Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

pauldyson1uk said:
Yeah I would agree Sam is the best thing about the 3rd and I have watched it many times, but they could've done a much better jog with it.
Click to expand...

Yup, it’s a big letdown when you settle in to watch what is billed as “The Final Conflict.”

I still like to watch the trilogy every so often, the original “creative death” movies long before FINAL DESTINATION, but in reality only the first one is truly good (thanks to Dick Donner, it’s a shame Mike Hodges was fired from DAMIEN).
 
Am I the only one who thinks that Trainspotting T2 is a shite sequel that shouldn't have been made?

I thought that Irvine Welsh was milking it with the characters in the book 'P0rno' [ can you type p o r n on the caf?] which this movie is sort-of-based-on,
but still, a much better film could have been made out of it.

that was real meh territory.
 
Wibble said:
Dune Looked lovely but some of the acting was quite clunky, Brolin in particular. I'm also not sure I understand the Universe this is set in very well or the role spice plays, which must be a bit of a failing. I wonder if people who have read the books enjoyed it more? In the end I was bored and I guess I will need to wait for the second film to see if I wasted my time. IMO Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 were far better which is OK as they were brilliant. TBA/10
Click to expand...

Dune 2: The cinematography, spectacle and action were great. The acting was serviceable. The cultural stuff wasn't explained very well and I suspect few who didn't know the books knew what was going on (or cared much). And the ending was somewhere between meh and WTF. Did they lose the last 10 minutes? Or forgot to film part 3? If felt totally unfinished and unsatisfying, which is a shame, especially when it sounds like part 3 doesn't follow directly on from this film. After heading toward 6 hours of watching far more could/should have happened IMO. So still TBA/10.

7/10 if I had to give a rating.
 
Back to Black

Very much enjoyed this, some great performances and chemistry. Quite a harrowing story even though people close to Amy Winehouse have come out and claimed it's not an accurate portrayal and that it makes her out to have bigger problems than she did.

I've never been a huge listener of her music, or the genre in particular but the soundtrack really adds to it as well.

I actually think they deal with the ending very nicely.

8/10



Monkey Man

There's no other way to describe it, it's an Indian John Wick.

It's a hell of an effort from Dev Patel, who I already liked, to act in, direct, co-produce and write a film like this!

Early doors I think the plot could be made easier to follow but it does become clear eventually, it's family retribution just like when Keanu does it.

It's not a perfect action movie by any means but for a debut as director it's a fantastic effort.

7.5/10
 
American Fiction - I saw this quite brilliant movie over the weekend. Jeffrey Wright stars as a gifted but unpopular author who's editor implores him to play up to black stereotypes in his writings. This all takes place in the backdrop of his sister passing away, his mother suffering from Alzheimer's and his estranged gay brother flitting in and out of their lives.

This movie really shines a light on white people's perception and acceptance on the black experience. The themes of the movie are made subtly, in fact, there's only one scene where it addresses the elephant in the room head on (where Wright and another black author basically have it out discussing black literature vis a vis being confined in these stereotypical boxes). We end up spending more time with Wright's family and the unresolved trauma with their dad's suicide and their mother's deterioration. In fact, that's the real heart and core of the movie. An all black cast facing similar problems and similar issues that white American families would face.

The cast are all superb - Wright is fantastic, and there's a great role for Adam Brody playing a douchey film producer.

Cord Jefferson, the director (in his debut) has created a great movie where the viewer isn't sure if they're part of the joke, or the joke is on us. It's a hard line to tread.

Also the ending is superb - it's sums it all up in a way that will stay with you.

Overall, it's a 8.5/10.
 
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
A decent follow-up to Afterlife, and probably a slight improvement on that film. The setting being back in NYC helps. Probably a little overkill in bringing back every main and side character introduced in Afterlife, and there was a criminal lack of Bill Murray, but overall a feelgood time at the movies. Kumail Nanjiani and James Acaster were excellent additions. Don't think it's done enough at the box office to warrant anther movie, unfortunately. As the last film revolved around Egon and this one revolved around Ray, it'd have been nice to do one that focuses on Peter. I actually think a TV show would be more suited to the franchise at this point.

7/10


Barbie
Sublime!

No, not really. I just wanted to channel my inner Ken. Finally got around to seeing this. Enjoyable enough, if a little overrated given the juggernaut it became upon its original release. 7.5/10.
 
Baghead

Was pretty tired last night so looking for something to switch my brain off too so picked this. Unfortunately it was so poor it just led to me switching the TV off half way through instead. Insipid am dram acting and not in the least bit scary. In the bin with you.
 
The Hunt For Red October [1990] - This movie takes itself way too seriously for a film that has Sean Connery playing a Russian who speaks in a Scottish accent. The "Russians" switched from Russian to English, without explanation, for some reason. It's a bizarre experience really. Quite funny though! 6.5/10
 
ScholesyTheWise said:
Am I the only one who thinks that Trainspotting T2 is a shite sequel that shouldn't have been made?

