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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

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 3/15

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LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVESans titre - 5

“Kiarostami’s is the cinema of ideas and subdued feelings, not of narrative propulsion and overt excitement. He teases your brain, forcing your hand as a participant rather than letting you sink back and accept everything as mere entertainment.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“I was enraptured by LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE, taken with a visual intelligence and thoughtfulness we seldom see onscreen. I could have watched it all day, until Kiarostami eventually realizes that he has to come up with an ending. ” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

The CallTHE CALL

“It’s amazing that this script could have been approved like this or that this cast would agree to it. Did they get some casting director angry at them or are these empty roles really the best they can find?” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“The crime here isn’t that Anderson made a bad movie, but that he made a solid one and gave up on it at the end, which is by far a bigger offense.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

 

UPSIDE DOWNUpside Down

“You might feel yourself heating up with annoyance as the running time drags on and the absurdities pile higher by the minute. Indeed, there were moments when I thought I was about to levitate straight out of my chair with sheer aggravation.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“If you can play along, it’s a beautiful love story. If you can’t, even the best special effects won’t save it.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, SciFi Movie Hype

 

The Incredible Burt WonderstoneTHE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE

“This is a painfully unfunny movie, in large part because we’ve seen this kind of disingenuous nonsense forced out of Carell before. He’s just doing what he’s famous for without deriving an ounce of joy from it.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“It’s too insubstantial and unassuming to get that worked up about, but the whole thing still feels like a miss.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Burt Wonderstone isn’t the most outrageous or depressing sad sack character we’ve seen Steve Carell play to date, but he is certainly the most arrogant. Carell’s ridiculous buffoon act is starting to become a bit tired, though.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“Like good magicians, the filmmakers get us to believe that anything is possible in this world, even a comedy that doesn’t insult our intelligence.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

Charles SwanA GLIMPSE INSIDE THE MIND OF CHARLES SWAN III

“I’m not sure if Coppola intended the film as an allegorical account of the last two years of Sheen’s life, as an attempt at image rehabilitation, or a grotesque novelty gag at his star’s expense. Then again, I’m not really sure that it matters.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

 

West Of MemphisWEST OF MEMPHIS

“The case is more intriguing than the film about it, which panders to middlebrow tastes with pedestrian metaphors and pat philosophical statements.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

 

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