Felipe Rosa

2012 Oscars Post Mortem

February 25, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

And with that song, this cycle has ended. It’s been an interesting one; my opinions on the winners can be guessed with some accuracy if you have read my previous posts on the subject: the ballot and the guesses. It’s not, therefore, any surprise how happy I am for Argo. Some circles usually choose to dismiss a film if it’s too entertaining, as if that’s either easy or undesirable. There is more to Argo than some lead to believe. The […]

Categories: Non-Reviews • Tags: awards 2012

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2012 Oscars – Guessing the Winners

February 24, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

As I promised before, here’s the list of who I think will win each of the categories in the ceremony later tonight. I invite you to post your own picks as well in the comment session below.

Categories: Non-Reviews • Tags: awards 2012

Roger Deakins, Indeed a Master

February 22, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Roger Deakins has long been one of my favorite cinematographers working today. The beauty of his images is generally uncanny and his body of work is impressive, in no small part due to his long relationship with the Coen Brothers. By all accounts, he seems to be very generous about his knowledge; he frequently gives advice and answers questions in his website. If you have the DVD of WALL-E (incidentally: if you don’t, you should!), check one of the extras where parts […]

Categories: Non-Reviews • Tags: people

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ParaNorman

February 21, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

ParaNorman: while it gains points for the use of stop-motion animation, this film is not visually distinctive enough at this day and age. While the story is fun, it’s also somewhat vapid; character’s motivations are murky and the message, unfocused. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a little fun movie, but without much meat in its bones.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, animation

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No (2012)

February 20, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

No: while the choice to make this film look like a video from the period (and very ugly in the process) is a bit mind-boggling, there is little else in here that is a mistake. It’s an interesting story that enables the director to display a particular place and time, including the tension and the uglyness that exists in a military dictatorship. Maybe the choice of making the footage ugly was not so misplaced after all. (As a side note: […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama

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The Gatekeepers

February 19, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Gatekeepers: interesting, informed, even entertaining documentary that is, above all that, quite thought-provoking. The politics of it are likely to rile one group or another; the bias of the film is clear, but it’s interesting, nevertheless, to see how the six voices evolve throughout. The mixture of the interviews with historical footage and special effect shots makes this more interesting to watch.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: documentary

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The Stranger (1946)

February 18, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Stranger: solid noir with all the usual Orson Welles’ fingerprints, and the better for it. In first place, his camera work and lighting design is complex, rich and expressive; while there is no shot that reaches out the opening shot of Touch of Evil, there are quite a few that caught my eye. (However, never is too much to recall that I’m biased towards long continuous takes.) The lighting (and the music) creates a sense of dread that permeates […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama, noir, thriller

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Union Station

February 16, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Union Station: capable, entertaining crime drama, but ultimately conventional to a fault. For a converted DP as a director, Rudolph Maté creates a very bland and plain film visually. However, he has a good cast to work with, and while both William Holden and Barry Fitzgerald have been in better vehicles, their presence lifts this one from being fully ordinary.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

February 15, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: there is a certain allure to the brand of animation done by Aardman; it goes beyond the flawless technique (lovely stop-motion) or the very recognizable character design they employ. It is (this is one key I’ll ever insist on playing) the story, always displaying a naïve, timeless sense of humor. (It sounds simple, but there aren’t many animation studios that understand that.) In this case, a fun adventure, with all the expected absurd touches and […]

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

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Fifth about The Seventh

Author Archives: Felipe Rosa

2012 Oscars Post Mortem

2012 Oscars – Guessing the Winners

Roger Deakins, Indeed a Master

ParaNorman

No (2012)

The Gatekeepers

The Stranger (1946)

Union Station

The Pirates! Band of Misfits