|
2.5/4
|
29%
|
Underworld Awakening (2012) |
"
Brief but bloody and best enjoyed in zombie mode."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 24, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
34%
|
Joyful Noise (2012) |
"
As in a Tyler Perry movie, the obvious issues of race get buried under a litany of life-affirming platitudes."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 10, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
54%
|
In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011) |
"
Thanks to the cast and chaotic historical backdrop, the horror of hate and war takes on a compelling human face."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 3, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
13%
|
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011) |
"
Overall, Mike Mitchell's assault will appeal only to the under-10 set and send everyone else running for ear plugs."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 13, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
10%
|
Trespass (2011) |
"
Addled by uninspired dialogue and hammy plot twists, it could have used some anti-corporate demonstrators looking for economic parity to add interest."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 12, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
14%
|
Shark Night 3D (2011) |
"
How did a fleet of ferocious finned carnivores wind up in a lake, even one that's salt water?"
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Sep 7, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
48%
|
Chasing Madoff (2011) |
"
Overall, the film offers little insight into Madoff, his shenanigans, or the financial collapse of 2008."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Aug 24, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
60%
|
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011) |
"
If you're a lover of the series, this is your summer cherry. If you're a hater or apathetic (I'm apathetic plus), it's first-rate fluff."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Aug 17, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
60%
|
The Round Up (La Rafle.) (2010) |
"
Bosch boldly tackles the psyche of Hitler, showing the Führer enjoying the high life with Eva Braun as he instructs his minions..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jul 20, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
85%
|
Viva Riva! (2011) |
"
Riva's a gritty get-down that'll hit you in the gut."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jul 6, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
39%
|
Cars 2 (2011) |
"
Lasseter should have left this sputtering galumph on the table and pumped the gas into Toy Story 4."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jun 29, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
82%
|
TrollHunter (2011) |
"
If you just go with it, Troll Hunter may satisfy your taste for cult campiness."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jun 29, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
Buck (2011) |
"
Ostensibly, Cindy Meehl's documentary may focus on the exploits of horse whisperer Buck Brannaman, but it also relates a tale of perseverance."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jun 22, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
93%
|
City of Life and Death (2011) |
"
The most visceral war film since Saving Private Ryan - a portrait of the hopeless in the grasp of a sadistic oppressor."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jun 2, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
59%
|
Forks Over Knives (2011) |
"
Although Fulkerson might have balanced his polemics with some other opinions, Forks over Knives still serves up plenty of food for thought."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
——
|
Saviors In The Night (2011) |
"
Suspenseful, heartbreaking, and uplifting, Saviors is a worthy entry in the Holocaust genre."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
54%
|
Hesher (2011) |
"
The performances, especially by Wilson and Laurie as the grandmother, keep Susser's earnest effort afloat. Consider it a promise of things to come."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
78%
|
Fast Five (2011) |
"
Though the smash-bang chases make for dumb fun, it all mostly cruises in a noisy neutral. And with his film clocking in at over two hours, director Justin Lin might have raised his own speed limit."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted May 7, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
41%
|
Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family (2011) |
"
It's that time of year again, when the daffodils spring up and Tyler Perry puts on a dress and becomes Madea."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Apr 28, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
61%
|
Water for Elephants (2011) |
"
Lawrence brings some authenticity to the mini-epic but succumbs to its sentimentality."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Apr 28, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
11%
|
Atlas Shrugged Part I (2011) |
"
Not all books should be made into movies, and this is one of them."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Apr 13, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
71%
|
Rio (2011) |
"
Love drives this animated 3D flight of fancy from Carlos Saldanha, director of the Ice Age series and a native of the title city."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Apr 13, 2011
|
|
|
18%
|
Miral (2011) |
"
The didactic approach and hodge-podge structure diminish the film's heart and Schnabel's dreamy imagery."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Apr 7, 2011
|
|
|
98%
|
Born To Be Wild (2011) |
"
The spectacle of 3D and the narration of Morgan Freeman make clear the beauty of what is being lost."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Apr 7, 2011
|
|
|
47%
|
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (2011) |
"
The actors make the most of it, and director David Bowers (Astro Boy) keeps the gags coming at an ADD-appeasing pace. What this wimp lacks, however, is heart."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 31, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
23%
|
Sucker Punch (2011) |
"
The director of 300 and Watchmen has plenty of visual panache, but when it comes to storytelling, he's a bombastic hack."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 31, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
35%
|
Battle: Los Angeles (2011) |
"
At times, the film dazzles with its almost seamless spectacle, but not as much can be said for the needless backstory preamble and an overindulgent aural overload that drowns out the best scenes."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 18, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
37%
|
Mars Needs Moms (2011) |
"
The 3D IMAX visuals do impress, but the subtext - that if you behave well, the Martians will zap your mother's brain - is a little out of this world."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 10, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
5%
|
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011) |
"
John Whitesell, who helmed BM2, keeps the gender-flipping gags firing with a sense of seriousness that seems blind to the inanity of the granny-panty flimsy plot."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 23, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
4%
|
The Roommate (2011) |
"
The saddest thing about The Roommate is how the filmmakers exploit the clearly ill Rebecca, turning her into a co-ed version of Jason or Freddy Krueger."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 12, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
53%
|
The Mechanic (2011) |
"
Tomb Raider maestro Simon West's remake of the 1972 action thriller can't be bothered with nuance, intrigue, or piquant detail."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 2, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
24%
|
The Dilemma (2011) |
"
Such defining efforts as Cocoon and Apollo 13 seem light years away for Ron Howard..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 20, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
36%
|
Casino Jack (2010) |
"
Spacey's bravura performance really sells the story."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 6, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
31%
|
The Warrior's Way (2010) |
"
Though the film oozes visual appeal (many action sequences are rendered with comic-book vibrancy), it's short on insight and long on cliché."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 9, 2010
|
|
2.5/4
|
80%
|
Made in Dagenham (2010) |
"
Hawkins, so fantastic in Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky, gives another award-worthy performance..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 23, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
16%
|
Skyline (2010) |
"
The premise of this low-budget sci-fi thriller might be familiar from Signs, War of the Worlds, and Cloverfield, but the lesser acting talent is more in line with Plan 9 from Outer Space."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 17, 2010
|
|
3.5/4
|
93%
|
Boxing Gym (2010) |
"
Wiseman records the rituals of repetition (speed bag and footwork) in poetic long shots that often have two pugilists side by side, each unaware of the other. The cadence is both primal and hypnotic."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 11, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
86%
|
Unstoppable (2010) |
"
The film saddles the impromptu duo with carloads of backstory, but the actors are on their game -- and that includes Rosario Dawson, who adds a deft touch as the track manager fighting corporate inanity."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 10, 2010
|
|
2.5/4
|
39%
|
Due Date (2010) |
"
It ain't old-school Todd Phillips, but it *is* Todd Phillips."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 3, 2010
|
|
1.5/4
|
10%
|
Saw 3D (2010) |
"
The alleged final installment in the death-game series goes out with a whimper -- and the 3D visuals, apart from a few screen-popping squirts of blood, do little to accentuate the gore."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 3, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
89%
|
Waiting for Superman (2010) |
"
If you were wondering about the state of our education system, Davis Guggenheim's documentary won't make you feel very optimistic."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Sep 29, 2010
|
|
2.5/4
|
50%
|
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010) |
"
Despite the cockamamie premise, the filmmaking by Zack Snyder (branching out from 300 and Watchmen) is the best use of 3D animation since Avatar."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Sep 22, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
85%
|
Easy A (2010) |
"
At least Emma Stone gets high marks in this teen comedy."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Sep 22, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
16%
|
Alpha and Omega (2010) |
"
If Lionsgate wants to take a bite out of the animated film market dominated by Pixar and Disney, it'll have to do better than this toothless stray."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Sep 16, 2010
|
|
2.5/4
|
17%
|
Legendary (2010) |
"
Through all the emotional heaves and tosses, Cena is dead on. Unfortunately, the direction by Mel Damski isn't."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Sep 9, 2010
|
|
2.5/4
|
27%
|
Takers (2010) |
"
It's no Heat, but it does take in a small haul of thrills."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Sep 2, 2010
|
|
|
77%
|
Nanny McPhee Returns (2010) |
"
At least the A-list cast and crisp direction by TV vet Susanna White lift the film out of the dung heap."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Aug 26, 2010
|
|
—
|
4%
|
Happily N'ever After (2006) |
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Aug 23, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
46%
|
Step Up 3-D (2010) |
"
The 3-D at its best pops (a red-gloved dancer bursts out from the screen as if diving through a window), but more often it's merely Dramamine-inducing."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Aug 23, 2010
|
