Monthly Archives: January 2013

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/25

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Hansel & Gretel Witch HuntersHANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS

“It’s a movie with absolutely no ambition other than to be a one-note joke. And I wish the joke was funnier. Once you’ve seen ten minutes of it you’ve pretty much seen the whole thing.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“If the very title has you rolling your eyes, don’t even bother. But if you’re willing to go along for the ride, Renner and Arterton make a good crime-fighting, er, witch hunting team.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, Sci-Fi Movie Hype

 

ParkerPARKER

“Jason Statham playing Donald Westlake’s Parker? It’s a beautiful match; sadly wasted. The tone and aesthetics director Taylor Hackford have chosen split the difference between a spaghetti western and a sitcom.”- Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

MOVIE 43Movie 43

“The third of fifteen segments in this omnibus film from producer Peter Farrelly finds Anna Faris asking Chris Pratt to ‘poop on me.’ Don’t subject yourself to this crap.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTHOUSE (AND FILM CRITICS)

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BOFCApic

While you can usually find us holed up in the trenches of the press row, we do like to come out and support the local film scene here in Boston. In a joint effort with the Boston Society of Film Critics, we will help introduce a number of the films in The Brattle Theatre’s (Some of) The Best of 2012 series. Check out what you might have missed last year or come again for a favorite. You’re also more than welcome to come and say hello.

These are the confirmed screenings with introductions by BOFCA members:

Fri, Feb 1              BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD at 7:30 pm by Greg Vellante

Fri, Feb 1              MOONRISE KINGDOM at 9:30 pm by Greg Vellante

Sat, Feb 2            THE AVENGERS at 6:30 pm by Bob Chipman

Sat, Feb 2            THE DARK KNIGHT RISES at 9:15 pm by Dan Kimmel

Sun, Feb 3           WAKE IN FRIGHT at 7:00 pm by Brett Michel

Sun, Feb 3           DAISIES at 9:30 pm by Brett Michel

Mon, Feb 4           THIS IS NOT A FILM at 7:30 pm by Norm Schrager

Mon, Feb 4           AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY at 9:15 pm by Monica Castillo

Wed, Feb 6          THE DAY HE ARRIVES at 7:15 pm by Brett Michel

Wed, Feb 6          OSLO, AUGUST 31st at  9:00 pm by Brett Michel

Thu, Feb 7            LOOPER  at 7:00 pm by Evan Crean

Fri, Feb 8              THE RAID: REDEMPTION at 9:30 pm by Steve Head & John Black

Sat, Feb 9            HOLY MOTORS at 7:30 pm by Monica Castillo

Sat, Feb 9            COSMOPOLIS at 9:45 pm by Sean Burns

The full schedule of the (Some of) The Best of 2012 series can be found on the Brattle’s site. You can purchase tickets in advance on their website or help support their Kickstarter to help buy digital equipment for the theater. Hope to see you out there supporting independent cinema!

-Monica Castillo

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/18

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THE LAST STANDThe Last Stand

“Catnip for action junkies. This is RIO BRAVO on steroids, with cars. What more could you ask for?” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“A perfectly serviceable Schwarzenegger action film. There are car chases, shootouts, some character moments, a decent cast, a few laughs, and it clocks in at less than two hours.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

Broken CityBROKEN CITY

“A silly noir brought to polished heights by a most appropriate (if obvious) cast and crew. Nothing about it is extraordinary. But just about all of it is entertaining.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“That’s not to say BROKEN CITY is a particularly great film, but it’s a good one and almost novel by virtue of its own lack of novelty.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“An imperfect enjoyment that I’ll probably never watch again, but I can think of far worse ways to spend a couple hours.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

 

AMOURAmour

“It’s an ordeal sitting through AMOUR, in which the hushed air of austerity is broken only by almost imperceptibly understated moments of tenderness.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“What’s more confining in a movie than to stay with two characters in two rooms while their world crumbles? It becomes as much torture for us as it does for them.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

 

MamaMAMA

“If you’re willing to go with the flow and not demand the jolts that pass for creativity in too many horror films, you may find yourself impressed.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

SUNDANCE SHORTSSundance Shorts

“Varying looks at coupling and unforeseen consequences, from the strains of being gay in a conservative Korean family, to, well, the dangers of donning a bear costume.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/11

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Gangster SquadGANGSTER SQUAD

“A quintessential January movie: intermittently amusing but forgettable and overall lifeless, squandering a lot of potential on a series of misses and bad decisions.”  – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Emma Stone’s leg looks beautiful peeping out of the slit in the dress she wears, although it’s sad to see her out-acted by her own glorious gam.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“This is the worst performance Sean Penn has ever given. And I saw SHANGHAI SURPRISE.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“You’ll appreciate this movie a lot more if you don’t take it seriously. Judge it with a big old grain of salt and you’ll have fun like I did.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“To notice this is to require thinking, something that the makers of GANGSTER SQUAD did not engage in and certainly don’t want members of the audience to attempt either.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

dolph-lundgren-universal-soldierUNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING

“Hyams’ audacious turns are much appreciated in such a tired, predictable genre. Say what you will, but you don’t see movies like this very often.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

A HAUNTED HOUSEa-haunted-house-image01 (2)

“A movie that thinks homophobia is the height of hilarity. That, and the image of Wayans taking a shit – a fitting metaphor for this film.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/4

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ZERO DARK THIRTYZero Dark Roundup

“It’s a political Rorschach test, an experiment in the malleability of audience response. This is Kathryn Bigelow’s masterpiece; the film her whole career has built to.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“The result is a remarkably thorough, unexpectedly cinematic, two-and-half-hour chronicle of American persistence.” – Norm Schrager, Paste Magazine

“A phenomenal white-knuckle thriller; a precision-tooled machine that left me breathless both times I saw it. Hell of a thing to be on the edge of your seat when everybody in the world already knows the ending.
” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“A seriously excellent piece of work. One of the sharpest, smartest, most thrilling and flat-out best movies of the year.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“A lot of people have argued with me that the reason this movie is so great is because it’s so restrained and it recounts everything as it happened without sensationalizing. But that’s exactly why I find it boring.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“Bigelow presents the events passively, but superbly, without judgement nor opinion. One of the year’s best film achievements and a crowning jewel in Kathryn Bigelow’s already noteworthy resume.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“Politicians who have yet to see a movie should shut up about it and avoid embarrassing themselves.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“What will it take to win this new kind of warfare? And to what extent do we dare allow ourselves to be shaped and defined by conflict this intense and pervasive? These questions are worth pondering.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

 

The ImpossibleTHE IMPOSSIBLE

“After a while this movie wears you out — not because of the physical and emotional demands of the story, but rather because of the shallow and predictable cinematic conventions to which it clings.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“It’s time for American audiences to grow up. Every story in the world is not about English-speaking WASPs.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“An event of such massive impact deserves a hell of a lot more consideration than the thinly drawn, manipulative THE IMPOSSIBLE.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“Everything but the carnage is cheap. The hokum can wear you down worse than the tsunami.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

 

TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D (2013)Alexandra Daddario stars as 'Heather Miller'TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D

“It converts around five minutes of grainy film footage from Hooper’s 1974 movie into 3D. Then the truly gross digital cinematography takes over, and you have a new film to forget.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“Typical slasher film. It wasn’t abysmal. You get what you pay for.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast