A Most Violent Year
by Felipe Rosa
A Most Violent Year: J. C. Chandor presents a taut, thrilling film; while its story is small, specific to a particular time and place, it
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime, drama
Tag: crime
Inherent Vice
by Felipe Rosa
Inherent Vice: Paul Thomas Anderson created a film that is, at the same time,
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, crime, drama
Focus (2015)
by Felipe Rosa
Focus: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s film owes most of its good things to the well-oiled, attractive and varied cast;
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime, drama, romance
Federal Bank Heist (Assalto ao Banco Central)
by Felipe Rosa
Federal Bank Heist: despite being based on actual events, Marcos Paulo’s film presents itself unashamedly as a derivative work. However, the tone never settles, swerving between gritty and funny without doing either very well. Furthermore, the characters are uninteresting and hard to relate to. The large, interesting cast is wasted and acts too broadly (furthering the idea that the characters are mere archetypes) and unappealingly. José Roberto Eliezer’s camerawork is slick and polished, but also generic.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime, thriller
Nightcrawler
by Felipe Rosa
Nightcrawler: Dan Gilroy’s film greatest asset is the central character, at the same time despicable and absolutely interesting. Jake Gyllenhaal is absolutely superb, oozing charm and peril and fully dominating the particular speech patterns (which define who and what the character is, therefore not gratuitous). The plot is hard both to watch and to turn away from; in that sense, the levity that permeates underscores the absurdity of it all and makes it more engaging. Robert Elswit’s camerawork captures the dark underbelly of Los […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime, drama, thriller
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
by Felipe Rosa
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s work is more of a charicature than a film; it’s a very profane and violent experience, but far from an interesting one. While its stylized visuals adhere to the original source, they are interesting for only a while. Which is more than can be said about the characters (with one notable exception) and storylines, truth be told. The cast, for the most part, is not given much to do; Joseph Gordon-Levitt […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, crime
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
by Felipe Rosa
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion: Elio Petri’s film certainly is politically charged and courageous; very much a product of its time and place, thematically. Gian Maria Volonté creates a character that is unpleasant to watch, but at least is interesting; his acting is borderline histrionic, but that’s part of the aesthetics chosen to tell the story, alongside Ennio Morricone’s stylized score, Luigi Kuveiller’s interesting camera work and Ruggero Mastroianni’s editing (all a reminder that the story is a satire, should […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime, drama
No Country for Old Men
by Felipe Rosa
No Country for Old Men: a solid, grim film. It has no-frills, simple story which is made special by a great gallery of characters. The cast is, therefore, of great importance, and they deliver in spades; while Javier Bardem has the meatier role, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin are both equally good. While it’s the darkness that dominates, there’s also a great sense of irony that is present; it’s a serious film made by people who have a sense […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime, drama
True Detective – Season 1
by Felipe Rosa
True Detective – Season 1: curiously, as a reverse to what is usually seen, the mystery at the center of this series is almost a MacGuffin; the two central characters and their relationship is what matters the most.
Categories: Non-Film Reviews • Tags: crime, drama, top
Fifth about The Seventh 