Riley Rewind

This "movie" is (at the time of reviewing) ranked on IMDb with the same score as Citizen Kane, which is obviously a travesty. From reading some of the reviews it seems that this is thanks to the overzealous support of their preexisting fan base.

On YouTube it might get a thumbs up for effort, but when you're running with the big boys, this doesn't cut it I'm afraid. I might have given it a 2 or 3 if it wasn't for the arrogance of the writer getting herself cast as the female lead (Riley). She is upstaged in just about every scene, mostly due to the fact that the other people in it can act at least slightly.

If you're like me, and use IMDb to try to find great films via their ratings on here, then please do not bother with this. I understand that their fans want to support them. However, I believe that IMDb should be a level playing field, and Citizen Kane this is not.

Time travel movies have always been a favourite in the movie world. The Terminator, Back to the future and so on. Yes i know this is a 'web series' but they were calling this a movie for the most part and then just changed it. The story was OK, a girl tries to save multiple lives using her ability to travel back in time. But towards the end (Act 4/5) it just goes really fast and is a very rushed ending. The actors aren't the worst, but certainly aren't the best. A lot of the time it sounded and looked like they were just reciting the script rather than acting, and that took away from the story and made it feel less like a movie and more like a amateur high school drama skit.

I'm no writer or critic, however I can pick out a few too many things that are simply off. Why do they all appear older than they should be? They all look older than high school students. Why do the guys in black suites and black shades wear black suites and black shades? The homosexuals of the movie behave too stereotypical and unnatural. There seems to be no apparent reason why the protagonist would be an outcast or subject to bullying. Dialogs don't always make sense, like why would her prom date randomly give her advice about what the depressed girl likes and doesn't, and why did the rejected fellow suddenly expose the other guy as homosexual and act all shocked that he was rejected when he was feeling surprised a few moments ago that he was asked out by him in the first place?

But hey, it's a start, hopefully it gets better.

I also kind of don't like the music and some other details.

I have watched all episodes on Facebook and i must say that i am quite surprised.

When watching this series you'll easy forget that it is made by Ray William johnson, why? it's because its made very very well. You wouldn't even see the difference between a high budget series or this one. The actors, special effects, lighting music etc.. they all look really good and are well executed. I do not believe that there is anyone out there that can do better with a 75K budget.

This shows the potential that ray has to offer to those Hollywood suits people with bags of money. He shows that you can make a good series with very low money/resources.

He also shows that if you put enough time and effort in it (love in what you do), that you can make everything work. I am truly amazed by how far our midget has become (love you ray).

There is a bright future ahead of you, keep on holding it and you'll be sitting next to the stars that we all desire to meet.

Hopefully will see the sequel to this well made web series! keep up the good work ray!

7/10

Riley Rewind manages to merge the online culture and the television-feel perfectly. With its vlog style used as a narration tool it instantly connects with the audience, making them feel a part of the experience. And with its attention to detail and high production value, it makes it clear that it's not "just another online show".

Ray William Johnson joins the list of pioneers that includes Freddie Wong, and David Fincher, who are making top quality content for the Internet. And this being Johnson's directorial debut for a feature like this, it was an excellent job. This was Johnson's and Anna Akana's (Riley Rewind writer and Riley) baby, and it shows that they did their best to produce something worth watching.

The premise is a very well known one (time travel dilemmas), but the take on it is different enough to look passed that. The acting is a little cheesy, and so are some of the lines, but in a way it makes Riley Rewind a bit more charming, and might have been done intentionally. If not, it's something to work on for future projects, which I'm sure will happen. Because Riley Rewind's strength is its ability to connect with people, and that is one of the most valuable traits any sort of media could hope for.

I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for Runaway Machine.