2015

Posted on January 30, 2015 by bofca

PROJECT ALMANAC

” …it doesn’t quite work, but the young teen audience this movie is being pitched to probably won’t mind.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“PROJECT ALMANAC attempts and mostly succeeds at taking something weary in cinema and breathing an EDM-laden breath directly onto the screen.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“I can’t completely rip PROJECT ALMANAC apart since there are a few interesting features that I think are decent, but I do wish they could have cleaned it up a bit while giving us more to get excited about.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

BLACK SEA

“BLACK SEA is a leaky ship.” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny

“While it’s hard to legitimately recommend BLACK SEA to people, it wouldn’t hurt to check it out if you may be interested in something like this.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY

“DUKE OF BURGUNDY is the BDSM masterpiece that we didn’t know we needed, but we can sure marvel at its beauty.” – Max Covill, Fresh From the Theatre

“The film is exquisitely framed and composed and moodily lit by cinematographer Nic Knowland, who has an eye for texture, be it ranks of butterfles pinned up in museum-quality mounts, or frilly underthings swimming delicately in soap suds.” – Killan Melloy, Edge Boston

“THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY will have an impact on you whether or not its constituent components are taken literally.” – Kristofer Jenson, Dig Boston

“Just don’t call it a love story.”. – Jake Mulligan, Movie Mezzanine

MOMMY

“While I feel MOMMY was unjustly overlooked when it came to being nominated for any Oscars, it certainly is a film that’s worth paying attention to.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/23/2015

Posted on January 23, 2015 by bofca

MORTDECAI

“It isn’t one of the worst movies you’ll ever see, but Mortdecai certainly has a long way before it can be seen as a respectable piece of cinematic art.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“A snicker here, a polite chuckle there, but not a belly laugh in sight.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

THE BOY NEXT DOOR

“Few movies actually live up to that notion of a movie that is so hilariously awful they it is perversely entertaining. “The Boy Next Door” does. It is–at least unintentionally–the laugh-riot of the year.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“I didn’t pay and I still want my money back.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

“…part of what makes Two Days, One Night miraculous is the restraint the Dardennes display.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

“In shifting their usual point of view and placing their unflinching gaze squarely on the face of a seasoned professional, the Dardennes have captured one of the most naturalistic performances in a directing career known for cultivated kitchen-sink realism. ” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“Fragility is a tough thing to sell on the big screen, but Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) gives a masterclass on the art of how to do it.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

STILL ALICE

“It’s tasteful to a fault, exploring a terrifying subject with the utmost decorum. You feel bad when it’s over, but not too bad.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

SONG ONE

“SONG ONE isn’t bad; it is, however, disjointed as a melancholy testament to music’s ability to heal all wounds and as a love story about disaffected souls set against the backdrop of New York City’s modern folk scene.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

BELOVED SISTERS

“Even the parts that are meant to feel light and silly seem muted and too heavy.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/16/2015

Posted on January 16, 2015 by bofca

BLACKHAT

“The film repeatedly lulls the audience into a sense of comfort just before yanking the rug out from under their theater seats.” – Deirdre Crimmins, All Things Horror

“BLACKHAT is not the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s just a monotonous affair that ends up being a waste for a handful of reasons.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“Shut up, whatever. Look cool.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“…Mann takes on us a wild, labyrinthine and, as usual, visually stunning journey that leaves one, once again, awestruck by this director’s skill at constructing a compelling thriller…” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Examiner

“BLACKHAT is silly, explosive, gorgeous, thrilling, and we should all be thankful, as viewers, to be blips of data on Mann’s digitally rendered canvas.” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny

“…Mann’s idea of following data through computer systems leaves you thinking he’s worn out his VHS tape of TRON.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

AMERICAN SNIPER

“AMERICAN SNIPER strips down and rearranges Chris Kyle’s best-selling, self-aggrandizing autobiography into something far more troubled and unsettling.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“In spite of my complaints, AMERICAN SNIPER is actually a decent movie overall.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“It’s wisest to leave one’s personal politics outside the multiplex when viewing AMERICAN SNIPER.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“…there’s much flag-waving during the newsreel footage of the real Kyle’s funeral that runs under the end credits, but this is Eastwood at his most apolitical, no matter what chair he prefers talking to.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“For a film that opens with the chanting of the Muslim call to prayer, AMERICAN SNIPER never bothers to venture into understanding any other point of view than Navy Seal hero, Chris Kyle’s (Bradley Cooper).” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny

“AMERICAN SNIPER is a mature film of the toll war takes on its warriors, and you should see it, regardless of your politics.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Keeps firing shots heard round the world.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

THE WEDDING RINGER

“Listen carefully: between the barking of bad behavior and the hand-wringing of male anxiety, you’ll hear the braying of barnyard animals.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

“A MOST VIOLENT YEAR plays out more like an exercise in ambition.” – Norm Schrager, Paste Magazine

“Was heating oil really the accelerant that almost burned New York City to the ground in 1981? Watching A Most Violent Year, you’d never even know.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“”…A MOST VIOLENT YEAR stands toe-to-toe with the films it tries to emulate.” – Max Covill, Fresh From the Theater

“It’s not entirely successful, but it’s more diverting than watching a bunch of goons shoot each other.” – David Riedel, San Antonio Current

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/09/2015

Posted on January 9, 2015 by bofca

SELMA

“SELMA is a paean to the power of civil disobedience, and what good can come from solidarity against government-sanctioned hate.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“For the first major theatrical release of a film about Martin Luther King Jr., SELMA does a great job of telling a story that was important in defining the man, the people and the country that they lived, fought and died in.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“This is the King that secular sainthood has stolen from the history books” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

“A film that demands to be seen, despite its flaws. It’s part of American history and a story that we should all know.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

INHERENT VICE

“…this is a movie that rewards multiple viewings, where the lingering questions might amount to “INHERENT twice, or INHERENT thrice?” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“There’s a melancholy undercurrent gathering force as the movie sidewinds its way through the convoluted mystery.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“Anderson has created an aesthetic approach at once overwhelming and laid back. He’s given us a deep indica high.” – Jake Mulligan, Dig Boston

“If you’re going to watch INHERENT VICE, be sure to ignore all of the twists and turns in the supposed story line. Doing so will save you from problems that could come with this flick if you don’t know what you’re in store for.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

TAKEN 3

“…Neeson, one of the unexpectedly essential action stars of the day, has outgrown this franchise by several leagues.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“TAKEN 3 is a slapdash throwaway. Your Dad deserves better.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“That’s basically the underlying appeal of the whole TAKEN franchise: The universe conspires, in form of Scary Foreign Terrorist Types, to teach the ungrateful women in our hero’s life how desperately necessary his presence is.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

PREDESTINATION

“This movie, true to its title, feels completely foreordained — not mention forced and contrived.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 12/26/2014

Posted on December 26, 2014 by bofca

INTO THE WOODS

“How many different ways can one shoot trees?” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“Outside of the criticisms that I have, nothing in INTO THE WOODS is below average. Then again, nothing in it is that far above average either.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“Director Rob Marshall… makes good use of Hollywood magic to make the fairy tale magic seem real in a way that is not possible on stage.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

UNBROKEN

“If you’re hoping for more than the usual, you’re most likely going to be disappointed in some fashion, because there isn’t much to offer in UNBROKEN.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“In choosing to make the POW experience the crux of the film, the preliminary material goes on far too long as we await the story proper to finally begin.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

BIG EYES

“…a feminist crowd-pleaser with the force of moral righteousness on its side.” – Inkoo Kang, The Wrap

“The Margaret Keane biopic never finds its own inspired streak, because it gives Burton nothing to paint.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

THE INTERVIEW

“This buddy comedy is no classic on the level of PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, and it’s not nearly as self-critical as THIS IS THE END.” – Monica Castillo, Movie Mezzanine

THE GAMBLER

“Although I wish that THE GAMBLER actually gambled by take some risks to give us viewers an authentic sense of suspense and trouble, I can’t say that this remake resulted in failure.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“THE GAMBLER has been adjusted for inflation.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

“It’s not quite a holiday movie, but a powerful performance by Wahlberg makes it worth seeing.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

Boston Online Film Critics Association

The Boston Online Film Critics Association was established in May of 2012 to foster a community of web-based film critics.

Category Archives: Review Roundups

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