Casting a ballot – DGA Awards 2014
by Felipe Rosa
The next stop in my tour of guild awards is the Directors Guild of America, to be presented February 7th, 2015. Here is their list of nominees.
Categories: Non-Reviews • Tags: awards 2014
Into the Woods (2014)
by Felipe Rosa
Into the Woods: Rob Marshall’s film commits a cardinal sin for a musical:
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, musical
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
by Felipe Rosa
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Sergio Leone tells his entertaining tale unhurriedly, letting the film (and most scenes) breathe.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: top, western
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
by Felipe Rosa
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): Alejandro González Iñárritu presents a pointed satire;
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
The Imitation Game
by Felipe Rosa
The Imitation Game: Morten Tyldum tells a story that is worth telling; it has the dubious quality of being important (the direct historical value as well as the implications championed). It is entertaining and efficient; it’s also edulcorated, excessively traditional, unengaging (almost something that would be produced by a Turing machine). It’s well done; Óscar Faura’s cinematography is unsubtle, but displays the production values to their full. Benedict Cumberbatch plays his character well, even if it feels a manufactured, forced performance; the same […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, drama, thriller
Agatha
by Felipe Rosa
Agatha: Michael Apted’s film is a low-key drama (much consistent with the setting and period), perhaps excessively so. It is the strong acting of Vanessa Redgrave that gives this a better chance of connecting emotionally with the situation; Dustin Hoffman is a solid presence as well. Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography (more particularly, his use of soft lights) give the film a dreamy quality and greatly complements the set and costume design.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
Wild
by Felipe Rosa
Wild: when portraying a journey, as Jean-Marc Vallée is doing in this film, it helps if the landscape is spectacular (and it is, as well as beautifully captured by the cinematography of Yves Bélanger). However, even more important than the outer journey is the inner journey, and it’s merely serviceable here; the most interesting aspects of the story are not in the journey at all. Reese Witherspoon is solid, but unspectacular; the rest of the cast (including Laura Dern) aren’t given much screen […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, drama
Timbuktu (2014)
by Felipe Rosa
Timbuktu: the tale weaven by Abderrahmane Sissako is a sad one, but the light touch used makes this film really attractive to watch. The story is not real, but it could well be; the characters, all played beautifully, are realistic and relatable. Amin Bouhafa’s music is used sparingly, but all the tracks are beautiful, flavorful. The film is shot simply, but Sofian El Fani’s images are wonderful to look at. What truly stays, however, is the absurdity, and the humanity, of it all.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
Casting a ballot – PGA Awards 2014
by Felipe Rosa
It’s a running tradition already. Once more, I’ll cast a fictional ballot for many awards (I’m going to restrict myself to the guild awards, as well as the Oscars); like I did last year, a note: I’m not a member of any guild, so this is merely my opinion on the matter. It’s not who I think will receive the award, merely who I think should. (It’s also unideal, since I haven’t seen a number of the nominees.) The full list […]
Categories: Non-Reviews • Tags: awards 2014
Fifth about The Seventh 