BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 5/24

FAST & FURIOUS 6Fast & Furious 6

“An action junkie’s encyclopedia. It doesn’t just cement the FAST movies into position as the most gloriously big-and-dumb in Hollywood’s menagerie of big-and-dumb franchises; it then drives a car through the cement.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s spectacular. Stripped down to a knowingly comical bare-bones throughline, the film is a delivery system for high-octane chase scenes and bare-knuckle brawls. What a silly picture, and yet so wonderfully enjoyable.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

I can’t believe how much fun I had watching FAST & FURIOUS 6. It reaches such heights of absurdity and stupidity that I kind of admire its willingness to be nothing more or less than a big, brashy, loud, dumb action flick.” David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“This is the first film in the series I found as enjoyable to actually watch as I did to snark at afterwards. A phenomenal action film, providing you can groove on its ‘maybe-we-know-how-dumb-this is’ wavelength.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Note for those of a scientific bent: the laws of physics are suspended for this movie just as they are in Road Runner cartoons. If you like high speed chases, fight scenes and explosions, FAST & FURIOUS 6 delivers.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

THE HANGOVER PART IIIThe Hangover Part III

“We’re supposed to be rooting for characters who are self-absorbed and arrogant, then laugh at what they do to their friends and family. This is about humiliating decent people who make the mistake of caring for others.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“A singularly joyless experience, soaked in so much anger and desperation that the movie almost becomes interesting in spite of itself. Nobody wants to be here.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Is THE HANGOVER PART III really good, or just so much better than PART II that it seems good? How’s that for an endorsement? The second film is so bad, the third is better by default.” David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

 

EPICEpic

“Though it takes a while to get going, it does turn into a charming film with several positive messages for kids, from female empowerment to protecting the environment.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“An overcrowded hodgepodge of familiar tropes and Xeroxed bits from other, better films. It’s the kind of movie that even while watching it for the first time you could swear you’ve seen it before.” – Sean Burns, Metro

 

FRANCES HAFrances Ha

“Baumbach and Gerwig have done something wonderful, giving us a lead character at a crossroads without resorting to crazy plot twists or big ta-da moments.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“Obviously the work of a man giddy in love. Gerwig is at the center of nearly every shot. The camera adores her, probably because the director does, too.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

WHAT MAISIE KNEW What Maisie Knew

“A children’s film in the purest sense possible — one in which the fledgling protagonist learns who really has her best interests in mind, and gains the strength to survive and thrive in the face of abandonment.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

 

MIDNIGHT’S CHILDRENMidnight's Children

“For about an hour, this is all terribly amusing. But there’s nothing to hang onto here; most scenes last only two or three minutes, and events don’t accrue so much as they just pig-pile on top of one another.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Rushdie, who wrote the screenplay, narrates. Why? A better question: Why would anyone want to see this convoluted, nonsensical tale, which lasts 140 minutes?” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

 

AT ANY PRICEAt Any Price

“Bahrani muddies the waters by including side conflicts involving infidelity, resentful business partners, and even manslaughter. The agonizingly slow pacing makes these disparate struggles completely uninteresting.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse