2020

Posted on June 24, 2020 by bofca

John Black reviews DESOLATION CENTER, ROGER WATERS: US + THEM, and THE SOUL COLLECTOR for his site Cinekong Reviews.

Spoilerpiece Theatre reviews DA 5 BLOODS, BABYTEETH, and 7500.

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 06/19/2020

Posted on June 19, 2020 by bofca

7500

“With the help of a small cast led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Patrick Vollrath manages to take a small budget and construct a tension-filled thriller that remains consistent throughout.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“By design, 7500 is a real bummer, but that doesn’t make for a great reason to watch it.” – Nick Johnston, Vanyaland

“By the time it ends, you won’t have any energy left to think of anything else but finding your happy place so you can calm down.” – John Black, Cinekong Reviews

YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT

“The fault here doesn’t lie with the actors: instead, it’s almost wholly Koepp’s issues that sink the film.” – Nick Johnston, Vanyaland

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 06/12/2020

Posted on June 12, 2020 by bofca

DA 5 BLOODS

“Like in his previous two works, CHI-RAQ and BLACKkKLANSMAN, Lee tears apart any notion that fiction should be separate from the world around us. He’s as much a political tactician as he is a cinematic technician. Lee isn’t just asking important questions. He’s demanding immediate action.” – Kristofer Jenson, C-Ville Weekly

THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND

“Obviously, THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND is not a typical comedy. But it is funny. It’s also sad, empowering, fascinating, and frustrating.” – John Black, Cinekong Reviews

“There’s a lot to enjoy about THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND despite its many faults, but there’s an even more interesting collision between Apatow-branded dramaturgy and Davidson’s own stream of consciousness style of comedy that really makes things fall in place quite nicely.” – Sam Cohen, EDGE Media Network

“THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND would be much easier to recommend if it wasn’t so unnecessarily long.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND shows another side of Apatow, as a director in control of his film. There is much more attention paid to how a scene is filmed, blocked, and edited to reflect shifting attitudes and power dynamics.” – Kristofer Jenson, C-Ville Weekly

“Apatow has always had a hard time telling the difference between good fat and gristle, and THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND is no exception to that rule.” – Nick Johnston, Vanyaland

“Apatow’s raunchy humor often makes me squirm. But here, he tenderizes his comedic chops, with a good deal of insight and even grace, holding these characters loosely and lovingly in his sights.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

“Apatow manages to make mental illness humorous (though I can see some objecting), but this is a less a story about depression and more a vehicle to help Millennial or Gen X men find purpose.” – Randy Steinberg, Blast Magazine

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 05/01/2020

Posted on May 1, 2020 by bofca

ALL DAY AND A NIGHT

“Instead, writer/director Joe Robert Cole gives you an entire life to look at, the good and the bad, to show you how choices made throughout that life lead the main character to where he ends up when the screen goes dark.” – John Black, Cinekong Reviews

SERIE NOIRE

“Although spending time with Poupart can be daunting, for both those in the audience and on the screen, there is a strange seductiveness about Dewaere’s performance that keeps you from looking away or hitting the stop button.” – John Black, Cinekong Reviews

THE WRETCHED

“Even though my experience with THE WRETCHED was mostly positive, I didn’t find this particular horror movie to what I would consider scary. Although it fits into the horror genre, it’s carried more by the mystery elements, the suspense, and it’s engaging characters. All of this combines to make you want to keep watching as you try to find out what happens next.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential