by Felipe Rosa
21 Jump Street: a cardinal sin of a comedy, of course, is to not provoke any laughs, particularly if it doesn’t have much else going for it (a good story, for starters). This one gets very close to that particular sin, but it’s saved by a minor character. Barely.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, comedy
by Felipe Rosa
Thin Ice: this film struggles hard to finds its own identity. What is it, a comedy or a crime movie? There have been many that have been both, but they embrace the duality instead of switching the tone like this one. At the end, we have somehting that is so out of left field, so artificial, that indeed we feel cheated. What a waste of this cast.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, crime
by Felipe Rosa
Bridesmaids: as a comedy, it’s painfully unfunny; as an investigation of a stressful moments in one’s life, it’s shallow as a puddle; even as a “raunchy comedy with women”, it’s tame. The whole proceeding was artificial and boring.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy
by Felipe Rosa
Raising Arizona: zany, absurd, preposterous, impossible and all the more entertaining for it, especially as it still retains a good amount of humanity. In a weird way, it reminds me of a Marx Bros. film. Adding to the whole is the very interesting, and appropriate, camera work.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy
by Felipe Rosa
Young Adult: anchored in a masterful performance by Charlize Theron, this is a very pleasurable, if a bit short, film. Not that the story isn’t told (It is and well told, in fact), but more time with the characters would be welcome. It’s also very funny, in a way that is unlike what it was sold as.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
by Felipe Rosa
Le Havre: lovely little movie. Great touch of humanism, with lovely characters. The story has been, of course, told many times. However, what makes the difference is the tone that Aki Kaurismäki imprints. By washing away the emotions, he lets the story and the characters make you feel something instead of music cues. Also, the deadpan tone works best for some of the amusingly absurd lines. Less, indeed, is more.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
by Felipe Rosa
Fantastic Mr. Fox: very quirky animated film, starting with the style chosen. Reasonably funny, reasonably touching, certainly more original than most of the animations around us nowadays. It carries the same emotional distance than other of Anderson’s works, but somehow, that fits a cartoon somewhat less than it fits a live action feature.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: animation, comedy, fantasy
by Felipe Rosa
The Darjeeling Limited: touching little story with nice, well-defined brooding characters. It’s hidden in the typical Anderson aesthetics: precise, stylized visuals, subdued acting, strong use of music. It’s an acquired taste; his style may be distracting. However, I can’t help but marvel at his use of dolly shots; whip pans, tilts and booms; slow motion. It all fits, showing a world that both is and isn’t quite like our own.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
by Felipe Rosa
The Descendants: beautiful movie, with amazing quiet moments that work so well. It’s a great drama that still remains funny at times, because that’s how life is. Acting is top-notch pretty much accross the board; no surprise with George Clooney, but Shailene Woodley is quite a find as well.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama
Fifth about The Seventh