adventure | Fifth about The Seventh

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

December 31, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: this upbeat story has been told many times before; however, the mix of genres and the specifics make this a pleasant journey. It is a bit too on-the-nose on its themes, however. The film is visually slick and interesting; the locations, in particular, are great to look at and very distinctive. The cast is in fine (if not spectacular) shape and sells the concept well; Ben Stiller registers well by avoiding, both as an […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy

The Man Who Would Be King

September 1, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Man Who Would Be King: a grand old adventure which includes enough subtext to go beyond simple entertainment. After all, John Huston is behind it. It all starts with an engaging, interesting story that mixes both usual and unusual elements; the main characters are a joy to watch, partially because how they were written and partially because they are played by Michael Caine and Sean Connery. Beautifully made, top to bottom; the locations in particular are incredible.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure

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Epic (2013)

June 18, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Epic: a solid, if unspectacular animated film. The story is above average (it seems to be a bit inspired by Studio Ghibli’s works) and avoiding cheap jokes as well as pop culture references was a good choice. Character and world design are well done, in particular the way one integrated with the other; the exception is that some of the textures are a bit off. Voice acting is, for the most part, good; Christoph Waltz is expectedly the high point.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, animation

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Kon-Tiki (2012)

May 21, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Kon-Tiki: there’s not much space in this film for any characters to really show up. The story, however, is a good one, as “based on fact” stories tend to be, particularly when they are inspirational tales of faith and persistence against (apparently) insurmountable odds, but it lacks a stronger punch. It certainly looks pretty and is well done. It does not, however, address the intrinsic differences of a journey which you know the destination and the path and a journey which […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, biopic / historic, drama

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Only Angels Have Wings

April 21, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Only Angels Have Wings: entertaining adventure, with the sort of story that Howard Hawks perfected during his career. The core of the film are the rich relationships between the large cast of hard-nosed characters, for the most part organic and real. The particulars of the setting are well-used, which makes it feel like the story belongs there instead of being tacked in a exotic corner just for the sake of it. Well shot and well acted.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure

Von Ryan’s Express

April 15, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Von Ryan’s Express: With a story that starts of as a carbon copy of some far superior films (in characterization, visually, musically) and by the time the adventure veers to something more unique, the damage is already done. There is no second chance for a first impression. Perhaps looking at the film in that light is too harsh, but it is too by-the-numbers in most ways. Frank Sinatra plays his part in a low-key manner that is actually a good surprise.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, war

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Rise of the Guardians

March 28, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Rise of the Guardians: while it’s not a new idea to create an “out of context” group of superheroes (Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came to mind, even thought it’s certainly not the first implementation of such idea either), it is a good one. Execution is strong, as usual, with character design (as well as their ancillary effects) generally (but not universally) interesting. Camera work (so to say) is very dynamic, consistent with the genre. But, most importantly, […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, animation, fantasy

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The Croods

March 25, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Croods: colorful, good-looking animated film (nowadays it seems to be harder to make a bad-looking animation than a good-looking one), that, however, fails where they usually do: in telling a story with heart. The main issue is how heavy-handed the story gets; and while the name of the film suggest it, the brand of humour is not crude (nor, as DWA films usually have it, so heavily dependent on pop-culture references). It’s a fun ride, but for the most part […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, animation

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Hatari!

March 3, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

Hatari!: pleasurable and entertaining, as one would expect out of Howard Hawks. The two distinct halves mingle well, and they are both very successful on their own. The action scenes, if one can get past animal rights activism (which incidentally I did), are exciting, well shot and edited. But, as is usually the case, it’s when the film pauses to let the characters breathe, that it all comes alive and makes us truly care for the group of characters and […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, drama, romance