Archive for the Films Category

Spoiler-Free Captain Marvel Review

Posted in Films, Movie Review with tags , , on March 20, 2019 by boccobsblog

Spolier-Free Review Captain Marvel

Today I offer you a spoiler-free review of Captain Marvel. In true B3 fashion, here is the Good, the Badass, and the Ugly.

Details:

Directors:

Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Writers:

Anna Boden (Sugar), Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson)

Stars:

Brie Larson (United States of Tara)

Samuel L. Jackson (Literally Everything)

Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One)

The Good

  • The Stan tribute is touching and deserved.
  • The 90s nostalgia is enjoyable.
  • The dialogue is funny.
  • Captain Marvel kicks ass
  • A female MCU female lead was overdue

The Badass

  • The film has an amazing mid-90s soundtrack.
  • The 90’s nostalgia
  • Brie Larson is funny and effortless on screen.
  • Ben Mendelsohn is hilarious and cool as Talos

The Ugly

  • The plot is beyond weak, to the point of being ludicrous (see below, minor spoilers).
  • Samuel L. Jackson is fun to watch and amusing, but it isn’t Nick Fury. He isn’t even close to the badass we see in the other MCU films. A badass that was carved over a lifetime, not after an adventure in the mid 90s.
  • Sorry, but Goose is doofy and over the top.
  • Captain Marvel seems too little too late to be considered a victory for feminism/diversity. The African American actors are still relegated to support roles. I’m not trying to downplay the first female MCU lead role, but it should have happened years ago, not weeks before the story wraps up. Marvel could also have risked the nerd rage to present a more diverse actress.

Don’t get me wrong, Captain Marvel is a fun excuse to eat popcorn; but a lazy plot and the campy over the top comedy makes it just another superhero flick. It feels like a hastily constructed attempt to cram Captain Marvel into the MCU before Endgame. If Captain Marvel is a triumph for feminism/diversity, then we have set the bar very low. Despite my criticisms, I had fun watching this movie.

Mild Spoiler Section

  • Ronin literally uses faster than light speed to reach Earth in minutes. Why do we need slow (by MCU standards) light speed?
  • Why wouldn’t Fury have summoned CM when Earth was invaded the first time? The more movies you add to the MCU the more plot holes you’ll create.

Want More Captain Marvel?
Marvel’s Captain Marvel: The Art of the Movie
Entertainment Weekly The Ultimate Guide to Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel The Official Movie Special

 

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Escape Room (2019) Movie Review

Posted in Films, Movie Review with tags , , , on January 6, 2019 by boccobsblog

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Imagine that The Game (1997) and Cabin in the Woods (2012) banged in a Waffle House bathroom while The Cube (2004) and The Maze Runner (2014) watched — their inbred mutant baby would be Escape Room.

According to Escaperoom.movie:

Escape Room is a psychological thriller about six strangers who find themselves in circumstances beyond their control and must use their wits to find the clues or die

Directed by: Adam Robitel (Insidious: The Last Key)
Screenplay(-ish) by: Bragi Schut and Maria Melnik (American Gods)
Story by: Bragi Schut (Season of the Witch – that explains a lot)
Produced by: Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur
Executive Producer: Rebecca Rivo

CAST
Taylor Russell
Logan Miller
Deborah Ann Woll
Jay Ellis
Tyler Labine
Nik Dodani
with Yorick van Wageningen

The Good

  • The sets are well-crafted and detailed
  • The score added to the suspense without being obnoxious

The Badass

  • Jay Ellis (Insecure) does a great job, and is the only character with even a hint of complication or backstory
  • Deborah Ann Woll (Daredevil, True Blood) has a brief role as a tortured war vet
  • The plot moved quickly and jumped right into the action (I have the attention span of meth-addicted lemur, so this is always a big plus for me)
  • Escaperoom.movie has a Million Dollar Challenge where you can attempt to solve clue, win a trip to Los Angeles, and get a shot at a million dollars

The Ugly

  • Tyler Labine (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil) is awkward and seems out of place.
  • Dr. Wu Tang Clan.
  • The Game Master is goofy, and appears too late to have an impact.
  • The plot is beyond ludicrous.
  • Using the Illuminati as the BBEG is weak writing. When you use a cabal with limitless resources and reach, it allows you to easily explain away ridiculous plot holes.
  • The trope of the rich and powerful watching us kill ourselves via the internet is tired and overused.

This movie was an enjoyable excuse to eat popcorn, but you can wait to watch it on Netflix. It was silly and had little substance.

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A Spoiler-Free Review of Solo

Posted in Films, Movie Review, Star Wars, Uncategorized with tags , , , on May 25, 2018 by boccobsblog

SOlo

The Good

The Aliens –  Lady Proxima (Linda Hunt), Moloch (Andrew Jack), and Rio Durant (Jon Favreau) look so realistic.

The Star Destroyers – There is a quick shot of the ships being built on Corellia and it really shows the scale

The Shower Scene – I won’t ruin it, but it is spicy.

Clone Wars – There is content from the Clone Wars cartoon included in the film.

Gender Equality – Solo has several strong female roles without being heavy-handed and obvious like in the Last Jedi where every male character has to be ineffectual and useless. In Solo it is a given that men and women are equally capable of being badasses, as it should be.

The Badass

Cast – This movie is perfectly cast. Honestly there isn’t a bad performance. Donald Glover KILLS it as Lando, and Woody Harrelson make a great scoundrel mentor. Everyone plays their role to perfection.

The Falcon – She is glorious as you knew she would be. There is no retcons to worry about, she is the YT-1300 you know and love.

Thermal Detonator – Click!

Chewie – Our first look at Chewie is scary. They always say Wookies are tough and violent, but you’ve never really seen it until now.

The Look – The CGI is seamless. I am not a fan of CGI, but it really well done in Solo. The movie is stunning to watch.

The Cameo – The keep this spoiler free, I can’t say much, but suffice it to say there is a surprise cameo that could mean big things for a future Star Wars film. It surprised the hell out of me.

The Ugly

L3-37 – I probably am alone here, because the character was funny and well voice-acted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but the free-willed, sassy droid is becoming (or has already become) old hat following so closely after Rogue One’s K-2SO. If every movie has a free-willed droid, they cease to be meaningful and rare.

Hell – This is a small gripe, but Han says “hell” a lot, which seems like lazy writing, there would be no hell in the Star Wars universe and the anachronism bugs me; not from any religious standpoint, just that the word wouldn’t be in their lexicon. It would be like if Lando said, what happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas.

I’m having trouble finding bad things to say. It was a solid movie.

In summary

I thought Solo was fun. Not as dark or serious as Rogue, but a light scoundrel adventure. It is beautiful, and perfectly cast. There are seeds for possible sequels, but the movie isn’t just a set up to something.

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Spoiler-Free Review of Deadpool 2

Posted in Comic Books, Films, Gaming Culture, Movie Review with tags , , , , , , on May 18, 2018 by boccobsblog

DP2

Went out last night to see Deadpool 2 and here, in B3 tradition, is the good, the badass, and the ugly.

The Good

Cable – I thought it would be weird having Josh Brolin in another Marvel role so soon after Infinity Wars, but it wasn’t weird at all. Brolin is a top-notch talent.

X-Force – DP2 opens the door to an X-Force movie (which is already in the works).

Blind Al – Leslie Uggams doesn’t get much screen time in DP2, but what time she has is gold.

Alpha Flight – Was that a hint towards an AF movie in the works or just a tip of the hat to Canadian supers?

The Badass

It’s Funny – The jokes are good, not as good as DP1, but Ryan Reynolds was squeezed onto this Earth to play this role.

Dopinder – Karan Soni reprises his role as the lovable cab driver and delivers some serious laughs.

The Vanisher – This bit made me laugh so hard.

Domino – Zazie Beetz is awesome as the latest incarnation of Domino. I keep trying to decide what I think of the use of vitiligo for her spot, it kind of works.

Fire Fist/Russell – Julian Dennison delivers some of the best laughs with his pen. (Prison wallet…smh)

The Ugly

Juggernaught’s helmet looked goofy. What is it about superhero helmets that are so hard to replicate – I’m looking at you Magneto.

Cable’s Choice – Without giving too much away, why wouldn’t Cable return home immediately after accomplishing his goal? It seemed very uncharacteristic. A plot hole to allow him to take part in the X-Force movie.

The Heaven Barrier – The whole subplot was a bit cliche.

Shatterstar – This is just a personal preference but, Im a Shatterstar fan and was excited at the idea of him hitting the big screen. I would have liked a little more Shatterstar.

Sequel Slump – DP1 was a great movie, but the sequel falls short. It is hard to say exactly why, maybe it is the attempt at a semi-serious “good guy” plot.

In Summary

All in all, Deadpool 2 was an enjoyable movie with some genuine laughs, but it fell short of the first installment. Grab the Blu-ray today.

Other Reviews

Logan

Wonder Woman

The Last Jedi

 

If you like super hero movies, check out 5Evo, which combines superheroes with D&D5E

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The Last Jedi Review (Spoilers)

Posted in Films, Movie Review with tags , , , on December 19, 2017 by boccobsblog

LJ

OK, I have seen The Last Jedi twice now and I’m ready to review. The critics have praised the film, but the fans seem split nearly 50/50. In B3 style, we’ll do the Good, the Badass, and Ugly.

The Good

Rey’s Parentage – I was relieved that Rey wasn’t a Skywalker or a Kenobi. Not everyone has to be someone’s child. A galaxy is a big place. Plus, all the stupid fanboy theories were wrong, which is great.

Snoke’s Background – Again screw you stupid fanboys. “Snoke is Boba Fett!” These theories annoy me and never have any solid evidence to back them up. Snoke was a McGuffin, let’s move on.

Chewie Kicking in Luke’s Door – Chewie always delivers. What else is there to say? Though I would have liked to have seen some interaction between Chewie and Luke, I mean they have been friends for like forty or fifty years.

Benicio Del Toro – Benny the Bull does a great job, even if his betrayal is super predictable.

The Badass

Hamil’s Performance – I love me some Skywalker, but Mark Hamil’s acting in the OT is just OK. Fast forward to 2018 and MH delivers a seriously badass performance. The greatest moment in the film is when he struts through the hole in the blast door to meet the First Order and Kylo Ren. (Side note: does anyone want to cosplay as Kylo Ren and Stimpy with me at Gen Con 2018?)

The Throneroom Fight – The fight that follows Snoke’s death is pretty sweet. though did you notice there wasn’t a lightsaber battle in this movie?

“Oh, they hate that ship!” – That is the greatest line in the movie! I laughed my awkward concave ass off at that one.

Holdo’s Jump – I’ve been waiting for this since forever. Though, I think we could do with more Laura Dern, IMO.

The Ugly

Leia’s Peter Pan Spacewalk – This was fucking lame. Like Gungan bad. Carrie Fisher is dead, this was a perfect opportunity to let the rest of the old guard go. We have a suitable new guard replacement with Vice Adm. Holdo (had).

The Weird Milking – This was weird and should have ended up on the cutting room floor. Same with the giant fish. They already showed a catch of normal-sized drying, why did we need an Episode One weirdo fish?

The Plot – The largest problem with the Last Jedi was the main plot of the First Order slowly chasing the Resistance in some kind of OJ White Bronco chase at 13 MPH. The First Order had literally thousands of TIE fighters, shuttles and support craft that could outrun the big Mon Cal ship. Seriously, each star destroyer carries 72 TIE fighters. Not to mention the obvious question, why not just jump in front of them?

The Gender Inequality Over-Correction – The new  Star Wars movies have some strong female characters, which is awesome. The problem I saw with the Last Jedi, is that the male characters have been made into reckless & unwise (Poe) or completely useless & unwise (Finn), while every female character is a Leia-level badass. As my wife pointed out, the men have all become detergent commercial dads, this weak, useless idiot that needs to be instructed by his wife and bossy daughter. You don’t need weak male characters to have strong female roles.

Old Tropes – This movie was about killing the past, but it still used many of the old tropes, Dagobah Island, throne room betrayals, charging super lasers, etc. Each had a slight twist, so we’re getting closer, but we still rely on Falcon Ex Machina moments to save the day.

Finn – I like Finn, I think John Boyega does a great job, but Finn has no role in this film, and his subplot is literally useless and tacked on. I would like to have seen Poe replace Rose as P & F have some great buddy comedy potential.

Hux – The general was kind of a tool in FA, but is comically absurd in LJ.

But, but…Porgs! You didn’t mention Porgs?! The Porgs were on the screen for less a minute, not long enough to offend. All in all, I enjoyed the Last Jedi. It was good, but not great. Hopefully, the third movie can be original. We’ve plundered the OT for all its goodness, and know it is time for some original content.

Pick up The Last Jedi on Blu-Ray.

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Spoiler Free Review: Wonder Woman

Posted in Comic Books, Films, Movie Review, Uncategorized with tags , , on June 16, 2017 by boccobsblog

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Special guest blogger: Ann Johnson

The following is a spoiler free review of Wonder Woman, which is much harder to do than I had thought going into this. Where do you draw the line? Can I assume that the readers already know that Diana is an Amazon from Themyscira who, after rescuing Steve Trevor, leaves Paradise Island and becomes Wonder Woman? Oh crap…really? I mean, did you not see the trailers? Read any of the comics? Fine, that was the last spoiler. Crybaby. I am sticking to the Good, Badass, and Ugly format WITHOUT any other plot spoilers.

The Good

  • A good basic introduction to the character of Wonder Woman as she herself is introduced to the world outside of Themyscira. The exploration of her moral compass in the context of a global war adds depth to her character and gives her room to grow in the subsequent movies.
  • Strong peripheral characters such as Etta, Charlie, Sameer, and The Chief brought an otherwise simple story some much needed depth.
  • Elena Anaya brings sympathy to her portrayal of the villainous Dr. Maru.
  • The contrast between the modern Diana in the bookends and the young Diana in the story is well played and opens the door for additional stand-alone films to show her growth and progression.

The Badass

  • Can we talk about Robin Wright for a second? Her portrayal as Antiope was fully realized and dynamic. She fully illustrated a different archetype of woman, not only is she more mature but she shows physical and emotional strength, grace, and intelligence that is woefully underrepresented in cinema. Badass = Beautiful!
  • Some of the most beautifully choreographed fights EVER.
  • The lame lasso of truth became something truly useful and surprising, adding to the visual appeal of the battle scenes.
  • The cello riffs in the WW theme music are insane, edgy, and powerful.

The Ugly

  • Ridiculously predictable. Pay even the slightest bit of attention to what’s going on and the plot is laughably simplistic. I chalked this up to the framing of the story as an introduction to the newly realized Wonder Woman.
  • Just stop with the slow motion… seriously… we get it. I found the way too frequent slow mo more than a little distracting.
  • Chris Pine was weirdly flat. His intended comic moments didn’t land and I found myself not really caring much about his character.
  • David Thewlis’ moustache…. just no…

Gal Gadot put in a solid performance as Diana/Wonder Woman. Her portrayal fully embraces strength, compassion, and tenacity in a truly engaging introduction of a very dynamic character into the DC cinematic pantheon. I am not certain the movie lives up to the 92% on Rotten tomatoes. The CGI stroke fest that is the final battle fell somewhat flat along with Chris Pine’s performance as Steve Trevor. Danny Huston’s villainous Ludendorff was over the top and more weird and laughable than scary. That being said, I would totally watch it again and look forward to the Justice League movie.

Pick up Wonder Woman on Blu-ray.

(Thank you, Ann! Great review.)

 

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Spoiler-Free Review: Logan

Posted in Films, Gaming Culture, Movie Review, Uncategorized with tags , , on March 6, 2017 by boccobsblog

Logan

The following is a spoiler-free review of Logan. Keeping with B3 traditions here is the good, the badass, and the ugly as they apply to the third (and maybe Hugh Jackman’s last) Wolverine stand-alone film.

The Good

  • It’s dark, gritty, and bleak. This is not a cheesy comic book movie. No tights.
  • Dafne Kee puts on a solid debut performance.
  • The Deadpool intro is funny, and gives us an Easter egg that points towards another Marvel favorite in the works. No, it’s not Howard the Duck.

The Badass

  • This is the best on-screen performance of Patrick Stewart’s career. He nails the helplessness and loss of dignity that comes with old age.
  • The movie is savage. This R-rated Logan is the first time we actually see a version of Wolverine that comes close to the comics.
  • It is a good movie, not just a good superhero movie. It is well-shot, it has a great score, and the dialogue is believable.

The Ugly

  • The plot is a bit light.. Get from point A to point B. But there are some serious feels along the way, so we give them a pass.
  • The timeline is a bit confusing. Is this part of the First Class / Days of the Future Past thread, or the original X-Men trilogy? Is it something new? There is enough subtext to fill in the gaps, but it isn’t explicit.
  • The antagonist is a bit lame. He looks like the love child of a boy band reject and a T-100.

All in all, I truly think that Logan is the strongest Marvel film yet. It currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score in the low nineties, and I think that will only climb. It is easily the best superhero movie since the Dark Knight (2008).

Grab Logan on Blu-Ray

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Conan the Barbarian: Thirst for Blood Trailer

Posted in Films with tags , , , , on August 4, 2011 by boccobsblog

On the Conan Film website they have posted a new trailer entitled, “Thirst for Blood”.  It is unclear if it is a teaser or a trailer (a teaser being a trailer that shows footage not actually in the film). In my humble opinion, this does not bode well for the film. It shows Conan as a ruthless, psychopathic 7-year-old killing machine.

My gripe with this scene is that the tragedy of the first film was that Conan was a peaceful, doe-eyed child that was taken away and forged into a killer.

They are going for the easy win. “Oh, he’s Conan, he kills stuff.” Conan himself reflects in the first film that he wasted his entire life in the pursuit of vengeance and death.

Let me know what you think. Watch the Trailer

(I’m trying to stay hopeful, but it’s waning)

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Review of X- MEN: First Class

Posted in Films, Gaming Culture, Gaming News with tags on June 4, 2011 by boccobsblog

 

pic via IMDb

I just returned from seeing, X-Men: First Class, and I thought I’d give a review. (Some spoilers, nothing major)

The Good

I groaned when I saw Kevin Bacon as Shaw (I like Bacon, but in a comic book movie, it seemed like a weird pick) , but he did a good job.

Rose Byrne did a great job and helped to reduce the campiness.

 

The Badass

The Wolvie Scene was funny.

James McAvoy (Prof. X) and Michael Fassbender (Magneto) both did an amazing job. They carried this movie.

January Jones looks stunning. Marvel couldn’t draw a better-looking Emma Frost.

 

And the Ugly

I understand that the film is set in the sixties, but it felt like an Austin Powers sequel much of the time.  “Groovy Mutations man!”

The lil’ X-men feel completely tacked on. They barely do anything. The entire movie should have just been Prof. X and Magneto. Besides a training montage, they movie really have nothing to do with the first class.

Beast looks like a teen wolf.

The “birth of a monster” scene with 12-year old Magneto could have been really cool but flopped. It’s like someone said, “Hey remember the Frankenstein scene in Revenge of the Sith? Make something that lame.”

Diamond-form Emma Frost was super lame. (It pains me to say this, because I fear it will hurt the chances that January and I will get back together…but it is true).

Even though the helmet looked better this time around, its impossible to not look like a huge tool when you’re wearing it. (And they even nod to that that fact in the movie)

Azazel (played by Jason Flemyng) looked like he stumbled in off the Buffy Reunion set. Super mega ultra lame.

Riptide, worst henchman yet. He looks like a Tag Heuer model.

–

Overall- it was a pretty good movie (C+ / B-). I’m pretty hard on movies, but it was worth the ticket price.

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Four Gamer Films You’ll Enjoy

Posted in Dungeons and Dragons, Films, Gaming Culture with tags , , , , on May 30, 2011 by boccobsblog

If you’re looking for something to help pass the time between gaming sessions, listed below are four films (two comedies and two documentaries) about gaming culture. I’ve seen all four and enjoyed them, so I thought I would pass them on (in case you haven’t seen them). I hope you enjoy.

Darkon (2006) [documentary]

Directed by Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel, Darkon is a documentary that follows the lives of several Live Action Role Players in Baltimore Maryland. Darkon can be watched for free at Snagfilms.com. (Link)

The Gamers (2002) [comedy]

This film, directed by Matt Vancil, follows the exploits of a humorous adventuring party as they attempt to stop their arch villain, The Shadow. The film’s hook is that it switches from the actual players, to their characers and back all throughout the movie. Gamers hits on just about every D&D joke possible, from the player that always plays a girl, to the thief that attempts to pickpocket everything, and the player that is always missing, but whose character is often forgotten about. While done on a low budget, The Gamers is worth a watch.

The Gamers 2: The Dorkness Rising (2008) [comedy]

The sequel to The Gamers does not disappoint. Here’s part of the IMDb synopsis:

All Lodge wants is for his gaming group to finish their adventure. Unfortunately, they’re more interested in seducing barmaids, mooning their enemies, and setting random villagers on fire. Desperate to rein in his players, Lodge injects two newbies into the distrust: a non-player character controlled by Lodge, who the power gamers immediately distrust, and the rarest gamer of all — a girl. Can the group overcome their bickering to save the kingdom, or will the evil necromancer Mort Kemnon triumph unopposed

The Dungeon Masters (2008) [documentary]

Directed by Kevin McAlester, The Dungeon Masters, is a documentary about the lives of three DMs.

Partial plot summary from IMDb:

An evil drow-elf is displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A sanitation worker lures friends into a Sphere of Annihilation. A failed supervillain starts a cable access show involving ninjas, puppets, and a cooking segment. These are the characters, real and imagined, of The Dungeon Masters: Against the backdrop of crumbling middle-class America, two men and one woman devote their lives to Dungeons and Dragons, the storied role-playing game, and its various descendants.

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