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The Rules of the Game (La Règle du Jeu)

October 27, 2014 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

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Double Indemnity (1944)

October 4, 2014 by Felipe Rosa

Double Indemnity: Billy Wilder’s great movie starts from the basics: a seedy, engaging plot from James M. Cain’s head, enriched by the snappy dialogue of Raymond Chandler. Such dialogue calls for precise line reading, and the cast obliges. Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson are all great; Stanwyck gets the edge by playing such a great femme fatale; in fact, there’s just one character that is “virtuous”, but they are all well-written and great to watch. Elegantly done through and through. A masterpiece.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: noir, top

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L.A. Confidential

September 17, 2014 by Felipe Rosa

L.A. Confidential: Curtis Hanson weaves a great tale; the writing here is superb, telling a plot that is far from straightforward, thematically rich and full to the brim with complex, interesting characters. The cast clearly appreciates and responds with uniformly great, layered performances; the stand-outs are Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and James Cromwell, but every other name could be here and it would be equally fair. Very carefully done, displaying great art direction and costume design; Dante Spinotti’s camerawork is classic, clean, […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: noir, top

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The Maltese Falcon (1941)

September 14, 2014 by Felipe Rosa

The Maltese Falcon: John Huston tells this convoluted, fun story with great confidence and clarity; it all starts with the screenplay, that presents snappy dialogue galore, which makes every scene a joy to watch. That would all be for naught if the cast was not able to read it properly, but the cast here is in great shape. At the center of it all is Humphrey Bogart, playing a role that nobody ever played as well as he did here and in […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: noir, top

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Chinatown (1974)

September 6, 2014 by Felipe Rosa

Chinatown: Roman Polanski’s masterpiece (a word not used lightly) starts with the writing. Robert Towne’s screenplay echoes from the work of Hammett-Chandler-Macdonald (mostly from the last of this great triad), presenting complex characters and a serpentine but irresistible plot. Jack Nicholson plays with great charm his rascal (making an unpleasant character one interesting to watch); Faye Dunaway and John Huston are also tone-perfect in their own presences. Production and costume design are top-notch, and Jerry Goldsmith’s moody score fits the bill perfectly. John A. Alonzo shoots […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: noir, top

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The Magnificent Seven (1960)

August 28, 2014 by Felipe Rosa

The Magnificent Seven: John Sturges worked out of a fantastic blueprint for this western (not that it’s a guarantee of anything, of course), and the results show. The action is fast, furious and exciting (both well shot and edited); that leaves plenty of time for the story to unfold, and for the group of characters to display what they are made of. The large cast respond in kind and is generally strong; Eli Wallach creates a great villain and is the […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: top, western

The Great Escape

August 27, 2014 by Felipe Rosa

The Great Escape: John Sturges makes one incredibly entertaining film, all the more impressive since the story (against all appearances) is based on historical fact. One of the factors that make this such a spectacle is the great, instantly recognizable, score by Elmer Bernstein; in particular the main theme, but all of it resonates (even if he borrows from another collaboration with Sturges, another great action score). However, it’s undeniable the film would not connect so well if not for the […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, top, war

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Il Sorpasso

August 18, 2014 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

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Red River (1948)

August 9, 2014 by Felipe Rosa

Red River: Howard Hawks (I wrote about my appreciation of his work before) weaves a great tale; it contains elements which are very particular about the place and time (the hardships of that life, the arrival of civilization) and also universal (the indomitable human spirit, sense of honor and companionship). It’s also, more relevantly, supremely entertaining; it has both tight action scenes and lots of low-key funny moments. The flawless cast is a big reason for that: a great gallery of […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: top, western

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