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
Unbroken (2014)
by Felipe Rosa
Unbroken: Angelina Jolie’s film portrays a journey that is very interesting on paper; however, the many different parts don’t match well (and the arbitrary structure doesn’t add much) and are not particularly engaging or exciting. There’s not much sense of the characters, which is further aggravated by the generally indifferent acting. The film is, however, very well crafted, even if somewhat squarely so; Roger Deakins’s cinematography is, as usually is the case, beautiful and classical.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, drama, war
Clouds of Sils Maria
by Felipe Rosa
Clouds of Sils Maria: while Olivier Assayas’ film doesn’t tell a particularly engaging story, it’s nevertheless an engaging film because of the strong acting and interesting dialogue (very revealing about the craft of acting, among other things). Juliette Binoche is particularly good, and her interaction with Kristen Stewart (a pleasant surprise) is what raises the film. The beautiful locations add to a sense of elegance that this film has.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
Leviathan
by Felipe Rosa
Leviathan: Andrey Zvyagintsev tells a great story, which has many themes that are universal, but also mingled with specific elements that give the film a particular flavor; it all results in a powerful drama. Acting is very solid and Aleksey Serebryakov, as the main character, stands out. The locations are great-looking, and well used by the no-frills camerawork of Mikhail Krichman (who also makes great use of natural light). The spare, moody music of Phillip Glass matches the landscape beautifully.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama
