BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 4/5

The Place Beyond The PinesTHE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

“Cianfrance sweeps his characters along in the style of a Greek tragedy. Events unfold slowly, but with a tidal force that catches everyone up in irresistible currents of fate. We are all at the mercy of forces we cannot comprehend.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“It’s just too big for its britches, puffing up a perfectly fine, sad little tale of small-time crooks with ungainly epic portent. Derek Cianfrance could probably be a great filmmaker if he wasn’t trying so hard to be a Great Filmmaker.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“The opening and closing movements feel hopelessly incomplete, broad strokes in a film that requires great detail and expanse. The ambition is huge, but Cianfrance’s approach is fatally small.” – Jake Mulligan, Charleston City Paper

“The stories don’t so much weave together as collide with each other, but the actors give good enough performances to help you over the cinematic speed bumps along the way.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

Gimme The LootGIMME THE LOOT

“The most purely enjoyable movie I’ve seen since I-can’t-remember-when, writer-director Adam Leon’s debut feature is a film brimming with so much mischief and joy that it left me in an almost insufferably good mood for days afterwards. I didn’t want it to end.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“This astoundingly spirited debut from director Adam Leon keeps a youthful faith in the endless possibilities of the future. But the movie also stays grounded in the realities of struggling, up-and-coming artists. It’s human and hopeful.” – Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine

“Fresh, vital and engaging. One of those little movies that comes along from time to time and hits all sorts of nails on the head. What seems at first to be a shallow comedy built on cliché turns instead into a wonderful ramble through the cinematically neglected sectors of a busy, richly diverse city.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“Who knew a street-centered narrative could be so sweetly buoyant? GIMMIE THE LOOT’s foremost characteristic is its effervescent veneer. Put simply, it’s a lot of fun. A refreshing, necessary entry in contemporary indie filmmaking.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

 

Beyond The HillsBEYOND THE HILLS

“Mungiu’s lens gazes fondly, for a time, at the quaint, pastoral rhythms that define the cloistered life. But it’s toward the real world, bustling and corrupt, that the film gives a knowing look and a wink.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“A heartbreaking, complicated microcosm of Romanian life. And just like in life, there are no easy answers to be found in BEYOND THE HILLS, only more questions and an overabundance of sorrow.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“He shoots the film in the flattest, most matter-of-fact way possible, relying on long camera takes with no musical accompaniment, lulling us to the day-to-day drag of this monastic lifestyle.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

 

 Evil Dead 2013EVIL DEAD

“There’s so much blood and gore exploding on the screen in this gutsy new remake that you almost need to wear a raincoat if you sit too close. And for fans sick of the PG-13 crap that’s been trying to pass for horror movies lately, it’s a welcome sight indeed.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“There doesn’t seem to be much reason or need for this EVIL DEAD. It’s interesting to compare how effects or acting styles have changed, but for a film about demonic possession, it is surprisingly soulless.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Alvarez appears to have had several warehouses worth of karo syrup and red food coloring on hand during principal photography. He’s made not the better film, but the redder film, and that’s very much to his credit.” – Andrew Crump, Go See Talk

“Even with the borrowed title and premise, it’s a solid movie in its own right and a welcome antidote to the lame, watered down excuses for horror movies we’ve been putting up with for far too long.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“If there’s anything wrong with this movie, it’s that it lacks heart. The same passion that the original was made with just isn’t there. Also, the characters say stupid things and none of them have memorable personalities.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“You’d think that kids these days would know better than to read what’s inside of a book bound by human skin, especially if those kids are taking shelter in a cabin in the middle of the woods. And yet!” – Monica Castillo, Bitch Magazine

“Alvarez apparently thinks by ginning up the literal blood count and viscera on-screen that such antics will make for a more terrifying film. On that score, EVIL DEAD is truly D.O.A..” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

 

From Up On Poppy HillFROM UP ON POPPY HILL

“Goro Miyazaki is far from ready to step into his father’s shoes. But in going back to the basics, he has me thinking that, someday, he may be able to do that. Maybe.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

Jurassic Park 3DJURASSIC PARK 3D

“Of course the movie looks great up on the big screen where it belongs, but the idea of being charged $18 for the experience is obscene.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“The 3D doesn’t add very much to the mood of the film. It’s incredibly mediocre, and at some moments just plain painful for your eyes.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse