Category Archives: Review Roundups

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 11/16

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SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

“David O. Russell tries to toe the line between making something personal and making something that feels like it came off a conveyor belt. He ends up on the wrong side.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s a goofy crowd pleaser with some pretty good performances and a carefully calibrated illusion of ‘edginess.’ It’s also offensive.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Is he serious? Is all it takes to fix a painfully broken man’s mind the love of a woman he just met, a woman he’s mentally and emotionally abused for most of the film?” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Pat and Tiffany find emotional healing through the power of love, and although it’s overly optimistic, there’s something really charming about that idea.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“Yes, this is a romance between two people with mental problems. We’re supposed to find that endearing because, after all, you know how much fun schizophrenia can be.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 2

“Glorious. A slow-motion, fifty-thousand clown-car pileup of a disaster that’s funnier than almost any other moviegoing experience I’ve had this year.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“A hilariously funny, wild and camp-strewn romp that manages to tweak the solemnity of the material with a knowing wink at it’s inherent absurdity.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“Years from now a new generation of teenage girls will inevitably ask: ‘Grandma, you really liked this stuff?'” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“Of course this series is garbage, but by now it has calcified into winking, self-aware camp that eventually explodes into a craptacular of the highest order.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“At a key point, coven leader Michael Sheen lets out a spectacular laugh, which nearly drowned out my own.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“It’s over. It’s finally over.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

ANNA KARENINA

“As jaw-dropping and audacious as the setting is, Wright is extremely careful to never let it dominate the story or the actors telling it.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Wright doesn’t just believe in Brechtian distancing devices; he’s built a movie around them.” – Jake Mulligan, Charleston City Paper

“You’ll likely find Stoppard’s all-too-literal interpretation of the dressy role-playing of society life to be a cause for slowly mounting aggravation.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

 

TALES OF THE NIGHT

“The kaleidoscopic backgrounds offer a colorful counterpoint to the simple silhouettes that form the people, animals, and mythical beasts populating the six fables.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 11/9

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SKYFALL

“SKYFALL rocks. The action is spectacular, the humor as sharp as the creases in Bond’s well-tailored suits, the script is tight and the acting – yes the acting – is spot on.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“The movie feels like a James Bond video tribute compilation, with new director Sam Mendes trying on his Christopher Nolan big-boy pants and notably failing.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“So of course SKYFALL has to go and fucking blow it by explaining everything. Yes, this is exactly what we needed: expository monologues about James Bond’s sad childhood.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“For those who are willing to go beyond the babes and thrills to question what a ‘James Bond’ means in the 21st century, SKYFALL asks some interesting and difficult questions.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“If you’re a James Bond fan who feels like the new movies were shipped with a few of the pieces missing, SKYFALL is the movie you’ve been waiting for.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Cinephiles will appreciate its high quality aesthetics, but Bond fans may be a bit let down by the weak villain, fewer action scenes, and lack of crazy gadgets.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“Welcome back, Mr. Bond.  At 50, you’re looking pretty good for your age.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“Whatever. Turns out James Bond is the British Batman, or perhaps Batman was an American James Bond? I can’t wait until the British Joker shows up in the next movie.” – Monica Castillo, Bitch Magazine

 

LINCOLN

“Remarkable. Tasked with dramatizing some of the most significant moments of the 19th century, Spielberg shoots the picture as a bustling ensemble comedy.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“Day-Lewis’ fine work is stuck in the middle of a plodding, ponderous and preachy Steven Spielberg film that feels like it lasts longer than the actual war did.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“There hasn’t been a film that found so much humor and even heroism in acts of subterfuge and misdirection since OCEAN’S ELEVEN, and in a way that’s an appropriate comparison.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“The historically enriched portrayals are infused with the energy of a screwball comedy, with dialogue that flies back and forth with fiery dynamism.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“More than anything, it’s the humor that separates this portrayal from any others past. Not content to play the president as a hero, Day-Lewis brings him to life as a smooth negotiator, as sly as he is wise.” – Jake Mulligan, Charleston City Paper

“As history it is fascinating and as entertainment it is superb; with a remarkable cast, a tight and sharp script, and a sure hand on the helm.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“If this film has a trace of greatness about it, that’s probably because of the way Kushner, Spielberg, and Day-Lewis recollect for us the greatness of the man.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

 

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

“Linked and displaced as our lives might be, the film suggests they play out at the foot of monumental events and historic triumphs and catastrophes alike.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 11/2

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WRECK-IT RALPH

“A big win, striking a near-perfect balance between fan service and geniunely satisfying moviemaking.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“It’s brilliantly animated and has some nice character moments, but all in all, it goes nowhere.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“John C. Reilly not only gives his character personality, but soul. It makes all the difference.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“One of those cartoons that works at a variety of levels, so that it really is something the whole family can enjoy.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“At times overly cutesy and leans too heavily on sophomoric humor, though it is a visually striking, well-crafted flick.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“It’s a colorful nostalgia trip for those of us who still store our NES and Sega Genesis in our attics or basements.” – Monica Castillo, Bitch Magazine 

“Too bad the obligatory bromide of being yourself wrecks the pleasure of character cameos from gaming’s past and present.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

FLIGHT

“The best movies featuring addiction are about the characters and not the Problem. FLIGHT is about the Problem.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“Washington follows the director’s lead by taking just about every cliché there is for playing a drunk on screen and cranking it up to 11.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“The film’s less zippy pace after the crash almost causes you to lose interest at certain points, and The Rolling Stones tunes feel too much like a Scorsese rip-off.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“At well over two hours, this is a movie that could have used someone urging Zemeckis and company to cut to the chase.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

HOLY MOTORS

“As confounding as it is pleasurable; as melancholic as it is invigorating… one of the freshest visions the big screen has seen in years, perhaps decades.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“Cinema is dead. Long live cinema.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

A LATE QUARTET

“Aims to tell a bigger story and suffers from its own ambition, relying on a framework too flimsy to support its own weight.” – Norm Schrager, Meet in the Lobby

“All they’ll get from me is the world’s smallest violin playing for their troubles.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, just about everything. And the less said about the way Walken looks sawing his bow across the cello, the better.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

THE DETAILS

“Comes off as a film about how much it sucks having to deal with women and minorities.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“The movie’s smarminess lingers like a hangover. When it was over, I wanted nothing more than a shower.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS

“It’s RZA who holds the picture back. He’s trying too much — too many disparate styles and tones, too many characters, too many CGI effects.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

“It’s unfathomable that Crowe would ever stoop to being in a picture like this, and even weirder that it looks like the most fun he’s had in years.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 10/26

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CLOUD ATLAS

“The kitsch factor is weirdly in keeping with the picture’s ardent, disarming sincerity. Even at its most risible, this oddball movie has a groovy, inclusive spirit that feels downright revolutionary.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly


“The key is not to take CLOUD ATLAS too seriously. If you try to invest yourself in the sci-fi framework or the Wachowski-esque philosophical theory, you’ll be too busy chewing on sand rather than eating up the goodies.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“This is not just a movie. It’s a cinematic mural, and while its elements may sometimes clash a bit, the overall form is really rather lovely.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“The year’s most ambitious film, one that will divide critics as well as audiences. You will either be enthralled or bored beyond tears. Given its nearly three hour running time, you’d best be prepared.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Sci-Fi Movie Page

“As it took up residence in my memory, my relationship with this film simply grew. I liked CLOUD ATLAS when it ended. But by the next day, I had fallen in love.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“It looks like the short segments were put together by an editor wearing a blind fold and watching it gives audiences the kind of motion sickness feeling one gets trying to read a book in a moving car.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“At first, the frequent jumping between time periods is a bit jarring, but it quickly becomes second nature as you get invested in each one of the individual stories.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon

“Not just one of the best movies of the year, but one of the most ambitious and audicious in a year that has been big on ambitious and audacious.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

SMASHED

“Just as the melodrama gains traction we cut to a coda and the credits. It runs a scant 85 minutes, and feels unfinished.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

 

 

THE SESSIONS


“Such an earnest little puddle of feel-good inspiration that I feel like an  asshole for disliking it so much.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“This is a movie not about sexual exploitation, but rather about sexual healing.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog


“It is entirely daring in what it chooses to show, but rather tame in what it chooses to say.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

 

CHASING MAVERICKS


“A Lifetime movie with some actual life to it, lending tender observation to the idea that dreams are sitting out there waiting to be seized.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“An acting range that seems more suited to pouting on the fashion runway than performing as a fully fledged character.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“A coming-of-age story which should end with the young boy becoming a young man. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. As the old saying goes, God writes lousy theater.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

SILENT HILL: REVELATION

“It’s like watching a recording of someone else playing a video game. You have no control and you have nothing invested in the characters or the outcome.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Sci-Fi Movie Page

“It’s more of the same, on a cut-rate budget, without Gans’s atmospheric reverie.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“A full-on, visceral thrill ride that uses 3D technology to throw buckets of blood and gore at the audience with gleeful abandonment.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

FUN SIZE

“Crud. Perfectly unpleasant fluff that offers a few good moments in a mess of horrible ones.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“If your ‘tweens and young teens are into the offerings on Nickelodeon and Disney then they’ll enjoy this, but there is stuff that parents may find surprising and even disturbing.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 10/17

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ALEX CROSS

“You’ve seen this movie before, but what makes this one almost interesting is just how amazingly poorly miscast the main hero and villain are.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“The usual over-familiar mélange of forensic evidence and titillating torture-porn that reminds me why I don’t watch network television procedurals.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Lazy, tedious, contrived. This is, by far, the worst action movie of the year.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

 

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4

“Of course it’s all fake and pretty stupid, but that’s beside the point.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Sci-Fi Movie Page

 

CONNED

“It’s hard to ferret out who’s screwing whom, but surely, it’s the viewers who are being conned.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix