BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 10/16/2015

steve_jobs

STEVE JOBS

“If it were possible to do in writing, I’d seriously consider giving Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin a standing ovation right now for their work on STEVE JOBS.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“There’s gotta be more to his story than just magazines and daddy issues.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“At least Boyle, who cannot at all grasp how to frame a shot or tell a story without treating his viewers like imbeciles, and Sorkin knew well enough to hire great actors to play out their technobabble update on A CHRISTMAS CAROL.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“STEVE JOBS could be about anyone. Change the product names and the guy’s name and it’s a story of a genius jerk, and we already have CITIZEN KANE, right?” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

 

Bridge-of-Spies-8BRIDGE OF SPIES

“… Spielberg’s earnestness and faith in our democracy is what shows through…” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“Tom Hanks… shines even in mediocre films, and when he gets a plum role that allows him to be an “everyman” who rises to the occasion, he’s outstanding.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“There are nits to be picked (heavy-handed editorial choices that clobber us with too-overt social comments dot the film), but like a bolt of silk you might rather simply pass this flick through your fingers and let it thrill you with its giddy cinephilic pleasures.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“BRIDGE OF SPIES becomes a source of entertainment that also produces actual tension for a film that’s relatively safe and clean.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

Crimson2CRIMSON PEAK

“Del Toro responds to fear by staring it in the face, and in CRIMSON PEAK, he encourages us to do the same.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“The camera knows the story it is telling and del Toro adds to his unique narrative with photography that not only compliments, but enhances.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture

“For those of you looking for anything fresh, genuinely complex or more consistently scary, you may want to “beware of CRIMSON PEAK” and consider avoiding it.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“The film is a visual feast with just enough shocks to ensure you don’t mistake this for some well-mounted costume drama. It is the stuff of a beautifully vivid nightmare.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

Goosebumps-Movie-Jack-Black-InterviewGOOSEBUMPS

“It might be a bit too intense for very young tots, especially during scenes involving a giant praying mantis and a villainous clown, but the film’s zany style always provides the film with a good-humored sense of spectacle. ” – Charlie Nash, Edge Boston

“The current cultural preoccupation with the 1990s and the Halloween season make this a perfect time to revisit the GOOSEBUMPS book series and all of the characters it birthed. ” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“…a pleasant reminder it’s best not to judge a book by its cover.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

 

beasts-of-no-nation-netflixBEASTS OF NO NATION

“…neither the gruesome veracity nor the outstanding craft displayed in BEASTS OF NO NATION make it any easier to endure.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

“BEASTS OF NO NATION is here to shed light on a topic that doesn’t usually get a great deal of attention.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“BEASTS OF NO NATION is a good picture. It’s just a beast to get through.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 10/09/2015

maxresdefault (20)PAN

“Along with the the all too familiar trappings, the vacant characters and a consistently unfortunate performance put forth by Mr. Hedlund, PAN will likely disappoint those who choose to give it a try.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“Every line is designed to prepare for future lines in future movies that, if there’s a God, will never exist.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture

 

0745b398-2953-4683-87ed-a03e3ebecd91-620x372FREEHELD

“Despite its inconsistencies and emotionally diagrammatic character arcs, the film does touch a chord, transcending the characters’ sexualities and creating a universally relatable depiction of love and commitment.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

Drunk Stoned Brilliant DeadDRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD

“What Douglas Tirola’s film recognizes, and smartly reinforces, is that The Lampoon was much more than a ribald rant of counterculture. It was the embryo of everything that popular comedy became in the decades to come.” – Norm Schrager, Film Racket

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 10/02/2015

the-martian2THE MARTIAN

“THE MARTIAN, like MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, reminds us why going bigger is not always better. See this as soon as you can.” – Sam Cohen, Substream Magazine

“Although its smattering of science feels more like sci-fi, THE MARTIAN keeps its cool and controls its multi-linear narrative to make the audience cheer for the protagonist’s survival.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

“THE MARTIAN is an ironic title for a movie which pays unabashed tribute to the best and most deeply human in all of us, the will to survive, the scope of our intelligence, the consciousness of ourselves as simultaneously significant and minute in the universe.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

“OK, put your hand down, because THE MARTIAN isn’t INTERSTELLAR. It’s better than that.” – Brett Michel, Improper Bostonian

“THE MARTIAN is indubitably a crowd pleaser and audiences will wonder why can’t science always be this fun.” – Max Covill, Impassioned Cinema

“Ridley Scott’s film is cool, confident, stylish, and slick—the cinematic equivalent of a pop song, but one that demands you remember it for years, even decades, to come, akin to any classic Bowie track.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture

“THE MARTIAN is a decent movie in spite of it not being able to drum up all of the qualities needed to make it spectacular.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“For the first hour or so, The Martian is a gripping space adventure … Unfortunately, The Martian isn’t an hour long adventure movie.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Scott makes us feel both the excitement and potential danger that space crews must face, or will face, once we get serious about leaving Earth again.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“The film may not achieve greatness – but that’s not such a fatal flaw when you’re talking about a Mars survival yarn.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

 

the-walk-joseph-gordon-levittTHE WALK

“Entertaining as it is, there’s a certain technical coldness to THE WALK that keeps it from ultimately capturing your hear the way Zemeckis wants it to.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“THE WALK reminds us of hope, of following our dreams, and all that other cheese that Zemeckis loves pouring into his yarns.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture

“While I don’t see myself watching this multiple times, THE WALK ultimately left me satisfied with what was offered up.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

sicario-emily-bluntSICARIO

“If there were a tunnel of light in the darkness, Sicario would be the movie that dashes it away right when you’re most optimistic.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“This film knows how to rattle the senses, and it does so with excellent technical work from all departments.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture

“SICARIO is a different sort of action film; one that both raises the body count and asks the audience to keep thinking throughout the film.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“Sheer cinematic satisfaction.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“…the closest director Denis Villeneuve has come to mastering the slow burn thriller.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“…this is a film that asks us — and then forces us — to face hard questions with no easy moral answers at the ready.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

99-Homes-still-600x39999 HOMES

“99 HOMES is the kind of movie that doesn’t receive the sort of attention that it should.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

nyff-timeoutofmind-gere1TIME OUT OF MIND

“…Moverman’s purposefully audacious directorial technique is, on a deeper level, trying to teach us how to look toward those backgrounds and into the corners of the frame of our own lives.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“Is the subject matter a downer? Is the film’s erratic progress, and its many poignant, but hopeless, interactions depressing? Yes, fearlessly so, and that’s by design.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“The fact that no one realizes this man is actually Richard Gere speaks volumes about little attention the average person pays to the homeless.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

 

fresnoADDICTED TO FRESNO

“No topic should be off limits to comedy, but maybe they should be off limits to certain individuals.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

 

 

peac

PEACE OFFICER

“Only now is a national and widespread political consciousness emerging about the problem; will we do something about it, or simply pin more medals on officers who may be poorly trained, unable to rise to the level of cool-headed professionalism the use of their firepower, body armor, and tanks demands they possess, or even happy to use their authority and their equipment against mere civilians? That’s the question the film asks, but it needs to have made its case more clearly.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

maxresdefault (19)BREATHE

Breathe is a good film. As Laurent continues to refine her talents behind the camera, it seems more and more likely that she has a great film in her, too.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

 

p10-shoji-home-a-20150305COMING HOME

“…an intelligent, culturally provocative weepie of how one family is destroyed by the corruption of their home country during the 1960s.” – Charlie Nash, Edge Boston

 

 

ShanghaiSHANGHAI

“There is some entertainment value here, but too much of it comes from within the film stable awkwardly from plot point to plot point.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 09/25/2015

anne-hathaway-1024

THE INTERN

“THE INTERN is actually quite sweet, and if you are able somehow to get swept up in its sappiness you will like it.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“All of the heartwarming and humorous aspects that make THE INTERN so entertaining though, are the same ones that distract you from issues with its core story.” – Evan Crean, Star Pulse

“Although there is only one screenwriting credit listed … you get the feeling watching it that the film was actually written, maybe crafted is a better word, by committee.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

stonewall-4STONEWALL

“Describing STONEWALL as merely a crummy biopic would be like describing Pasolini’s SALO as a rom-com.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“The indictment of Emmerich’s approach is less that he’s opted to “print the legend” and more that he’s not printing the right legend.” – Bob Chipman, Movie Bob

 

977452_044THE GREEN INFERNO

“If you’re one of those people who thinks they can handle this type of stuff, THE GREEN INFERNO is a flick that you should surely check out.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

 

6053581_review-a-brilliant-young-mind-starring_af0e7701_mA BRILLIANT YOUNG MIND

“…a mélange of familiar tropes and character types that feel as carefully calibrated as a page of equations.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

 

Pawn01PAWN SACRIFICE

“PAWN SACRIFICE is a solid feature that doesn’t have the quality necessary to make it stand out and grab the attention of the public.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

 

goodnight_mommy_photoGOODNIGHT MOMMY

“This is a rare feature that has a unique style even though the premise has been done before in a couple of other movies over the years.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

 

 

 

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 09/11/2015


visit-trailerTHE VISIT

“THE VISIT is sheer guilty pleasure, and in the post summer blockbuster calm leading into the awards season storm, sometimes a little shameful indulgence is all we really need.” – Greg Vellante, Sound and Picture

THE VISIT is a poorly structured movie that doesn’t have any positive qualities.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“You will see opportunities for the story to progress into much more bizarre fare, but Shyamalan reins it in for a much easier conclusion. Shame, really.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“It lacks the flashiness and giant twists Shyamalan is known for, and this is a big plus for the film.” – Deirdre Crimmins, All Things Horror

 

7-chinese-brothers-jason-schwartzman7 CHINESE BROTHERS

“Byington’s movie is mopey but frothy, and it weighs about as much as a bag of Popchips.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“I’m sure many who’ve tired of seeing lonesome semi-hip do-nothings onscreen may have thin patience with 7 CHINESE BROTHERS. But if the category still grabs your attention, Schwartzman and cast – plus dog – will really do a fine job holding it for 75 minutes.” – Norm Schrager, Film Racket