adventure | Fifth about The Seventh

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

ParaNorman

February 21, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

ParaNorman: while it gains points for the use of stop-motion animation, this film is not visually distinctive enough at this day and age. While the story is fun, it’s also somewhat vapid; character’s motivations are murky and the message, unfocused. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a little fun movie, but without much meat in its bones.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: adventure, animation

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The Pirates! Band of Misfits

February 15, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: there is a certain allure to the brand of animation done by Aardman; it goes beyond the flawless technique (lovely stop-motion) or the very recognizable character design they employ. It is (this is one key I’ll ever insist on playing) the story, always displaying a naïve, timeless sense of humor. (It sounds simple, but there aren’t many animation studios that understand that.) In this case, a fun adventure, with all the expected absurd touches and […]

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

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The Simpsons: The Longest Daycare – Full Short

February 9, 2013 by Felipe Rosa

The Longest Daycare: While I’m not generally a big fan of The Simpsons, this short, also nominated for the Best Animated Short, is clever and funny. Follow this link and enjoy The Simpsons: The Longest Daycare! (This link becomes unavailable every once in a while, so if you have a hard time getting to this short, post a comment and let me know.)

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