by Felipe Rosa
Rango: just to make it unequivocal, great! One has got to love the odd mix of (mostly) Leone’s “The Man with No Name” series, Chinatown, visual cues out of Star Wars, just to name a few of the more obvious things. The character design is different, risky and wonderful. The end result is an animated movie with brains, heart and soul, a rare presence in (US’) landscape today.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: animation, comedy, fantasy, western
by Felipe Rosa
Animal Kingdom: what a little, quaint movie this is. It’s emotional dettachment is enormous, which may as well be, since the characters in this are not deserving, for the most part, of any connection. I was expecting a little bit more of Jacki Weaver, after reading so much about it, but hers is for sure the best character in this.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
by Felipe Rosa
The Adjustment Bureau: as it’s usually the case with (good, it’s true) science fiction, it has something to say about the human condition. While it falls a bit in the pitfalls of preachiness at the end, it must be commended by going for a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” path. Good cast, too.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: sci fi
by Felipe Rosa
The Good German: you’ve got to appreciate the guts to make a movie with that sort of look on this day and age, especially a big one like this. However, while I’m a big fan of the style of the movie, its most important element, the story, is underwhelming. I had the same feeling when I read the original book.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: noir
by Felipe Rosa
Cedar Rapids: this weird little mix of Forrest Gump, Inside Job and a Farrelly Bros. comedy is, ultimately, quite unsatisfying. Not that insightful, funny or well shot either.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy
by Felipe Rosa
Unknown: even though it’s from a quite recognizable blueprint (and from a superior product, to be blunt) and it doesn’t make all that much sense, it still moves along at a nice pace and it’s fun enough. Brainless to be sure, but I wasn’t expecting it to be different.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: thriller
by Felipe Rosa
Barney’s Version: it surprised me how much I liked this movie, despite two characters that are a little bit too extreme and whose love makes little sense to me. The way the movie deals with mortality was very touching to me; and, of course, the wonderful performance by Paul Giamatti and the rest of the cast made it so much more interesting.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy
by Felipe Rosa
The Social Network: remains a movie that speaks more to the mind than to the heart. But it speaks loudly, clearly, intelligently. Good filmmaking is not only about telling a good story, it’s about telling it well. See what I previously wrote: The Social Network
Categories: Film reviews, Revisit • Tags: biopic / historic
by Felipe Rosa
The Company Men: a somewhat sad, depressing movie about a sad, depressing situation. However, the fact that it gets the tone right doesn’t mean this is not a clunky movie, indifferently acted and directed, visually unappealing and with a preachy anti-corporation stance.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
Fifth about The Seventh