2015

Posted on February 6, 2015 by bofca

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

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/30/2015

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

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

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 02/06/2015

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/30/2015

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/23/2015

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/16/2015

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/09/2015