The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Revisit
by Felipe Rosa
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: a new visit confirms that, while the action sequences
Categories: Film reviews, Revisit • Tags: action, sci fi
Author Archives: Felipe Rosa
The Seventh Seal
by Felipe Rosa
The Seventh Seal: a film with this setting, group of characters and story is expected to be
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama, fantasy, top
August: Osage County
by Felipe Rosa
August: Osage County: taking the idea that “each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” to the point of caricature, this film ends up with a gallery of characters that are uni-dimensional and uninteresting. Perhaps a lighter hand than John Wells’ would have worked better, but the screenplay seems more interested in giving actors the chance to act broadly within a given type then let them build rich characters. It is a great looking cast, led by Meryl Streep, but […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
by Felipe Rosa
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: this upbeat story has been told many times before; however, the mix of genres and the specifics make this a pleasant journey. It is a bit too on-the-nose on its themes, however. The film is visually slick and interesting; the locations, in particular, are great to look at and very distinctive. The cast is in fine (if not spectacular) shape and sells the concept well; Ben Stiller registers well by avoiding, both as an […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
by Felipe Rosa
The Wolf of Wall Street: bold by choosing to be so forthcoming with its excesses; they are, however, either serving the story and the characters or defining the world. This film is an absolutely fun, if flawed, ride (assuming one is able to not be horrified by the excesses); the pace is somewhat uneven, but that’s because most scenes and sequences have such a high degree of energy that whenever one doesn’t reach those levels, it sticks out. Martin Scorsese is in […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, comedy, drama
Dallas Buyers Club
by Felipe Rosa
Dallas Buyers Club: while it’s an interesting and inspiring story, this film is so schematic and simplistic in its approach that it almost defeats the purpose. Characters are underdeveloped, so it’s almost surprising how good the acting is; of course, a good part of the effectiveness from both Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto come from the extreme physical transformation they went through, but both of them (Leto in particular) are able to infuse humanity into the roles.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, drama
The Past
by Felipe Rosa
The Past: small, powerful drama. The story itself evolves in an inorganic way, a chain of events and discoveries that is perhaps too neat, but the characters’ pain and reactions feel natural, complex and human. Here is a group of individuals that is flawed, simply trying to move forward; good (for the most part) people who have made bad decisions at one point or another; in other words, perfectly realistic. It’s a fascinating experience, even if not an easy one. […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
Her (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
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
