BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP 02/28/2014

SON OF GODThe Bible

“A lavish hunk of sermon-tainment with all the gravitas of a Communion wafer.” – Inkoo Kang, The Wrap

“By now, you know the drill – you have to get the initial origin movie out of the way, so that when this Jesus guy shows up in AVENGERS 2 you’re already familiar with his backstory, personality and power-set.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

“The flaws of SON OF GOD may be ignored by those for whom the film is a religious experience, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t there.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Comes across on the big screen as something more Made for Comic Books than destined for the cinema.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

 

NON-STOP5688_D014_00463_R.JPG

“NON-STOP has the ability to give existing fans of Neeson and this genre what they want to see, but I don’t think it has enough depth and quality to create any new ones along the way.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“After takeoff, the airplane hijacking film rapidly ascends into stupidity until it reaches cruising altitude, where it degenerates into a moronic movie riddled with plot holes, before hastily crashing and burning.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

“NON-STOP isn’t so much a story that needed to be told as a problem to be solved by the filmmakers.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

 

STALINGRADstalingrad

“While it fails as a history lesson, it scores in bringing home the emotional impact of the event, which might explain why this shattered box office records for a Russian movie.” – Daniel M. Kimmel

“Calling the film STALINGRAD and filming in IMAX 3D are distractions from a narrative that would have fit right in with classic Russian WWII films like TWO SOLDIERS or THE CRANES ARE FLYING. Meanwhile, the battle scenes feel ripped from an outright propaganda film along the lines of300.” – Kristofer Jenson, DIG

BOFCA REPERTORY PODCAST #10 (MARCH)

GHOSTBUSTERS

GHOSTBUSTERS, written by and starring the late Harold Ramis (discussed and debated by the BOFCA Podcast crew around 11:05)

BOFCA members Steve Head, David Riedel and Bob Chipman discuss new and classic films coming to the repertory screening scene in Boston.

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP 02/21/2014

3 DAYS TO KILLAmber Heard gets flirty with Kevin Costner [USA ONLY]

“It’s impossible not to watch 3 DAYS TO KILL without feeling like it’s a watered-down composite of the French action-dramatist’s better work.” – Andy Crump, In Review Online

“If you like the fast-paced thrillers with twists that we’ve come to associate with Besson (“The Professional,” “Taken,” “Transporter”) then this should score.” – Daniel Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Everything that you think will be wrong with something like this is wrong here, but this is the kind of bad that you can legitimately find some honest entertainment value in.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“There’s no commentary at work here – just overblown nonsense.” – Jake Mulligan, Movie Mezzanine

 


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“Hey, you know what’d be a good idea? If you took TITANIC and GLADIATOR and made them into one movie!” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

 

 

the-wind-rises-theverge-1_1020THE WIND RISES

“…never has the guts to put Jiro’s endeavors, or the events surrounding his life’s passing parade, into proper context. This is a movie about a dreamer realizing his dreams, not about how his dreams wound up breeding nightmares for enemy combatants.” – Andy Crump, In Review Online

“THE WIND RISES declines to challenge mainstream Japanese society’s distortions and denials of its wartime atrocities. Worse, it echoes Japan’s morally dishonest stance that it was a victim, rather than a perpetrator, of a global war – a whitewashed version of history that the film now imports to every country where it plays.” – Inkoo Kang, The Village Voice

“The most famous hand-drawn holdout in a world of rapid-fire 3D computer animation, Miyazaki imbues each sequence with an indefinable human texture, from wide shots of a destructive earthquake to simple low angles of a couple kneeling at their wedding.” – Norm Schrager, Paste Magazine

 

IN SECRET151027

“…nobody really needed this movie to begin with, and our fledgling maestro fails to convince otherwise.” – Andy Crump, Movie Mezzanine

“All of the characters are trapped in a terrible existence that makes each day feel like a month.” – David Riedel, San Antonio Current

 

OMARomar

“…under the Israeli occupation, however, the personal is quickly assumed to be political and vice versa, rapidly raising the stakes of every disagreement and quarrel to tragic proportions.” Inkoo Kang, The Wrap

 

 

TIM’S VERMEERTIMSVERMEER

“Leave it to a pair of magicians to take the magic out of a great work of art, then raise even deeper questions than they answer.” – Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

BOFCA REVIEW ROUND-UP 2/14/14

ROBOCOP (2014)Robocop Movie

“Director José Padilha apparently confuses the potential for commentary with the commentary itself as he raises many ethical and political issues that go bafflingly unaddressed.” – Kristofer Jenson, DIG Boston

“As a fan of the original, this reviewer really didn’t want to like this one… but he did” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“An empty, hollow, tediously self-referencing cover-version of a better movie.” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

 

WINTER’S TALEColin Farrell and Jessica Brown Findlay filming "Winter's Tale" in Prospect Park

“I am sitting here as a nor’easter wails outside, thinking about WINTER’S TALE and how cold it left me.” – Joyce Kulhawik

“Virtually guarantees a few hundred thousand guys will end their Valentine’s Day evenings hearing the phrase “I’m soooooo sorry I made us go see that!” – Bob Chipman, Escapist

“I can at least say that the creators of this film should be given credit for trying something different, but it doesn’t elevate WINTER’S TALE into something better.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

“A film that one could possibly, perversely enjoy as filmmaking farce by virtue of its towering level of technical and artistic ineptitude.” – Andy Crump, InReview

“A delicate romantic fantasy that requires that you willingly suspend your disbelief and give yourself over to it. Cynics need not apply.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“If you’re familiar with the concept of hate-watching or ironically loving a movie, then by all means, enjoy ripping the movie to shreds with your friends at the bar next door.” – Monica Castillo, Movie Mezzanine

 

endless-love-2013-636-370ENDLESS LOVE

“An unfaithful remake of a already-unfaithful novel adaptation, meaning Hollywood has spent 30 years — and God knows how many writers — massaging all instances of individuality or danger out of the narrative.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE

“A hackneyed story about the boy from the wrong side of the tracks and the girl just waiting to be freed from her prison of privilege.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, North Shore Movies

“Despite its purity of feeling, ENDLESS LOVE is both a salvo against personal evolution and a paean to the foolish conviction that love comes first, and growth second.” – Inkoo Kang, The Wrap

 

ABOUT LAST NIGHTABOUT LAST NIGHT

“There’s some fun to be had with the comedy, but it would have worked better if the lead actor was actually in the lead role.” – Jaskee Hickman, The Movie Picture Show

ANNOUNCEMENT: BOFCA Names New Chairman, Web and Social Media Managers

BOSTON ONLINE FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION NAMES NEW CHAIRMAN, NEW APPOINTMENTS FOR WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Boston – Bob Chipman has been named the new chairman of the Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA), effective February 12.  He succeeds founding co-chairs Monica Castillo and Daniel M. Kimmel. Castillo is stepping down to take a job in New York. Kimmel will remain with the organization as “past chairman” and advisor.

Taking the place of webmaster, which had been held by Chipman, will be Andrew Crump.  Megan Kearns will take over the social media accounts that had been managed by Castillo.  Evan Crean will continue in his role of treasurer.

Chipman has spent over a decade in the fields of independent film production, film criticism and pop-culture commentary. In addition to the webseries “Escape To The Movies” and “The Big Picture” for EscapistMagazine.com; he is the creator of ScrewAttack.com’s “The Game OverThinker.” He can also be found blogging at moviebob.blogspot.com.

Crump became a member of the online press in 2012 when he began writing for Go, See, Talk! Megan Kearns writes for Bitch Flicks and spearheads its social media strategy.

The Boston Online Film Critics Association was established in May of 2012 in order to foster a community of web-based film critics and provide them with a supportive group of colleagues and a professional platform for their voices to be heard.

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