UNCLE NICK
“If you’re going to structure a movie around a middle-aged alcoholic trying to bone his barely legal niece, you should probably come up with better jokes than the ones in Mike Demski’s sorry screenplay.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine
CREED
“Human-scaled, rambling and idiosyncratic, with emotional payoffs larger than life. I spent most of the running time crying my fucking eyes out.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality
“CREED defies our expectations of its genre even as it fulfills them. You may not see a better crowd-pleaser this season.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine
“It’s hokey, it’s predictable and, if you’re a fan, it’s surprisingly engaging. A big reason is that Stallone–often an underrated actor whose good performances are sometimes overlooked–underplays the role. ” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies
“Give Ryan Coogler a moving body and he’ll give you a moment worthy of the ROCKY series.” – Jake Mulligan, DIGBoston
“Reestablishes Michael B. Jordan after the FANTASTIC FOUR debacle.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential
THE GOOD DINOSAUR
“Stories and characters have always been the backbone of the best Pixar films, and here it’s obvious that this was a script done by committee. Literally.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies
“If it were not for the utterly beautiful background animation this film would be a complete miss.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential
“While the film’s willful genre hopping isn’t especially disruptive, it is distracting.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine
THE NIGHT BEFORE
“This may not have been the most I’ve guffawed at a film this year, but it’s certainly the hardest.” – Greg Vellante, Sound & Picture
“These are extremely familiar riffs for Rogen, but he happens to still be really good at them.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine
“This familiar Rogen-style journey did cause me to laugh more than I anticipated.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 2
“…a rather disappointing crash and burn for a series that brought attention to positive action role models for young girls.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times
“…the war against the Capitol gallops to a finish, the battle for Katniss’ heart concludes long at last, and we can all go home with a sigh of relief that the saga is over.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston
“MOCKINGJAY – PART 2 is at once just another franchise finale, but at the same time something far more in depth in its thematic focus.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture
“If it is the job of fiction to turn a mirror back onto ourselves, then THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 2 is successful in that vein.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential
“In spite of the unnecessary padding that led to “Mockingjay” being split in half, the series ends on a strong note.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
SECRET IN THEIR EYES
“… it’s the movie you go out to during Thanksgiving week when you’ve just got to get out of the house.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
THE NIGHT BEFORE
“Prudes and PCs need not apply.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture
TRUMBO
“The film tribute to Trumbo is entertaining, swiftly moving, and just as witty as the man himself.” – Deidre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential
THE 33
“It’s hard not to lose interest – perhaps even laugh – at some of the authentic blunders director Patricia Riggen (GIRL IN PROGRESS) made in casting.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
“THE 33 is too wrapped up in its theatricality to maintain a sense of authenticity.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine
“It sounds strange, but THE 33 is the feel-good mining disaster of the movie of the year.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
BY THE SEA
“Jolie Pitt takes a lot of big swings and quite a few of them don’t connect, but the film is exciting to watch because it comes from someplace daring and real.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality
“BY THE SEA is a movie that everyone on the planet should skip.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential
“Jolie-Pitt’s screenplay leaves much to be desired as its characters languish under the coastal sun.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times
LOVE THE COOPERS
“Watching LOVE THE COOPERS will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy in the same way that looking at those poorly photographed tables of obviously fake food will leave you feeling hungry.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
“…the most grotesque Christmas film I’ve seen in ages, a lump of coal that not even the naughtiest of children deserve to find in their metaphorical stockings.” – Charlie Nash, Edge Boston
BROOKLYN
“The chemistry on screen feels as if it’s inventing entirely new elements as it goes along.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture
“BROOKLYN is a soft, affectionate tale about the love and growth that we experience in life.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential
HEIST
“Competently directed by Scott Mann, HEIST isn’t bad for a brazenly derivative, time-killing knock-off.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine
SPECTRE
“SPECTRE will more than satisfy Bond fans and may win over some new ones.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
“You don’t get to cop-out of not having a good enough idea for your fourth movie by pretending that all the other unconnected bullshit from the other movies was some kind of worldbuilding exercise.” – Bob Chipman, MovieBob Reviews
“SPECTRE ends somewhat enigmatically about Craig’s future as 007. After this mostly lackluster and tonally disappointing effort, perhaps that’s not a bad thing.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Examiner
“While the flaws in SPECTRE aren’t able to destroy it, they certainly prevent it from being a great James Bond film.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential
“It’s amazing how a film overflowing with so much stuff can ultimately feel so deflated, empty, and inconsequential.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture
“Just for once, it would be nice to see Bond keep it in his pants at least until the world is safe once again.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
SPOTLIGHT
“SPOTLIGHT is already eliciting Oscar buzz, but more importantly it continues to shine a light on the crimes it documents, illuminating the way to those crimes yet to be redressed, while the perpetrators squirm in the glare.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices
“[McCarthy and Singer] have made a film about the looming terror of spiritual betrayal, set among communities that treat the church as significant components of their collective backbone.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine
“This film will illuminate, even as it grinds against still-raw wounds, but sometimes that’s part of the healing process.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston
“It’s obligatory, at this point, that any movie set in or around a newsroom get’s mentioned alongside ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN and ZODIAC; the gold standards of the genre. SPOTLIGHT is the first one in a long time to actually belong there.” – Bob Chipman, MovieBob
“SPOTLIGHT is both one of the year’s best films and a worthy follower in the footsteps of works like ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN.” – Max Covill, Pop Optiq
“It’s the kind of film that sticks with you not for being overly special, but for being secretly special. I didn’t realize how caught up I was in the film until it was over.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture
THE PEANUTS MOVIE
“The film won’t redefine the contemporary entertainment landscape or modern animated aesthetics, though it might convince a few 3D illustrators to try out new techniques in the pursuit of their craft.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine
“With THE PEANUTS MOVIE there’s fun to be had for people of all ages.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential
“A quietly profound little gem that can’t help but recall other classic child’s-view-of-childhood vignettes like A CHRISTMAS STORY or Bradbury’s DANDELION WINE.” – Bob Chipman, MovieBob
“Essentialists may never be pleased with the updated CGI features or jokes about standardized testing, but the heart and hope of this Charlie Brown remains intact enough to try and kick that football.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times
WELCOME TO LEITH
“The movie serves as an anthropological study of a small town and what happens when a caustic outside force comes barreling in.” – Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine
“The story of how white supremacist Craig Cobb took over the tiny town of Leith, North Dakota would be infuriating if it weren’t so goddamn scary.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine
“WELCOME TO LEITH may not be easy to view, but it’s a vital, important film that exposes the destructively sadistic nature of racial discrimination from white, privileged members of American society.” – Charlie Nash, Edge Boston
ALL THINGS MUST PASS
“…ALL THINGS MUST PASS is something special when it’s conjuring Springsteen’s sentiment, fondly recalling a time when buying music was a communal activity and not just pointing and clicking on things.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine
I SMILE BACK
“It’s a slim, shadowy one-woman-show, with Silverman shedding every last vestige of her onstage persona and gazing long into to the abyss.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality