Category Archives: Review Roundups

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 6/29

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TED

“To my very pleasant surprise, there’s actually something (ok, not that much) going on under the surface here.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“While that subtext is there, it’s wrapped with a hilarious collection of jokes ranging from the witty to the tasteless.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“Sometimes funny is just funny.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Hilarious. It has something to say about growing up and says it well.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“I had a great time until it decided to try and have a plot.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

MAGIC MIKE

“All kidding aside, this movie is unbelievably awesome.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“A near-miss, with a few good performances and enough power to hold your interest for a while before finally running out of steam.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“Soderbergh is talking about himself, our culture, the economy, and there’s an undercurrent of darkness within all three. He’s hidden a lot inside a flimsy-looking G-string.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

PEOPLE LIKE US

“All of this could have been resolved with a simple fucking conversation.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“These people are not like us, and frankly, I don’t really like them that much either.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“The film’s leads lack the star power to sell this material and make us care in spite of the story.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“Yuck.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

 

MADEA’S WITNESS PROTECTION

“It’s a feeble vehicle for Perry’s ever-diminishing antics. In short, a real drag.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 6/22

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BRAVE

“If you think you’ve heard it all before or imagine you know how the story will proceed, then get ready to be thrilled.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“I am so philosophically drained about this movie.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast

“It is something which will captivate both parents and children because the emotions expressed are real even if the magical transformations are not.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“In the realm of Pixar works it’s blatantly average. But in the realm of most movies, an average Pixar film is actually a pretty good one.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“A joy to behold in it’s amazingly detailed visual beauty.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“The result is a movie that takes much, much too long to get where it’s going and more problematically skewers its own attempt at a message.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Stay strong and don’t let them change you. It’s not a bad message to hear at 8 or 28.” – Monica Castillo, La Vida De Mcastimovies

“In the end it feels more like TANGLED than anything else, right down to the vague adjective titling.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“Merely good. But after the successive triumphs of the past decade, it’s hard to accept anything less than transcendence from the animation studio.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
 
 

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

“There’s an entire world out there that’s just about to end, and this movie zooms in on the two least interesting people in it.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“Cynics need not apply.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“Another hackneyed romantic comedy where it’s difficult to get too annoyed at the characters once you realize an asteroid is going to take care of them for you before the film is over.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“The apocalypse has never been more hilarious or beautifully tragic.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“The contradictory genre efforts would be incredibly interesting if it weren’t so intolerable spending time with these people.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

“When elements like character and story rear their heads, the film is as wooden as a set of 19th-century false teeth.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“If vampires in the South seem odd, think about it: doesn’t that explain Newt Gingrich?” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“The fact that nobody ever seems to acknowledge that the whole enterprise is a joke makes it even funnier.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

YOUR SISTER’S SISTER

“I’m sorry, but am I really supposed to believe that Mark Duplass is the stud of my generation?” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice 

 

FIVE BROKEN CAMERAS

“The footage that Burnat has captured is astounding and courageous. He’s doing what the news won’t — showing someone die for a cause, unarmed and vocal to his last breath.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 6/15

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ROCK OF AGES

“Pulverizing, excruciating, incompetent—the pejoratives finally fail me. An hour into this thing, I turned to a colleague and groaned aloud: ‘I want to murder myself.’” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“A train wreck. But it sure is fun to watch.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Cruise literally does everything to look, sound, and move like a rock star, except for showing any genuine conviction. It’s like someone programmed a robot to play the character, but left out the emotion chip.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“Terrible. A bad story told badly through a series of corny on-the-nose song choices and bad comedy.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Singers should sing, actors should act, and 9 times out of 10 the two should never mix.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

“One long evening of 1980’s Rock and Roll karaoke. Manages to evoke both a wince and a smile.”- Tim Estiloz, Boston Latino TV

“Oh, the choreography!” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast

 


SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

“Plaza does indeed give a great performance, carrying a movie that for the most part isn’t worth her efforts.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“The Duplass brothers seem to specialize in half-written movies with garbage cinematography, and I would happily donate $10 to buy them a tripod.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
“It reminded me of a movie from the 70’s in the worst way possible. It’s all quirky and cutesy but then has that cop-out indie ending.” – John Black, The Post-Movie Podcast
 
“Everything comes together a bit hastily, but happily the ending doesn’t disappoint.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse
 
 
 
THAT’S MY BOY
 
“If the bar had been set any lower for this film’s vulgar humor only flatworms and slugs could crawl underneath it.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner
 
“Easily Sandler’s best movie in a long, long time.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
 
“It’s a vile, puerile, lowbrow, totally disposable junk movie, but I can’t deny that it works as one.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
 
“This may be the most loathsome film of the year.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net.
 
“This is the perfect movie to take your dad to on Father’s Day if you hate him.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune
 
“This is a shitty movie on every level. The shittiest.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast
 
“Director Sean Anders does nothing to mop up this gross-out comedy mess.” – Monica Castillo, The Boston Phoenix
 
 
 
LOLA VERSUS
 
“Lola battles against many problems in this ridiculously titled film. What’s unfortunate is that none of them are interesting.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

 

CAPE SPIN! AN AMERICAN POWER STRUGGLE

“There’s an awful lot of spin going on in Robbie Gemmel and John Kirby’s playful documentary.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Herald

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 6/8

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PROMETHEUS

“Ridley Scott has fashioned a science fiction film that will leave fans arguing, with some dismissing it out of hand and others declaring it a modern masterpiece.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Sci-Fi Movie Page

“The best-looking stupid movie I have seen all year. It’s sumptuously photographed, and quite often inane.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“That’s the big problem with this ‘prequel’ to the original alien film: there’s no real drama, or at least no sense of drama building as the story moves along.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“What’s left behind from the promising start is nothing more than muddled faux-philosophy, and even that’s probably more of a sequel set-up than an artistic statement.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“By default, the best thing even vaguely connected to ALIEN to come out in decades.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist 

“If you were lost on an alien planet and a slimy creature emerged from a puddle of black goo, would you call it pet names and attempt to get closer to it?” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

 

HYSTERIA

 “The kind of vibrator movie you can take your parents to see.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Contains enough grains of truth to make it just salty, and just spicy, enough that you soon get over the initial uncomfortable impulse to giggle and enjoy some real laughs.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“Despite its titillating subject, don’t expect HYSTERIA to create much of a buzz.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Herald

 

PEACE LOVE AND MISUNDERSTANDING

“For all the high-minded philosophical debates about gender equality, vegetarianism, and letting loose, it manages to come off as random chatter trying to sound smarter than the dialogue actually is.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

“It’s basically just GEORGIA RULE all over again. Only without Lindsay Lohan. Who thought that was a good idea?” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANTED
 
“Plenty of slapstick and adventure for the kids, as well as a lot of wit and charm for the adults.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

“By the time our intrepid New York menagerie decides to give the circus an American makeover that is, when projected up on the screen in surprisingly effective 3D, glorious to behold, you’ll be hooked.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Pure, simple fun that gave me the desire to shove sugary cereal in my mouth while watching and change back into my pajamas.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“Insane in the best possible way.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Herald

 

NOBODY ELSE BUT YOU

“Hustache-Mathieu seems to delight in the small details of the story, the little objects or intimacies that reveal everything you ever wanted to know about a character.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 
 
 
BEL AMI
 
“By the time yet another Paris matron throws herself at Pattinson, shock and disgust give way to exasperation.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston
 
 
 
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 6/1

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MOONRISE KINGDOM

“In short, it’s simply a masterpiece.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“I felt no emotional connection to this story at all.” – John Black, The Post-Movie Podcast

“It’s a movie filled with joy and sadness, hilarity and heartbreak, and innocence that is both preserved and shattered.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“A glorious film. Even those annoyed with Anderson’s hermetic dollhouse pictures might find something to cheer for here.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“A heartbreakingly real depiction of what it feels like to meet someone who seems to understand you, even when you don’t fully understand yourself.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

 

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

“Despite ostensibly being the star of the movie, Snow White has no discernible character.”  – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“The remainder of this film offers little else to keep our interest level beyond mild boredom.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“There is a crushing sense of déjà vu coming off the screen in waves.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“It gets to the point where even true love’s first kiss would have trouble bringing this movie back to life.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“This movie wants you to think that Snow White is an independent warrior, despite her almost complete reliance on men.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

 

FOR GREATER GLORY 

“C’mon Andy… would it have killed you to at least try a Mexican flavored accent in a film about Mexico?” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“Crafted with all the subtlety of a cannon blast.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“I saw the movie a month ago, and I’m not entirely convinced that it’s ended yet.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

HIGH SCHOOL

“Sometmes the state of the movie industry can be very depressing.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 “Get it? Because the school is high.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“Was there a balloon payment due on Adrien Brody’s mortgage? Did his car engine fall out?” – Brett Michel, The Boston Herald