Category Archives: Review Roundups

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 4/19

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OblivionOBLIVION

“A movie that feels like five or six different M. Night Shyamalan screenplays smushed together into one, in so much that it’s a story built entirely out of twists, and that it’s just kind of bad.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“While neither stupid nor dull, it is shallow, having only its few plot twists to offer along with the impressive special effects.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“OBLIVION isn’t a remake of anything, although it might as well be. And like most remakes, you’ll feel like the films that it mimics not only did these things first, they did them better.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“See it later, ideally when you’re bedridden with the flu and the syrupy slowness of the plot will lull you into sweet dreams of Olga Kurylenko.” – Inkoo Kang, Screen Junkies

“The cinematic equivalent of that shiny new toy you get at Christmas, the one that’s a lot of fun to play with… for about an hour.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

Room 237ROOM 237

“A confounding, eye-opening, and often hilarious documentary about individuals whose over-wired brains are devoted to one cinematic masterpiece: Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING.” – Norm Schrager, Paste Magazine

“The movie is competently made, with sharp editing, graphics and a decent sense of pace. But this is the cinematic equivalent of being stuck on the subway listening to an insane person rant.” – David Riedel, Sante Fe Reporter

 

The Lords Of SalemTHE LORDS OF SALEM

“Most horror movies look at the fairer sex and see vulnerability personified, attached to an oversized pair of tits. Not Rob Zombie. For better or worse, he seems downright terrified of the opposite gender.” – Jake Mulligan, Rushmore Kite Flying Society

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 4/12

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To The Wonder AgainTO THE WONDER

“This is a Terrence Malick film set in supermarkets, fast-food joints and gas stations. These characters are lost spiritually and culturally. It is about the struggle to long for transcendence while simultaneously debating whether to get a Coca-Cola or a milkshake.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“The real challenge of the film lies in untangling its meaning from its poetic structure. To put it another way: your mileage may vary. It’s the kind of picture that refuses to hold its viewers’ hands, but it is one of Malick’s most purely cinematic.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“The relationship that brings Kurylenko and Affleck together? Hard to describe. She dances and he likes that. He’s American and she’s not. I think taking her to Oklahoma really fuels the drama.” – David Reidel, Santa Fe Reporter

“The story isn’t related so much as allowed to evaporate. Malick has taken his narrative minimalism too far here, creating gorgeous images but neglecting his role as storyteller. As a result, TO THE WONDER is wispy, tenuous and insubstantial.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

 

Upstream ColorUPSTREAM COLOR

“The film is brimming with breathtaking cinematography, quotes from Thoreau, and, well, odd scenes on a pig farm. Think Terrence Malick with an even bigger affinity for symbolism. It has that same devotion to incredible scenery and visceral emotion.” – Monica Castillo, The Artery

“I have no doubt many viewers will get hung up on a literal level. But if UPSTREAM COLOR manages to burrow its way into your brain, you won’t be likely to expel it anytime soon.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s obtuse on purpose, but that doesn’t make it good—or bad. But whether you find it good or bad will likely depend on your prevailing mood, your sense of equanimity and whether you like pigs. And worms.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

 

4242

“Instantly enters the pantheon of great baseball movies. A history lesson about America and about how, no matter how painful it might be, in the end we struggle to do the right thing.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Can we go back to the 1990s and rally behind Spike Lee’s attempt to craft a more truthful rendition of Robinson’s life? What we’re left with is saccharine, cheesy fakery that doesn’t do enough to honor Robinson and his legacy.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“At times, the dialogue is sappy and the music heavy-handed. The volume seems to increase when you’re supposed to feel inspired. But this is one of those sports stories that just makes you feel good.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“The rest is pretty dull. And in a revelation that will surprise no one, Harrison Ford, as Branch Rickey, is terrible. Rickey is supposed to be a character, not a caricature.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“It can’t seem to muster up enough invention to justify it’s existence, other than to give next year’s crop of overworked and underpaid schoolteachers one more contemporary movie to throw in the VCR during Black History Month.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

The Company You KeepTHE COMPANY YOU KEEP

“Redford directs, giving the film a high level of gloss. What it lacks is any sense of drive. There’s an essential energy missing. You almost care about this long-dormant hippie-era version of the culture wars… almost.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“Long, lumbering and unabashedly earnest, it’s the kind of talky, politically-minded adult thriller that went out of fashion decades ago, except nobody told Redford. It feels like a relic from another time, which isn’t exactly a bad thing.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Instead of dealing with something interesting, like, say, radicalism and politics and leftist causes and some of the violence that resulted, the movie is a sort-of weepie about fathers and daughters.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

 

Trance

TRANCE

“A muddled movie that tries to distract the audience from its fundamental silliness with switchback twists and turns. Even Danny Boyle’s masterful skills cannot shape this garish material into something harmonious and unified.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“TRANCE exists to take its audience on a ride, but it’s a ride you won’t care about and probably won’t remember taking. It presents a story not worth telling by a director who’s capable of telling great stories.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

 

DisconnectDISCONNECT

“Apologies to all in attendance, but the ludicrousness eventually peaked at such inane heights that I doubled over with laughter, gasping for air.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

 

Koch4KOCH

“Ed Koch was a consummate ham and a bit of scoundrel. Neil Barsky’s documentary tries to pay tribute to both. 
It gets the first part right.
” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“To paraphrase a line from MONEYBALL, he’s the kind of guy who enters a room and his dick has already been there for two minutes.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 4/5

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The Place Beyond The PinesTHE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

“Cianfrance sweeps his characters along in the style of a Greek tragedy. Events unfold slowly, but with a tidal force that catches everyone up in irresistible currents of fate. We are all at the mercy of forces we cannot comprehend.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“It’s just too big for its britches, puffing up a perfectly fine, sad little tale of small-time crooks with ungainly epic portent. Derek Cianfrance could probably be a great filmmaker if he wasn’t trying so hard to be a Great Filmmaker.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“The opening and closing movements feel hopelessly incomplete, broad strokes in a film that requires great detail and expanse. The ambition is huge, but Cianfrance’s approach is fatally small.” – Jake Mulligan, Charleston City Paper

“The stories don’t so much weave together as collide with each other, but the actors give good enough performances to help you over the cinematic speed bumps along the way.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

Gimme The LootGIMME THE LOOT

“The most purely enjoyable movie I’ve seen since I-can’t-remember-when, writer-director Adam Leon’s debut feature is a film brimming with so much mischief and joy that it left me in an almost insufferably good mood for days afterwards. I didn’t want it to end.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“This astoundingly spirited debut from director Adam Leon keeps a youthful faith in the endless possibilities of the future. But the movie also stays grounded in the realities of struggling, up-and-coming artists. It’s human and hopeful.” – Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine

“Fresh, vital and engaging. One of those little movies that comes along from time to time and hits all sorts of nails on the head. What seems at first to be a shallow comedy built on cliché turns instead into a wonderful ramble through the cinematically neglected sectors of a busy, richly diverse city.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“Who knew a street-centered narrative could be so sweetly buoyant? GIMMIE THE LOOT’s foremost characteristic is its effervescent veneer. Put simply, it’s a lot of fun. A refreshing, necessary entry in contemporary indie filmmaking.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

 

Beyond The HillsBEYOND THE HILLS

“Mungiu’s lens gazes fondly, for a time, at the quaint, pastoral rhythms that define the cloistered life. But it’s toward the real world, bustling and corrupt, that the film gives a knowing look and a wink.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“A heartbreaking, complicated microcosm of Romanian life. And just like in life, there are no easy answers to be found in BEYOND THE HILLS, only more questions and an overabundance of sorrow.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“He shoots the film in the flattest, most matter-of-fact way possible, relying on long camera takes with no musical accompaniment, lulling us to the day-to-day drag of this monastic lifestyle.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

 Evil Dead 2013EVIL DEAD

“There’s so much blood and gore exploding on the screen in this gutsy new remake that you almost need to wear a raincoat if you sit too close. And for fans sick of the PG-13 crap that’s been trying to pass for horror movies lately, it’s a welcome sight indeed.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“There doesn’t seem to be much reason or need for this EVIL DEAD. It’s interesting to compare how effects or acting styles have changed, but for a film about demonic possession, it is surprisingly soulless.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Alvarez appears to have had several warehouses worth of karo syrup and red food coloring on hand during principal photography. He’s made not the better film, but the redder film, and that’s very much to his credit.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“Even with the borrowed title and premise, it’s a solid movie in its own right and a welcome antidote to the lame, watered down excuses for horror movies we’ve been putting up with for far too long.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“If there’s anything wrong with this movie, it’s that it lacks heart. The same passion that the original was made with just isn’t there. Also, the characters say stupid things and none of them have memorable personalities.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“You’d think that kids these days would know better than to read what’s inside of a book bound by human skin, especially if those kids are taking shelter in a cabin in the middle of the woods. And yet!” – Monica Castillo, Bitch Magazine

“Alvarez apparently thinks by ginning up the literal blood count and viscera on-screen that such antics will make for a more terrifying film. On that score, EVIL DEAD is truly D.O.A..” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

 

From Up On Poppy HillFROM UP ON POPPY HILL

“Goro Miyazaki is far from ready to step into his father’s shoes. But in going back to the basics, he has me thinking that, someday, he may be able to do that. Maybe.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

Jurassic Park 3DJURASSIC PARK 3D

“Of course the movie looks great up on the big screen where it belongs, but the idea of being charged $18 for the experience is obscene.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“The 3D doesn’t add very much to the mood of the film. It’s incredibly mediocre, and at some moments just plain painful for your eyes.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 3/29

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G.I. JOE: RETALIATIONGI Joe

“110 minutes worth of mindless gun porn, aimed squarely at the lowest common denominator. Trust me: this isn’t coming from some misplaced sense of knee-jerk liberal reaction. It’s coming from a viewer who is tired of having his intelligence insulted.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“The problem might be that the movie just isn’t silly enough, given its preposterous plot and roster of goofy-named characters. Cheap and flimsy, it looks and feels like a more CGI-heavy version of something Cannon Films or Golan & Globus might have made in the mid-eighties.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“The nostalgia instead comes from the cheap 3D effects that feel like you’re looking through the lens of a Fisher Price ViewMaster.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

StarbuckSTARBUCK

“The film steers clear of farce, opting instead for optimism. The result is a heartwarming little charmer that is best enjoyed with your story logic chip powered down and your hand firmly planted in that of your sweetheart’s.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“While STARBUCK has its share of lowbrow humor, the film is more about what makes a family after a child is born than the biological batter mixing that creates it in the first place.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Well, hipster cynics, you can go one of two ways. Avoid the movie altogether, or give in to its bear-hug of an attitude that says yeah, really wonderful things can happen in a distrustful world.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby


The HostTHE HOST

“An impressively novel, creative reworking of the alien invasion template filtered through Meyer’s by-now familiar fixations and rendered unintentionally hilarious by her unwieldy ‘Is she kidding?’ storytelling.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“The vacuous Young Adult claptrap that made Meyer made millions in her TWILIGHT books eats away at your brain as the movie crawls to its ridiculous conclusion.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide 

“In the hands of GATTACA director Andrew Niccol, the result is occasionally challenging, dealing with both the science fiction elements and the teen angst at the heart of the story.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

The SapphiresTHE SAPPHIRES

“O’Dowd dominates; his co-stars’ quiet talents be damned. He mugs for the camera as if this were a talk show. If there’s been a more nakedly ingratiating performance in recent months, I haven’t seen it.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

RealityREALITY

“It’s too straight-faced to be comedy, too divorced from reality to be a drama, too dry to be satire, too creepy and off-putting to function as general entertainment, and too well-crafted for me to write off as a mess.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 3/22

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SPRING BREAKERSSpring Breakers

“As if Jean-Luc Godard directed a GIRLS GONE WILD video, here’s a film that wallows in everything toxic, empty and nihilistic about American youth culture, sumptuously scolding with a knowing guffaw. This is a movie that has its cake and then eats more cake.
” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“A mash-up of B-movies, rap videos and soft-core pornography. A weird dream that Michael Mann might have had while on vacation in Florida after eating too much cheese. Harmony Korine has made his best film; a beguiling piece of pop-art and a true original. It’s a masterpiece of a genre that doesn’t exist yet.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“The cavorting we see is joyless and mindless, and Korine’s visual and aural aesthetics mount such a sensory assault that the film’s power lies in its ability to jolt and unnerve us. After a point, SPRING BREAKERS begins to feel like body horror instead of a party movie.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“A masterpiece of sleaze-as-art on par with genre classics like NATURAL BORN KILLERS or FREEWAY. One of the most important and vital works of the year; a rowdy, context-free walking tour of the Boschian hellscape lurking just outside the borders of your niece’s Instagram update.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Don’t let the sandy beaches and brightly colored bikinis fool you, Korine is not in the business of sloppy movie-making. Behind the film’s vacuous candy-colored outer shell are ambiguous and morally challenging concepts.” – Monica Castillo, Bitch Magazine

 

Admission2ADMISSION

“It’s sad because we know that Tina Fey and Paul Rudd can do better. What ADMISSION makes clear is they don’t care. So long as the check clears, they’re willing to go through the motions. This may be the worst romantic comedy since ALL ABOUT STEVE.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Nat Wolff displays a talent for getting into the skin of an offbeat character. It would be interesting to see what he could do in a better, gutsier movie. Then again, the same applies to Fey and Rudd.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“What exactly does ADMISSION exist to convey? That all parents screw up their child-rearing duties at one point or another? That the Ivy League system is nothing but a meritocratic sham? Or that middle-aged white people are the causes of their own discontent?” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“The morphine-drip pacing of the scenes makes Fey’s dizzy self-deprecation look more like depressive floundering. Photographed in fifty shades of beige, ADMISSION is the blandest movie I’ve seen in months.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

GINGER & ROSAGinger And Rosa

“Sally Potter delves into history and imagination to tease out vivid moments in the lives of two young women. But this is more than a coming-of-age movie, it’s also an indictment of how the world at large affects each new generation.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“The big takeaway appears to be that Elle Fanning is destined to be the next great actress of our time. The film may as well have been called simply GINGER, as it’s completely hers through and through.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“This is a fabulous film, vividly realized and anchored by a brilliant performance from young Elle Fanning, rendering the usual teen angst and disillusionment as something both deeply felt and oddly mysterious.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

Olympus Has FallenOLYMPUS HAS FALLEN

“Everything Bruce Willis’ last DIE HARD film should have been, but wasn’t. Director Antoine Fuqua stages the improbable in such exciting fashion, you forget about the implausibility and get caught up in the thrilling bombast of it all.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN does not by any means constitute hard-hitting filmmaking, but damned if it doesn’t have that action movie je ne sais quoi that lets it straddle the line between trumped-up solemnity and goofy fun.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“The movie equivalent of the paperback thriller you bring to the beach or for a long plane trip. It grabs you from the start and then returns you to your seat two hours later. A great ride.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“An entertaining action vehicle that’s exploding with patriotism and non-stop excitement. It may be based on a well-established formula, however the movie handles it well.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon

 

The CroodsTHE CROODS

“The characters pretty much fall into prefabricated categories. But playing with, and within, stereotype gives the writers and the cast a certain creative latitude that offers occasional inspired surprises.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“Not a great movie, but it’s pretty good throughout: well-animated, good voice cast, and clever, if largely predictable. Almost by default she’s probably the most interestingly rendered female protagonist to hit animation in awhile.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

BurnBURN

“This well-traveled festival winner from Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez is expertly told and exceptionally executed; the highest quality entry in a recent spate of docs set amid the cautionary disaster story of Detroit.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby