Felipe Rosa

Her (2013)

December 21, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Her: delicate, low-key and poetic science fiction, this film distills elements of romance into their essence; despite its high concept, the story evolves in a natural way and is very touching. Perhaps more than usual, strong acting is required here, and Joaquin Phoenix delivers in spades a very sensitive and earnest performance; however, he is upstaged by Scarlett Johansson who, despite not having most of her instruments at her disposal, is able to create a rich, round and convincing character simply with […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: romance, sci fi

Saving Mr. Banks

December 19, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Saving Mr. Banks: a film of two mismatched halves; one half is so joyless that it takes away (some of) the pleasure of the whole. What is worse, from a storytelling point of view, it’s a clunky resort. It does, however, portray well what can be behind creativity and how painful the process can be. Emma Thompson, at first, seems to be doing a one-note curmudgeon (oh, but how well she plays that one note!), but her character rounds out […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, drama

Frozen (2013)

December 17, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Frozen: while too hard-on-the nose thematically, this film is nevertheless a good example of the Disney machine operating at a high level; the result is a solid piece of entertainment. Beautifully animated, visually stunning, it tells a delightful story with a fun set of characters (which are distinctly designed) and harmless sense of humor. Voice acting is solid, and the songs, performed with gusto. (Particular note for “Let It Go”, a crucial song for the story.) The short that preceded […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: animation, comedy, fantasy

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

December 17, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: while beautifully realized (top-notch special effects, beautiful cinematography, great costume and set designs and, above all, outstanding make-up), this film suffers from being the middle chapter in a trilogy, somewhat aggravated by screenplay. As is often the case with adapted material from other media, how one reacts to the new work is related to how strongly one feels about the source; the film takes its time to show the world, but it also takes […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, fantasy

American Hustle

December 14, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

American Hustle: this story, particulars aside, has been told many times before (sometimes even better); what sets this film apart and puts it (quite) above the average heist movie is the rich, well-written and, above all, entertaining gallery of characters and their relationships. Indeed, the bonds, rivalries, romances turn out to be more relevant than the plot itself. The whole cast is making the best of the material; Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper stand out because their characters are flashier, […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime, drama

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

December 12, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: a great closing film to the trilogy. Technically, there’s no need to repeat how good this film looks. What truly matters is that the emotional payoff of the journey is present here; the story is completed and the characters given their dues without rush. Sean Astin defends quite well his character, the heart of the trilogy; most of the cast is strong as well. The tone is grandiloquent (accentuated by […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, fantasy

Inside Llewyn Davis

December 10, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Inside Llewyn Davis: one mark of a good story and interesting world is that the end is not welcome, that it could just keep going, showing off more. Such is the case here; the writing is more complex that a cursory look suggests, and always thoroughly entertaining. The character gallery is typical Coen Brothers material, with characters that are attractive, distinctive and flawed. The titular semi-anti-hero, well-played by Oscar Isaac is one; the best of the bunch is created by […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama, musical

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

December 4, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: the production values in the second film as they were before (the consistency, result of the effort to treat the production as one throughout the whole series, pays out), but something else needs to be mentioned: the locations chosen are stunning. The pace on this film suffers a bit, partially because its condition of being a bridge between the beginning and the end of the overarching story; also, the extended cut has […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, fantasy

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

December 3, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: film adaptations of stories from another media are tricky; by one hand, the story and characters are laid down already; by the other hand, they necessarily will clash with pre-existing mind’s eye images of the material. The task gets further complicated when the original material has the scope and following of Tolkien’s writing, and Peter Jackson’s choices will be different from most others’. Costume design, set decoration, make-up and visual […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, fantasy

Fifth about The Seventh

Author Archives: Felipe Rosa

Her (2013)

Saving Mr. Banks

Frozen (2013)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

American Hustle

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Inside Llewyn Davis

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring