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BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 03/08

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Oz The Great And PowerfulOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

“The actresses are just so damn good that you can’t help but notice how flat Franco’s performance really is. The script may call for him to be the center of attention, but it’s impossible to focus on what Oz is doing once the three sisters start heating things up on screen.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“A visual screen delight; a thoroughly enjoyable and thrilling adventure for both adults who love the classic Oz stories; as well as for the kids new to the wondrous land that exists over the rainbow.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“A blast. A great family film, a worthy successor and reverent homage to a classic, and the return of one of the great modern American filmmakers. Unreservedly recommended.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“There is a lot to like here. Visually the film is a feast. This may be the first family-friendly acid flashback. There are sequences where you’re just overwhelmed.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

NoNO

“As with LINCOLN, this is a movie about pragmatism, and sometimes you have to sacrifice your ideals and fudge the rules a bit for the greater good, because the people casting votes are generally stupid.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“There’s a great scene in TAXI DRIVER where Cybill Shepherd says that selling a political candidate is like selling mouthwash. Here’s a movie about a man who realizes that.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

 

DEAD MAN DOWNDead Man Down

“Sometimes international filmmakers come to America and bring their style along with them. Some adapt to the Hollywood house style. But this movie’s so bad, and so clichéd, that I can’t help but ask if Oplev filmed it as satire.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s probably a good thing that Danish filmmaker Niels Arden Oplev isn’t that good of a craftsman to begin with. Nobody will decry his fall from artiste status because he never attained it in the first place.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

 

YOSSIYOSSI

“Fox hardly breaks new ground — this is a standard bildungsroman. But he lights the scenes well, frames shots competently, and moves things along at an enjoyable pace. Maybe with another 10 years, he’ll develop a voice.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

“Fox seems to understand that the joys and tears of looking for love are not unique to gay Israeli men, and is able to present his protagonists so that viewers can relate to the emotional conflicts regardless of one’s orientation.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Jewish Advocate

 

EMPEROREmperor

“Just like Bruce Willis in a super-cheap 50 Cent movie, pretty much all of Tommy Lee Jones’ scenes take place on the same set; and they add up to about a combined ten minutes. His name may be on the top of the poster, but I doubt he was shooting for more than three days.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“Alas, instead of putting Jones front and center, the film demotes him to a supporting role and weaves a threadbare fiction involving MacArthur’s real-life second-in-command. The real criminals are the screenwriters, who distract with a dopey, doomed romance.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“The big problem is the casting of Matthew Fox as General Fellers. He looks completely out of place in a general’s uniform – it’s almost shocking to hear other characters refer to him as general because he looks like such a boy scout.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Director Peter Webber turns this pivotal moment in world history into a poorly told melodrama. This is a complex story and compelling historic fact watered down to Little Golden Book simplicity and flavored with the saccharine of a Harlequin romance novel.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

 

Greedy Lying BastatrdsGREEDY LYING BASTARDS

“Not just another environmental movie about how we’re killing our planet and ourselves, Craig Scott Rosebraugh’s documentary focuses on the political manipulation of the debate, both nationally and around the world.” – Monica Castillo, The Boston Phoenix

“An ideological affirmation. Provocative and inciting, the film very much preaches to the choir. On the other hand, Rosebraugh probably won’t change any minds, at least not while he’s so busy being sarcastic and self-righteous.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

 

LORELore

“Cate Shortland’s second feature is raw, disorienting and never bothers to tell you what it can instead show. The grit and squalor of the filmmaking push the survivalist angle into strictly visceral territory.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 3/01

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JACK THE GIANT SLAYERJack The Giant Slayer

“Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a farm boy dreams of adventure, finds it, and falls in love with a princess along the way. For everyone’s sake, let’s just hope she’s not his sister.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“This is filmmaking by committee — one of those unwieldy studio tentpoles where there’s so much money on the line, every executive gives notes and nobody’s making the same movie, so you end up with a bizarre mishmash of conflicting tones.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Surprisingly, while not a perfect film in many ways, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER has enough excitement and visual thrills going for it to make it a palatable little diversion.” – Tim Estlioz, Boston Movie Examiner

“It’s the epitome of a mixed bag, or it would be if any of its numerous facets worked on their own. As it stands the whole bushel is so rotten that the incongruities barely matter. This is what a movie looks like when nobody involved gives a damn.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“While it’s PG-13, we see people stabbed, plummet to their deaths, get smashed against walls, and even eaten or stepped upon by giants. Do not bring the little ones unless you plan on paying their therapy bills for many years to come.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Hey guys, this movie is terrible. It was supposed to come out late last year but got delayed, probably because it sucks. Go see something else.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“It’s hard to tell which is more distracting in JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, the cheaply animated giants or the cheap haircut worn by Ewan McGregor. Since they are on screen longer, it’s probably the giants…but only by a hair.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

A Place At The TableA PLACE AT THE TABLE

“Although sometimes slightly hidebound by  formula, it’s essential viewing nonetheless. Attacking the rather unsexy and woefully under-reported topic of hunger in America, this is an informative and often infuriating picture.
” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush cover a lot of ground in their heartbreaking documentary examining the hunger experienced by nearly 50 million Americans. But at less than 90 minutes, it feels a bit overstuffed.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“So, is this a painful, heartbreaking depiction of a problem that need not exist? Yes. But is A PLACE AT THE TABLE, on a stylistic level, any different from the average episode of TEEN MOM? Not really. Ask yourself: do you go to the movies for essays, or for stories?.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

THE SWEENEYThe Sweeney

“THE SWEENEY was originally a 1970s TV show, but with the archetypal characters, the rote plot, and the nondescript gunfights, it feels more like an adaptation of a video game. Even with its superhero influence and foreign setting, this is the same old shtick.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

“Heck, it’s worth the price of a ticket just to watch what Winstone – one of the best actors working in film for the past few decades – can do with a part that, in lesser hands, might have come off as a bit too cliché. He nails the tough guy banter, and he’s absolutely charming when it comes too being father/protector to his squad.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Giving credit where it’s due, he peppers THE SWEENEY with enough humor, machismo, and energy to make the effort worthwhile, but it’s difficult not to imagine what this film could have been in the hands of someone capable of putting their own stamp on it..” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

 

PhantomPHANTOM

“There must be a checklist that filmmakers are issued when they make movies set in submarines. It would all be very suspenseful but for the fact that these same bits are in every other submarine movie ever made.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Simultaneously bizarre and banal. The crass Americanization invalidates the detail; the silly melodrama invalidates the realism of the script; and a climactic spiritualist conceit leaves it all feeling like self-parody.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

“It has the look and feel of a WWII movie from the late 50s or early 60s, the kind of movie that would have starred Burt Lancaster or Kirk Douglas. The kind of solid, unpretentious war movie you’d catch on cable some rainy afternoon and think, when it was over, they sure don’t make movies like that anymore.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

STOKERStoker

“What’s great about this film is the texture of it. Every frame of this film is fascinating to look at, and the startling cold-bloodedness is truly fucked up. I think if you have the patience to stick with it, it’ll really impress you.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast

“It’s exhilarating while it lasts, but then the script catches up with him. Characters stand around for the majority of the third act and explain their back stories, which manages to simultaneously kill both the ambiguity at the center of Chan-Wook’s approach and all the momentum he has built up.” – Jake Mulligan, Charleston City Paper

“The director does a masterful job of pacing the story, balancing moments of unnerving terror with images that are as beautiful as they are haunting. You can almost feel the film sucking you in until the rational part of you, the part that keeps saying it’s only a movie, is snuffed out completely.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

21 AND OVER21 And Over

“A 14-year-old’s dream of what being a college senior is like: which is to say it’s simultaneously overwrought and utterly lacking in imagination or knowledge.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Jeff spends the remainder of the film dead drunk, in an extended lift from WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S. But before passing out, he stands atop a bar, drops trou, and pisses all over the patrons. I know how they feel.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

The GatekeepersTHE GATEKEEPERS

“American Jews see Israel through rose-tinted glasses, while the country struggles against darker forces from within. That’s a prevalent undercurrent in his provocative, powerful film.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

 

The Last ExorcismTHE LAST EXORCISM PART II

“You probably thought you’d never miss the found-footage gimmick, but now that the shaky-cam nonsense has been left behind, what remains are textureless, overlit, sub-TV-quality visuals.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 2/22

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SNITCHSnitch

“It has no idea what sort of movie it wants to be. Is it a macho, gritty action movie about two very different men’s ideas of what it means to be responsible for their spouses and children? Or is it a social drama about America’s war on drugs? “- Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“A perfectly serviceable action movie and Johnson continues to take chances as an actor. He may not be doing HAMLET any time soon, but he keeps trying to stretch himself, which may be why he is the most interesting of the current action stars.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“To me, the movie was just a matter of hollow process. It was just going to get from point A to point B, and I could care less.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast

“He’s not a hero, he’s a regular guy who just happens to outweigh other regular guys by 150 pounds. That’s very rare for a C-grade action movie. And, progressive politics or not, this is definitively a C-grade action movie.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

John Dies At The EndJOHN DIES AT THE END

“If you like your horror-comedies with drug-induced delusion, disjointed humor and villains made of reconstituted frozen meat, then JOHN DIES AT THE END is your cult movie of the year.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“Soy sauce, TV psychics, magical Jamaicans, sentient organic computers, meat monsters, Paul Giamatti, and the constant threat of apocalypse: that’s JOHN DIES AT THE END in a nutshell. Or maybe it’s Don Coscarelli in a nutshell. ” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“A hilarious and occasionally icky story that should hit the sweet spot for people who like twisted movies and are fed up with the Hollywood assembly line.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, Sci-Fi Movie Hype

“But with Coscarelli’s kinetic camerawork and drugged-out, comic-book visuals, even the most confounding explanations are made palatable. The trip’s a lot more satisfying than the destination.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

“A good long soak in the same brine that directors like Stuart Gordon and Sam Raimi must have been pickled on when they created loopy indie comedy-horror projects like RE-ANIMATOR and THE EVIL DEAD.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

 

DARK SKIESDark Skies

“A film that borrows liberally from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, POLTERGEIST, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, SIGNS and even THE BIRDS. What it lacks in originality, it almost makes up for with strong performances.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 2/15

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A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARDA Good Day To Die Hard

“The low-key, workingman’s energy of the original has been replaced with action-hero mythology, blockbuster-sized stunts, and sub-Stallone quips. John McClane used to be rough. Now he’s smooth. That’s the problem.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“The editing, especially during the opening car chase, is amazingly sloppy. Much of the remaining film looks a blend of shaky-cam video, close ups, zooms and whip-pan shots that were dumped into a Cuisinart.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“Willis seems to have forgotten how to play McClane, just squinting and insulting people while looking vaguely disinterested in the mayhem all around. He’s pushy and bullies his kid. When did John McClane become such a dick?” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“You’ll probably think about what a stupid waste of time the whole thing is, or how relentlessly boring the action scenes are. A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD may just be the last American action movie you will want to see for a long, long time.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“The whole film looks and feels astonishingly small and cheap.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Witty exchanges are almost non-existent between the characters. There’s a whole scene which literally involves people yelling at each other to ‘shut up’ like sixth graders.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“It’s pure hokum, including the occasional wink at the audience that they know how absurd it all is, and then it’s on to the next big plot twist and action set piece.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

Beautiful CreaturesBEAUTIFUL CREATURES

“The supernatural stuff is a metaphor for the intense emotions of adolescence, but there’s no question that writer-director Richard LaGravenese has taken the material seriously, and crafted a serious – if somewhat overlong – adaptation.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“There’s an air of contempt to the picture, with a lot of bored, talented people openly acknowledging that they probably should be doing something more productive with their time.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“It’s almost impossible to enjoy even on a trashy, so-bad-it’s-good level, though bless Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson for trying to bring the film to that sort of plateau.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“Your typical sappy, young-adult romance that centers on the stereotypical causes for adolescent angst. Despite its tired themes, it’s surprisingly witty at points.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“And here we go again. Set your eyeballs to ROLL.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“It’s a Southern-fried supernatural teen romance that’s all empty calories and rich taste—just the thing for a Valentine’s Day release.” – Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine

 

Safe HavenSAFE HAVEN

“Sparks has said what he wanted to say several times over. We really don’t need another story in a Southern small town about star-crossed lovers, secrets, death, and love conquering all.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

THE LAST REEFThe Last Reef

“You’ll be tempted to reach out and touch the hovering schools of jellyfish. Just try not to get stung.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 2/8

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SIDE EFFECTSSide Effects  

“The picture is more about carnal cinematic pleasures than it is about deconstructing America’s drug habit. Yes, drugs are an integral part of the text, and of the subtext — but they’re also the MacGuffin.” – Jake Mulligan, Charleston City Paper

“After a promising setup, Soderbergh abruptly abandons the timely Big Pharma subject matter and settles into the well-worn rut of a routine Reagan-era sex thriller.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“SIDE EFFECTS does stand out as a solid entry in Soderbergh’s filmography, and a serviceable goodbye. But it’s not the grand finale he, and his viewers, deserved.” – Andrew Crump, A Constant Visual Feast

“We stick around to see how it all works out, and admire the cleverness of the plot, but we have nothing emotionally invested in the outcome. There’s no sense of horror or of satisfaction as the various revelations occur.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“SIDE EFFECTS transitions from a thoughtful drama about modern depression into a noir mystery about malevolent lesbians. It’s very likely that Soderbergh did not intend to make an anti-gay film, but, at least to this viewer, he most certainly did just that.” – Inkoo Kang, Bitch Magazine

“Although the tale keeps your attention, there are few surprises and the tension never quite builds to a boil.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“I was a tad underwhelmed at how one of our most interesting contemporary directors chose to say farewell to the game.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

 

IDENTITY THIEFIdentity Thief

“It may be too soon to call IDENTITY THIEF the worst film of the year, but there’s no doubt that it will be a contender. From its absurd opening to its sappy close, a complete catastrophe.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies 

 

56 UP 56 Up

“In short, the difference between age 49 and age 56 doesn’t have the impact as the chasm between other ages experienced in the series. These folks have settled into life.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“The result, repeating itself again and again, gives the sense of a movie that’s in an awful hurry, yet still takes forever to get anywhere.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly