly well, wasn't particularly memorable or exciting. As a result, not a bad film ...just sort of bland.
Rust Creek [2018]

            
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Due to a GPS error, a college student, on her way to a job interview in DC, gets lost in the woods of Kentucky when a couple of the locals try to abduct her. She's likable and the bad guys aren't which is exactly the way it should be. After the initial confrontation, however, the film slowed way down into pretty familiar territory with really nothing new to offer. It's not a bad film by any means but it's far more a drama and far less a thriller than expected with a pretty ho hum climax.
The Rift [2016]
aka The Rift: Dark Side of the Moon
            
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3 agents and a scientist are sent to retrieve a crashed satellite. What they discover is a rift in time-space and something more powerful than death. This lofty and exciting premise was totally wasted in a dismal amateur effort. The writing was 5th grade level, at best, the acting was terrible and everyone's behavior was illogical. The music and score were so painfully out-of-place within this film, it was like constantly being distracted by someone who won't shut up. Not even Ken Foree's presence could save this incomprehensible mess.
Rorschach [2015]

      

First person footage style film of 2 guys, who have an interest in paranormal phenomena, visit a single mom and her 7-year-old daughter who says their house may be haunted. If this had been a major production, I would have been pretty disappointed. But, being as this is an obvious, amateur pet project on no budget, I'm rather impressed. The level of tension just waiting for something to happen is literally painful as you realize these guys are in way over their head. I don't feel the payoff justified the anxiety but still ...kudos guys!
Riddick [2013]

            

After being unceremoniously dumped by his fellow Necromongers on an unknown world, Riddick must fight to survive and find a way off planet. The third Riddick film is basically just a different version of the first film, Pitch Black, with a different set of characters. In that film, the monsters came out when it got dark. In this one, they come out when it rains. The rest is just the interplay between characters. But, that was good enough for me. The colorful characters were a treat, the creatures are badass and it's really good fun.
Ringu 2 [1999]

         
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I found this sequel to Ringu to be slightly more active than the first film but far more confusing ...I lost the plot somewhere along the way and never found it again. It just didn't seem to flow very well ...despite a couple creepy scenes. Considering it's got fairly decent ratings, I just must have missed something.
Road Kill [2010]
aka Road Train
         
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In the outback of Australia, a group of young people are forced off the highway by a road train (a very long semi). Then things get strange. It's really hard to evaluate this film. The people in it are totally unlikable and dumb as a rock so there certainly isn't any concern about what happens to them. But the events that occur are so strange and twisted that I was pretty much glued to the screen to see what would happen next. Overall, not a particularly good or bad film ...just bizarre and, at times, frustrating.
Ritual [2013]

            
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Woman calls husband for help as she's in a motel room with a guy she stabbed to death. Husband comes and determines it's self-defense. Even finds a video cam with a recording of a satanic ritual where they sacrifice a young woman. Call the police, right? No, they proceed to do one phenomenally stupid thing after another to the point of me screaming at them. Every scene was a long-winded exercise in patience and the whole movie was silly, pointless, and massively frustrating. Aaaargghhh!!!!
The Rhythm Section [2020]

         

The death or her entire family in an airline explosion drives a woman into prostitution and addiction. After a stranger shows her the explosion was intentional, she embarks on a personal journey to find, and kill, those responsible. The film is solely focused on our protagonists making the whole affair deeply personal, if not rather overly dramatic, at times. The story has a few twists and was generally slow but provided good tension when needed. Blake Lively did a wonderful job and I found the whole thing to be rather entertaining.
The Road [2009]

            
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A man and his son try to survive a post-apocalyptic world on their way to the coast. First the negatives: way too long, way too slow, and painfully depressing. This pretty much sums up the entire film until the seriously unlikely ending. On the plus side, this is an extremely well made film that is extraordinarily authentic in it's depiction of a dying world. The characters were physically, psychologically and emotionally quite distressed and believable. It's worth seeing if you have a tolerance for slow, painful movies. I rarely do... hence, my mediocre rating.
Ruthless People [1986]

            

A young couple kidnap a rich woman expecting the husband to pay the ransom. But he'd rather she be dead. This classic comedy has several individuals with different agendas all based on false assumptions creating a complicated chaos of catastrophe that's brilliantly written and totally hilarious. Great characters all around and some incredibly good quotable lines. You've missed one of the best comedies ever if you haven't seen this one.
Ruben Brandt, Collector [2018]

         
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An animated film about a psychiatrist who enlists the help of his clients to steal 13 masterpieces causing him nightmares. The world, and especially its inhabitants, is rather abstract and feels very Picasso making it a constant visual treat. The characters came off as quite real, despite 3 eyes or a split head, and, although there's no LOL moments, it's all quite humorous and entertaining. I had issues with the ending. Although hopeful, there was a lot of time invested in other story elements that were left unresolved. Odd, but still a fun, exciting watch.
The Russian Bride [2019]

         
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A reclusive, retired plastic surgeon, played with a whole new level of creepy by Corben Bernson, finds a new Russian wife, complete with a young daughter, online. I wasn't expecting much as I figured it was going to generally be something about abuse. Boy was I wrong! The insidious nature of the film, with a pinch of the supernatural, keeps the viewer uncomfortable without revealing what's really going on until just the right moment. Then things get ugly. The last half hour of this film is a pure adrenaline, high octane slaughter fest I never saw coming. Awesome!
Rise of the Footsoldier [2007]

            
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This is a biopic about career criminal Carlton Leach and the murder of his friends. I've seen a lot of gangster biopics and this one didn't strike me as particularly special ...although I will say the acting was very good. Both the camerawork and editing confused me at times. And what is their fascination with the C-word ...Geez, I got tired of listening to it. I'm sure there's many who would really like this film and I didn't think it was bad ...I just found it more annoying than entertaining.
Running with the Devil [2019]

            
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When things go wrong on a traffic route for cocaine, the boss sends his top man to monitor a shipment from start to finish to fix the weak spots. Although not rushed, this film never stops moving forward at a brisk pace. Well constructed story with colorful characters that aren't very deeply examined but they're intentionally second to the details of the trip, which is the star of the show. The characters aren't even given names but rather titles; the cook, the farmer, the executioner, the snitch. Larry Fishburn (The Man) in his most despicable role ever. Good fun.
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