St. Vincent
by Felipe Rosa
St. Vincent: Theodore Melfi tells a story that is predictable and somewhat schematic, but not (much) less interesting for that;
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
Tag: comedy
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
Living is Easy With Eyes Closed (Vivir Es Fácil Con los Ojos Cerrados)
by Felipe Rosa
Living is Easy With Eyes Closed: David Trueba’s film is pleasurable enough, but ultimately it’s also rather bland and excessively neat. The plot is almost insufficient, as the focus are on the characters; however, the characters also feel undeveloped and somewhat uninteresting. Also, not much is told about the world where they live in. The cast is solid and have good chemistry, particularly Natalia de Molina and Javier Cámara, but they are not given much to do. The film looks good and convincingly portrays […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
by Felipe Rosa
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence: Roy Andersson presents a film that is an spectacle of precision. The sense of humor is dry and mostly dark, but delivered always at the exact moment for maximum impact. The overall style is rather unique: light on dialogue, the camera always set static for the whole vignette, essentially no cuts; it suggests a rigor in the observation, but the action itself is always borderline (sometimes over the line) absurd. Every shot […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama, top
The Rules of the Game (La Règle du Jeu)
by Felipe Rosa
The Rules of the Game: Jean Renoir presents the viewer with a wonderful farce; the plot itself is not as important as the presentation (as well as the implied criticism) of the world where the story takes place. The characters are broad and simple, but the group is large and the multitude of relationships is always a joy to watch. Dialogue is sharp, replete with great one-liners. Performances by the cast are, generally, stylized (this is, after all, a comedy) […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama, top
Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)
by Felipe Rosa
Wild Tales: Damián Szifrón’s film has the issue that plagues most projects that present multiple episodes: there’s a certain inconsistency about them. In this case, it’s less about the theme, since all stories share a common element, but the tone: the more the story veers away from realism towards black humour and the absurd, the best the episode is. They are never less than interesting, however. Very well-realized, the cast is generally strong (Erica Rivas and Ricardo Darín are the ones […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
Rio, I Love You
by Felipe Rosa
Rio, I Love You: short films are a tricky format, well-deserving of a variation of the old saying
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama, romance
The Hundred-Foot Journey
by Felipe Rosa
The Hundred-Foot Journey: the mix of diverse, but equally interesting, cultures, the lovely setting and the well-done combination of genres in Lasse Hallström’s film makes for an engaging and entertaining, if somewhat fluffy, experience. While the plot is somewhat busy, there is an underlying thematic consistency that is commendable. The older pair, Helen Mirren and Om Puri, is nearly magnificent; the younger counterpart, Charlotte Le Bon and Manish Dayal, is given less to do, but are nevertheless solid. Beautifully shot by Linus Sandgren, both the […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
Il Sorpasso
by Felipe Rosa
Il Sorpasso: in some ways, an archetypical road movie; Vittorio Gassman and Jean-Louis Trintignant play the odd couple perfectly (particularly the former), making the whole journey very entertaining and interesting to watch; at the same time, it’s not simply comedy for comedy’s sake, as there is great care for the all the people in the film, not simply the main characters. Dino Risi makes great use of the locations, both the eerily empty Rome and the enchanting countryside; Alfio Contini’s camera work, of […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama, top
Fifth about The Seventh 