LES MISERABLES

“Director Tom Hooper undercuts some solid musical performances by shooting and editing this film in a shoddy and bizarre fashion that gives new meaning to the term ‘in your face’.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“It’s like an exercise in how not to direct a film. This is an aesthetic crime.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“Just like THE HOBBIT, it’s a big lumbering mess where you feel every minute of the excessive running time.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“When it works, it’s brilliant. When it doesn’t work, it’s dreadful.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Hooper follows the actors around excessively and features tons of face shots to capture grand emotions. These techniques become old quickly, because there’s little variation.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“Bad. Really, really bad. It has three basic settings: boring, laughably amateurish, and mildly interesting for the few minutes that Anne Hathaway is around.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Hooper’s faithful adaptation suffers its bumps and bruises, but has a collection of stirring moments that overwhelm the pain.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

DJANGO UNCHAINED

“It’s as though BLAZING SADDLES has been remade by Monty Python, except Tarantino’s voice remains clear.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix 

“Tarantino doesn’t shy away from this hideousness. The realistic capturing of America’s slave era is what sets this film apart from his previous work.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“No amount of cinematic showing off from Tarantino can make DJANGO UNCHAINED more than the cheap exploitation movie that it is.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“An action film, and a polemic aiming to rip the scab off America’s original sin. It excels at both. This is one hell of a great movie.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“A tighter ending and a more direct arc toward the bad guy would have significantly changed this picture for the better.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon

“Funny, dramatic, and very violent. It’s a Quentin Tarantino film through-and-through, and easily one of his best.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

NOT FADE AWAY

“There’s a decidedly cynical existentialist vibe to the way everyone searches for meaning in fame, and a pervading sense of dissatisfaction in every scene.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“An angst-ridden, cliched period piece that’s more of an aimless coming-of-age tale than an artistic statement about the power of rock n’ roll.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon

“Focused on odd details, it feels very much like a personal remembrance using the hackneyed formula as a mere clothesline.” – Sean Burns, The Awl

PROMISED LAND

“One’s the most sympathetic, unshowiest movie star we’ve got right now, and the other is some smug asshole from television.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“What might have been a film with a message becomes a tangle of loose ends, dead ends, and dead weight.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“The most disappointing film of the season. The filmmakers went for a cheap gimmick rather than let the story play out to a realistic conclusion.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“Their movie falls apart in the last act because they aren’t aggressive enough to take a stand. The ending is just too open-ended and politically shy to be satisfying.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“For the second Christmas in a row I’m left asking myself: how much pandering crap am I willing to sit through in order to enjoy yet another magnificent Matt Damon performance?” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

“Crystal looks like his face is trying to eat his body. He’s so puffy that his character is conveyed mostly by his tone of voice and delivery. One can barely make out his expressions.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net