Fifth about The Seventh

Casting a ballot – DGA Awards 2012

February 2, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

In the continuing efforts to opine about the awards season, the next stop is the Directors Guild Association. Here is their list of nominees. I have seen all five films this time, and my thoughts on each of them can be found elsewhere. There is one that I truly don’t believe is worthy of the honor this time. With that introduction out of the way, my ballot would be: Best Director – Feature Film: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln I’m also glad […]

Categories: Non-Reviews • Tags: awards 2012

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Walt Disney’s Paperman – Full short

January 30, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Paperman: Among the loveliest moments I spent at the movie theaters last year. Those who read the full list of Oscar nominees or my quick thoughts about them may remember the name. Those who watched Wreck-It Ralph may have seen it. Either way, I encourage you to watch Paperman. (Edited: Sadly, it seems the short was taken off the air.)

Categories: Non-Reviews • Tags: animation, awards 2012, romance, short

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The Impossible

January 28, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Impossible: in the best way possible, this is a horrible experience. With great earnestness from the whole cast and terrific recreation of the tsunami, there is a great sense of the reality of the account (at least the broad strokes; details are definitely expected to be changed.) The music could have been less bombastic, the images are already strong enough. (One note on the marketing: No matter it’s a “true story”, heavily spoiling the film on the trailers is […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama

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Casting a ballot – SAG Awards 2012

January 26, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Let me start by saying that I’m not a member of SAG (or any other of the organizations I’ll be casting a ballot over time, for that matter), and if I was, I probably would not make my vote public. Sadly, there were a few performances I didn’t have the opportunity to see yet. Looking at the full list of nominees, there’s only one I think doesn’t belong, so this is a strong group. With that introduction out of the […]

Categories: Non-Reviews • Tags: awards 2012

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Hyde Park on Hudson

January 24, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Hyde Park on Hudson: sometimes choosing an unusual point of view in telling a story has appealing results. The angle, however, must be interesting itself, which is not the case here. This film struggles to find the proper tone, going from light fantasy to straight to caricature within a beat; sadly, it works best exactly at the tone used the least. Visually the inconsistency persists, and the choices certainly do not match the material. The most memorable thing about it […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic

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Top 10 movies – 2012

January 22, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Below is the list of the top movies I watched, roughly, in the past year. It’s coming this late because I wanted to see a few titles before closing the list. Looking back to 2012, I veered very seldomly off the beaten path, sadly. Without further ado: 1) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Delicate story. As usual, sci-fi movies (yes, this is one) allow the storyteller to create a window to look […]

Categories: Lists

Amour (2012)

January 21, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Amour: a great acting duet with Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant, both marvelous. There is something to be said about not slipping into melodrama, but Michael Haneke, not surprisingly, veered too much in the other direction: the sad, delicate story is told from a great distance, emotionally. Visually, the film is consistent with the emotional distance with the camera mostly quiet, observing the action as if not to interfere. (No complaints in that regard, as long takes are a long-standing […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama

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Les Misérables

January 20, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Les Misérables: a famously good story, defended well by its cast. Anne Hathaway indeed shines the brightest in her small role. Despite those efforts, however, this is not a well-told story. A cardinal sin for a musical, the songs are not consistently interesting. More relevant, however, is that this must be one of the most irritating films visually I’ve seen in quite some time. The shot selection by director Tom Hooper is simply poor: by either shooting most songs with shaky, […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: musical

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Broken City

January 19, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Broken City: old-fashioned to the point where it would be more at home with grey suits and fedoras, rotary phones and high-contrast lighting. The few elements that were introduced that don’t belong to that world feel out of place mostly because they don’t add anything of consequence. The low-key, B-movie roots result in a film that is somewhat entertaining but not as edgy as it would have been.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime

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