by Felipe Rosa
Intruders: the one thing that makes this conventional thriller any different is how pretentious it is. From obvious music cues to camera angles, it’s all been used in better movies many times. Not to mention the weak special effects.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: horror, thriller
by Felipe Rosa
O Abismo Prateado: beautifully shot and directed, which raises this simple story above its elements. Very solid acting, through and through. Its inspiration, a beautiful song, makes its appearance late in the movie, at the right moment. This is a small, artful movie that works.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
by Felipe Rosa
Contagion: grim, efficient, cold movie. Well directed, as one would expect. The story is told without sentimentality, as if the characters are in a petri dish; the choice makes sense given the subject. The characters are still sympathetic enough, in spite of that. Great cast, top to bottom.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
by Felipe Rosa
Our Idiot Brother: a sweet little family comedy that somewhat works, but not quite. It’s a relief that a broader comedy style is avoided, but the main character toes the line to being too much of a simpleton. Additionally, the sisters are too close to archetypes, while the mother is not even a character. So, while the movie has heart, the cardboard characters make the whole experience somewhat less satisfying.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy
by Felipe Rosa
Appaloosa: a solid, ponderously-paced western, even if it doesn’t bring much new to the table. Conservativelly shot, its strongest suit is the relationship between the two main characters. The cast is good enough (despite the presence of Renée Zellweger, who usually annoys me.)
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: western
by Felipe Rosa
The Debt: very conventional thriller that seems to have more lost than converted opportunities to be interesting. It feels overlong, which suggests a bad pacing. Of course, with such a strong cast, it can’t be all that bad; they certainly deserved to be better used.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
by Felipe Rosa
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame: one of the most appealing summer movies is also one of the most unusual. A “high fantasy wuxia”, it’s beautifully done (but deserved a better digital copy), and fun to watch. It’s main strength is the mix of genres, with a whodunit playing the most important part.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, fantasy
by Felipe Rosa
Colombiana: as far as gun-porn movies go, this is not too bad (faint praise, I know). There’s no need to bring a brain to this one, as the story makes very little sense, but if I expected that to happen I would be dumber than most of the characters here. That said, it’s still fun enough to watch and reasonably well done. (I had flashbacks to Eartha Kitt in Mission: Impossible, not a bad thing.)
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action
by Felipe Rosa
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: as far as summer fare goes, this is indeed an above average effort. The special effects look great, and the story is good enough, with some Jurassic Park vibe to it. However, they really should have either get rid of Freida Pinto’s character or making it meaningful, as it serves no purpose whatsoever.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: sci fi
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