Category Archives: Review Roundups

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP 1/31/14

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LABOR DAYLabor Day film still

“Something is lost in the translation, because what’s on screen is not believable for a second. It’s made harder to believe by the acting.” – David Reidel, C-Ville Weekly

“Reitman loves to give us characters we think we know and then show us we don’t know them at all.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“This risible bit of Harlequin romance is one of the silliest films I have ever watched. It’s pompous, self-serious and inadvertently hilarious.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia City Paper

 

THAT AWKWARD MOMENTAWKWARDMOMENT

“The whole thing has the feel of CHASING AMY-era Kevin Smith, but without the nerdy references and continuity nods that suckered a generation into thinking something interesting was there in the margins.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

“A movie that has no spark and doesn’t have the kind of crass wit necessary to make its viewers blush.” – Andrew Crump, Movie Mezzanine

“A lesson for the twenty-somethings who are presumably the target audience. Older viewers may wonder what the fuss is about and much older viewers may start thinking of Maurice Chevalier singing, “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

GLORIAGLORIA

“Bars. Dancing. Hot sex. Cigarettes. Sounds like a movie that takes place in Miami in the 1980s, but in reality it’s Gloria, a present-day movie about a divorced Chilean woman in her early 50s.” – David Reidel, Santa Fe Reporter

“It’s not so much a day-in-the-life movie – it’s a rhythm-of-life movie.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP 1/24/14

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I, FRANKENSTEINIFRANKEN

“I, FRANKENSTEIN” isn’t a masterpiece, but it is a fast-paced and slickly made film that holds your attention. At this time of year, when genre pictures are released to compete with the Oscar contenders from the previous year, that’s a very good thing indeed.” – Daniel Kimmel, Scifi Movie Page

“Not even good enough at being exactly what it is.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

 

 

GIMME SHELTERGIMMESHELTER

“The problem is that practice and execution live several blocks away from each other, and GIMME SHELTER only makes it about halfway between the two.” – Andrew Crump, Go-See-Talk

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP 1/17

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JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUITJACKRYAN

“Probably won’t set the world on fire, but for early-year rebooting entertainment, it could be a lot worse.” – Andrew Crump, Go-See-Talk

“Even as escapism, it’s deficient: So what if the hero saves us from the financial depredations of the Russkies? It’s Wall Street that just about sank us in 2008.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE

“Has no idea what it wants to be and settles for boring and pointless.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist 

 

RIDEALONGRIDE ALONG

“Kevin Hart is a movie star, but no movie has yet found a way to let him play anyone other than Kevin Hart.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE

 

 

THE INVISIBLE WOMANla_ca_1025_the_invisible_woman

“The eternal story of wanting what you’re not supposed to have, grasping at something that might bring everything down round you, and being someone in private quite different from your public persona. That’s a state of affairs one need not live in Victorian times to appreciate.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE

“Instead of a contemporary view of 19th century social graces or an indictment of cultural mores, we get lots of grimacing and heavy breathing and dead babies. Such is life.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP 1/10/14

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LONE SURVIVORLone Survivor

“A worthy story that’s given the jingoism treatment by director Peter Berg, who’s last big-screen endeavor was BATTLESHIP. It’s been a long time since FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, Pete.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“Is this the best way to salute our troops? Even if your feelings toward the United States’ wings of military are complicated, the answer here should be a resounding ‘no.'” – Andrew Crump, Movie Mezzanine

“There’s a point where the SEALs make a bold escape by flinging themselves down a cliff, and Berg shoots every bump and crunch for such a protracted period it feels like the Springfield Gorge sequence from [the SIMPSONS’] BART THE DAREDEVIL.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

“The story of LONE SURVIVOR is all in the title, which may make you wonder what the point of it all is.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Berg’s picture yearns for a realistic depiction of the event. He wants the docu-drama aesthetic of something like ZERO DARK THIRTY. But he’s far too invested in making heroes of his subjects to approach the film with comparable emotional detachment.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE

 

THE LEGEND OF HERCULESLEGENDHERC

“It isn’t very good… yet for those willing to leave their critical faculties behind and remember what it was to be like to be an 11 year old with a bag of popcorn at the movies on a Saturday afternoon, it is not without its charms.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

RAZERAZE

“Even setting aside the women-only hook, its one of the most brutal fight-films you’re likely to have seen in a while.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

“A sweaty, queasy, bruising experience — and a superbly crafted film. With a few short brushstrokes, Robert Beaucage’s unsentimental script makes people out of its female characters while building to a satisfying, somewhat surprising climax.” – Inkoo Kang, Los Angeles Times

 

DHOOM 3DHOOM3

“Judging by the boxoffice and media-attention, this will be a lot of U.S. audience’s first authentic “Bollywood” experience, so happily it’s overall a pretty good one.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

 

AUGUSTOSAGEAUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

“Streep is so big and so bad, you’ll wonder why they didn’t just cast Melissa Leo instead.” Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“I stumbled out of this film in a daze of horrified relief.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

“A sensational cast stranded in a lead-footed drama about a dysfunctional family coming together and airing their dirty laundry. Haven’t we seen this many times before?” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Her Royal Hamness, Meryl Streep, cackles out mechanically-telegraphed cutting remarks on cue like a gattling gun loaded with Oscar clips.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

 

EVANGELION: 3.0 YOU CAN (NOT) REDOEVANGELION30

“The most beautiful depiction of war ever rendered on film might be found in the first six minutes of EVANGELION: 3.0 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO. In the third installment of four films rebooting the anime series NEON GENESIS: EVANGELION, the fate of the universe depends on giant robots that blast across magenta-orange sunsets, shooting comets of turquoise, emerald and amethyst. It’s splendor on steroids.” – Inkoo Kang, Los Angeles Times