BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 12/14/2018

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SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSEspider-man-into-the-spider-verse-marvel-universe-easter-eggs

“INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is built for a new kind of fandom, offering a world in which anyone can be Spider-Man — including young men of color, teenage girls, anime robots, talking pigs and even Nicolas Cage.” – Sean Burns, North Shore Movies

“Anyone who believes that superheroes should be canonized only by their classic identities will probably walk out of SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE with a nasty rash.” – Andy Crump, Men’s Health

“SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE works in every way it needs to in order for it to be the genuine success it is.”  – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

vox-lux-trailer-new-700x321VOX LUX

“Certain to be a polarizing cinematic experience, VOX LUX is not easy or accessible.” – Deirdre Crimmins, High-Def Digest

“…a burly, overbearing piece of filmmaking, often horrifically funny and excitingly unencumbered by questions of good taste or worries about when to say when.” – Sean Burns, The ARTery

“…an ambitious film that proves to be less than the sum of its parts… but fans of Natalie Portman won’t want to miss her risk-taking performance here.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Reviews

2488_TP3_00025R.0MORTAL ENGINES

“MORTAL ENGINES creates a beautiful, dangerous, and escapist world, but it suffers from trying to do too much with characters we barely care about.” – Deirdre Crimmins, High-Def Digest

“What makes it fascinating even for those unfamiliar with the source material (like this reviewer) is its stunning visual design.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

07-ben-is-back.w1200.h630BEN IS BACK

“BEN IS BACK is not your typical, weepy addiction drama. But addiction is not a monolith and if adding a little intrigue to this story gives us another version of this story, then it’s fine by me.” – Deirdre Crimmins, High-Def Digest

“The problem is in the script, as filmmaker Hedges doesn’t seem to have asked himself why an audience would want to subject themselves to this.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 12/07/2018

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THE FAVOURITEfavourite-the-2018-002-emma-stone-shooting-gun

“Running a touch long, THE FAVOURITE is nothing if not a wildly intriguing journey with one of the most provocative closing frames of the year – one that makes you reevaluate completely the film you’ve just seen and the characters in it.” – Allyson Johnson, Cambridge Day

“…the absurdist approach of Athens-born Lanthimos has produced a more wildly entertaining film than almost any other this year—at least for its first half when his bristling critiques of the ruling class are hilariously scabrous.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

 

ROMAROMA

“…a film that was designed to be experienced in a state-of-the-art theater capable of presenting the 360-degree, immersive sound and sumptuously long takes shot in crisp black-and-white by [Alfonso] Cuarón himself, acting as his own cinematographer.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“ROMA is a good film that would be even better if it wasn’t trying so hard all the time to be a masterpiece.” – Sean Burns, The ARTery

 

Mary-Queen-of-Scots-Saoirse-RonanMARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

“Pity the tragic figures of Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) and her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), but not because of the roles that life thrust them into.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“…a missed opportunity to shed light on a key moment in history, using it instead to export contemporary concerns to the past.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

 

FiveFingers633x356FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES

“Though sometimes a rocky ride, FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES nonetheless provides the sound satisfactions of a well-told western yarn, with a provocative subtext percolating just beneath the surface.” – Sean Burns, The ARTery

“The film’s vistas are beautiful and [Michael] Matthews’s aim high, but those aspirations are not fully realized in what feels like a first draft attempt at brushing Western customs with textures drawn from a South African palette.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

 

ailes2DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES

“…a depressingly necessary viewing experience, basically the opposite of the Mister Rogers movie in that you spend two hours with one of the worst human beings to walk the planet during our lifetimes but in the end feel a little bit better because at least he’s dead.” – Sean Burns, North Shore Movies

 

Anna_and_the_Apocalypse.0ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE

“ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE is what you can get when you’re able to effectively blend familiar elements that don’t usually mix together.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

 

 

 

BOFCA MID-WEEK ROUNDUP 12/5/2018

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Deirdre Crimmins reviews MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, RUIN ME, A MILLION HITS and THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES

Robyn Bahr reviews NBC Christmas Specials

Spoilerpiece Theatre talks CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME and AT ETERNITY’S GATE

Sean Burns reviews DIVIDE AND CONQUER and SHOPLIFTERS

Bob Chipman looks at STAR WARS KIDS and BATTLEFIELD V

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 11/30/2018

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a6b8a95cdc09a2869bec6e63f5f2ef1c-h_2018SHOPLIFTERS

“SHOPLIFTERS presents a mighty story of connection, lost dreams, found homes and forced hope in an intimate package.” – Allyson Johnson, Cambridge Day

“The rap against Kore-eda is that sometimes he can get a little sappy, but the nature of this story brings with it an undercurrent of darkness that tempers the director’s more winsome tendencies.” – Sean Burns, The ARTery

“From a purely cinematic perspective, it’ll be easy for most to gain an appreciation for all that SHOPLIFTERS hopes to achieve.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“…SHOPLIFTERS is held up by the strength of its ensemble and Kore-eda’s gifts as a storyteller, which gain with every movie he makes—even in the same year.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine