Category Archives: Review Roundups

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 9/7

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BACHELORETTE

“An invigorating shock – a comedic gut punch that reminds you that movies can be uproarious without needing to be lazily constructed.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s chock-full of drug use, casual sex and some astonishingly inventive flights of profanity. I laughed myself sick.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“This movie’s got a bitter soul that’s ready to go, and has about as much heart as a freezer filled with ice and cyanide.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“Making the audience sit through almost two hours of harpy-level screeching to get to the point is unforgivable.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

THE WORDS

“It’s not that this is a bad movie, necessarily; it’s just hard to know what to make of it.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“Simply a mishmash of narratives never fully realized or fleshed out.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“The elements seem to be there to tell an interesting story, but the way they are presented is the problem.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“A compelling drama that may not have a lot of things to say, but it is certainly about the way we say things.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“More so than some movies, this is one that turns on how you relate to the players.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“If you’re an introspective person, you’ll appreciate what THE WORDS has to say, even if you feel a bit downtrodden after watching.” – Evan Crean, StarPulse

 

THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY

“Sigourney Weaver is the only one having any fun. That includes the audience.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
“More sooner than later, the rest of his family is taken hostage, and Willis exits the picture on the lookout for the nearest check-cashing place.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
 
 
BRANDED
 
“Borderline offensive and overly dense, the movie is unsure of what it wants to be: a sci-fi thriller or a socialist parable.” – Monica Castillo, The Boston Phoenix
 
“If you want to understand what ‘pretentious’ means, you’ve got to check out BRANDED. Or rather, don’t.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/31

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OSLO, AUGUST 31ST

“A devastating film. Anders moves through the picture like a ghost, while Danielsen Lie’s performance grows increasingly closed off and enigmatic.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“The movie captures moments of lyrical beauty. As the final shots mirror the first, you reflect on how life goes on, with and without us.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“You leave the film overwhelmed by the skill behind its craft and simultaneously demolished by its stark, compassionate, yet ultimately hopeless vision of the struggle against the darkness within.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

LAWLESS
 
“A strong cast and a fresh spin on the gangster film help overcome a script that occasionally lapses into cliché.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

“One of those curious misfires in which a lot of talented people are nowhere near their comfort zones. And I still couldn’t understand a word Tom Hardy said.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“What should be a classic modern-western gets derailed by schizophrenic direction in John Hillcoat’s hilariously uneven depiction of a lawless world.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“Pearce’s role is a perfect example of the over-the-top theatrical performance that Awards Voters love, because Awards Voters are usually stupid.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“It’s curious, but we now seem to find ourselves waxing nostalgic about times when the people in power were merely corrupt. Nowadays, they’re practically cannibalistic.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“LAWLESS is not going to win any prize for breaking the story mold, but that’s okay because it revisits this well-trod ground enthusiastically.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL…

“Other than Kevin Smith, is there anyone more toxic to a film than Nia Vardalos? Well, get ready, because first-time feature director Jamie Travis has them both.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“A movie so unfunny it makes SCHINDLER’S LIST look like SUPERBAD. The characters swear and talk about sex like young kids who just discovered both things exist.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“It constantly ducks away from any semblance of adult sexuality, while director Travis indulges in garish colors and giggle fits.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly 

 

 THE BULLET VANISHES

“As far as cheap knock-offs go, it’s a fairly flattering imitation.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

 

SLEEPWALK WITH ME

“But you don’t need to spend $11.75 to see an infomercial. It’s under-thought, overdone, and presented without the slightest hint of visual panache. It’s repellent.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“And while the deadpan delivery of the series of unfortunate events is amusing, it can grow tiring. It’s also easy to feel frustrated with Mike’s character, as the leading man, he doesn’t quite mature from the start of the film.” – Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine

“Nobody bothered to outsize this interior monologue into an actual motion picture. So, from the get-go, it’s like we’re watching some overblown, under-photographed version of a story we’ve already heard.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/24

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COSMOPOLIS

“An ice-cold, woozy nightmare of a movie, so dense you can hardly take it all in with just a single viewing.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“It puzzles you while you watch it, comes together when you think about it, and finds itself stuck in your mind days and weeks after you’ve seen it.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“The way this film moves, like some bizarre ballerina on a stage of surrealism, is so loopy and dreamlike that while its narrative continuity is certainly fractured, the flow never once feels sporadic.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“Cronenberg has a genius for building a sense of momentum, and an atmosphere of mounting anarchy and entropy.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“Well, if it isn’t the most confounding movie of the year. May God grant you mercy if you’re going just for R.Patz.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston 

 

HIT AND RUN

“It’s hard to decide which was wasted more in making HIT AND RUN: Talent, money or gas. Or maybe it’s the audience’s time.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Calling this movie HIT AND RUN doesn’t do it justice, if only because it fails to hit anything, and doesn’t even really feel like anyone took much of an aim.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“You’ll be checking your watch over and over wondering how 100 minutes could go by so slowly.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“The best joke here is the idea that people would pay to see this movie.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s really hard to make car chases boring. Yet somehow Dax Shepard manages to do it.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon

 

COMPLIANCE

“The storytelling has a welcome lack of convention and pushy emotion, Zobel letting viewers soak in the problems at generally the same pace as the characters.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“You can’t help but feel implicated in all the madness. The movie’s brilliance is in just how repellant it is.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

PREMIUM RUSH

“Nothing more than a shiftless studio effort. It preaches the value of speed, but never for a moment feels like it’s in a rush.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“It only makes you wish that the badly filmed and edited near misses Koepp fills the film with weren’t so close after all.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“It puts the pedal to the metal right away, but boy does that metal rust up quickly.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“Some mildly diverting stunt work if you’re interested in such things, and a story in which we have nothing invested in so that its ultimate resolution has no impact.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“The kind of picture that will play like gangbusters on afternoon cable, but feels a bit thin when you’re shelling out upwards of 10 bucks for a night at the movies.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

 ROBOT & FRANK

“It’s a brilliant bit of acting that takes a fun little robot movie and raises it to the level of art.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“If this is playing near you, go see ROBOT & FRANK. Easily one of the best science-fiction movies in years.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

SUSHI: THE GLOBAL CATCH

“This subject would make for a fine documentary if David Gelb hadn’t already done so in his far more focused and compelling JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix 
 
 
 
THE APPARITION
 
“This might spook some gullible teens and tweens, but it won’t be around for long.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net
 
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/17

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PARANORMAN

“I think this might actually be my favorite movie I have seen this year.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Any misgivings about the plot are eased by the handcrafted visuals. Catch it in 3D if you can.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“It’s sort of like what THE GOONIES might’ve been, had THE GOONIES been beautifully animated and not terrible.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“Funny, engaging, and creatively animated. This is one you might enjoy even without any kids in tow.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“It’s very funny, the pacing is good. I really don’t know where to fault it.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast
 
“Perfect for the family – perfect for anyone, really – it’s a spooky, fun, lucid dream that I cannot wait to visit again.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune
 

 

THE EXPENDABLES 2

“A lot of us were looking forward to seeing this movie, but they made the excecutive decison not to show it to critics in Boston. From what I’ve heard, it was shown in other cities. Can’t say why?” – Monica Castillo, The Post-Movie Podcast 

“This one’s still a B-movie, but it doesn’t have the same anarchic spirit. You can only trade your wares on a novelty premise for so long.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“Of course it’s garbage. But this is my favorite kind of garbage.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“This boring, bloated waste of celluloid hit theatres with all the excitement of a rotten gourd hitting a brick wall.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

SPARKLE

“The thinly drawn characterizations feel better suited for a juicy TV movie than a big feature film.” – Norm Schrager, Paste Magazine

“Not a remarkable film, but it is highly entertaining fluff and mild melodrama bolstered by some great nostalgic music and style of the late 60’s.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“It’s a vehicle rather than a statement, providing a fitting eulogy for Houston and a solid launching pad for Sparks.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“The melodramatic turns stray into camp, and newcomer Jordin Sparks doesn’t have the finesse to avoid it. Nor does the sloppy camerawork, stilted acting, and bad lip-syncing help the cause.” – Monica Castillo, The Boston Phoenix

 

 
CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER

“While the story leads to unexpected places, there’s a heavy dose of gender cliché that clings to the movie like a push-up bra.”  – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“With such erratic construction, the scant 91-minute runtime feels like it goes on forever.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

“Because we see so many romantic comedies, we project what we think is going to happen. And it never followed that route. I’d think it was going to go right and it would go left.” – John Black, The Post-Movie Podcast

 

THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

 “If you relax and take the ride, you’ll walk away believing something special happened.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“A very odd film indeed… a fantasy that can touch your heart if you let it.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“If you allow yourself to simply give in to the sweetness of the story, you’ll end with a smile on your face and a warm feeling.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

 

2 DAYS IN NEW YORK

“Delpy aims low and consistently hits the target. It’s broad, silly, but with a crucial touch of messy humanity.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/10

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THE BOURNE LEGACY

“No amount of fake nostalgia for the first three movies can cover up the stink that emanates from every frame of the new Bourne movie.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Definitely not bad, but fair warning: I only finished watching it six hours ago and I already don’t remember most of what was supposed to be going on.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Hell, over an hour and a half into the movie, we get introduced to the bad guy from another CIA program that chose its acronyms out of alphabet soup.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

“A film that sucks the vibrant marrow out of this once entertaining franchise, leaving behind only a bland, overall dull, lifeless bone with no real meat to savor.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“The end of the film is not so much a resolution as a pause. The studio obviously hopes it stands for a big sign that reads ‘to be continued.’” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“After a while I became extremely jealous of Matt Damon for managing to escape this franchise and I desperately wished to join him.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“Tony Gilroy’s spy flick isn’t close family. It’s more like a less interesting distant cousin.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon

“The problem with the movie is that it sucks.” – Brett Michel, The Post-Movie Podcast

 

KILLER JOE

“Visceral and sadistic, yet with a fiendish sense of humor about its fundamental depravity. The movie is plain wrong on so many levels, and I loved every minute of it.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian
 
“Hollywood maverick-turned-independent holdout William Friedkin’s taste for sadism has never been personified better than in McConaughey’s unassuming-but-dangerous drawl.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix
 
“I didn’t think it was a well-made movie. I liked some of the performances but I didn’t think it held together well at all.” – John Black, The Post-Movie Podcast
 
“Everything takes place within McConaughey’s devilish eyes that flicker with charm and then glare into your soul with unmatched, bone-chilling depravity.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

 

THE CAMPAIGN

“If you’re already fed up with just how stupid real life politics has become, this movie is the antidote.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“We’ve so thoroughly left behind any credible representation of actual life and real people that the movie lacks any political punch.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGEBoston

“I really liked it. I think this is Zach Galifianakis at his funniest. I can’t wait to see it again.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast

“It’s the most infuriating kind of comedy, one that keeps flirting with sharp ideas, only to retreat into barn-door-broad buffoonery.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“The entire movie is filled with moments that feel overplayed and underwritten. It always settles for the cheap, easy laugh.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“It wants to be sharp political satire. Unfortunately, its wit is as dull as our latest GOP candidates.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

HOPE SPRINGS

“Despite its missteps, the film is impossible to resist after a summer that was almost entirely devoid of stories about human beings.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGEBoston

“This won’t make any ten best lists at the end of the year, but it ought to start a lot fruitful conversations.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

“It’s so lightweight and underdeveloped, you’ll leave the theatre feeling like they still haven’t found him yet.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
“Bendjelloul unlocks a mystery, painting a compelling portrait of a hidden rock icon.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix 
 
 
 
DARK HORSE
 
Perhaps this is the filmmaker’s trip back to the metaphorical toy store, realizing that with age, there’s more to storytelling than examining shocking people and ugly values.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby