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

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 08/28/2015

WE-ARE-YOUR-FRIENDS-8

WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS

WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS could have benefited from focusing on the relationships at play as well as actually attempting to create some type of friction throughout the film.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“Like the keystrokes of an electronic musician filled with self-importance and naivety, WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS is a track sampled from so many other artists it ends up being a complete tonal misfire.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

 

downloadNO ESCAPE

“There’s something begrudgingly spectacular about the film’s commitment to nastiness. It’s mean, ugly button-pushing all-around – not even bothering to invent a fictional country nor to give any reason for the coup.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“In the end, NO ESCAPE fails because the people behind it don’t know how to make a film that can captivate an audience.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“American Nuclear Family Exceptionalism is the fantasy on offer here, and everything else — thin plotting and cardboard characters included — function only in support of that wishful thinking.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

diggingforfire-still2-kentosborne-samrockwell-jakejohnson-mikebirbiglia-stevebergDIGGING FOR FIRE

“…DIGGING FOR FIRE is so vapid I can only feel pity for the people who find it interesting.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“…the beats here aren’t written, they’re riffed.” – Jake Mulligan, Dig Boston

“DIGGING FOR FIRE is the kind of film where nobody learns anything, and where that lack of learning is supposed to feel conclusive.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

 

LTD_03.jpgLEARNING TO DRIVE

“The film focuses on the dramatic content of everyday situations…” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“LEARNING TO DRIVE fails to realize what the more meaningful story is within the film.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

 

z-for-zachariahZ FOR ZACHARIAH

“This is the sort of fiction that makes you look at real life through a slightly different filter: One that shows the beast lurking just under civility’s placid surface.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

 

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 08/14/2015


THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.Jv7V5

“The audience needs no prior knowledge of the original television show to enjoy Ritchie’s snippy and engaging spy flick.” – Deirdre Crimmins, Cinematic Essential

“[They] got it exactly right, introducing the characters to moviegoers who may have never heard of them while not insulting the memories of those who have.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“The film stars Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer  as Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, two slick superspies who have reduced the Cold War to a manhood measuring contest…” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Like the TV series, the tone is light but never entirely loses a sense of deadly seriousness.” – Tim Estiloz, El Mundo Boston

“Bickering about fashion in between slinky car chases and riotously funny spying maneuvers, Cavill and Hammer may actually have more chemistry with each other than anyone else.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

 

straight-outta-compton-trailer1STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

“The movie is a straightforward biopic, full of dramatic confrontations, off-the-rails scenarios and takes certain artistic license to follow [N.W.A.] through their different careers.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

“It’s an epic, all right, but one that’s not nearly as cohesive as the album it’s named after.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

“…when STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON the movie revolves around the conception and birth of STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON the album, it benefits enormously from the reduction in scope.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“…STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is a cinematic success.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“The film is enormous fun to watch – full of electrifying numbers and gigantic, bold-stroke storytelling, teetering on melodrama and providing all the soapy satisfactions one could possibly ask for from an unabashedly old-fashioned MGM picture.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

 

copcarCOP CAR

“…the kind of film that changes gears in the last act; perfectly capturing the adventurous nature of childhood in the beginning and then diverging into a generically consequential thriller in the end.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“…the movie, like the car itself, kind of just idles on the side of the road for the remainder of the running time.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

“It doesn’t matter if the shot misses its mark by a bit. You still didn’t see it coming.” – Jake Mulligan, Dig Boston

 

1638832 001LISTEN TO ME MARLON

“…the film stands as a worthy tribute to a monumental talent, reminding us how much we had, how much was squandered, and how much was lost.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

 

WILLIAM BUCKLEY;GORE VIDALBEST OF ENEMIES

“…the film endorses neither poor sportsmanship nor celebrity opprobrium. In its fashion, it’s actually tragic.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“Kind of a missed opportunity, really, but it’s hard to assign demerits because it’s so fun to watch.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter