BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 5/17

Posted on May 17, 2013 by bofca

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

“Open Letter To Paramount: The cowards and cretins in your publicity department have made a lot of critics angry, ensuring that whatever negative reviews the film gets will be even nastier than they might have been. Fire these idiots.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“As glum and mechanical as its predecessor was buoyant. The muddiest-looking movie you’ll find in theaters right now, this sorry sequel feels rote and hopelessly derivative, timidly going where we all have already been before.” – Sean Burns, Metro

“It’s reckless fan service. No more, no less. The film goes out of its way to undermine its own stakes and drama at every opportunity by turning incidents into mild inconveniences. Nothing bad that happens here matters.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“A big handful of clunky, messy nothing. It’s a sloppy, poorly constructed sequel with no clear sense of identity or direction, relying too often on references and callbacks to a series legacy it neither respects nor understands.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

STORIES WE TELL

“There’s nary a dull moment nor a dry eye throughout the film. It’s a creative and emotional effort, quite a collaborative feat. I wanted to tell Sarah Polley that it’s okay to share stories. That’s what the movies are for.” – Monica Castillo, Dig Boston

“The subtext outweighs the text, dragging the whole thing down into conceptual gobbledygook and leaving it feeling less like a personal, needed-to-get-it-out-there document than a well-financed Grad School project.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“Yes, the subject matter is generally self-involved, but Polley’s curiosity, investigation and filmmaking technique add a layer of complexity that’s worth attention. She treats reality—her dad’s, her mom’s, her own—in fascinating ways.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“Polley ends up exploring universal truths in her bid to understand her background and origins. In watching her explore these areas of her life, we may come to strong, cathartic realizations about our own.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED

“The movie plods along enjoyably for 110 minutes. You kill time, staring at the vistas, waiting for the conclusion you always know is coming. It’s a nice vacation, but not one I’d want to pay $12 to take.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

THE ICEMAN

“The result is an ugly muddle, burying an absurdly overqualified cast beneath phony handlebar moustaches and the umpteenth iterations of New Jersey goombah stereotypes.” – Sean Burns, Metro

SIGHTSEERS

“I think we’ve just gotten to the point in cinema where violent head-bashings set to ironic songs are all that a certain crowd needs from their movies. They’ll get their money’s worth here.” – Jake Mulligan, Rushmore Kite Flying Society

“The actual acts of murder are extremely horrifying and disgusting. Not only do you see too much of the graphic gore, but there are loud gut-wrenching sound effects like cracking and crunching, which ruin the satirical tone of the movie.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 5/10

Posted on May 10, 2013 by bofca

THE GREAT GATSBY

“A tacky, cluttered, 3-D muddle in which Leonardo DiCaprio happens to be amazing. Words fly from the typewriter in large blocks of text that sail into the audience because this is a literary adaptation, after all. Might as well have words shooting out of the screen at your head.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Hey, when you’ve created such luscious, CGI-inspired landscapes, why dolly a camera when you can swoop it in from a half-mile away at record speeds? Sometimes, even the purposefully overdone can feel too overdone.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“I spent a tad more than two and a half hours utterly in love with this movie. The cast brings a powerful human charge here that matches Luhrmann’s technical acrobatics; not even the occasional clunking line of dialogue detracts.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“In 3D. Just like F. Scott Fitzgerald intended, right? The movie is no masterpiece, but it’s not the train wreck it might have been. One wishes Baz Luhrmann had pursued a career as an art director rather than as a filmmaker.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“If you want the Fitzgerald experience, stick to his original words. If you want the experience of being slapped in the face with a leather-bound edition of the book, watch this movie. It’s Cliff Notes-level stuff.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“Less like an adaptation than the next generation of books-on-tape, where we absorb the story aurally. But hey, it comes with some pretty if utterly redundant illustrations if you want to something to look at.” – Inkoo Kang, Screen Junkies

“If gaudy anachronism was a crime, Baz Luhrmann would be doing serious time for THE GREAT GATSBY. He literally beats you over the head with every metaphor in the film, especially the green light.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“It’s silly, and yet another Baz Lurhmann exercise in artifice for the sake of artifice. But whatever else may be wrong with the film, Leonardo DiCaprio is absolutely magnificent in the title role. ” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“If Michael Bay had joined the theater club in high school, he would have ended up as Baz Luhrmann. Apparently the only parts of the book that Luhrmann even read were the first twenty pages and the last ten.” – Kristofer Jenson, Dig Boston

SOMETHING IN THE AIR

“Assayas’ best pictures are as elusive as they are carnally pleasing, like pop songs you listen to over and over again without ever understanding why. SOMETHING IN THE AIR is one of those films.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“Director Olivier Assayas looks at this tumultuous time with a sense of understanding and empathy. Viewers are supposed to enjoy this ambitious anarchy just as much as the group of friends do.” – Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine

“A film about fading out, about how youthful passions dissolve. The day-to-day business of living so often saps us of our resolve, and even the most ardent convictions wither away over time.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST

“Comments on a plethora of national and global issues, from terrorism to economics to business practices to the erosion of traditional culture and lore. The film’s many aspects don’t all work equally well.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“The movie is a thriller. Or it’s trying to be, unsuccessfully. In a production this well-mounted, there are distractions from the malaise that sets in when you can see the plotting coming from a mile away.” - David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

AFTERSHOCK

“Is it about Americans being menaced in a foreign land, or is it about how much mankind lives at the whim of shifting tectonic plates? Either way, it’s not particularly good, so it probably doesn’t matter.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

PEEPLES

“A far cry from Perry’s punitive churchiness, the film contains no violent tonal shifts, not a single morality lecture, and only one (rather ill-judged) moment in which a man dons women’s clothing. It’s just warm and funny.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

THE SOURCE FAMILY

“Your level of interest in this documentary will be directly related to how much you care about cults and dislike burned-out hippies. Fortunately, there’s great music.” – David Reidel, Sante Fe Reporter

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 5/3

Posted on May 3, 2013 by bofca

IRON MAN 3

“It’s not a perfect movie but the flubs are pretty minor, ultimately accomplishing a more satisfying mid-life crisis superhero arc than THE DARK KNIGHT RISES managed.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Seems to have learned the lessons of last summer’s THE AVENGERS. By making us care about its superhero as a person, we’re willing to go along for the ride about almost everything else.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Like Iron Man’s armor in this outing, the film may have a few dinks and dents… but, in the end, it still gets the job done with entertaining aplomb.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“He still delivers a quip better than any other superhero in the biz; the suit is still cool; and the villains still seem beneath him. The glue in all this silliness is Downey.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“The billionaire, genius, playboy philanthropist has a heart buried under his self-serving sarcasm. Wrapped up in Tony’s guilt is humorous self-loathing, a quality that Black enjoys infusing into his protagonists.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“Half the fun of the film is seeing Tony react to pressure once he’s robbed of his signature high-tech gadgetry, relying on his wits and resourcefulness to overcome foes and scrape by danger.” - Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“An amalgam of nonsense. The result of a relentlessly marketing-oriented studio exec and a snarky, know-it-all filmmaker smashing their sensibilities together like action figures.” – Jake Mulligan, Rushmore Kite Flying Society

“It’s a ripping little detective yarn, occasionally punctuated with the obligatory soulless special effects sequences required by the genre. The formulaic demands are leavened by genuine wit.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

KON-TIKI

“Despite the atmospheric design and gorgeous open water cinematography, the film feels dramatically airless, as canned as the rations upon which the men subsist.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 4/26

