BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP 8/09

 

ELYSIUMELYSIUM

“Few working directors out there are as effective as Blomkamp at telling a serious, yet entertaining story with a moral.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“…the sort of science fiction thriller some of us have been craving all summer only to see one film after another fall short. ” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“ELYSIUM is paradise– if you snooze through it; and you might.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

 

WERE THE MILLERS'WE’RE THE MILLERS

“But this film’s eagerness to please functions as a slow poison, draining THE MILLERS of its vitality by rendering its characterization uneven, its potential undeveloped, and its plot predictable and stupid.” – Inkoo Kang, Village Voice

“This has not been a great year for film comedy… WE’RE THE MILLERS sets down that same low comedy road but then something odd happens: it’s actually funny.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Despite its by-the-numbers script and predictable story touches, there are enough funny—even unexpected—flourishes scattered throughout its 109 minutes to bring out the occasional gut laugh.” – David Riedel, C-Ville

“As comical as it is to watch these characters rebel against familial stereotypes, it’s even funnier to see how fast they fall into them.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“Occasionally, I am easily amused. This was definitely a guilty pleasure.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

 

PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERSPERCY JACKSON

“Forget Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, there’s not a single character here worthy of Ron Weasley.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge

“In the meantime, it’s a special effects laden fantasy where one can actually follow the action and focus on the characters. This summer that’s quite an achievement all by itself.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, SciFi Movie Page

 

2.JPGPRINCE AVALANCHE

“Ladies aren’t cast in the best light, but this is a dude movie in the middle of Texan backwoods.” – Monica Castillo, Dig Boston

“But more than the friendship-rivalry-I-won’t-call-it-a-bromance between the two stars, AVALANCHE is about the madness that simmers below their day-to-day-grind.”- Jake Mulligan, Rushmore Kite Flying Society

 

LOVELACELOVELACE

“The whole thing is just clunky, and worse, dull.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“Not many movies could pull off the same plot twice, and unfortunately, LOVELACE cannot justify visiting the same scenes twice only to add a layer of brutality.”- Monica Castillo, Bitch Magazine

BLUE JASMINE Blue_Jasmine

“The movie is a near-perfect capture of a woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown without going off the deep end into a farce.”-Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine

“It’s become a cliche that writer/director Woody Allen’s work had hit the doldrums critically for a bit, and lately, everything he’s doing has been cited as “one of his best in years.” BLUE JASMINE is better than that.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

BOFCA REPERTORY PODCAST #3

Wong Kar-wai

Listen as Monica Castillo, Steve Head, David Riedel and Bob Chipman take you on a tour of Boston’s repertory movie screenings. On deck: Coolidge Corner’s showings of ANNIE HALL, THE BLUES BROTHERS, MONSTER SQUAD, BERRY GORDY’S THE LAST DRAGON and more. The Brattle is bringing out 12 ANGRY MEN, ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, as well as a double feature of THE SHINING and ROOM 237, and the Burt Lancaster Centennial series. The HFA has a massive Hitchcock Retrospective and LE PONT DU NORD, along with their film noir tribute, Noir All Night. Over at the MFA, it’s The Works of Wong Kar-Wai; and finally, the Somerville Theatre is screening JAWS, PIRANHA, THE GATE, THE ROAD WARRIOR, THE WARRIORS and the Silents Please Series.

This Month’s Episode:

Listen to the whole podcast HERE.

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/02

2 GUNS2GUNS

“A disposable star vehicle being dumped into the late-summer wasteland for lack of anywhere else to put it.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

“So you’re saying it’s built on clichés? Great, I’ve seen it all before. It doesn’t stand out on its own.”-Monica Castillo, Cinema Fix 

“An inspired pairing. These 2Guns are loaded for a sequel.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

 

ACT OF KILLINGACT OF KILLING

“An exceptional display of daring that will secure Oppenheimer’s name in the annals of cinema.” – Andrew Crump, Go-See-Talk

“When it was over, I had to go walk around for a couple of hours to shake off what I had seen. My notebook contained just three words: ‘There be monsters.'” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“This is the redefinition of insanity.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“If you see only one documentary this year, make sure it’s THE ACT OF KILLING.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon

 

CRYSTAL FAIRYCRYSTAL FAIRY

“Unfortunately, director Sebastian Silva knows-or-thinks that the target of his satire and his audience are one and the same.” – Jake Mulligan, Rushmore Kite Flying Society

“The pleasure is in the details, like the way Cera always rides in the car with his seat reclined all the way back, crushing the legs of anybody sitting behind him. His rudeness would be appalling if he had any idea what an asshole he was.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“If you hate being the one guy at a party who doesn’t dig recreational drug use, you’re probably going to have a rough time with CRYSTAL FAIRY.” – Andrew Crump, Go-See-Talk

 

STILL MINESTILL MINE

“Cromwell carries the picture with understated vitality.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 7/26

 

WOLVERINETHE WOLVERINE

“THE WOLVERINE proves to be a class act, but it’s also a commercial entertainment, right down to the added scene during the closing credits.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, ScifiMoviePage

“What makes this film so wonderfully different and exquisitely understated from the usual offering in the superhero genre is it’s main reliance on compelling storytelling and character development.” – Tim Estiloz, Examiner

“Once again, an X-MEN movie is just good enough.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

“What THE WOLVERINE does right relates to Logan as a character, what drives him, his strengths and weaknesses. What it does wrong is action movie stuff.” – Kristofer Jenson, DigBoston

“The title of this entry feels like a sheepish admission on the part of the producers: Ignore that last one—this is the Wolverine movie.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“After three films where Wolverine struggled to stand out and one terrible solo picture, Mangold’s THE WOLVERINE finally does the character justice.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“…the filmmakers are clearly more interested in the action sequences– a rip-roaring bullet train chase, and a climactic dalliance with something big and mechanical. Ho hum woof.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

 

TO DO LISTTHE TO DO LIST

“There’s something almost celebratory about the graphically suggestive sexuality here; watching the film build to its big moments of teenage sexual abandon gone wrong feels akin to watching a cat coyly knock stemware off of the kitchen table…” Andrew Crump, Go-See-Talk

 

fruitvale-station-mainFRUITVALE STATION

“At times, the story of Oscar Grant ascends peaks of inexpressible joy; at others, quite obviously, it plumbs the depths of human callousness and cruelty, painting a portrait of a cold world in which the threat of violent death is an everyday part of living.” – Andrew Crump, Go-See-Talk

“A touching and, tragically, still relevant tribute.” – Monica Castillo, DIG Boston

“Not only a must-see, but also an early Best Picture favorite” – Brett Michel, Patriot Ledger

“That we already know how it will all end gives the movie’s plotlessness purpose. Every character interaction is freighted with our understanding it may be the last.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

BLACKFISHBLACKFISH

“BLACKFISH is a shattering documentary, a horror show that details how killer whales are treated in just this sort of manner.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“The film’s emphasis on misdeeds of the past require the greater part of our attention – herein is where the most data is offered to us at the fastest clip – but it doesn’t take a whale researcher, trainer, or neuroscientist to figure out where Tilikum went bad and for what reasons.” – Andrew Crump, Go-See-Talk

 

COMPUTER CHESSCOMPUTER CHESS

“Despite its creative smarts and originality, COMPUTER CHESS can really be summed up as an artistic curiosity, a fair distance from the relationship frameworks of Bujalski’s previous films.” – Norm Schrager, Meet in The Lobby

“It’s TRASH HUMPERS for tech nerds, by way of THE TRIAL, with all the ‘narrative coherence’ such a bastard mixture would entail.”- Jake Mulligan, Rushmore Kite Flying Society

VIDEO UPDATE 7/23

Two new entries into the ongoing “Meet BOFCA” series of video presentations. Introducing Mr. Tim Estiloz and Mr. Jake Mulligan.

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