BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 07/10/2015

fnd_mc_minions

MINIONS

“This bubbly and colorful animation may end up convincing you that, when it comes to a sense of humor, the only difference between us and the neophytes is our ability to spot pop cultural references.” – Michael Cox, Edge Boston

“…MINIONS is enjoyable and funny and a perfect way to beat the heat. Sometimes that’s enough. Indeed, sometimes that’s more than enough.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“…just cute and clever enough to keep the wee ones entertained and the parents nodding along to an “Abbey Road” or The Who reference.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

MINIONS turns out to be a fun, loose and highly active movie with a bunch of zany characters finding their way in and out of trouble throughout.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

amy-movie-001_kk6n2623_rgb_custom-edd58ef348c23c6fb9514f41c79e5bc4cdf53c12-s300-c85AMY

AMY will be considered one of the best documentaries that will be released this year at the very least.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“What’s clear is that Winehouse was the opposite of a snob—she was completely herself, a true innocent, sincerely unable to make a false move. It’s remarkable how fake everyone around her looks in comparison.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

“The end result is a film that feels more like castigation than celebration.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“As in his previous documentary, SENNA, Kapadia eschews the traditional talking heads format and layers audio interviews over a collage of archival footage. It’s a formal gambit that can feel more like a self-imposed constraint.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

 

7abbf2e50d5d7bdf93f9384725857564THE GALLOWS

THE GALLOWS is worthless, but that won’t stop Warner Bros. from making some kind of money off of it.” – Jaskee Hickman, CInematic Essential

“…so poorly executed you’d be well within your movie going rights to demand a full refund.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“This is what not trying looks like.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

“It just hangs there, dead… and deadly dull.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

ryan-reynolds-in-self-lessSELF/LESS

“…if you are alright with a messy film that finds its footing along the way, and is unconcerned with your preexisting expectations, then you will likely enjoy the mess.” Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“If you’re looking to turn your brain off, you’ve come to the right place.” – Michael Cox, Edge Boston

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 07/03/2015

epcjckx9aql6darbtjvvTERMINATOR GENISYS

“GENISYS winks and nudges so much it’ll bruise your ribs.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“A pointless but not unentertaining diversion, TERMINATOR GENISYS exists for the same reason a dog licks his balls: because it can.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

“TERMINATOR GENISYS could have been your next favorite dumb action movie, but it is far too concerned with fitting into the greater Terminator timeline and ultimately the action suffers because of it.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“…despite Schwartzenegger’s presence, this film is a big-budget, confusing mess who’s ultimate insult is an ambiguous post-credits final scene trumpeting an unnecessary sequel to come.” – Tim Estiloz, El Mundo Boston

“TERMINATOR GENISYS may be yet another summer movie sequel, but this one turns out to have been worth the effort.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“…much more interested in cheaply calling back to its predecessors, sporting a framework indicative of the superhero genre’s increasingly huge influence on blockbusters, and setting the stage for installments to come.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

 

magic-mike-xxl-channing-tatum-gabriel-iglesiasMAGIC MIKE XXL

“While MAGIC MIKE sold a darker, cautionary tale alongside the fantasy of a buddy band of strippers, MAGIC MIKE XXL makes it all about the fun.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

“There’s nothing sadder than a stripper who is past their prime and in MAGIC MIKE XXL, you’re stuck with five of them.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“MAGIC MIKE XXL is eye candy for those who want to see barely dressed men simulating sex. If that’s not you, you needn’t bother.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“MAGIC MIKE XXL isn’t as good of a movie as it’s predecessor, but it’s a way better party.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

 

infinitely-polar-bearINFINITELY POLAR BEAR

“This may be based on a true story, but the film itself never once succeeds in evoking real experience.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

“…nothing’s ever quite so black-and-white in INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, which treats issues of race, mental illness and family dysfunction with nuance.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

 

Manglehorn_StillMANGLEHORN

“Slyly constructed as a shrine to its star, MANGLEHORN is peppered with shoutouts to Pacino’s filmography.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

 

 

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 06/26/2015

TED 204

Ted 2 is the next stop on the road that MacFarlane has been traveling down since A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST, one starting with artistic integrity and ending with delusions of grandeur.” – Sam Cohen, Substream Magazine

“The pattern beginning to emerge with MacFarlane’s live-action work is that the “elaborate setpiece” gags either land soft or not at all, while the small observational material stands up a lot better.” – Bob Chipman, Moviebob

 

mxMAX

MAX manages to tell a coherent story in spite of the many subplots that are introduced and run side by side with the primary plot.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

 

A Little ChaosA LITTLE CHAOS

“…a beautifully filmed story about love, loss, pomp and passion brought to live by some terrific acting from the entire cast.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“…as schematic and preordained as the classical aesthetics it’s supposedly railing against.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

 

 

the-overnightTHE OVERNIGHT

“…a slender conceit stretched out about as far as it can go…” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“…the sort of film that lets you get to know four people better than you may know your own friends, and it never tries to be anything more than it is.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“…rarely goes off into tangents where it would be difficult to reel everything back into the main narrative.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“Turns out that kids really do ruin everything.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

 

big-game-movie-set-2BIG GAME

“If you’re going to drop a bomb, you might as well drop it with gusto.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“So much of today’s big-ticket filmmaking is designed to pummel you into submission that Helander’s scrappy chutzpah feels kinda soothing. ” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 06/19/2015

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INSIDE OUT

“As close as [Pixar] has come to outright making “TOY STORY but with _____” …and it still manages to land as a new member of the studio’s legendary top-tier productions – this is a masterpiece.” – Bob Chipman, MOVIEBOB

“Sometim es, it takes a touch of sadness to experience and appreciate real joy.” – Brett Michel, Improper Bostonian

“Pixar understands the value of a good laugh as much as the importance of a good cry. You’ll do plenty of both throughout.” – Andy Crump, A Constant Visual Feast

“INSIDE OUT is a brilliant and touching film that shows Pixar has not lost its touch.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“The movie is deceptively cheery and simple for kids, yet grows in complexity the more one reflects on the made-up structure of this amusement park of a movie.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

“Welcome back, Pixar. We’ve missed you.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“The toys almost getting destroyed in TOY STORY 3, Carl losing his wife in UP, and almost losing Boo in MONSTERS, INC.– wait until you meet Sadness and Joy.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

20150106homeandearl0125magME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

“Leave the tissues at home. Bring an aspirin instead.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

“Oh, why didn’t they just call it ME?” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“…ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL forces the audience to spend time with one of the more narcissistic teenagers we have seen in years while feeding his narcissism.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

 

o-DOPE-facebookDOPE

“So what’s so fresh about DOPE? Nothing.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“With hip-hop-fueled personality in spades, DOPE tries to be many things: drug comedy, coming-of-age drama and action farce. Luckily, its scattershot narrative is almost always exciting and a pleasure to watch.” – Sam Cohen, Substream Magazine

 

IMG_7856.CR2TESTAMENT OF YOUTH

“This film is handsomely produced and beautifully shot by cinematographer Rob Hardy. It’s also hobbled by a certain rote quality that pervades every scene, as well as an emotionally heavy, damp atmosphere.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

the-wolfpack-movie-image-1THE WOLFPACK

“Call social services.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“…a compelling tale about the transporting power of film in the face of human insularity.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 06/12/2015

Jurassic World

JURASSIC WORLD

“Spectacularly silly, as though tweaking the noses of genre-fans who demand every last franchise tumble down into Gritty Realism Land was a Priority 1 note pinned to the screenwriter’s monitor.” – Bob Chipman, MOVIEBOB

“…harebrained but never boring, and unlike the last two sequels, it has a proper if overstated reverence for Steven Spielberg’s original classic. ” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“While it clearly (and predictably) fails to come close to JURASSIC PARK, JURASSIC WORLD does manage to provide a great deal of entertainment for those of us who are interested.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“The plotting and characterization is about an inch deep, but it does raise some interesting points along the way to its mega-dinosaur smackdown finale.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“If CGI creature fighting, close-call moments upended by heroic feats and spurts of nostalgia callbacks are your bag, then you might enjoy this scaleless attempt at carrying on a brand name instead of a unique film series.” – Sam Cohen, Substream Magazine

“As pure escapist popcorn spectacle, JURASSIC WORLD hits its intended mark of throwing lots of action onto the screen; but beyond the chaos, there’s little meat on the bone for this story.” – Tim Estiloz, El Mundo Boston

“Fleeting glimpses of joy are the strongest segments of JURASSIC WORLD, a theme park and movie that is about filling seats and crunching numbers.” – Max Covill, Impassioned Cinema

“There’s a high level of craft going on here but also a cynical shrug.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“…predictability stunts the narrative from becoming anything that would inspire Spielberg-esque awe.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

“The plot is as fossilized as the bones that paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) was digging up in the desert at the beginning of JURASSIC PARK way back in 1993, but so what?” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

The-Connection-reviewTHE CONNECTION

“Jimenez hasn’t exactly broken the period-crime/thriller mold, but he’s built a solid entertainment, with techniques well absorbed from the American movie tradition.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

 

 

heaven-knows-whatHEAVEN KNOWS WHAT

“Cinema lets us engage with difficult subject matter through a veneer of security. But something like HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT pierces that veil. By its very nature, it pushes the boundaries of our personal comfort.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT may not be a pleasant viewing experience, but it is an enormously compelling one, and with exceptional artistry forced me to look at and consider people from whom on the street I too often look away.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“This is a movie made up of the places, the actions, and the people that we look away from.” – Jake Mulligan, Dig Boston

 

LIVE FROM NEW YORK!

LIVE FROM NEW YORK!

“…there is a story to be told here about how these rebels became the establishment, but it’s not one Nguyen nor any of the (surprisingly few) participants have any interest in telling.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

“There are murmurs here of SNL having lost its edge, and it’s true that there have been periods of stagnation in that long four-decade run, but that essential, transgressive aura remains bright and intact.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

farewellTHE FAREWELL PARTY

“Don’t think about THE FAREWELL PARTY as a movie about anything in terms of your own personal stand – pro or con – about assisted suicide; think of it, instead, as a beautifully rendered tale about friendship and the lengths friends will go to for each other.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide