by Felipe Rosa
Runner Runner: it is a capital sin for a thriller to have no thrills, particularly when not much else in the film works. Characters, story, logic, proper motivation, all seem an afterthought; the question is, if that was the case, what were Brian Furman and the writers actually thinking about? The film looks slick, but generic. Needless to say, the cast is wasted.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: thriller
by Felipe Rosa
Gravity: this film tells has, at its core, a simple but very powerful tale of survival. It is, however, the gorgeous execution that raises this to the rank of extraordinaire. Alfonso Cuarón’s style (long, uninterrupted takes; which, I might add, is a personal, well-known bias of mine) lends itself perfectly for the setting. Emmanuel Lubezki’s camerawork (I’ll call it so for simplicity, but the images are a mix of cinematography, editing and special effects) is mind-blowing: the camera dances around the […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama, sci fi, top
by Felipe Rosa
Don Jon: perhaps the biggest asset in this rom-com is how unromantic (therefore, refreshing) it is. Also, the structure smartly mimics the repetitious nature of the characters; the downside, of course, is that it becomes dull every once in a while. Nevertheless, the choice is interesting. Scarlett Johansson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are both solid in their roles; much like the structure, their acting call for repetition with subtle changes throughout the film, but those are well-portrayed.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: romantic comedy
by Felipe Rosa
Prisoners: thriller that goes beyond (but not much) the usual when telling the story, and while the plot falls in some of the same pits, the characters raise this film above the genre’s average. It’s, however, almost an unpleasant experience, full of dread. The cast is very good, both on paper and on the screen. (Not that Maria Bello and Viola Davis have all that much to do, or Terrence Howard, for that matter.) Visually, it’s beautifully functional; unsurprising since […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama, thriller
by Felipe Rosa
Barry Lyndon: above everything else, a film of enormous beauty; from the choice of music to the rigorous, painting-like quality of the images. The story, an interesting portrait of the time, is told with cold detachment: the unemotional and precise narration, the shot selection (more often than not, from a distance, observing the action from a neutral point of view), the low-key acting (still effective). The ponderous pace imposed by Stanley Kubrick does not bother, as there is always something […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
by Felipe Rosa
Rush: entertaining and solid, if not very innovative, sports drama; it all starts with the good script that lays down appealingly the rivalry between the two main characters. It’s a sign of strength that both are flawed but reasonably well-rounded, and attractive in their own different ways. Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl are both strong in their portraits. Furthermore, they are physically a great match to their real counterparts, the most notable (but not only) sign of attention to detail […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, drama
by Felipe Rosa
Enough Said: by one hand, a rather formulaic romantic comedy; however, and most importantly, it’s also a rich, earnest, heartfelt look into human relationships, romantic or otherwise. What truly makes this writing work are the characters, and how well-played they are by the cast. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is, at times, a bit too broad, but a strong presence nevertheless; James Gandolfini plays his character with great sweetness and certainly is the stand out (and, needless to say, gone too soon).
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: romantic comedy
by Felipe Rosa
The Family: while it’s good to see this cast (Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones) working, it would be better if the film was any good. As a comedy, it’s very flat and graceless, and as an action movie, it’s violent but standard-looking. All we are left with, therefore, is an undercooked story that is consciously self-referential (but misses the chance to make even that work). Luc Besson makes it look slick, but it’s all empty.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, comedy
by Felipe Rosa
Ocean’s Eleven: charming film that oozes camaraderie, but ultimately falls short. The main issue is that the story is long on set-up and short on payoff, so what is left is mostly the Rat Pack interacting with each other; and while that is entertaining, it’s also somewhat vacuous. Other issue is that the characters (and there’s a bunch of them) are not easily identifiable (beyond the famous faces playing them, of course), so it’s harder to relate to them individually. […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime
Fifth about The Seventh