Category Archives: Review Roundups

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

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 2/1

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WARM BODIESWARM BODIES

“Puckish, witty and made with a good deal more care than the usual supernatural teensploitation.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“Director Jonathan Levine panders to the teen set with a fervor that would make Stephenie Meyer blush.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

“This smart, effective film cloaks itself in the trappings of TWILIGHT to subvert them, a clever bit of genre commentary wrapped in a cute, breezy package.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“A gentle, lighthearted little send-up of zombie movies that commits to its own ridiculous premise with complete, un-ironic sincerity.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“With Valentine’s Day just a couple of weeks away, WARM BODIES provides the means to have your sweetie’s heart and eat it too.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“A perfectly entertaining misstep—something I reckon could have been done a lot better, perhaps if aimed more at adults than the teen crowd.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“It isn’t a terrible horror comedy, just a mediocre one that squanders a fresh premise with lackluster humor that’s likely to amuse hipsters.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

 

BULLET TO THE HEADBULLET TO THE HEAD

“Racially tinged conversations between old-fashioned Bobo and Korean-American super-cop Kwon don’t confront and subvert stereotypes as much as they think they do.” – Kristofer Jenson, DigBoston

“Is this what BEVERLY HILLS COP would have been like, had the producers continued their original plan to have Stallone star in the title role?” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“Watching the movie won’t be as fatal, especially for those who enjoy fast-paced and not very complex action movies.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“A credible foray into winter-film barbarism, and it might have been funnier if it left out the samurai jokes.” – Monica Castillo, The Boston Phoenix

“Hill, who once struck us with his aesthetic exuberance, has receded into full-fledged incompetence.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

STAND UP GUYSStand Up Guys

“Has Al Pacino ever looked so small?” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“We’re still all trying to block JACK AND JILL out of our collective memories, and this is hardly an embarrassment. But that doesn’t mean it’s fun to watch, either.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/25

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Hansel & Gretel Witch HuntersHANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS

“It’s a movie with absolutely no ambition other than to be a one-note joke. And I wish the joke was funnier. Once you’ve seen ten minutes of it you’ve pretty much seen the whole thing.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“If the very title has you rolling your eyes, don’t even bother. But if you’re willing to go along for the ride, Renner and Arterton make a good crime-fighting, er, witch hunting team.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, Sci-Fi Movie Hype

 

ParkerPARKER

“Jason Statham playing Donald Westlake’s Parker? It’s a beautiful match; sadly wasted. The tone and aesthetics director Taylor Hackford have chosen split the difference between a spaghetti western and a sitcom.”- Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

MOVIE 43Movie 43

“The third of fifteen segments in this omnibus film from producer Peter Farrelly finds Anna Faris asking Chris Pratt to ‘poop on me.’ Don’t subject yourself to this crap.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/18

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THE LAST STANDThe Last Stand

“Catnip for action junkies. This is RIO BRAVO on steroids, with cars. What more could you ask for?” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“A perfectly serviceable Schwarzenegger action film. There are car chases, shootouts, some character moments, a decent cast, a few laughs, and it clocks in at less than two hours.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

Broken CityBROKEN CITY

“A silly noir brought to polished heights by a most appropriate (if obvious) cast and crew. Nothing about it is extraordinary. But just about all of it is entertaining.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“That’s not to say BROKEN CITY is a particularly great film, but it’s a good one and almost novel by virtue of its own lack of novelty.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“An imperfect enjoyment that I’ll probably never watch again, but I can think of far worse ways to spend a couple hours.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

 

AMOURAmour

“It’s an ordeal sitting through AMOUR, in which the hushed air of austerity is broken only by almost imperceptibly understated moments of tenderness.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“What’s more confining in a movie than to stay with two characters in two rooms while their world crumbles? It becomes as much torture for us as it does for them.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

 

MamaMAMA

“If you’re willing to go with the flow and not demand the jolts that pass for creativity in too many horror films, you may find yourself impressed.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

SUNDANCE SHORTSSundance Shorts

“Varying looks at coupling and unforeseen consequences, from the strains of being gay in a conservative Korean family, to, well, the dangers of donning a bear costume.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 1/11

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Gangster SquadGANGSTER SQUAD

“A quintessential January movie: intermittently amusing but forgettable and overall lifeless, squandering a lot of potential on a series of misses and bad decisions.”  – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Emma Stone’s leg looks beautiful peeping out of the slit in the dress she wears, although it’s sad to see her out-acted by her own glorious gam.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“This is the worst performance Sean Penn has ever given. And I saw SHANGHAI SURPRISE.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“You’ll appreciate this movie a lot more if you don’t take it seriously. Judge it with a big old grain of salt and you’ll have fun like I did.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“To notice this is to require thinking, something that the makers of GANGSTER SQUAD did not engage in and certainly don’t want members of the audience to attempt either.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

dolph-lundgren-universal-soldierUNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING

“Hyams’ audacious turns are much appreciated in such a tired, predictable genre. Say what you will, but you don’t see movies like this very often.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

A HAUNTED HOUSEa-haunted-house-image01 (2)

“A movie that thinks homophobia is the height of hilarity. That, and the image of Wayans taking a shit – a fitting metaphor for this film.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix