“So full of unconvincing green-screen work I wouldn’t be surprised if the actors shot their scenes on a soundstage in Burbank. In The Heart Of The Sea keeps obnoxiously insisting this story inspired Melville, but nowhere here will you find the insights into obsession and humanity that made his book a classic. The movie doesn’t know Dick.” – Movie Mezzanine, 12/11/2015
1. Mad Max: Fury Road 2. The Mend 3. Heaven Knows What 4. Chi-Raq 5. Bridge Of Spies 6. Clouds Of Sils Maria 7. Tangerine 8. Creed 9. Magic Mike XXL 10. Blackhat
Honorable Mentions: Anomalisa, Appropriate Behavior, Call Me Lucky, Carol, Danny Collins, Hard To Be A God, I’ll See You In My Dreams, Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Results, Ricki And The Flash, Stray Dog, Wild Tales – BOFCA, 12/04/2015
“At once deeply sorrowful and exuberantly silly, Chi-Raq is a scabrous, sexy musical comedy shot through with an almost unbearable sadness. The majority of the (filthy) dialogue is delivered in rhyming verse, with broad buffoonery bumping up against hectoring sermons and stunning moments of contemplation and grace.” – Movie Mezzanine, 12/04/2015
Had a blast sitting in with fellow Boston Online Film Critics Association members Kris Jenson and Evan Crean as we discussed Youth, Chi-Raq, Room, Legend and wondered if this rash of one-word titles could be a response to the incessant over-punctuation of franchise films. – Spoilerpiece Theatre, 12/04/2015
“I was not offended by the subject matter of Uncle Nick so much as I was depressed by the lazy, lameness of the gags. Basically, if you’re going to structure a movie around a middle-aged alcoholic trying to bone his barely legal niece, you should probably come up with better jokes than the ones in Mike Demski’s sorry screenplay.” – Movie Mezzanine, 12/04/2015
Talking with fellow Boston Online Film Critics Association members Bob Chipman, Steve Head and Evan Crean about this month’s repertory offerings. Topics of discussion include the upcoming Wim Wenders retrospective, plenty of Hitchcock and various Christmas flicks. – BOFCA, 12/01/2015
CREED * * * *
Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Tony Bellew and Phylicia Rashad. Screenplay by Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington. Directed by Ryan Coogler.
“Stylistically, the movie attempts to ape the screeching nocturnal momentum of Scrooged, but the screenplay feels like a rough draft. It’s a lot of half-baked conceits that don’t really fit together, though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t laugh. These are extremely familiar riffs for Rogen, but he happens to still be really good at them.” – Movie Mezzanine, 11/25/2015
SPOTLIGHT * * 1 / 2
Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber and Stanley Tucci. Screenplay by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy. Directed by Tom McCarthy.
BY THE SEA * * 1 / 2
Starring Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud and Niels Arestrup. Written and directed by Angelina Jolie Pitt.
SPLICED PERSONALITY 