BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 09/19/2014

A Walk Among The Tombstones

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES

“I think there’s an audience for A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES. Not only because it’s Liam Neeson, but it’s also just an interesting movie to watch.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“What a grisly delight, to have the second Liam Neeson film released in 2014 plumb such gruesome depths.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

“At this point, Neeson — a walking spectre of regret — feels a bit like a special spice you add onto otherwise tired action movies. Need some pathos? Just sprinkle some Liam on it.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

“So yes, on one level this is another film in which Liam Neeson has “a certain set of skills,” but part of what makes A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES so interesting is how hard he’s trying not to have to use them.” – Sean Burns, North Shore Movies

 

thisis_aTHIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU

“In an ensemble cast this large it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle, but Levy manages to give each of the main characters their due.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“The clichéd nature of THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU does some legitimate damage here, but it’s only one of the many issues that are put on display.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“No sooner has a moment of almost genuine contact between two characters appeared than it’s canceled out by the next scatological joke or mortifying sexual mishap.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

the-maze-runner-movie__spanTHE MAZE RUNNER

“Despite its racial diversity, instead of forging a new trail, THE MAZE RUNNER follows a fairly formulaic and familiar story filled with tired tropes.” – Megan Kerns, Bitch Flicks

 

 

hero_DisappearanceOfEleanorRigbyThem-2014-1THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY

‘THEM’ was created in the editing room, with Benson splicing together scenes from ‘HIM’ and ‘HER’. If this plodding, gloomy version is any indication of Benson’s aims, it appears he’s prioritized quantity over quality. – Inkoo Kang, The Wrap

“Occasional neutrals, like when the couple is shown in happier times, are fair, but nothing stands out in the hodgepodge of the he-said, she-said half-gossiped yarn.” – Monica Castillo, Movie Mezzanine

 

13964-1
THE SKELETON TWINS

“Despite dipping into formula, THE SKELETON TWINS still pulls off the miracle of remaining funny while honestly dealing with the subject of depression.” – Brett Michel, The Improper Bostonian

“Johnson and Heyman’s screenplay shoves these two through enough traumas, revelations and reconciliations that at times, it feels like they just decided to shoot the entire Sundance catalog.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

 

TUSKTUSK

“Outside of some of the lengthy dialog heavy scenes, I didn’t find myself having that many problems with TUSK.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“TUSK’s biggest strength is that it knows what the audience’s expectations are and it exceeds each of them. It is preposterous, disgusting, and hilarious.” – Deirdre Crimmins, All Things Horror

“The point is to experience the rare thrill of a movie that manages to go to the wildest extremes of its premise while never taking itself seriously.” – Kristofer Jenson, Dig Boston

 

 

Last-Days-in-Vietnam-MovieLAST DAYS IN VIETNAM

“No matter how mediocre Kennedy’s filmmaking, it’s hard not to get swept up in some of these stories — in the haunted reminiscences of some damn good men who bent the rules as far as they could to save as many people as possible.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

“Watching Rory Kennedy’s brilliant new documentary, LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM, you quickly learn that the final chapter of the story begins where your basic knowledge of the Vietnam War ends.” – John Black, Boston event Guide

 


hero_GreenPrince-2014-1THE GREEN PRINCE

“As thrilling as it becomes to watch, though, it is the feeling the film leaves you with when it is over that really matters.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP: 09/12/2014

The Drop Movie (5)THE DROP

“What you have here in THE DROP is a solid film that does a bunch of things well, but nothing really amazing.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“Sometimes you need coincidence for the sake of a good thrill, and THE DROP has thrills to spare.” – Andy Crump, Paste Magazine

“It’s a flabby Boston noir transplanted to Brooklyn for budgetary purposes, starring Tom Hardy as a sad-sack bartender who finds a new lease on life when he discovers an abused puppy pitbull stuffed in a garbage can.” – Sean Burns, Spliced Personality

“…THE DROP is a classy, intelligent genre exercise, and a worthy sendoff for Gandolfini.” – Kristofer Jenson, Dig Boston

 


DolphinTale2DOLPHIN TALE 2

“You could accuse DOLPHIN TALE 2 of trying to have its kelp and eat it too. But the whole thing just works; the film gets pretty close to the Platonic ideal of accessible but still meaningful edutainment.” – Inkoo Kang, The Wrap

“…as a story that’s designed for kids, this movie conveys important messages on the values of treating sea creatures as animals that belong in their natural habitat, as opposed to exotic pets that exist merely for our own entertainment.” – Charlie Nash, Edge Boston

“The characters are sympathetic, the families care about one another, the theme of not letting your disabilities own you is so resonant that it’s allowed to be as overt as it is, and there’s even a genuine struggle as difficult as the grimmest of grown-up movies.” – Kristofer Jenson, C-Ville Weekly

“If you don’t have youngsters in tow, there’s no reason to waste any time with this.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

Terry (Taraji P. Henson)  Colin (Idris Elba) in Screen Gems' NO GOOD DEED. NO GOOD DEED

“Much of the scant 84-minute running time is wasted on loud noises: a crash here, a car alarm there.” – Inkoo Kang, The Wrap

 

BOFCA Review Round-Up: 09/05/2014

15-6-4930.JPGLOVE IS STRANGE

“If the struggle for gay marriage has taught us anything, it’s that love is patient, love is kind, but same-sex love is a fount of bureaucratic nightmares.” – Inkoo Kang, The Wrap

“How long did Lithgow and Molina film before their relationship felt so lived in? Within the first few moments of separation, we can see the anguish etched into the actors’ faces.” – Monica Castillo, Movie Mezzanine

 

robinhood29f-2-webTHE LAST OF ROBIN HOOD

“Structured clunkily as a series of flashbacks, as Florence relates the story to a writer looking to wring a sensationalistic book out of the scandal, THE LAST OF ROBIN HOOD has a workmanlike feel and, often, a tin ear.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

“The best thing THE LAST OF ROBIN HOOD does is focus on the Aadlands and how they were affected by this man’s (waning) power and influence.” – Kristofer Jenson, C-Ville Weekly

 

700237_035INNOCENCE

“The story has (Kelly) Reilly go from being the standoffish headmistress to banging Beckett’s dad with no real dramatic reason – or real reaction from anybody else in the film. It’s unbelievable, but so is most of what you see.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP 8/8/2014

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2014)TMNT

“The worst thing to happen to turtles in a movie since CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

“The action makes one appreciate the subtlety of the TRANSFORMERS movies and the humor consists of things like one of the Turtles facing death admitting he didn’t get the ending of LOST, a TV show that ended four years ago.” – Daniel Kimmel, Sci-Fi Movie Page

“I have no stake in the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES reboot/remake other than its entertainment quotient, which rates somewhere on the “meh” part of the scale.” – David Riedel, SF Reporter

“Just looking at it for what it is, this movie doesn’t give you much to hate outside of the unnecessary changes.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

 

INTO THE STORM

INTOSTORM

“It is weather porn. That’s not a glib cheap shot. It’s an accurate summing up of a totally empty film that exists for one purpose: to thrill people who get off on extreme weather.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“If INTO THE STORM embraced its terribleness in a self-aware kind of way like Syfy flicks, it would be much more fun to watch.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“INTO THE STORM would be a perfectly solid made-for-TV movie, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how it got a theatrical release.” – Deirdre Crimmins, All Things Horror

“So derivative that one imagines [David] Spade sitting a row behind you at the theater, taunting the screen, saying, “I liked INTO THE STORM more the first time I saw it…when it was called TWISTER.” – David Riedel, SF Reporter

 

calvary03CALVARY

“Despite McDonagh’s occasionally messy overreaches, this is an extremely moving portrait of a man trying to live his faith in a time and place where such a thing seems damned near impossible.” – Sean Burns, Movie Mezzanine

“For those interested in watching a movie that’s different from the normal summer blockbuster in just about every way imaginable, CALVARY may be something that you may want to see.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“McDonagh is trying to deal with the fact that talk is cheap. But he also seems to think the rest of the things we do – the social climbing, the status searching, the fighting, and yes, the drinking – are pretty damn cheap, too.” – Jake Mulligan, Movie Mezzanine

“One doesn’t jump from a story about child rape to casual guffaws easily, but writer-director John Michael McDonagh pulls it off.” – Dave Riedel, San Antonio Current

 

MOOD INDIGOmood-indigo

“In fine European art-house style, MOOD INDIGO relishes its quirky style and magical realism, but refuses to flinch from pain and horror.” – Kilian Melloy, Edge Boston

 

 

WHAT IF WHAT IF

“Maybe that’s too tall an order for what is supposed to be a romantic comedy, but if you can accept the fact that WHAT IF isn’t funny from the outset, you may find some worthwhile qualities.” – Kristofer Jenson, DigBoston

 

 

THE HUNDRED FOOT JOURNEYTHE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY

“It’s pleasant, it’s professionally produced, and leaves you with that warm bath feeling. It’s not a great film but it is one that will please many.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“You’d need a pretty big Venn Diagram to jot down all the audiences this movie is hoping to endear itself to.” – Jake Mulligan, Edge Boston

 

 

STEP UP ALL INSTEPUP ALLIN

“In the last chapter of the series, b-boys and girls took on the 99% motif and saved small businesses on the Miami waterfront. Two years later, they learn the hard way that idealism doesn’t pay the bills.” – Monica Castillo, Movie Mezzanine

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP 10/4

gravityGRAVITY

“GRAVITY is the place to start loving, once again, both the spectacle and the chance for intelligent filmmaking.”-Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“Few films manage to be this transporting, this thoughtful, this stunningly beautiful, and this flat-out daring all at the same time…”-Andrew Crump, Go-See-Talk

“The movie impresses us with the vastness and cold emptiness of space as few films have since 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.”- Daniel Kimmel, Northshore Movies

“GRAVITY is a pretty shrewd customer. It gives astronauts Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Kowalsky (George Clooney) disaster after disaster, and each one is worse than the disaster that came before it.”- David Riedel, Santa Fe Reporter

“Cuaron has fashioned a transcendent cinematic fable, leading us through a universe of pain, fear, wonder, sorrow, elation, and serendipity, all of it redeemed by gravity– and the pull of life.”- Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

parklandPARKLAND

“At some point, it becomes prudent to wonder why Landesman didn’t just settle on telling a single yarn.”-Andrew Crump, Go-See-Talk