A new week brings two new videos to BOFCA’s Official YouTube Channel.
First up: MEET BOFCA continues with an introduction to critic and proud member Evan Crean.
Next: Daniel M. Kimmel gives a classic recommendation to one of the great overlooked 1970’s sci-fi thrillers, COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT.
Hit the jump to check out the full videos, and make sure to subscribe for more exclusive content! Continue reading
MAN OF STEEL
“As a pure visual experience, it comes maddeningly close to being a masterpiece. This film’s canvas is magnificent, it’s scope is beautiful, it’s action is thrilling. But it’s heart is joyless, sullen and grim.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
“Visually compelling and stunning to watch. The superb performances by the cast – especially Crowe and Costner – provide numerous moments and images of poignancy, depth and nobility.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner
“The desaturated palate and fidgety handheld camera are obvious concessions to the modern blockbuster era. But MAN OF STEEL is first and foremost wonderfully sincere, defined by the decency of its main character.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
“The appearance of flying lizards on Krypton is bizarre and mistaken. As is well-known, there were no such creatures on Krypton. There is a moment late in the film that should cause Superman enthusiasts to gasp.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
“MAN OF STEEL has heart, soul, muscles, and craft on its side that raises it head and shoulders above average summer fare. It’s only missing the consistency to carry its throughlines to the very end.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk
“At two and a half hours, the film feels excessively long and the action sequences are monotonous because most of the fighting involves people ramming each other through buildings at high speeds.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse
“When the fighting starts, use those many minutes to hit the bathroom or the concession stand. Superman may be faster than a speeding bullet, but his movie is as boring as whale shit.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter
“MAN OF STEEL’s soul resides in its tender origin story. The flashbacks hit just the right note of earnestness without sentimentality and are edited so that you want more, even if another half-minute would be too much.” – Inkoo Kang, Screen Junkies
“You will believe a man can fly. You just won’t connect much with any of the characters because they, like this production, are larger than life, but essentially hollow. This is a big movie, epic in scope, but it’s just no fun.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston
THIS IS THE END
“Really just an unrestrained, unstructured lark; a middle-finger aimed directly at everyone who isn’t in on their increasingly esoteric jokes. It’s brazenly offensive, abrasively self-aware, and beyond self-obsessed.” – Jake Mulligan, Charleston City Paper
“What a strange anti-vanity project—a bunch of friends got together and made a movie about how they all deserve to go to hell. Probably the most self-indulgent wank in cinema history, yet on occasion it’s hilarious.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
“Kind of brilliant. A comedy so well constructed and relentlessly funny that you’re virtually guaranteed to laugh even if the film’s central joke – famous people playing parody versions of themselves – is utterly lost on you.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
“Alienating with its abundance of inside jokes. While the concept of celebrities experiencing the apocalypse together makes for a funny YouTube video, it has a hard time sustaining the legs to last a full 107 minutes.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse
“I really enjoyed this film. I laughed at almost PINEAPPLE EXPRESS levels. I might have to rank this as one of my top comedies of the year. I don’t remember in recent memory doubling over this much.” – Monica Castillo, Cinema Fix
“So devoid of good ideas, smarts or laughs that it’s hard to understand just what the purpose is. I can only conclude it’s to get these six friends together and let them riff. And, boy, do they riff.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter
“One gets a sense that these guys really are friends and they made THIS IS THE END for the same reason Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack made OCEAN’S ELEVEN. They thought it would be fun.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY
“The freeze-frames, backwards motion, flow-charts, flying text and squiggly overlays would be exhausting were they not all synced to such a melancholy groove.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
THE EAST
“There’s a palpable, invigorating rage in the early imagery. But the film trails off, losing itself in its own mythology. It trades its vigor for something smaller and easier-to-contain: a relationship drama.” – Jake Mulligan, Charleston City Paper
The Boston Online Film Critics Association is proud to announce the launch of our Official YouTube Channel. In the coming weeks, you will find everything here from events and announcements to video profiles and original content from individual BOFCA members.
Here’s our official announcement, followed below by a pair of profiles for BOFCA co-chairs Monica Castillo and Daniel M. Kimmel. There are a lot more where these came from, so make sure to subscribe and you won’t miss a thing!
Continue reading
BEFORE MIDNIGHT
“A movie about compromise and negotiation. The previous two pictures were preoccupied with romantic ideals, but this is the real love story. So funny and so wise, it’s about how happily ever after is harder than it looks.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
“It’s about time bearing down on you, and the impossibility of anything remaining perfect. It’s about a couple characters from a romantic comedy series who are suddenly burdened with all the flaws and tragedies of real life.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston
“All the longing of BEFORE SUNSET has been replaced with consequences and resentment. How much you enjoy it will depend how you see it—as a couple near the end, or one fighting for survival.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter
THE INTERNSHIP
“Smacks of the same sort of lean and merciless energy that has become a cliché of corporate culture, and it’s hard to shake a sense that we’re being simultaneously patronized and shaken down.” – KIlian Melloy, EDGE Boston
“There are a lot of reasons to dislike THE INTERNSHIP, starting with the fact that it stars Vince Vaughn and one-trick-pony Owen Wilson, and ending with the fact that it is a two-hour love letter to Google.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
“To call this an infomercial for Google would besmirch the good name of infomercials. Even beyond the uninspired premise and the borderline offensive corporate cheerleading, THE INTERNSHIP simply isn’t funny.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
THE PURGE
“Takes one of the most fertile pitches I’ve heard in years and uses it as an excuse to make a slasher movie where they don’t have to bother coming up with a reason why nobody calls the cops. A huge, cowardly cop-out” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
“It’s an allegorical horror story that will provide plenty of thrills and chills, but might also leave you with something to think about afterwards. Considering how much in this genre is disposable, that’s saying a lot.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
THE KINGS OF SUMMER
“A re-heated bag of Instant-Teen-Movie. The tired tropes have again been stirred up and served up. It may taste sweet, but it’s artificial. It goes down easy, even if it never feels like a real meal.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston
“This is a slick piece of work that juts out at just enough odd angles to be idiosyncratic, but never alienating. It’s an amusing. low-stakes debut with modest aspirations that are, for the most part, achieved.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian
THE PREY
“Every single plot element here plays in the most expected way possible. You won’t be completely bored even while you experience deja vu, but it doesn’t have an original or intelligent thought in its musclebound body.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk
WISH YOU WERE HERE
“Consistently arresting. It’s a peek at the power of heavy consequences, an amped-up version of that dreary feeling you get after vacation. And it makes a hell of a good cinematic summer break.” – Norm Schrager, Film Racket
AFTER EARTH
“If nothing else, let’s all congratulate STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS on no longer being the dumbest big budget sci-fi movie to come out this summer. AFTER EARTH sucks in a somewhat perversely fascinating way, but it’s deadeningly boring to watch.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
“Give Will Smith additional credit for being a loyal and supportive father. And now he needs to do the right thing and tell the young boy that he ought to buckle down in his studies and be prepared to go into another line of work.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
“There were moments where I flung my hands out and asked: ‘Why is this happening? Why am I watching this?’ Has this guy ever been to Film School? Because that was horrible.” – Monica Castillo, Cinema Fix
“Smith said, ‘I’m a student of patterns.’ Shyamalan made a movie about crop patterns. And finally, they’re both in a holding pattern of making shit movies, so it should be no surprise they combined their talents for AFTER EARTH.” – David Reidel, C-Ville Weekly
NOW YOU SEE ME
“The talented cast keeps the pace jaunty enough, though Letterier tends to rely too much on sweeping camera zooms and pans, darting the lens around the proceedings as if he’s directing a prime time game show.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner
“As satisfying and engrossing as a carefully orchestrated magic trick. You look left and they go right. This magnificent illusion kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse