BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/19/2024

FIREWORKS

“The real-life story of the so-called Giarre murder serves as the basis for this Italian gay romance, which is sun-soaked at the heart (recounting the rapturous love of two 16-year-old boys in 1980s rural Sicily) but darkly chilling around the edges.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Media Network

DRIVING MADELEINE

“Watching Driving Madeleine is such an enjoyable journey that you’ll wish it never had to end.John Black, Cinekong

 

 

WANTED MAN

Wanted Man is for those wanting an action film that won’t tax your intelligence but won’t insult it either.” Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

 

I.S.S.

I.S.S. takes it’s “what if” premise and plays it out without pretending there will be an easy resolution. At a time of international tensions, it’s a cautionary tale about a future we can only hope won’t come to pass.” Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/12/2024

NIGHT SWIM

“Forty-nine years ago, Universal Studios unleashed Jaws on the world, making everyone afraid to go into the ocean. This week, the studio joined Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster to put out Night Swim, a movie that wants to make you afraid to swim in your backyard pool.”John Black, Cinekong

STROKING AN ANIMAL

“Perhaps, as with love, what you take away from “Stroking an Animal” depends largely on what you brought with you, and how much you invested into it.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Media Network

 

ZONE OF INTEREST

“More than any other film this year – perhaps this decade – The Zone of Interest will dig itself under your skin, will gnaw like a canker sore on the back of your subconscious.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

THE BEEKEEPER

“…there are a few attempts to explore the more significant meaning behind the bad guys’ motives and make the movie relevant, but they’re just a dumb distraction, something to fill the space between ass-kickings.John Black, Cinekong

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/5/2024

HE WENT THAT WAY

“If an erratic, vicious serial killer meets a skilled animal trainer who knows the tics and quirks of the primate mentality, who will prevail?” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Media Network

 

 

GOOD GRIEF

“There are plenty of one-liners and comic moments, but the film’s overall mood is one of ache and bereavement and you’ll probably absorb more of the movie’s somber heaviness than you bargained for.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Media Network

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 12/22/2023

THE COLOR PURPLE

“The movie is a mixed bag, I enjoyed certain aspects but a lot of it falls flat.” – Byron McNeal, On The Reel On Tumblr

 

 

MAESTRO

“The Cooper/Singer screenplay simply trades the clichés of the biopic for the equally trite clichés of the troubled marriage drama.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

 

AMERICAN FICTION

“Jeffrey Wright makes the most of his star turn in American Fiction as an African-American author who pulls off a hoax that spins out of control. It is at once hilarious and deadly serious, making it one of the best films of 2023.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“The satire is the engine, the family drama is the heart, and while it’s tough to keep this vehicle tonally on track, co-writer/director Cord Jefferson in his directorial debut almost gets there while offering no easy answers.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

DELIVER US

“But for the gore and the nudity, Deliver Us is a film that might engender a lively discussion in a theology class.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

 

REBEL MOON: PART ONE – A CHILD OF FIRE

“Zack Snyder has made some dark films filled with action and visually compelling images. His latest is so epic it has been split in two. While the first half takes off after a slow start, it is not a film that will be accused of originality.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

POOR THINGS

“A feminist Frankenstein … provokes serious thought about the nature of existence as it circles back to the original suicide and the wounded creator who made the best of whatever spare parts were available in a damaged world.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

BOFCA 2023 Awards

BEST PICTURE
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio sit at a dinner table together in the movie The Killers of the Flower Moon.

BEST DIRECTOR
Christopher Nolan, OPPENHEIMER

Christopher Nolan stands next to Cillian Murphy in front of a blackboard with his hands out, directing the movie Oppenheimer.

BEST ACTOR
Cillian Murphy, OPPENHEIMER

Cillian Murphy looks worried in the film Oppenheimer.

BEST ACTRESS
Lily Gladstone, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Lily Gladstone looks stoically with a man standing behind her in the movie Killers of the Flower Moon.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Charles Melton, MAY DECEMBER

Charles Melton looks up while grilling in the movie May December.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS

Da'Vine Joy Randolph smokes a cigarette in the movie The Holdovers.

BEST SCREENPLAY
Tie between David Hemingson, THE HOLDOVERS

Paul Giamatti sits with a table of students at the dining hall in the movie The Holdovers.

and Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, MAY DECEMBER

Natalie Portman takes notes while Julianne Moore does her makeup in front of a mirror in the movie May December.

BEST ENSEMBLE
OPPENHEIMER

Cillian Murphy tips his hat to reporters in a black and white screenshot from the movie Oppenheimer.

BEST SCORE
Ludwig Göransson, OPPENHEIMER

A black and white photo of composer Ludwig Goransson.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Hoyte Van Hoytema, OPPENHEIMER

Hoyte Van Hoytema riding on a camera rig next to Christopher Nolan working on the movie Oppenheimer.

BEST EDITING
Jennifer Lame, OPPENHEIMER

Jennifer Lame

BEST DOCUMENTARY
MENUS-PLAISIRS – LES TROISGROS

Chefs stand around a table in the documentary Menus-Plaisirs - Les Troisgros

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
THE ZONE OF INTEREST

Sandra Huller holds a baby that is reaching for plants in the movie The Zone of Interest.

BEST ANIMATED FILM
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE

Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy sit next to each other looking out over New York City in the movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse.

 

TOP TEN FILMS OF 2023
1. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
2. OPPENHEIMER
3. THE HOLDOVERS
4. PAST LIVES
5. MAY DECEMBER
6. BARBIE
7. THE ZONE OF INTEREST
8. AMERICAN FICTION
9. POOR THINGS
10. ANATOMY OF A FALL