BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/11/2023

THE POD GENERATION

The Pod Generation has too much on its mind, introducing one idea after another as worldbuilding details to buttress its main concerns about women’s bodily autonomy. As fumbles go, Barthes straining her story’s seams isn’t a game-ender; when making art that imagines the future by mulling over the present, it’s worse by far not to think enough.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“Those looking for a thoughtful, gentle film which will leave you with something to think about will find The Pod Generation offers views a “what if?” that may not be as far-fetched as we might like.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

“When the insults turn friendly, the underlying erotic charge powering their feelings for each other find their way to the surface in this gay rom com. The two leads bring a heartfelt freshness to their roles, along with loads of charm.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Media Network

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER

“The Dracula aboard The Demeter is a vicious, hungry animal. Period. There’s no clue of the man shape he will assume once he arrives at Carfax Abbey. And that’s a good thing.”John Black, Cinekong

 

JULES

Jules is ultimately a touching story about the very human need to make connections – with family, with friends, and even with visitors from another world.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

MEDUSA DELUXE

“Medusa Deluxe possesses no shortage of either style or substance; it boasts both a dazzling visual gimmick and one of the densest and wordiest screenplays of the year. Yet these two aspects never quite gel, resulting in a film that feels curiously less than the sum of its parts.” – Oscar Goff, Boston Hassle

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/4/2023

SHORTCOMINGS

“Ben is easily one of the most unlikable leading characters ever written into a rom-com, and no amount of relief from Alice or Miko can make sitting there listening to Ben spout out his never-ending dribble about life and cinema worth sitting through Shortcomings.”John Black, Cinekong

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM

“It’s not very good but undemanding youngsters – and adults swooning with their own TMNT nostalgia – should have no trouble getting down into the sewer and into the ooze with this “Mutant Mayhem.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 7/28/2023

TALK TO ME

“Horror movie characters make questionable choices all the time. Talk to Me insulates itself from the trope with unquestionable reality; using an evil artifact to attract angry phantasms seems infinitely less idiotic than gluing vampire fangs to your teeth.” – Andy Crump, Inverse

“Talk to Me is scary in the sublime way of a good funhouse, jolting you from one beat to the next with lean efficiency and a perversely good-natured sense of fun, leading up to a punchline as darkly funny as any classic EC comic.” – Oscar Goff, Boston Hassle

KOKOMO CITY

“Shot in raw, gorgeous black-and-white, Smith’s film is a corrective to ignorance, even while refusing to sugarcoat its subject matter.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Media Network

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 7/21/2023

BARBIE

“Barbie’s about to confront real life, feet on the ground…until Greta and co-writer/husband Noah Baumbach turn into Chatty Cathy (also created by Ms. Handler) and kill the momentum by scripting the elaborate details of a metaphysical portal to the real world, how to get there, all the gadgets on the journey and why weird Barbie is weird.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

“The biggest message that we all have to find our own way.” – Byron McNeal, On The Reel On Tumblr

“The movie revels in the history of Barbie, from the related dolls that didn’t quite take off (including one that got pregnant), to the notion that the doll presents both an impossible physical ideal and yet also allowed the children playing with Barbies to imagine endless possibilities not only for her but for themselves.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

OPPENHEIMER

“Nolan has not only crafted one of the best films of year. He has made one that will be watched and discussed long after much of its competition has been forgotten.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Christopher Nolan has orchestrated a blazing field of talent around a detailed, masterfully edited, multi-faceted plot with a central core: the making of the bomb and its fallout, globally and personally for the genius at the helm: J. Robert Oppenheimer.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices