action | Fifth about The Seventh

World War Z

June 26, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

World War Z: solid, if unspectacular, entertainment; the action sequences are exciting and visually impressive, but with one exception, different versions of the same situation in varied settings. The story is the weak link, as can be expected in films of this nature; while there is nothing wrong with it, it’s not engaging or thought-provoking. It is a striking feat that for a film with so much violence (and where so much of it is by nature happening in close […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action

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The Dark Knight Rises – Revisit

June 17, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Dark Knight Rises: as I revisited this film, I was impressed at how little action (relatively; for films of this genre) there is. The focus is on the characters and the story, which are well in concert with the essence of the main character. Therefore, the whole thing feels organic and closing the circle, the right way to go. The attractive cast is very solid, Anne Hathaway and Marion Cotillard being the stand-outs. Production values are great, and visually […]

Categories: Film reviews, Revisit • Tags: action, super hero

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Man of Steel

June 15, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Man of Steel: the main problem of this film is that, however iconic he may be, Superman is uninteresting as a character, particularly by himself. While some efforts are made, the gravitas of this straight-as-an-arrow man is simply too much and the general graveness becomes dull. Henry Cavill seems to be, indeed, made of steel, but the rest of the cast is interesting and solid. Visually, the choice of going desaturated, shaky, gritty is consistent with the way the character […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, super hero

Skyfall – Revisit

June 5, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Skyfall: other than the colorful, rich, mesmerizing camera work by Roger Deakins (I have rambled about him before), which I had noticed but now could pay more attention to, there was not much new in a second visit to this film. That was not necessarily unexpected: firstly, by circling back to traditional elements, we are (or will be) back in familiar territory; secondly, a 007 movie is never exactly brimming with subtext. Worth mentioning, since I neglected to do so […]

Categories: Film reviews, Revisit • Tags: action

Hot Fuzz

June 4, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Hot Fuzz: a funny parody of a whole genre (the buddy cop films) that wears all possible references on its sleeves, and then some. The absurdity is over-the-top, but also well modulated. The result is (intentionally) as empty as the films it is emulating, but also a satisfying ride. Visually, it’s ultra kinetic both in the camera work and in the editing. The cast is playing this for all there is, as the material requires.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, comedy

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Fast & Furious 6

May 30, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Fast & Furious 6: particularly this late in the franchise, what one gets is a known quantity: mayhem, pure and simple. In the timeless rule of sequels, the mayhem is getting bigger, more preposterous as time goes by: one or two sequences here reach all-time highs, which, considering the bar set by the previous entries, is saying quite a lot. Characters, acting, a sensible story, all those take a back seat. Of course, it doesn’t mean that if you are […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action

Star Trek Into Darkness

May 21, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Star Trek Into Darkness: fun film that, however, feels somewhat generic. (Not an intellectual property that I know much, it felt that to understand the characters and the universe they were part of, one had to have some previous familiarity.) In spite of the excess of distracting lens flares (a mark of JJ Abrams) and the below-average 3D, the film in general looks slick enough. Benedict Cumberbatch creates a strong villain and is the stand-out of the capable but unremarkable cast.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, sci fi

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Iron Man Three

May 4, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Iron Man Three: an excessively busy story (having to contend with being a sequel to not one but two movies) with a lot of sound and fury, but not much else. The main selling point continues to be the main character (and, perhaps more importantly, how he’s played by Robert Downey Jr.) and how he doesn’t take anything seriously. In fact, the whole film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and this sense of humor is most welcome. Entertaining enough, if […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, super hero

The Avengers – Revisit

April 29, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Avengers: a review of this film only reassures what was thought before: this is a purely entertaining film. This is meant a bit as a backhanded compliment: there is nothing wrong in just trying to be fun (and this film is, in spades), but aiming somewhat higher is always welcome. Extremely well done, for what it’s supposed to be. The cast is very good in playing the one-noted characters; not having to spend much time introducing the characters, but […]

Categories: Film reviews, Revisit • Tags: action, super hero