pressboard Reviews

IF (I) (2024)

Family Fun?

[6/10 · 21 May 2024]

The preview promised a lot more than was delivered. Without spoilers it started with depressing news, moved quickly to immediate depressing news and proceeded to be downbeat and depressing until the end which was not enough whimsical to save the movie. I like Ryan Reynolds but they did not give him much to work with. The cartoon characters were all entertaining but not enough to overcome the overarching dark tone. Acting overall was good but comic imagination needed a defibrillator - clear! I not sure children would enjoy this movie or adults for that matter. Because of it's heartfelt attempt to promote and encourage imagination I hope it makes money and that you enjoy it.

Argylle (2024)

Fun Fun Fun Wonderful

[8/10 · 6 February 2024]

Did people forget how to have fun at the movies? The actors, writing, action were all top notch. Laugh out loud moments many and it was perfect. The haters want you to join them on the pissy wagon - do not do this! It maybe was a little long but I would not willingly cut any scene. Cavill, Rockwell, Dua Lipa, Cena and Sam Jackson all wonderful and, of course, the cat. Cavill's clothing/hair deserves an outrageous award by themselves. What happened to having a sense of fun and humor? Over-the-Top and all the better for it. Dua Lipa really has an edge - Wow! Let's not forget Catherine O'Hara and Bryan Cranston mummy and daddy were never like this! All I'm saying is to bring your sense of fun when you see this film - enjoy!

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )

The best Epic Fantasy I have every seen

[10/10 · 23 September 2023]

I have always wanted to see the 2nd Age done in live action. TROP definitely fulfills this wish and does it extremely well. I love all of the characters and the story being built fairly solidly on information from the Silmarillion, despite leaving out the Silmarils. All of the characters are legends and heroes and act that way. I am really looking forward to Season 2 and beyond. There is more than enough history in the Silmarillion to support many stories and tying together some storylines and loose ends. I like the insertion of the "halflings" in the story since Tolkien firmly says they existed in 1st and 2nd ages. I like their addition in the 2nd Age.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Many theater goers walked out before ending

[6/10 · 15 June 2023]

I generally liked the animation but it constantly reminded me of trying to watch a 3D movie without the 3D glasses. The petty drama is endless and becomes old fast. There are loads of action scenes that immediately devolve into slow soap opera drama. My wife and I kept nodding off during these whine-a-thones which seemed very contrived. I did like all of the iterations of spider flavors in the Spiderverse which were endlessly creative and entertaining. The music always suggests exciting action scenes but this becomes a little exhausting after the 4th or 5th wind up. Long winded exposition seems necessary to spoon feed a very lengthy and convoluted plot. When I booked I noticed the theater was sold out but we left before the end and noticed that only 10 members of the audience still remained having left before us. Spot was a good albeit comedic villain. I would suggest going just for the animation and humor even with the 140min run time.

Missing (I) (2023)

It was all a...rollicking good time!

[6/10 · 21 January 2023]

I like the way social apps and ubiquitous texting take center stage. The drama is somewhat localized through much of the movie but seems to work. By clever use of Facetime and texting the story unfolds and manages to maintain good suspense throughout. It is an armchair mystery unfolding before your very eyes from your armchair but effectively kept my interest. I felt like a cyber-detective with awesome password cracking skills. My allies are surveillance cameras and phone tracking apps. Directors Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick possess some impressive editing abilities and keep things jumping until the end. Definitely entertaining and different.

M3GAN (2022)

Move over Chucky and Terminator there's a new G1RL in town

[10/10 · 13 January 2023]

M3GAN manages to communicate horror and mega humor at the same time. I have not enjoyed a movie so much in a long time. The writer's/director's awareness of our present culture and technology is very intelligent and well observed. Although there are tropes galore there are also a lot of original ideas. I came for the horror but stayed for the humor and references. My wife and I were rolling in the aisles. The story of runaway technology has been done many times but not with such a deft hand. Kudos to Gerard Johnstone! I definitely recommend you see M3GAN whether at the theater or when it arrives online. Enjoy!

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Excellent beyond Excellent - finally hello Dr. Srange

[10/10 · 7 May 2022]

This is the best Dr. Strange movie I have seen. Marvel make. The late Steve Ditko would be proud.(although nothing can replace his drawing genius). Multiverse of Madness takes me back to the early comics where Dr. Strange practically lived, passed through, or fought enemies in the Multiverse every issue! Top that off with The Scarlett Witch and then Xochitl Gomez As America Chavez. I am overwhelmed! This movie is really telling 3 stories and they are all incredibly good and seamlessly intertwined. The original Doctor Strange had the Multiverse for breakfast - and he does! I give credit to the director, producers and actors. And of course, top notch CGI. I will mark this as containing spoilers just in case. Do not miss this movie if you have any interest in Dr. Strange or the Scarlett Witch.

Morbius (2022)

There is a good movie here...I think

[5/10 · 3 April 2022]

The CGI was excellent. The performances were good. Can I blame the lackluster on the writing? All of the pieces are here for better than average entertainment. I keep going over the scenes in my mind and maybe it suffers from insufficient character development? There are some things missing. Poor editing? I have all of the pieces to the puzzle but cannot put it together. Has the MCU made me jaded? There are many similarities to Batman. Since this an origin story I guess the mystery will go on.

X (II) (2022)

Smooth and sweet as whipped cream

[8/10 · 22 March 2022]

Ti West handles worn horror tropes with deft hands. Smooth from beginning to end. Did I mention funny as well? I liked the way he presents early 70's porn, which made fun of itself and had some artistic pretension. Everyone in the 70's talked about being truly erotic. Some few even achieved a certain level of eroticism (mostly fetish). Farmer's Daughter, an oft repeated porn title, was a good choice for this film within a film. I liked the acting by all and the photography is both predictable and striking. 'X' uses the pacing present in the genre it emulates, which to our jaded senses seems slow, but is perfect. It's plot is both predictable and new at the same time. There is a lot of talent behind this production. I recommend it for the early porn reveal and as a good slasher flick. Before watching remember, "Gators got yur granny"

The Batman (2022)

A unique take on an old tale

[5/10 · 9 March 2022]

I have loved Sam Raimi since Evil Dead and I appreciate that he made his Batman take unique from the earlier versions. I was a little non-plussed with the anti-heroes/heroes played by Pattinson, Kravitz and Wright. I liked the villains but overall the action and drama were so muted I felt twice removed from the story. Pattinson is not a strong enough actor to carry this role. Kravitz also downplayed the character of Catwoman. Wright's part as James Gordon was almost invisible. I could not care for these characters and so did not care what happened to them. Even the crises seemed phoned in. I just could not get excited with this Batdom foray. I think it should be seen just for the villains but otherwise it barely exists.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Ghostbusters Resurrected - Yeah!!

[10/10 · 21 November 2021]

I thought the last movie put the nail in the coffin for this series. I thought the producers would abandon the franchise completely. Thankfully, I was wrong! Thanks to a bang-up cast and good writing this outing is so close to the original movie in feeling and tone. It did not depend completely on the original cast as the entire movie is mostly carried by it's young cast. I give kudos to the humor that was sprinkled throughout (Bill Murray?) and the story and character development that made you care for what happened to these people. Wonderful, I am definitely going to watch again as it moves pretty fast.

Director Ivan Reitman does his father proud. So much feeling. It is as much a tribute to Harold Ramis as to the original movie. The trailer was not very good but I recommend that you do not miss this movie whether or not you are a fan.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

Let there be better writing and direction

[10/10 · 4 October 2021]

I like Venom LTBC. The strongest part was the humor, as in the first installment. Harrelson is great as a serial killer and Carnage but the CGI is not used to full advantage for humor or violence. This could have benefited from an R rating but only with the right people handling the production. I know they wanted a younger audience and maybe that was the right choice, just saying. Michelle Williams is excellent and they should have used her more using greater flexibility. She does great comedy. Shriek was used and abused, by the writers. There was more in that character but she does make a kick-ass bride (what, no white wedding Billy?).

Despite it's shortcomings I enjoyed it for the humor alone and recommend it if you have any interest at all in Venom.

Black Widow (2021)

Dysfunction 'R Us - Natasha's history and Family reunion

[8/10 · 13 July 2021]

This is not a standard non-stop action, paper-thin Avengers movie. It is the origin story of Natasha Romanov and is all about family. It begins with the (surrogate) family that Natasha never (temporarily) had and progresses through interactions with them all and the defeat of archvillain Dreykov (Ray Winstone), an excellent enemy and the puppeteer behind many other enemies. Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) Red Guardian, and her father, is excellent as comic relief and a major part of the active and reunited family and storyline. Yelena Belova, (Florence Pugh), is her sister and they do seem to resemble one another and interact as siblings. Antonia Dreykov, (Olga Kurylenko) Taskmaster, Commander of the Red Room is a killer villain and behind a mask most of the time. Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), her mother, fulfills the part wonderfully including telling her not to slouch and raising some cute, controlled pigs named after her husband. Other than the pacing being a little slow at times I liked this movie and recommend it. I raised it to an 8 after writing the review.

Island Zero (2018)

Well done suspense and tension - really liked this!

[10/10 · 3 December 2019]

Unlike many low-budget efforts Island Zero comes through with good storytelling and acting. I have to hand it to Director Josh Gerritsen for an excellent effort. This could easily have been another cheap monster, jump-scare piece of trash but takes the high road instead. The actors all deliver excellent performances and there is actually some character development (imagine that). I was satisfied with the pacing and with the final creature reveal and the open-ended finale. I would not mind seeing a sequel to this as there are many interesting places to go with the ideas presented. I wish there were more movies that displayed this level of filmmaking. A very satisfying watch. I recommend it for anyone. Enjoy!

The Punisher: Roadhouse Blues (2019) Season 2, Episode 1

Who are these Women!!

[10/10 · 24 January 2019]

My wife and I were blown away by the knife (and other) fighting scenes in the bar and the bathroom of S02E01. These stunt? women walked on like they were entering an MMA cage fight. Totally focused on acquiring the girl with the film for their boss. They stole the show! Totally Bada** gang. It was nice to have a change from only gun fights. The episode was well staged and went from nice country bar and music to violent free-for-all. I would really like to see this crew again doing what they do best - kicking butt. Best fight scenes since Daredevil series.

Infini (2015)

Interesting and entertaining - recommended

[8/10 · 22 May 2018]

Not sure why it has a 5.4. It was definitely entertaining and interesting throughout. The acting was above par and intense. All stories have been told before and this one is no exception. The way it is told is unique and it has a twist ending which you do not see coming. For a $5 Million budget you get a $50 million dollar movie. Not sure if this had wide or even limited release, but it deserves it. Director Shane Abbess is an exceptional talent and I hope more people watch it (on Netflix). This story has been told many times before but largely without the talent present here. I rate it in the top 10% of the best SciFi movies. Enjoy!

A Quiet Place (2018)

Wow - this sets the bar for horror

[10/10 · 7 April 2018]

I saw the trailer and thought ho-hum. I read the reviews and decided to see it. Not disappointed! My wife (not a horror genre fan) and I loved it right up to the last scene. Without giving away too much the film begins in a post-apocalypse world. The enemy (and conqueror?) is some kind of spider/alien - I could never pin that down which is fine. The creatures are attracted to loud sounds and their attention is lethal. The use of CGI is the best I have ever seen. I would compare the CGI to the Deep Blue Sea from 1999 in that it is used sparingly in a peek-a-boo style until the denouement. It is less dependent on the creature's full appearance and more on a very skillful building of suspense. The suspense begins mounting in the very first scene and continues to the last scene. What I am trying to say is that the creature(s) develop a kind of personality defined by their behavior and integrate well with the other characters. The long and short - see it! preferably in a theater which I think takes best advantage of the atmosphere created. Enjoy.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Now I want to see it again and the sequel(s)

[10/10 · 25 July 2017]

The recipe calls for some original ingredients from Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières. You then have Master Chef Luc Besson mix the ingredients with state-of-the-art CGI and a very healthy dose of imagination. Et Voilà! a masterpiece is born. I enjoyed so many things about the movie but here are some - Rihanna's performance as Bubble the dancer - very different, entertaining and funny. Ethan Hawke's Jolly the Pimp was irresistible, even more so to Valerian. This guy could sell snake oil to a snake. I love the sheer bewildering mix of aliens inhabiting Alpha. The bald, lithesome alien race that comprises much of the storyline are wonderful to look at and do make you care for what happens to them. Definitely a movie you will want to see more than once. I saw it in Regal RPX 3D and this worked well. An interesting side note is how much the movie adheres to the original comic in feel and tone.

I would like to have seen more given to Cara Delevingne (as Laureline) but I loved her character and look - maybe more development. Dane DeHaan as Valerian was good but I needed more character development. While not perfect the movie shows more imagination than anything I have seen in a long time. Enjoy!

Wonder Woman (2017)

Perffect!

[10/10 · 4 June 2017]

This is the best Superhero debut I have seen since Superman (Christopher Reeve version) from the 80's. From the casting (Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman) to the music (Hans Zimmer & Tom Holkenborg) this movie never misses a beat. The Amazonian warrior (Amazons of Themsycira) race was done to perfection. There is no doubt from watching their training to battle that these are some serious ***kickers. A lot more impressive than the Thor debut. This movie has a lot of emotion from the fairly light romance between Wonder Woman and the pilot Steve Trevor to Wonder Woman's relationship with her mother Hippolyta. There is a fair amount of humor as Diana (Wonder Woman) navigates the early 40's time period including sexism and women's very restricted roles. There is a great scene where she lays into the British Commander with some well placed criticism. All of the actors do incredible work making their characters real and sympathetic and I have to give kudos to the writers as well. It doesn't get any better than this.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Something more and something less

[7/10 · 6 May 2017]

I love the characters and the actors playing same (This to offset some of my following negative comments). Almost every character was further developed from where we left them in the first movie. Groot is a baby and cute. Gamora I felt loses some of her edge here but her sister Nebula picks up that anger and aggression and satisfyingly runs with it. Drax is Drax and has some of the best lines. I am a long time fan of Kurt Russell and he did a good job as Ego but could have been made edgier, esp. as an enemy (was I looking for a good enemy?). Ayesha, the golden alien ruler and her video game playing subjects, did not make very good enemies (my enemy issues again?), but I did like the use of 80's computer game sounds for their virtual battles. I wanted more kick-ass Rocket Raccoon than I got. I usually complain about lack of character development which this sequel had in spades! Yondu got some quality time on screen and by the end of vol. 2 I wanted to see him in vol. 3...sigh. To solidify this ramble, vol 2 gave us much more of the characters we know and love but maybe had too little time to use them in a satisfying way. We get something less and something more here (but in a good way). Maybe James Gunn will better use the characters he has matured in vol. 3? So many story lines, so little time.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

Ghostbusters needs Trollbusters

[6/10 · 17 July 2016]

Two words - Kate Mckinnon - She is the best and adds a great quirky performance as Jillian Holtzmann, their engineer. The movie was uneven overall. Some of the humor worked and some just fell flat. The pacing was a little slow and the chemistry between the characters was not quite working, with the exception of McKinnon who fit perfectly with the crew. McCarthy and Wiig's characters were supposed to have a history but this was not well established. The storyline was very similar to the first Ghostbusters movie but with the reboot they had a chance of creating something more interesting and original with the assistance of today's CGI. Just to set the record straight - there was no Man-Hating (whatever that is) nor was this an anti-male movie (whatever that is). Chris Hemsworth plays Kevin, the receptionist, and is hilarious, each interaction with him brings unexpected and puzzling responses. Despite my criticism the writing was not all bad, just really uneven. There is a cameo by each of the original ghostbusters including Harold Ramis - watch for the bust, who died in 2014 - though I did not see a Rick Moranis cameo (may have missed it). If you are a Ghostbusters fan I would recommend it - even if only to criticize. Pay close attention to the mansion tour guide and his patter - hilarious. With a new (and more experienced director), and better writers, I would not mind seeing a sequel with the same crew.

Tomorrowland (2015)

It's a small world after all

[7/10 · 25 May 2015]

I was entertained. It felt like a Disney movie from the 60's but with more/and more sophisticated special effects. The story was so threadbare as to be almost non-existent. I recognized Hugh Laurie, does anybody else? I recognized and enjoyed Keegan-Michael Key. The android/robot characters reminded me of Spy Kids. What was the story again? I liked George Clooney's younger self better than his older real self. Did I miss something in the storyline - was there a storyline? Britt Robertson played a very strong and interesting protagonist and her story I think overlapped with the other story thing. Was this made for children or adults? Was a writer hired as part of the production or just not paid enough? Hmmm, shiny orbs just like Tomorrowland....oh. I would recommend it if I could just figure out what it was about.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Is it post-apocalyptic or just Las Vegas

[8/10 · 25 May 2015]

Charlize blows me away as Imperator Furiosa. This was a great reboot of the earlier Mad Max movies which met and exceeded the high speed mayhem of the earlier trio of movies. The major difference to me was that the earlier movies had Max as the primary focus while Fury Road gives Charlize, Nicholas Hoult and many of the other actors a chance to shine and it works! I was on the edge of my seat through most of the action, which included most of the movie. I'm guessing that if this makes enough there will at least be one other. It might be interesting to see more of the destroyed world and some of the sharp contrasts that must exist.

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

A Space Opera by any other name

[8/10 · 8 February 2015]

I am no big fan of Channing Tatum but I do like the Wachowski's. They can always be depended on to supply action and good special effects. Jupiter Ascending is a case in point. It does not have a lot of character development but it makes up for that with dizzying special effects and non-stop action (I recommend seeing it in 3D). They also manage to create an incredible universe that should be a good location for future sequels and even a series spin-off! I especially enjoyed a slight detour into the bowels of a Steam/Cyber Punk bureaucracy - very well observed and funny. The, despite some criticisms, was very entertaining and satisfying. I've read many of the negative reviews and agree that the characters are paper thin personalities, but I think the humor (the Russian family) and special effects lift it above it's current 6.0 IMDb score. I recommend it to all SF fans. Enjoy!

Mortdecai (2015)

In the tradition of Connoisseur mustaches everywhere

[8/10 · 25 January 2015]

I have to say that I enjoyed this movie as a light entertainment that is funny overall but has sporadic moments of brilliance (most in the dialog). Depp realizes the character of Mordecai and maintains that eccentric, charming persona throughout. Gwyneth Paltrow puts in a convincing performance as Mordecai's dominating wife, Johanna, but never uses an over-heavy hand. Ewan McGregor, MI5 agent, is infatuated with Johanna and thinks he has a chance when he finds out Johanna is not happy with Mordecai's new upper lip ornamentation. Paul Bettany is the ever suffering manservant, Jock, who can dish it out as well as take it (mostly from Mordecai). Many of the sight gags get a little thin by the movies end. Anyway, just thought I would balance out some of the negative reviews I have been reading. This is not Depp's "Hudson Hawk" (absolutely no comparison). The movie is a light comedy with a very good performance by Depp who creates a unique character who is humorous by his very existence. Not perfect, but I recommend it But the real question is, "Will everything be alright in the end?"