Spoilerpiece Theatre does FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Monica Castillo talks GHOSTBUSTERS, Benedict Cumberbatch, 31 Days of Oscar and female directors
Sam Cohen looks at the Terrence Mallick-produced THE BETTER ANGELS
Bob Chipman reviews LAW & ORDER: SVU’s controversial new episode
Jared Bowen debuts a brand new OPEN STUDIO
Andy Crump breaks down WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, alternate Oscar viewing, Neil Blomkamp’s possible ALIEN movie and AGENT CARTER
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
“What’s important is that the novel began life as “Twilight” fan fiction. That tells you everything you need to know.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
“After getting whipped over the rear with the banal story that FIFTY SHADES OF GREY employs, you may walk out of the theater feeling as fatigued as Anastasia.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review
“It ain’t bad. It isn’t good, either, but it’s also not the train wreck that most people seem to want it to be.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter
“There’s a really funny, sexy comedy in this big-screen version of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY that would probably have been wonderful were it not also stuck with being an adaptation of the loathsome novel FIFTY SHADES OF GREY.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality
“The best part of the movie IS the sex. About 20 minutes of it.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
“Nothing in KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE has the ability to transform into the spectacle that it could have been. It’s an okay movie that could have been made better by simply turning everything up a few extra notches and allowing it to move faster.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show
“KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE may lack the sophistication of its peers, but damned if it doesn’t know how to have a good time.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine
“Given the gratuitous gravitas that handcuffs most action movies these days – that whole “With great power comes great responsibility” shtick – it’s refreshing to enjoy an unapologetic thrill ride like KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
“For once, we have an inspired genre film that is self-aware and focuses more on the love for that genre instead of throwing jabs at its inconsistencies.” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny
“If Bond’s upper lip has grown too stiff for you, Eggsy’s new breed of spy is bound to raise a few eyebrows.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian
“What begins as a witty, exciting, and inventive update on the iconic James Bond gentleman spy thriller, descends into a crude gore fest that left me cringing in my seat.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices
HUMAN CAPITAL
“…emotional carnage of all sorts — romantic, sexual, marital — abounds here, the outcome of people keeping secret or holding on to assumptions about others’ worth, or their own.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston
“The end result is a muddled mess with a few memorable moments” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
“If HUMAN CAPITAL is the kind of thing that’s supposed to pass for great foreign cinema these days, we’re all assuredly fucked.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter
JUPITER ASCENDING
“JUPITER ASCENDING had all the makings of a cyberpunk STAR WARS meets DUNE mashup: royalty that needs rescuing, parental issues, alien life forms, fanciful spaceships and distinct outer planets. What it severely lacks is any sense of cohesion.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times
““Jupiter Ascending is big and beautiful, but its story seemed curated from the ebook romance department.” – Max Covill, Fresh From The Theater
“The Wachowskis’ sense of scale, clear inspiration by Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ideas for DUNE, and attention to detail all make JUPITER ASCENDING top-notch spectacle.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review
“There’s a kind of groovy, multicultural, pansexual vibe where all are welcome and the deliberately artificial visuals are to die for.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality
“Is it too early to declare the JUPITER ASCENDING the worst movie of 2015?” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter
“If you still have a sense of wonder with which a popcorn movie like JUPITER ASCENDING can connect, you’ll have a good time.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
“The self-indulgent action sequences that clog up the movie only underscore the banality of the tale once the action stops.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
SEVENTH SON
“This is a trainwreck, and not the accidental kind. People made this thing on purpose.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine
“That mumbly/drunken/unintelligible slur coming out of the main character’s mouth really is how Jeff Bridges thinks a witch witch slayer would sound back in medieval times. Don’t let it bother you.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
“The story is so familiar that even if you haven’t read Joseph Delaney’s THE SPOOK’S APPRENTICE (the film’s source material) you’re never surprised by what happens.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies
“As bad as SEVENTH SON is, I have to question why it was even released in the first place.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show
THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER
“For those of you who are fans, you may find yourself hollering more than the children and their parents who fill the theater.” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny
“I doubt THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER will be considered one of the best animated films by the time 2015 comes to a close, but it is a movie that promises a good time for children who are fans of the series.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show
“We know where we’re going, but it takes far too long to get there.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston
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
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