2016

Posted on March 11, 2016 by bofca

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE

“It may not leave you screaming for a sequel, but it won’t leave you screaming for your money back either.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“While there isn’t enough to make 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE into a genuine sequel to CLOVERFIELD, there are a number of small features that link them together.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“The film manages intermittent moments of suspense, and a few genuine shocks.” – Kilian Melly, Edge Boston

“It’s the rare circumstance where the mystery box approach actually succeeds.” – Andy Crump, A Constant Visual Feast

“…claustrophobic, terrifying, terrifically-made and will have you clapping by the time the credits roll.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“Originally conceived through individual creative inspiration, and a spectacularly satisfying film regardless of its association to a previous one, 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE makes mincemeat of expectations and becomes its own entity.” – Greg Vellante, Sound & Picture

KNIGHT OF CUPS

“To summarize the film’s plot, or lack thereof, would be a disservice to the film itself. KNIGHT OF CUPS does not exist to tell or story or explain a character’s evolution into a slightly changed person, rather it is a visual reflection on a man’s existence in Los Angeles and along a bunch of beaches.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“We fucking get it, Terry. You can do something different now.” – Greg Vellante, Sound & Picture

“As someone who considers Malick’s first four films stone masterpieces, the increasing narrowness of his vision is a disheartening development. ” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT

“This is a stunningly original piece of art, that fully transports viewers into the heart of the Amazon jungle.” – Max Covill, Impassioned Cinema

“It is possible that there’s a tighter movie in here, or at least a more subtle one, but though Guerra plays loose with structure and pacing, his unmuted messages hold the film’s disparate parts under an umbrella of harmony.” – Andy Crump, Birth. Movies. Death.

THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY

“A tasteless affair with brief moments of hard laughter and heavy shame, yet it’s all too sparse and too minimal.” – Greg Vellante, Sound & Picture

“Oh, did I laugh. God help me, I laughed like a mental patient.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 03/04/2016

Posted on March 4, 2016 by bofca

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT

“WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT is episodic, so much so that one may rightly wonder if it Baker’s (or Barker’s) tale would work better as a miniseries.” – Andy Crump, A Constant Visual Feast

“Tina Fey gets her best role since playing Sarah Palin on ‘Saturday Night Live.'” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“It may not leave an impression with you far after watching it but it’s a good way to spend two hours watching talented people do things.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

ZOOTOPIA

“It says a lot about the state of America’s cultural dialogues on acceptance and discrimination that a Disney movie feels this urgent, but maybe a movie about animals living under the impression of harmony is a long-term solution for our short-term failures.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“ZOOTOPIA is by no means a miss, it just never fully settles into its own message or visual style.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“Everything you could want in an animated film: creative visuals, solid script, engaging characters.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“And perhaps, it’s a movie we all need. Something that shows us how to love others, how to not only accept those who are different from us, but embrace them. ” – Greg Vellante, Sound & Picture

LONDON HAS FALLEN

“This is a movie designed to appeal to the worst in its audience.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“London Is Fallen is fast, frenzied and, at least for the audience, a truly fun and entertaining wild ride.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Examiner

“…this is all about the action and plot.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 02/19/2016

Posted on February 19, 2016 by bofca

RACE

“[Stephan] James is perfectly cast as Owens, combining his movie star good looks with a steely edge that gives the character believable backbone.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Although the story of Jesse Owens means a lot in terms of historical importance, RACE isn’t the movie that showcases its truly epic stature.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“The myth of the Olympics is that it’s not about politics, but that’s nonsense. RACE gives us the story of an athlete who, simply by doing his best, made a powerful political statement that still resonates today.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“RACE has Important stamped all over it, starting with the ham-handed double meaning of its title, but its own feeling of importance cannot overcome the ponderous way the story clumps along, nor the undisciplined sprawl of its narrative.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

THE WITCH

“Lots of horror films try to jolt you for micro moments at a time. THE WITCH coils itself around your soul, through craft, through performance, through authenticity of era as well as feeling, and through narrative candor.” – Andy Crump, A Constant Visual Feast

“The film comes on the wave of enthusiastic reviews from last year’s Sundance Film Festival, and that should be the giveaway. What plays well at this showcase for arty films doesn’t always work elsewhere.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“I found it difficult to identify that many things in THE WITCH that I liked. While I didn’t hate the movie, it certainly doesn’t give me anything to love or even appreciate.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“The portrait-esque snapshot of a time without rational hope is as endearing as it is bone-shaking.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“There’s something here, for sure, but I’m not quite sure it all comes to fruition by the end of the story’s 92 minutes. ” – Greg Vellante, Sound & Picture

RISEN

“A half- baked Biblical epic.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“…it’s more the pity that RISEN takes some decidedly lazy shortcuts, and can’t help throwing in some dubious — or downright incorrect — elements.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

THE CLUB

“THE CLUB’s unobtrusive style works well even though it’s handling the kinds of controversial topics that usually lend themselves to being too dramatic and emotional in real life.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“…as a muted alternative to Hollywood’s attempt at examining the same atrocity, the film is refreshing for its grand uncertainties.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

TOUCHED WITH FIRE

“…there’s an intensity — of joy, of sadness, of hope, or of despair — that fits the characters’ own extremes of mood.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 02/12/2016

Posted on February 12, 2016 by bofca

DEADPOOL

“DEADPOOL is an inspired piece of cinema that hits on both humor and action in a way that many people would want it to.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“Much of the success in bringing it off is due to Ryan Reynolds, whose film career often seen him trapped in roles that didn’t make good use of his talents…” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Underneath the surface-level fourth wall-breaking conceit lies a self-satisfaction that consistently gets in the way of the film saying or doing anything ‘different.'” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

ZOOLANDER 2

“…a bloated, convoluted, self-indulgent assault of tired, often deadly unfunny jokes and repetition…” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Examiner

“Depending on your threshold for inanity and slapstick you’ll either find this hilarious, or just mildly amusing.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“ZOOLANDER 2 is a movie that I don’t hate as much as I probably should since I did manage to laugh/smile a handful of times.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

HOW TO BE SINGLE

“For young women setting out on a journey to “find themselves” (whatever that means) it is good to see a movie that gives them plenty of life stories to relate to, all with different but mostly happy endings.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 02/05/2016

Posted on February 5, 2016 by bofca

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES

“It is goofy fun, and fans of the original will be impressed by just how much of Austen is preserved.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES is such a gallimaufry of ideas and styles and classifications that the film stands no chance of converting skeptics into believers, particularly when those skeptics are either fluent in Romero, or Austen, or both.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES suffers from poor execution in just about every way.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“there’s no ‘joke’ to be told in the movie-proper that’s any funnier than the mere fact that it actually IS a movie and not a 2 ½ minute Lonely Island skit.” – Bob Chipman, The MovieBob

HAIL, CAESAR!

“…like watching Turner Classic Movies while under the influence. ” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“HAIL, CAESAR! is one of the most ambitious films [the Coen brothers] have attempted recently and they certainly pull it off, swimmingly.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“The movies don’t necessarily give us answers to our woes, but they always give us diversion, and that just might be answer enough.” – Andy Crump, A Constant Visual Feast

“…HAIL, CAESAR! is ultimately about the folly of searching for meaning in a cruel and indifferent universe.” – Sean Burns, The Artery

“…the Coens’ script allows the worst fears of the midcentury left and right to be literally realized.” – Jake Mulligan, Dig Boston

Boston Online Film Critics Association

The Boston Online Film Critics Association was established in May of 2012 to foster a community of web-based film critics.

Tag Archives: Review Round-Up

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 03/11/2016

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 03/04/2016

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 02/19/2016

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 02/12/2016

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 02/05/2016