2015

Posted on April 3, 2015 by bofca

furious-7-rock FURIOUS 7

“The stakes are raised in terms of possible mortality of the main players, the cars are more expensive and harder to wreck, and the overlying theme about family as the source of adrenaline-induced fury is enough to destroy a whole urban city (literally).” – Sam Cohen, Substream Magazine

“The franchise has evolved into pure action spectacle. It has transformed from a car show into a gun show.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

“…the filmmakers forgot Chekhov’s rule that if The Rock says “I’m gonna put a hurt on him so bad he’ll wish his mother kept her legs crossed” in the first act, you need to pay that off in the third.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“Everything included in FURIOUS 7 allows fans of this lengthy series to jump right in the driver’s seat of this action packed cinematic vehicle and embrace all of the entertainment that these movies are looking to offer.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“The first movie franchise to ever successfully transition to self-parody; mostly by doing so in such a ‘subtle’ (after a fashion) kind of way that anyone who might’ve been annoyed by that transition probably didn’t notice.” – Bob Chipman, Movie Bob Reviews

WOMAN IN GOLD

“…a hokey piece of cinema that uses the horrors of the Holocaust for little else but yanking the viewers’ heartstrings.” – Charlie Nash, Cinematic Essential

“…WOMAN IN GOLD is harmless and mildly arresting thanks to the efforts of its leads. It just doesn’t rise much above being more than just half-cocked schmaltz, which is a bummer at best and an insult to Altmann’s struggle at worst. ” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“The film lets us see the tensions and sadness that are inevitable in a story like this, but also offers some wry humor.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Jewish Advocate

EFFIE GRAY

“EFFIE GRAY isn’t an easy viewing experience, but it has the goods for a patient audience. It will stay the dragons awhile.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

MAGICIAN: THE ASTONISHING LIFE AND WORK OF ORSON WELLES

“Although it stumbles on the details, though, the one thing that Workman’s movie does quite effectively is give us a sense of the independence spirit that Welles brought to all his art, whether they were successful or not.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 03/27/2015

Posted on March 27, 2015 by bofca

GET HARD

“GET HARD is the comedic equivalent of listening to a couple of bros regurgitate prison rape jokes at a family dinner table.” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny

“What [Cohen] lacks in insight he almost makes up for in moxy (and an endless supply of dick jokes).” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“Will Ferrell needs to be stopped.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“At least Hart and Ferrell have solid comic chemistry.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“While I wish it offered more intellectually in the form of a meaningful story, GET HARD does provide legitimate entertainment.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

HOME

“HOME is not going to be anyone’s new favorite film from Dreamworks. It will, however, serve as a really fun time out with your kids to the theater.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“…a charming entertainment for children that should amuse the adults that have to accompany them.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

SERENA

“…director Susanne Bier never veers from a tone of mournful humorlessness, sticking firmly to prestige-picture blandness when the material clearly calls for something much soapier and wilder. ” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

“certainly a mixed bag, but has enough in it to keep me interested, and another chance to see these two actors at work.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

“Some guys just don’t look good in hats.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Handsome to look at, but saddled with tonally inconsistent plot points and performances, SERENA falls short, and falls flat.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 03/20/2015

Posted on March 20, 2015 by bofca

INSURGENT

“Woodley does solid work here as she’s done elsewhere, and continues to be someone to watch…” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“INSURGENT, bless its heart, relies even more on Young Adult fiction tropes than THE HUNGER GAMES, a series it resembles from top to bottom.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“Looking to surge forward in a big way with more action and a faster pace, INSURGENT turns into something with the ability to only be incoherent and disjointed throughout its entire time on-screen.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

THE GUNMAN

“THE GUNMAN not only falls short on the action itself, but it offers little else for the audience to enjoy.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“…a quandary of NGOs, poverty statistics and humanitarian efforts with an occasional shoot-out sprinkled in for good measure. Kinda like if Bono penned a Liam Neeson potboiler.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“What’s remarkable isn’t how the movie slides into dumb action and trite execution, but how close it comes to hitting the target in spite of itself.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

IT FOLLOWS

“Fused with a synth-pop soundtrack (thank god those are making a comeback), some genuine scares, and an eerily calm atmosphere that gets pulled without a moments notice, IT FOLLOWS is a startlingly good new horror feature.” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny

“IT FOLLOWS is a throwback of sorts that utilizes certain aspects of horror that serious fans of the genre are sure to love.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“…a moody, elegantly crafted little throwback that’s probably not being particularly well-served by the breathless hype that’s been following it (har-har) around festivals ever since last year’s Cannes premiere.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“Stylistically and thematically, IT FOLLOWS is one of the best horror movies to hit the big screen in recent years.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE

“You might hate it, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see it anyway.” – Kristofer Jenson, Scout Cambridge

“It’s a bona fide art-house “blockbuster event movie.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“That we may not have reached the limit of language per se, but we might very well have have reached, if not exceeded, our capacity to give a shit.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“Maybe language keeps us at arm’s length from nature, but if so, it still does a pretty solid job of articulating the full gamut of human emotion.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

MERCHANTS OF DOUBT

“MERCHANTS OF DOUBT damningly eviscerates most of the asinine arguments clung to by bought-and-paid-for representatives of the oil companies, including an oft-cited, thoroughly discredited study signed by 31,000 scientific luminaries — some of whom happen to have the same names as BACK TO THE FUTURE’s Marty McFly and the Spice Girls.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 03/13/2015

Posted on March 13, 2015 by bofca

CINDERELLA

“While not a musical retelling (which might disappoint some Disneyphiles), it’s nevertheless a worthy tribute to the classic.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“…this version of CINDERELLA has no teeth.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“…Branagh is smart enough to know that you don’t mess with a time-honored yarn without good reason.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“Disney films can be accused of all sorts of ills, but with CINDERELLA, they have proven that they are capable of producing a boring film that somehow has no magic in it.” – Deidre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“Little girls–of all ages–will have a great time…” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

RUN ALL NIGHT

“There’s a constant push-pull here between the violence and the regretful tone.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

“RUN ALL NIGHT will be lucky if it runs all week. This one’s dead on arrival.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“RUN ALL NIGHT’s constant despondency never gets uplifted by anything worthy of an ooh or ahh.” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny

“Because of it being what it is, RUN ALL NIGHT can definitely be viewed negatively in the eyes of many of us.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

’71

“Don’t consider this as a political film — consider it “The Warriors,” remade as historical fiction.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

“Although it it doesn’t turn out to be the kind of movie one may think it’s going to be, ’71 is still a healthy slice of engaging cinema.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“(Director Yann) Demange is careful to keep the action in the movie as real and shocking as possible. The result is deeply disturbing.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

$DeliMan-Gallery_05_{95b52bdf-2470-e411-bad0-d4ae527c3b65}_lg$ DELI MAN

“There are two things you will hear at the end of Deli Man: Audiences applauding and stomachs growling.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

THE WRECKING CREW

“If nothing else, watching The Wrecking Crew is a musical education that everybody with a stereo and memories of the songs these guys played on will appreciate.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“It may indeed be a “home movie,” but THE WRECKING CREW is awfully hard not to like.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 03/06/2015

Posted on March 6, 2015 by bofca

CHAPPIE

“…a welcome addition to the long and rich history of the robot in science fiction films.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“A smoldering dumpster fire of second-hand elements from better movies…” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“How far from a source that inspires a filmmaker should he keep if he wants to avoid repeating someone else’s stories?” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

“There’s nothing spectacular about CHAPPIE, but it is a stable film about instability when greed and selfishness get in the way of doing the right thing.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“…the robot works, and so, too, does Blomkamp’s movie.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

“…the laughs lack punch, and the social messages are muddled at best.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Tom Wilkinson wax poetic about wheelbarrowing.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

“Instead of trying to shock and mine laughs from the audience through raunch, director Ken Scott’s newest is so bored in trying to tell a story that it lulls you to sleep.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

QUEEN AND COUNTRY

“Such dreary trips down somebody else’s memory lane would be almost bearable if the film left you with a sense that it was leading you somewhere, but it doesn’t.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Boorman’s inclination toward jokery is one of the film’s unifying elements.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“This film is laugh-out-loud funny, but its sadness sneaks up on you. Even the minor wars—if there is such a thing—are ultimately hell.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

WILD TALES

“You don’t have to read up on Argentina’s history of systemic corruption to identify with these hapless souls pushed past their breaking points by the effrontery of the rich and privileged, or the fatalistic feeling that we’re all playing a rigged game. ” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

“Watching the film you just want to relax and settle back. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a warm bath.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“While I don’t believe THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL will win over too many new fans, I do believe that it will entertain the people who enjoyed the original.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“This isn’t a GREAT film, and this cast and its characters with all the tropes of their talent & experience deserve a GREAT film. For now, I’ll settle for this trifle, and its jubilant Bollywood ending.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

KIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN

“Once the fault lines between the characters start to show, there’s little suspense about where the shattered pieces of this felonious brotherhood are going to fall.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“As far as KIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN is concerned, there are plenty of other movies about these types of crimes that are done much better and actually have the ability to captivate their viewers. While this isn’t one of the absolute worst, it’s completely forgettable and worth skipping all together.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“This is about as nuts and bolts as a movie can get without betraying an undercurrent of apathy on behalf of its creator, though in fairness to Alfredson it’s probably pretty hard to get excited about material this boilerplate.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“There’s absolutely no tension in the movie, only a tedious time spend waiting for it to end.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

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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