by Felipe Rosa
The Fault in Our Stars: as this simplistic, schematic story evolves, it’s easy to see how one is expected to feel; that doesn’t mean that is achieved, however, as the manipulation is very ineffective. Indifferently directed by Josh Boone, the only outstanding aspect if this film is Shailene Woodley’s performance; she is able to be both touching and electric. The remainder of the cast doesn’t have much to do.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama, romance
by Felipe Rosa
Million Dollar Arm: Craig Gillespie’s film has an interesting story; it is, however, one of
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, drama
by Felipe Rosa
Getúlio: in spite of the name, João Jardim’s film offers little insight into the main character, his motivations and actions; in fact, while there is a large gallery of characters, little reason is given to get connected to any of them. That, in addition to an uneven pace, makes this film somewhat monotonous. Acting is unimpressive at best; Tony Ramos, in particular, doesn’t have the acting chops or the physique du rôle to be convincing. Walter Carvalho’s restless camerawork is competent and […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: biopic / historic, drama, thriller
by Felipe Rosa
Mad Men – Season 4: as this season progresses, it becomes clear that not only the story and the characters are evolving, but the series itself is; in subtle, as most everything is, but in no uncertain ways. The most obvious is the growing focus on the plot, without any loss in character development and a rich portrayal of the times; the series embrace shifting shades of gray instead of black-and-white. Writing and acting continue to be top-notch (except for […]
Categories: Non-Film Reviews • Tags: drama
by Felipe Rosa
Mad Men – Season 3: in this season, the focus veers ever so slightly towards a plot (as opposed to the characters), without any loss of quality or interest. There’s no point in repeating some of the things said about the previous seasons, as they remain in place. Writing and acting continue to be strong; Jon Hamm puts on another great season, as do January Jones, John Slattery and Vincent Kartheiser. Read also: Mad Men – Season 1 Mad Men – […]
Categories: Non-Film Reviews • Tags: drama
by Felipe Rosa
The Newsroom – Season 2: as the second season progresses, it becomes clear that the same weak points from the first season remain in place, even if somewhat less intensely: characters (particularly females, but quite a few are afflicted by this) poorly written (that they have personal problems, is realistic; the way they deal with them, not so much) and an excessively idealized world (where “bad” people turn “good” at a whim and “good” people can do “bad” things without […]
Categories: Non-Film Reviews • Tags: drama
by Felipe Rosa
The Way He Looks: certain stories call for a light, delicate touch and Daniel Ribeiro delivers it in spades in this film. Beautifully written, it intertwines its ideas seamlessly and creates a group of characters that are engaging and belieavable, as is their environment. The whole cast works beautifully, and the three principals, Ghilherme Lobo, Fabio Audi and Tess Amorim, are simply tone perfect. Visually simple, unadorned, what puts the focus where it should be: the story. It’s an expansion of a likewise lovely […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama, romance
by Felipe Rosa
Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho (I Don’t Want to Go Back Alone): this delicate, lovely short by Daniel Ribeiro, deserves to be seen. (It’s in Portuguese, but subtitles are available.) After winning many awards worlwide, it was expanded by the director into a wonderful feature, The Way He Looks (even thought the literal title translation actually is “Today I Want to Go Back Alone”; the title change is meaningful).
Categories: Non-Reviews • Tags: drama, romance, short
by Felipe Rosa
The 400 Blows: François Truffaut tells a simple story, and it’s a delicate, earnest, touching journey, told naturalistically. The characters (particularly the main one, wonderfully played by Jean-Pierre Léaud) are looked upon without any judgement. There is great control of the tone of the film; a low-key sense of humour permeates the film, a great counterbalance to the sad story. Henri Decaë’s camerawork has some strikingly beautiful images.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama, top
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