Posted on April 26, 2013 by bofca

PAIN & GAIN

“Michael Bay’s latest doesn’t just wallow in depravity, it jumps up and down in it. It showers in it. It celebrates it. The poetry of frat boys, roid-ragers and drunkards; it may be ugly but it’s honest.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“Unfortunately, Bay is still a hateful, misogynist cretin, content with slapdash slapstick jokes at the expense of the infirm, foreigners, fat people and gays. A vile film.” – Sean Burns, Metro

“Two hours of the sort of vanity, materialism and ignorance Bay explores here winds up being morally punishing and tiresome, an exercise in guilt-tripping given how awful we feel for laughing at the sustained ludicrousness.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“Bay’s approach to the meaninglessness of human existence is to dive into the middle of it and see what fun can be had smashing all the garbage together. Nothing matters, everybody sucks, but look how awesome it looks when I blow it the fuck up.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“The same affront to humanity with which we’ve become all too acquainted, Michael Bay’s latest ‘comedy’ proves that he truly is the piece of shit you’d imagine.” – Kristofer Jenson, Dig Boston

“A violent action comedy that has the advantage of a strong cast. Audiences willing to put up with the violence may find the dark humor here appealing.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

THE ANGELS’ SHARE

“With a few of the rougher edges sanded down—and several hundred c-words dubbed over—it’s the kind of thing you could picture Miramax releasing back in the ‘80s. A real crowd-pleaser, unexpectedly disarming.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“A spirited, if low-proof, three-finger belt of a film. But this movie doesn’t have the essential moxie it needs to rise above the typical tropes of its genre and setting.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“THE ANGEL’S SHARE has everything: street fights, comedy and drama. And there’s even a ride off into the dull gray mist in place of a sunset. It’s still Glasgow, after all.” - David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“This is a film that’s too anchored to be identified simply as fluff; it has too much compassion for its flawed protagonist and invests itself too strongly in his salvation for that qualifier to fit.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

THE BIG WEDDING

“Sets the bar low at ankle level, then digs itself a cozy little trench in the mud and proceeds to wallow for ninety excruciating minutes. This flick is toxic sludge.” – KIlian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“What were they thinking? Based on a French film that apparently has never been released here, this is a movie about self-absorbed twits.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 4/19

Posted on April 20, 2013 by bofca

OBLIVION

“A movie that feels like five or six different M. Night Shyamalan screenplays smushed together into one, in so much that it’s a story built entirely out of twists, and that it’s just kind of bad.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“While neither stupid nor dull, it is shallow, having only its few plot twists to offer along with the impressive special effects.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“OBLIVION isn’t a remake of anything, although it might as well be. And like most remakes, you’ll feel like the films that it mimics not only did these things first, they did them better.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“See it later, ideally when you’re bedridden with the flu and the syrupy slowness of the plot will lull you into sweet dreams of Olga Kurylenko.” – Inkoo Kang, Screen Junkies

“The cinematic equivalent of that shiny new toy you get at Christmas, the one that’s a lot of fun to play with… for about an hour.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

ROOM 237

“A confounding, eye-opening, and often hilarious documentary about individuals whose over-wired brains are devoted to one cinematic masterpiece: Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING.” – Norm Schrager, Paste Magazine

“The movie is competently made, with sharp editing, graphics and a decent sense of pace. But this is the cinematic equivalent of being stuck on the subway listening to an insane person rant.” – David Riedel, Sante Fe Reporter

THE LORDS OF SALEM

“Most horror movies look at the fairer sex and see vulnerability personified, attached to an oversized pair of tits. Not Rob Zombie. For better or worse, he seems downright terrified of the opposite gender.” – Jake Mulligan, Rushmore Kite Flying Society

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 4/12

Posted on April 12, 2013 by bofca

TO THE WONDER

“This is a Terrence Malick film set in supermarkets, fast-food joints and gas stations. These characters are lost spiritually and culturally. It is about the struggle to long for transcendence while simultaneously debating whether to get a Coca-Cola or a milkshake.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“The real challenge of the film lies in untangling its meaning from its poetic structure. To put it another way: your mileage may vary. It’s the kind of picture that refuses to hold its viewers’ hands, but it is one of Malick’s most purely cinematic.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“The relationship that brings Kurylenko and Affleck together? Hard to describe. She dances and he likes that. He’s American and she’s not. I think taking her to Oklahoma really fuels the drama.” – David Reidel, Santa Fe Reporter

“The story isn’t related so much as allowed to evaporate. Malick has taken his narrative minimalism too far here, creating gorgeous images but neglecting his role as storyteller. As a result, TO THE WONDER is wispy, tenuous and insubstantial.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

UPSTREAM COLOR

“The film is brimming with breathtaking cinematography, quotes from Thoreau, and, well, odd scenes on a pig farm. Think Terrence Malick with an even bigger affinity for symbolism. It has that same devotion to incredible scenery and visceral emotion.” – Monica Castillo, The Artery

“I have no doubt many viewers will get hung up on a literal level. But if UPSTREAM COLOR manages to burrow its way into your brain, you won’t be likely to expel it anytime soon.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s obtuse on purpose, but that doesn’t make it good—or bad. But whether you find it good or bad will likely depend on your prevailing mood, your sense of equanimity and whether you like pigs. And worms.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“Instantly enters the pantheon of great baseball movies. A history lesson about America and about how, no matter how painful it might be, in the end we struggle to do the right thing.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Can we go back to the 1990s and rally behind Spike Lee’s attempt to craft a more truthful rendition of Robinson’s life? What we’re left with is saccharine, cheesy fakery that doesn’t do enough to honor Robinson and his legacy.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“At times, the dialogue is sappy and the music heavy-handed. The volume seems to increase when you’re supposed to feel inspired. But this is one of those sports stories that just makes you feel good.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“The rest is pretty dull. And in a revelation that will surprise no one, Harrison Ford, as Branch Rickey, is terrible. Rickey is supposed to be a character, not a caricature.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“It can’t seem to muster up enough invention to justify it’s existence, other than to give next year’s crop of overworked and underpaid schoolteachers one more contemporary movie to throw in the VCR during Black History Month.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

“Redford directs, giving the film a high level of gloss. What it lacks is any sense of drive. There’s an essential energy missing. You almost care about this long-dormant hippie-era version of the culture wars… almost.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“Long, lumbering and unabashedly earnest, it’s the kind of talky, politically-minded adult thriller that went out of fashion decades ago, except nobody told Redford. It feels like a relic from another time, which isn’t exactly a bad thing.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Instead of dealing with something interesting, like, say, radicalism and politics and leftist causes and some of the violence that resulted, the movie is a sort-of weepie about fathers and daughters.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

TRANCE

“A muddled movie that tries to distract the audience from its fundamental silliness with switchback twists and turns. Even Danny Boyle’s masterful skills cannot shape this garish material into something harmonious and unified.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“TRANCE exists to take its audience on a ride, but it’s a ride you won’t care about and probably won’t remember taking. It presents a story not worth telling by a director who’s capable of telling great stories.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

DISCONNECT

“Apologies to all in attendance, but the ludicrousness eventually peaked at such inane heights that I doubled over with laughter, gasping for air.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

KOCH

“Ed Koch was a consummate ham and a bit of scoundrel. Neil Barsky’s documentary tries to pay tribute to both.  It gets the first part right. ” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“To paraphrase a line from MONEYBALL, he’s the kind of guy who enters a room and his dick has already been there for two minutes.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

BOFCA INTERVIEW: BEN AFFLECK

Posted on April 9, 2013 by bofca

To The Wonder

Last September, Ben Affleck sat down with BOFCA members Sean Burns, Jake Mulligan and Greg Vellante to talk about ARGO. If you know us at all, you’ve probably already guessed that the conversation eventually shifted around toward Terrence Malick’s TO THE WONDER, which had just premiered to wildly polarized reactions at the Venice Film Festival, and at the time did not yet have an American distributor.

The legendary Malick’s hotly debated sixth feature finally hits theatres and VOD this week, so we thought it might be fun to revisit what could be the longest answer ever given during a roundtable interview to a single question. (And this is after some heavy-duty editing!)

Q: How does working with someone like Terrence Malick change the way you look at filmmaking?

A: Terry is an incredible guy. I really like him. He’s a really sweet guy. I don’t know why he doesn’t do interviews, he would come off great. He’s so likeable and thoughtful. Maybe it’s just cooler to be the enigmatic guy than it is to be the guy people are trying to get around to talk to Brad Pitt.

To The Wonder 2 This movie that we just did together, I don’t know if any of you have seen it yet. I guess it hasn’t screened. It’s very experimental. It’s out there. You gotta want some Malick with your Malick. It’s a little bit like TREE OF LIFE, without the dialogue.

But it’s great. I just want people to really be ready. Some of the promotional art looks very conventional. Me and Rachel McAdams, looks like the sequel to THE VOW or something. It’s not that at all. It’s an impressionist movie, sort of a tone poem. It’s about this one woman that my character is kind of obsessed with, and so the camera is sort of obsessed with her. She talks in French and wanders around, and then you have Javier Bardem as a priest.

There were great performances that aren’t in the movie now. Rachel Weisz was in it, Barry Pepper did great stuff. Terry paints with his actors. Usually you show up and do your job and it’s this fixed job. With Terry you realize, he wants blue from you and red from her and green from him, and then he paints it all later. So it takes awhile, like what do you mean blue? Just blue?

To The Wonder 4 Then later on you watch it. And this is kind of intense, kind of amazing. He has this theory from Chekov about relationships where one is near and one is far. I always thought it was a literary first-person device rather than a filmmaking device, but basically what it came down to was the whole movie is an over-the-shoulder shot over me and onto this woman, following her and watching her, and periodically I come into the frame and kiss her and stuff.

We didn’t have a script. We didn’t know what it was. You don’t know where you fit into this. He said this is a movie experimenting in silence, and we’d have these voice-overs occasionally but they really wouldn’t be about what we’re seeing. So I was terrified and thought, what do I do? And it was about learning to let go. You know what I mean? For better or for worse, you throw out everything you know and just jump off the thing and see what happens.

There are things I love about the movie, and there are things I still don’t understand. But I’m glad somebody’s out there making their own movies. When I make a movie I’m thinking, is the audience going to like this? Will they understand that? How will it play in Middle America? All these insecurities, I don’t think any of that shit ever crosses Terry’s mind. He just makes his own movie and you’re on for the ride.

To The Wonder 3

TO THE WONDER opens at the Kendall Square Cinema on April 12th, when it will also be available via iTunes and Video On Demand.

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 4/5

Posted on April 5, 2013 by bofca

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

“Cianfrance sweeps his characters along in the style of a Greek tragedy. Events unfold slowly, but with a tidal force that catches everyone up in irresistible currents of fate. We are all at the mercy of forces we cannot comprehend.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“It’s just too big for its britches, puffing up a perfectly fine, sad little tale of small-time crooks with ungainly epic portent. Derek Cianfrance could probably be a great filmmaker if he wasn’t trying so hard to be a Great Filmmaker.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“The opening and closing movements feel hopelessly incomplete, broad strokes in a film that requires great detail and expanse. The ambition is huge, but Cianfrance’s approach is fatally small.” – Jake Mulligan, Charleston City Paper

“The stories don’t so much weave together as collide with each other, but the actors give good enough performances to help you over the cinematic speed bumps along the way.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

GIMME THE LOOT

“The most purely enjoyable movie I’ve seen since I-can’t-remember-when, writer-director Adam Leon’s debut feature is a film brimming with so much mischief and joy that it left me in an almost insufferably good mood for days afterwards. I didn’t want it to end.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“This astoundingly spirited debut from director Adam Leon keeps a youthful faith in the endless possibilities of the future. But the movie also stays grounded in the realities of struggling, up-and-coming artists. It’s human and hopeful.” – Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine

“Fresh, vital and engaging. One of those little movies that comes along from time to time and hits all sorts of nails on the head. What seems at first to be a shallow comedy built on cliché turns instead into a wonderful ramble through the cinematically neglected sectors of a busy, richly diverse city.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“Who knew a street-centered narrative could be so sweetly buoyant? GIMMIE THE LOOT’s foremost characteristic is its effervescent veneer. Put simply, it’s a lot of fun. A refreshing, necessary entry in contemporary indie filmmaking.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

BEYOND THE HILLS

“Mungiu’s lens gazes fondly, for a time, at the quaint, pastoral rhythms that define the cloistered life. But it’s toward the real world, bustling and corrupt, that the film gives a knowing look and a wink.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“A heartbreaking, complicated microcosm of Romanian life. And just like in life, there are no easy answers to be found in BEYOND THE HILLS, only more questions and an overabundance of sorrow.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“He shoots the film in the flattest, most matter-of-fact way possible, relying on long camera takes with no musical accompaniment, lulling us to the day-to-day drag of this monastic lifestyle.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

EVIL DEAD

“There’s so much blood and gore exploding on the screen in this gutsy new remake that you almost need to wear a raincoat if you sit too close. And for fans sick of the PG-13 crap that’s been trying to pass for horror movies lately, it’s a welcome sight indeed.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“There doesn’t seem to be much reason or need for this EVIL DEAD. It’s interesting to compare how effects or acting styles have changed, but for a film about demonic possession, it is surprisingly soulless.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Alvarez appears to have had several warehouses worth of karo syrup and red food coloring on hand during principal photography. He’s made not the better film, but the redder film, and that’s very much to his credit.” - Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“Even with the borrowed title and premise, it’s a solid movie in its own right and a welcome antidote to the lame, watered down excuses for horror movies we’ve been putting up with for far too long.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“If there’s anything wrong with this movie, it’s that it lacks heart. The same passion that the original was made with just isn’t there. Also, the characters say stupid things and none of them have memorable personalities.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“You’d think that kids these days would know better than to read what’s inside of a book bound by human skin, especially if those kids are taking shelter in a cabin in the middle of the woods. And yet!” – Monica Castillo, Bitch Magazine

“Alvarez apparently thinks by ginning up the literal blood count and viscera on-screen that such antics will make for a more terrifying film. On that score, EVIL DEAD is truly D.O.A..” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

FROM UP ON POPPY HILL

“Goro Miyazaki is far from ready to step into his father’s shoes. But in going back to the basics, he has me thinking that, someday, he may be able to do that. Maybe.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

JURASSIC PARK 3D

“Of course the movie looks great up on the big screen where it belongs, but the idea of being charged $18 for the experience is obscene.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“The 3D doesn’t add very much to the mood of the film. It’s incredibly mediocre, and at some moments just plain painful for your eyes.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

BOFCA REMEMBERS ROGER EBERT

Posted on April 5, 2013 by bofca

Critic

Roger Ebert passed away yesterday afternoon. We at the Boston Online Film Critics Association wish to pay our respects to the man who influenced us all, was a pioneer of online film criticism, and left an indelible mark in our profession’s history. Thank you, Mr. Ebert.

“It also cannot be overstated how important it was to the Online Critic community that Ebert was one of the first to take the medium and its early stars with any degree of seriousness. When Hollywood and the rest of the critical community was still looking down its nose at us, Roger Ebert was inviting the likes of Harry Knowles to guest on his show.” - Bob Chipman

“I met Roger Ebert in early 1997, at a television programming trade show. At the time, John Sayles’ LONE STAR was being hailed as one of the best films of ’96, and I know Ebert shared my adoration for the film. I really just wanted to chat about the movie, but he and Gene Siskel were on the clock for their show distributor, churning through handshakes and photographs, doing their best to say hello to everyone. We never had that conversation, but somewhere in my files is a corny-looking Polaroid of Mr. Ebert and I with our thumbs raised. “ - Norm Schrager

“What film critic wouldn’t want to cite Roger Ebert as an influence, and even as a role model? The first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize (thus proving that excellence not only is possible in film criticism, but worth pursuing,) a prolific writer not just of reviews but of essays on the subject of cinema itself, and a pioneer of televised movie criticism. Ebert helped shape the world in which today’s movie buffs dwell, be they cineastes, film savants, or vidiots.” - Kilian Melloy

“Roger Ebert was one of the primary influences for my love and appreciation of film, and the creative process behind it. Ebert, along with his fellow critic Gene Siskel, were part of my childhood via their groundbreaking ‘At The Movies.’ I discovered the ambition to one day combine my passion for film, entertainment, and broadcasting. As a kid, I was fascinated with their often differing opinions on film. Frequently, I found myself realizing I agreed more often with Ebert’s point of view; perhaps subliminally forming the way I look at and enjoy films today. I often felt Ebert was more than an accomplished and knowledgeable critic, but also an average guy who simply enjoyed being entertained by a good story told on film. He was relatable and reliable. In his final years, he was a man of true courage; determination to ply his craft and indulge his creative passion, despite crushing obstacles, to the very end. Thank you Roger Ebert, and we’ll remember to save you the aisle seat.” - Tim Estiloz

“Roger Ebert was a truly remarkable man, and here I sit devastated but with monumental gratitude towards a man who has genuinely had an impact on my life. The films I’ve seen, the people I’ve met, the education I’ve received, and the love for film that continues to grow and grow would likely all be nonexistent if it weren’t for the kick in the butt that Roger’s writing gave me. I always imagined what I would do if I ever got the chance to meet Roger Ebert, face to face. Years ago I decided that I would simply shake his hand and say ‘Thank you.’ And while the former will never happen now, the thanks I have will forever remain.” - Greg Vellante

“I’ll sum it up with the quote I have at the top of DVD a Day: ‘The purpose of a movie critic is to encourage good films and discourage bad ones.’- Roger Ebert.” - John Black

“While I certainly read many of the greats over the decades, I can say without hesitation that Roger was the biggest influence on my film criticism (why I don’t suffer chronic hemorrhoids from the countless hours I spent on the throne devouring collected volumes of his reviews is a mystery best left unsolved,) and an inspiring father figure as a writer. Cancer may have robbed him of his physical voice a few years back (oh how I miss his television programs — and Gene Siskel), but his lucid, written words were never stronger. In addition to his criticism, he truly embraced the Internet, and the new modes of communication and interactions with his readership that the web made possible. With his blog (and — gasp! — Twitter), he was able to wax eloquently on topics he was just as passionate and knowledgeable about as film, and he could do it faster — and better — than any of us. Damn him. I’ll leave you with but one wonderful example, one that does a far better job of what I’m fumbling to communicate here. Thank you, Roger. For everything.” - Brett Michel

“It’s difficult to come to terms with the loss of a pillar in a community. For cinephiles and critics, Ebert was such a pillar, one they could rally around or against.” - Monica Castillo

“Even if a film critic doesn’t believe that Roger Ebert has had an impact on his or her style of writing and approach to criticism, he has. That’s the kind of critic he was. Whether you acknowledge him as a direct influence or simply as a valuable font of knowledge in the over-arching world of film criticism, Roger was one of a kind, and the effect he’s had on film criticism as a discipline has been felt by everyone and anyone who has thought to articulate their thoughts on the movies in written form. The world is a poorer place without him.” - Andrew Crump

“I’m stunned. I lived in Lincoln Park for 6 years or so, couple blocks north of his house. Used to see him around a bit and say hi, especially at the Apple Supermarket on Clark St. (buying cookies, of course.) Saw a screening of THE ABYSS with Ebert sitting behind me at McClurg Court, which doesn’t exist any more, but at the time was the theater to see such a film, and it was close to their studio. I thought that alone was pretty cool.” - Steve Head

“I didn’t decide to join the film criticism game until a couple of years ago, so admittedly I didn’t take in a lot of Roger Ebert’s work growing up. However, I have tremendous respect for how prolific he was and how passionate Mr. Ebert was about his craft until the very end. His influence and his intelligence cannot be overstated. The high caliber of his writing and his tireless work ethic is something we should all aspire to. I’m inspired by his example.” - Evan Crean

“There are many things we admired about Roger Ebert, particularly as he moved into blogging and revealed himself to be a terrific, thoughtful human being beyond the brilliance of his criticism. There are two features of Ebert’s writing that I took away specifically from him more than anyone else. First was his economy of language. Rarely did he say more than was necessary to communicate his point, which is particularly impressive when you consider the sheer volume of his work. The second was his ability to recognize a film’s internal logic and politics while reflecting them against his own without being didactic or reductionist, viewing their validity as aspects of the film as worthy of consideration as the writing or acting, but treating them fairly even when he completely disagreed. Nobody did this as effectively as he did, and I’ll miss his positive influence.” - Kristofer Jenson

“’The balcony is closed,’ he and Gene used to say at the end of every episode. But it isn’t. Roger Ebert made sure it’s open to all of us.” – Sean Burns

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 3/29

Posted on March 29, 2013 by bofca

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION

“110 minutes worth of mindless gun porn, aimed squarely at the lowest common denominator. Trust me: this isn’t coming from some misplaced sense of knee-jerk liberal reaction. It’s coming from a viewer who is tired of having his intelligence insulted.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“The problem might be that the movie just isn’t silly enough, given its preposterous plot and roster of goofy-named characters. Cheap and flimsy, it looks and feels like a more CGI-heavy version of something Cannon Films or Golan & Globus might have made in the mid-eighties.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“The nostalgia instead comes from the cheap 3D effects that feel like you’re looking through the lens of a Fisher Price ViewMaster.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

STARBUCK

“The film steers clear of farce, opting instead for optimism. The result is a heartwarming little charmer that is best enjoyed with your story logic chip powered down and your hand firmly planted in that of your sweetheart’s.” - Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“While STARBUCK has its share of lowbrow humor, the film is more about what makes a family after a child is born than the biological batter mixing that creates it in the first place.” - John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Well, hipster cynics, you can go one of two ways. Avoid the movie altogether, or give in to its bear-hug of an attitude that says yeah, really wonderful things can happen in a distrustful world.” - Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

THE HOST

“An impressively novel, creative reworking of the alien invasion template filtered through Meyer’s by-now familiar fixations and rendered unintentionally hilarious by her unwieldy ‘Is she kidding?’ storytelling.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“The vacuous Young Adult claptrap that made Meyer made millions in her TWILIGHT books eats away at your brain as the movie crawls to its ridiculous conclusion.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“In the hands of GATTACA director Andrew Niccol, the result is occasionally challenging, dealing with both the science fiction elements and the teen angst at the heart of the story.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

THE SAPPHIRES

“O’Dowd dominates; his co-stars’ quiet talents be damned. He mugs for the camera as if this were a talk show. If there’s been a more nakedly ingratiating performance in recent months, I haven’t seen it.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

REALITY

“It’s too straight-faced to be comedy, too divorced from reality to be a drama, too dry to be satire, too creepy and off-putting to function as general entertainment, and too well-crafted for me to write off as a mess.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

Boston Online Film Critics Association

The Boston Online Film Critics Association was established in May of 2012 to foster a community of web-based film critics.

Author Archives: bofca