The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
by Felipe Rosa
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Sergio Leone tells his entertaining tale unhurriedly, letting the film (and most scenes) breathe.
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: top, western
Tag: top
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
by Felipe Rosa
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence: Roy Andersson presents a film that is an spectacle of precision. The sense of humor is dry and mostly dark, but delivered always at the exact moment for maximum impact. The overall style is rather unique: light on dialogue, the camera always set static for the whole vignette, essentially no cuts; it suggests a rigor in the observation, but the action itself is always borderline (sometimes over the line) absurd. Every shot […]
Categories: Film reviews • Tags: comedy, drama, top
The Rules of the Game (La Règle du Jeu)
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
Double Indemnity (1944)
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
L.A. Confidential
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
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
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
Chinatown (1974)
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
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
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
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
