BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 06/10/2016

3067950-img1WARCRAFT

“Too compelling in its misbegotten grandeur to be dismissed, too grim and determined of its own importance to be called a farce; the only fair description of WARCRAFT is a tragedy.” – Bob Chipman, MovieBob

“By the time the credit roll, you feel as though you’ve just watched half a season of some sort of bargain basement fantasy-action cable series.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

MK1_4047.dngTHE CONJURING 2

“…for those seeking some summer thrills and chills without rivers of blood and gore, THE CONJURING 2 is a solid successor to the original.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“The film is a blast as a funhouse-style genre exercise, but there’s very little holding it all together.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“In spite of the clear issues, James Wan and the gang ultimately succeed by being able to conjure up some entertainment by allowing this sequel to do what sequels are known to do.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

now-you-see-me-2-_0NOW YOU SEE ME 2

“No one will confuse NOW YOU SEE ME 2 for an art film. It is, however, damn good entertainment.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Who’d have thunk they could have pulled a terrific sequel out of the surprise hit that was the original?” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

“It’s all harmless enough, I guess. Also pointless and more than a little bit strained.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

 

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 06/03/2016


teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-out-shadowsTEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS

“While this isn’t an excellent picture, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS does manage to make noticeable improvements over its most immediate predecessor.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“The resulting dissonance feels like somebody dubbed a vocal track from BANANAS IN PAJAMAS over a particularly Ramsay-heavy episode of GAME OF THRONES.” – Bob Chipman, Movie Bob

 

maxresdefault (31)POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING

“…a delightfully silly breath of fresh air to remind us that Hollywood is capable periodically removing its own head from its ass.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“…the film is constantly teetering the lines between brilliantly stupid and just dumb.” – Greg Vellante, Edge Boston

“THIS IS SPINAL TAP this is not, but there are so many hints at greatness here that you may not care.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

 

 

maxresdefault (30)ME BEFORE YOU

“Yet thanks to its two leads, it is a film that should score with its intended audience even if it doesn’t get much respect.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

 

maggies-plan-1024MAGGIE’S PLAN

“…one can’t help but wonder what Gerwig and FRANCES HA co-writer and director Noah Baumbach—her creative and romantic partner—might have accomplished with MAGGIE’S PLAN’s premise. ” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

 

 

thewailing_trailer1THE WAILING

“In THE WAILING, it doesn’t matter whether you believe in evil or not. Evil believes in you.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

 

 

 

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 05/27/2016

X-Men-Apocalypse-Oscar-Isaac

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

“When it comes to X-MEN movies, it’s safe to say that the high hopes that I had for the future are officially a thing of the past.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“As a popcorn movie/timewaster, it’s a sufficient diversion, but it’s becoming clear that this franchise is at the end of the line.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Maybe we can tie a bow on the X-Men and find a whole new box of toys someplace else.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“By far the silliest, most comic book-y of the X-MEN movies, APOCALYPSE is overstuffed with inferior callbacks to Singer’s earlier efforts.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“These movies are never particularly good but this one isn’t half-bad.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

 

alice-through-the-looking-glass-trailerALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

“It has very little to do with the novel by Lewis Carroll. Indeed, other than some of the characters, it’s so bizarre and different that you may feel you’ve gone through the looking glass yourself.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“The film may not be a failure, but it is a waste.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“…satisfies all of the basic requirements that satisfy the definition of “movie,” and yet as a movie it is leagues from actually being satisfying.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

 

chevalier (1)CHEVALIER

“…[Athina Rachel Tsangari] is a gifted, empathetic filmmaker, and she takes CHEVALIER, her characters and her audience to both expected and surprising places.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“The more these fragile men of “Chevalier” seek to aggrandize themselves the more diminished they look in our eyes, with the film’s clinical gaze laying bare the fundamental silliness of the competitions that consume them.” – Sean Burns, The ARTery

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 05/20/2016

the-nice-guys-crowe-gosling-movie-film-1500x1000

THE NICE GUYS

“This is a damn sad movie dressed in glitzy neon and striped slacks.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“…I spent the majority of the runtime laughing so consistently and violently that I feared I’d eventually rupture an internal organ.” – Greg Vellante, Cinematic Essential

“THE NICE GUYS finish last, but they make a damn good show of it.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“You’ve seen this film before, but THE NICE GUYS’ problem isn’t mimicry or originality. It’s anemia.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“THE NICE GUYS turns into a film that is not only set in the ’70s, but carries the sensibility as if it was made then as well.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

angrybirdsmovieANGRY BIRDS

“…a profoundly disposable and harmless entertainment, so light and inconsequential that it barely exists.” – Greg Vellante, Edge Boston

 

 

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 05/13/2016

money_monster-1MONEY MONSTER

“MONEY MONSTER is an exceptional feature film that happens to be well written.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“…it’s the sort of movie that Hollywood had seemed to have forgotten how to make.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

 

high-rise-image-tom-hiddlestonHIGH-RISE

“Calling the film Wheatley’s cheekiest effort to date might not be saying much, but there you have it.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“Practicality has no place in High-Rise – the film is here to make a point about the extremes of status, and play with the expectations of civility and money.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

 

belladonna2BELLADONNA OF SADNESS

“…a rare jewel: a singular aesthetic vision born of elements you’ve long been familiar with.” – Jake Mulligan, Dig Boston

“…it’s impossible to divorce the film’s aesthetic from its text, to engage its eroticism without engaging its sexual abuses, and to ignore its studied portrayal of witchery.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“…not exactly erotica, but an investigation into the relationship between structural power versus personal empowerment.” – Kristofer Jenson, Boston Reel

 

 

kill-zone-2KILL ZONE 2

“Grandeur is a hallmark of great Hong Kong action cinema, and KILL ZONE 2 paints in broad brushstrokes of sentiment and sensation through use of sight and sound alike.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“For even the biggest action fans, I’m unable to recommend KILL ZONE 2. Drastically reducing the amount of story or making a more substantial effort to greatly improve it would likely have me saying the opposite.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential