2015

Posted on March 6, 2015 by bofca

CHAPPIE

“…a welcome addition to the long and rich history of the robot in science fiction films.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“A smoldering dumpster fire of second-hand elements from better movies…” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“How far from a source that inspires a filmmaker should he keep if he wants to avoid repeating someone else’s stories?” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

“There’s nothing spectacular about CHAPPIE, but it is a stable film about instability when greed and selfishness get in the way of doing the right thing.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“…the robot works, and so, too, does Blomkamp’s movie.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

“…the laughs lack punch, and the social messages are muddled at best.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Tom Wilkinson wax poetic about wheelbarrowing.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

“Instead of trying to shock and mine laughs from the audience through raunch, director Ken Scott’s newest is so bored in trying to tell a story that it lulls you to sleep.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

QUEEN AND COUNTRY

“Such dreary trips down somebody else’s memory lane would be almost bearable if the film left you with a sense that it was leading you somewhere, but it doesn’t.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Boorman’s inclination toward jokery is one of the film’s unifying elements.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“This film is laugh-out-loud funny, but its sadness sneaks up on you. Even the minor wars—if there is such a thing—are ultimately hell.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

WILD TALES

“You don’t have to read up on Argentina’s history of systemic corruption to identify with these hapless souls pushed past their breaking points by the effrontery of the rich and privileged, or the fatalistic feeling that we’re all playing a rigged game. ” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

“Watching the film you just want to relax and settle back. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a warm bath.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“While I don’t believe THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL will win over too many new fans, I do believe that it will entertain the people who enjoyed the original.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“This isn’t a GREAT film, and this cast and its characters with all the tropes of their talent & experience deserve a GREAT film. For now, I’ll settle for this trifle, and its jubilant Bollywood ending.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

KIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN

“Once the fault lines between the characters start to show, there’s little suspense about where the shattered pieces of this felonious brotherhood are going to fall.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“As far as KIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN is concerned, there are plenty of other movies about these types of crimes that are done much better and actually have the ability to captivate their viewers. While this isn’t one of the absolute worst, it’s completely forgettable and worth skipping all together.” – Jaskee Hickman, Cinematic Essential

“This is about as nuts and bolts as a movie can get without betraying an undercurrent of apathy on behalf of its creator, though in fairness to Alfredson it’s probably pretty hard to get excited about material this boilerplate.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“There’s absolutely no tension in the movie, only a tedious time spend waiting for it to end.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 02/27/2015

Posted on February 27, 2015 by bofca

FOCUS

“…you’re better off walking out after the film departs the Big Easy. At least then you won’t be crushed by the incomparable weight of disappointment.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“FOCUS breaks faith with the audience’s previous investment for extended sequences of rug-pulling, cheap fake-outs, and generally jerking us around.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

“FOCUS is a stylish and fun con artist film that’s gorgeous looking, in more ways than one; but sadly sputters out of gas towards the final act.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Examiner

“FOCUS is a welcome return to form for Smith even though the swindling and conning taking place gets a bit tiresome in the final act.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“…has a way of peering, cleanly and crisply, at whatever genre its gaze settles on: Romantic comedy, stylish caper flick, thriller, crime drama.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“You don’t have to check your brain at the door, exactly, but you might want to set it to cruise control.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“In spite of the obvious flaws that it contains, I do find FOCUS to be decent in enough areas to carry you all the way to its conclusion without boring you to the point where you’ll regret watching it.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“The denouement makes us go back over the movie to recalibrate and at least one scene in hindsight doesn’t quite make sense.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

THE LAZARUS EFFECT

“It’s literally LUCY and PET SEMATARY combined, but it takes place in a lab.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“LAZARUS is mired in the predictability of its genre conventions, showing its cards on the table before actually playing them.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

“..it’s a B-movie that manages to be more than a potboiler..” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

SONG OF THE SEA

“Watching the narrative unfold piece by piece is akin to reading a good book, flipping by page after page of a well-worn tome of fables as old as Ireland itself.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“The film has the same heightened sense of adventure one would expect, but it has the courage to let the narrative pace the tale in a gentle, yet surprisingly effective way.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“In the tradition of modern animated films such as THE PAINTING and THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY, SONG OF THE SEA casts its spell regardless of age.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

MAPS TO THE STARS

“[Cronenberg’s] body horror pokes at our discomfort with ourselves, and in MAPS the horror is with our heroes, the celebrities we chose to celebrate and the terrible human beings they may be behind closed doors.” – Monica Castillo, International Business Times

“…Cronenberg doesn’t let us laugh. He keeps actors separated, rarely letting them stand next to each other within a frame, giving the dialogue an intentionally stilted quality.” – Jake Mulligan, Dig Boston

“[Cronenberg] pins his characters in isolated single shots — they’re not listening to each other anyway — but all this formal rigor is beside the point when the material is so lazy and cheap.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“In the end, MAPS TO THE STARS is harder to grasp than VIDEODROME or NAKED LUNCH, and like those two films it demands repeat viewings.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

BALLET 422

“While some of it is interesting to watch, none of it is compelling enough to really capture our imaginations.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 02/13/2015

Posted on February 13, 2015 by bofca

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

“What’s important is that the novel began life as “Twilight” fan fiction. That tells you everything you need to know.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“After getting whipped over the rear with the banal story that FIFTY SHADES OF GREY employs, you may walk out of the theater feeling as fatigued as Anastasia.” – Sam Cohen, Under the Gun Review

“It ain’t bad. It isn’t good, either, but it’s also not the train wreck that most people seem to want it to be.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“There’s a really funny, sexy comedy in this big-screen version of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY that would probably have been wonderful were it not also stuck with being an adaptation of the loathsome novel FIFTY SHADES OF GREY.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“The best part of the movie IS the sex. About 20 minutes of it.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

“Nothing in KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE has the ability to transform into the spectacle that it could have been. It’s an okay movie that could have been made better by simply turning everything up a few extra notches and allowing it to move faster.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE may lack the sophistication of its peers, but damned if it doesn’t know how to have a good time.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“Given the gratuitous gravitas that handcuffs most action movies these days – that whole “With great power comes great responsibility” shtick – it’s refreshing to enjoy an unapologetic thrill ride like KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“For once, we have an inspired genre film that is self-aware and focuses more on the love for that genre instead of throwing jabs at its inconsistencies.” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny

“If Bond’s upper lip has grown too stiff for you, Eggsy’s new breed of spy is bound to raise a few eyebrows.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“What begins as a witty, exciting, and inventive update on the iconic James Bond gentleman spy thriller, descends into a crude gore fest that left me cringing in my seat.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

HUMAN CAPITAL

“…emotional carnage of all sorts — romantic, sexual, marital — abounds here, the outcome of people keeping secret or holding on to assumptions about others’ worth, or their own.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“The end result is a muddled mess with a few memorable moments” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“If HUMAN CAPITAL is the kind of thing that’s supposed to pass for great foreign cinema these days, we’re all assuredly fucked.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/23/2015

Posted on January 23, 2015 by bofca

MORTDECAI

“It isn’t one of the worst movies you’ll ever see, but Mortdecai certainly has a long way before it can be seen as a respectable piece of cinematic art.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“A snicker here, a polite chuckle there, but not a belly laugh in sight.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

THE BOY NEXT DOOR

“Few movies actually live up to that notion of a movie that is so hilariously awful they it is perversely entertaining. “The Boy Next Door” does. It is–at least unintentionally–the laugh-riot of the year.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“I didn’t pay and I still want my money back.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

“…part of what makes Two Days, One Night miraculous is the restraint the Dardennes display.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

“In shifting their usual point of view and placing their unflinching gaze squarely on the face of a seasoned professional, the Dardennes have captured one of the most naturalistic performances in a directing career known for cultivated kitchen-sink realism. ” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“Fragility is a tough thing to sell on the big screen, but Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) gives a masterclass on the art of how to do it.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

STILL ALICE

“It’s tasteful to a fault, exploring a terrifying subject with the utmost decorum. You feel bad when it’s over, but not too bad.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

SONG ONE

“SONG ONE isn’t bad; it is, however, disjointed as a melancholy testament to music’s ability to heal all wounds and as a love story about disaffected souls set against the backdrop of New York City’s modern folk scene.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

BELOVED SISTERS

“Even the parts that are meant to feel light and silly seem muted and too heavy.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 01/16/2015

Posted on January 16, 2015 by bofca

BLACKHAT

“The film repeatedly lulls the audience into a sense of comfort just before yanking the rug out from under their theater seats.” – Deirdre Crimmins, All Things Horror

“BLACKHAT is not the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s just a monotonous affair that ends up being a waste for a handful of reasons.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“Shut up, whatever. Look cool.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“…Mann takes on us a wild, labyrinthine and, as usual, visually stunning journey that leaves one, once again, awestruck by this director’s skill at constructing a compelling thriller…” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Examiner

“BLACKHAT is silly, explosive, gorgeous, thrilling, and we should all be thankful, as viewers, to be blips of data on Mann’s digitally rendered canvas.” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny

“…Mann’s idea of following data through computer systems leaves you thinking he’s worn out his VHS tape of TRON.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

AMERICAN SNIPER

“AMERICAN SNIPER strips down and rearranges Chris Kyle’s best-selling, self-aggrandizing autobiography into something far more troubled and unsettling.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“In spite of my complaints, AMERICAN SNIPER is actually a decent movie overall.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“It’s wisest to leave one’s personal politics outside the multiplex when viewing AMERICAN SNIPER.” – David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“…there’s much flag-waving during the newsreel footage of the real Kyle’s funeral that runs under the end credits, but this is Eastwood at his most apolitical, no matter what chair he prefers talking to.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“For a film that opens with the chanting of the Muslim call to prayer, AMERICAN SNIPER never bothers to venture into understanding any other point of view than Navy Seal hero, Chris Kyle’s (Bradley Cooper).” – Sam Cohen, Sumo Skinny

“AMERICAN SNIPER is a mature film of the toll war takes on its warriors, and you should see it, regardless of your politics.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Keeps firing shots heard round the world.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

THE WEDDING RINGER

“Listen carefully: between the barking of bad behavior and the hand-wringing of male anxiety, you’ll hear the braying of barnyard animals.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

“A MOST VIOLENT YEAR plays out more like an exercise in ambition.” – Norm Schrager, Paste Magazine

“Was heating oil really the accelerant that almost burned New York City to the ground in 1981? Watching A Most Violent Year, you’d never even know.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“”…A MOST VIOLENT YEAR stands toe-to-toe with the films it tries to emulate.” – Max Covill, Fresh From the Theater

“It’s not entirely successful, but it’s more diverting than watching a bunch of goons shoot each other.” – David Riedel, San Antonio Current

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 roundup

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