The Great Beauty
by Felipe Rosa
The Great Beauty: Paolo Sorrentino created a film that is hard to grasp in full
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
Tag: comedy
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (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 Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
by Felipe Rosa
The Wolf of Wall Street: bold by choosing to be so forthcoming with its excesses; they are, however, either serving the story and the characters or defining the world. This film is an absolutely fun, if flawed, ride (assuming one is able to not be horrified by the excesses); the pace is somewhat uneven, but that’s because most scenes and sequences have such a high degree of energy that whenever one doesn’t reach those levels, it sticks out. Martin Scorsese is in […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, comedy, drama
Frozen (2013)
by Felipe Rosa
Frozen: while too hard-on-the nose thematically, this film is nevertheless a good example of the Disney machine operating at a high level; the result is a solid piece of entertainment. Beautifully animated, visually stunning, it tells a delightful story with a fun set of characters (which are distinctly designed) and harmless sense of humor. Voice acting is solid, and the songs, performed with gusto. (Particular note for “Let It Go”, a crucial song for the story.) The short that preceded […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: animation, comedy, fantasy
Inside Llewyn Davis
by Felipe Rosa
Inside Llewyn Davis: one mark of a good story and interesting world is that the end is not welcome, that it could just keep going, showing off more. Such is the case here; the writing is more complex that a cursory look suggests, and always thoroughly entertaining. The character gallery is typical Coen Brothers material, with characters that are attractive, distinctive and flawed. The titular semi-anti-hero, well-played by Oscar Isaac is one; the best of the bunch is created by […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama, musical
The Royal Tenenbaums
by Felipe Rosa
The Royal Tenenbaums: this film is touching because, in its essence, it reminds of pretty much every familial relationship. The details differ (when don’t they, particularly when the world comes from the sorrowful mind of Wes Anderson), but the story resonates nevertheless. Gene Hackman is fabulous, creating a great, lovable scoundrel. Visually, this is unmistakably a Wes Anderson’s film: rich, detailed frames, complex camera movements. Also worth mentioning is the great use of music done throughout the whole film. Read […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama, top
Nebraska (2013)
by Felipe Rosa
Nebraska: beautiful little film. Quite well-written, this drama extracts the funny moments not by making fun of its characters, but by respecting them and being good-natured about their flaws, much like the way the main character, well-played by Will Forte, is. That is the source of the deep humanity of its simple story of complex, but wonderful, familial relationships. Bruce Dern is simply marvelous in the role, played with extreme simplicity and effectiveness; the whole cast is, in fact, strong. […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
Moonrise Kingdom – Revisit
by Felipe Rosa
Moonrise Kingdom: a revisit confirms that the cute, charming story told by this film is its main asset, along with the central pair. Visually, the film is loaded with balanced, well-manicured frames. In other words, this is very clearly a Wes Anderson film: a universe of great precision, where characteristics (both for the world and the characters that inhabit it) are well-defined but the displayed emotions are small, subdued. The cold, distant tone and the very particular aesthetics are an […]
Categories: Film reviews, Revisit • Tags: comedy, drama, romance
The Family (2013)
by Felipe Rosa
The Family: while it’s good to see this cast (Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones) working, it would be better if the film was any good. As a comedy, it’s very flat and graceless, and as an action movie, it’s violent but standard-looking. All we are left with, therefore, is an undercooked story that is consciously self-referential (but misses the chance to make even that work). Luc Besson makes it look slick, but it’s all empty.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, comedy