I thought that Irvine Welsh was milking it with the characters in the book 'P0rno' [ can you type p o r n on the caf?] which this movie is sort-of-based-on,
but still, a much better film could have been made out of it.

that was real meh territory.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it was shite but it wasn't a patch on the book. I thought the Renton/Begbie story was well handled but I would have loved them to have stuck more closely to the plot of the book. A largely forgettable follow up to a classic but still one I'll rewatch every now and then because I love the characters.

Fingers crossed somebody turns Glue into a movie one day. Welsh's best work IMO
 
The Beekeeper

Started of well, an homage to classic action movies...but the ending was ridiculous and OTT. They tried to imitate Nobody and ended up partly screwing themselves.

6/10

Argylle

A movie that starts ridiculous and just keeps going. So bad that it's worth a decent watch. Sticks to every single trope ever seen in action film history.

5/10
 
ScholesyTheWise said:
Am I the only one who thinks that Trainspotting T2 is a shite sequel that shouldn't have been made?

I thought that Irvine Welsh was milking it with the characters in the book 'P0rno' [ can you type p o r n on the caf?] which this movie is sort-of-based-on,
but still, a much better film could have been made out of it.

that was real meh territory.
Click to expand...
I think "shite" is too harsh - it works to an extent because the characters are likeable and the cast is charismatic, and I feel it addresses the point of getting older, time passing, quite well. Not a patch on the original which was era-defining by certain aspects, but an acceptable follow-up.
Wibble said:
Dune 2: The cinematography, spectacle and action were great. The acting was serviceable. The cultural stuff wasn't explained very well and I suspect few who didn't know the books knew what was going on (or cared much). And the ending was somewhere between meh and WTF. Did they lose the last 10 minutes? Or forgot to film part 3? If felt totally unfinished and unsatisfying, which is a shame, especially when it sounds like part 3 doesn't follow directly on from this film. After heading toward 6 hours of watching far more could/should have happened IMO. So still TBA/10.

7/10 if I had to give a rating.
Click to expand...
Not sure if the bolded is serious or not, but Villeneuve confirmed a 3rd one will be made (Dune Messiah).

As for the part concerning the spice or the cultural stuff - the spice's role and importance was really well explained during the first film (genuine question - did you fall asleep and miss it?) and as for the universe it's set in, the culture, I enjoyed that Villeneuve didn't go hard on on the exposition and just introduced elements more organically, creating a canvas rather than jamming out down the audience's throats.
ChrisNelson said:
Monkey Man

There's no other way to describe it, it's an Indian John Wick.

It's a hell of an effort from Dev Patel, who I already liked, to act in, direct, co-produce and write a film like this!

Early doors I think the plot could be made easier to follow but it does become clear eventually, it's family retribution just like when Keanu does it.

It's not a perfect action movie by any means but for a debut as director it's a fantastic effort.

7.5/10
Click to expand...
Random question - is this in English?

I really like Dev Patel. Seems like a good guy and he's clearly talented.
The Corinthian said:
American Fiction - I saw this quite brilliant movie over the weekend. Jeffrey Wright stars as a gifted but unpopular author who's editor implores him to play up to black stereotypes in his writings. This all takes place in the backdrop of his sister passing away, his mother suffering from Alzheimer's and his estranged gay brother flitting in and out of their lives.

This movie really shines a light on white people's perception and acceptance on the black experience. The themes of the movie are made subtly, in fact, there's only one scene where it addresses the elephant in the room head on (where Wright and another black author basically have it out discussing black literature vis a vis being confined in these stereotypical boxes). We end up spending more time with Wright's family and the unresolved trauma with their dad's suicide and their mother's deterioration. In fact, that's the real heart and core of the movie. An all black cast facing similar problems and similar issues that white American families would face.

The cast are all superb - Wright is fantastic, and there's a great role for Adam Brody playing a douchey film producer.

Cord Jefferson, the director (in his debut) has created a great movie where the viewer isn't sure if they're part of the joke, or the joke is on us. It's a hard line to tread.

Also the ending is superb - it's sums it all up in a way that will stay with you.

Overall, it's a 8.5/10.
Click to expand...
While I enjoyed the film, I really don't agree with the bolded - there was nothing subtle about it, it was quite ham fisted I felt. Enjoyable film but lacking something to make it really great, for me. Lovely performances all around though.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
While I enjoyed the film, I really don't agree with the bolded - there was nothing subtle about it, it was quite ham fisted I felt. Enjoyable film but lacking something to make it really great, for me. Lovely performances all around though.
Click to expand...
The publisher, producer (and marketeer guy) i.e. the white folks responding to Wright's works were definitely caricature-esque in nature of their response to 'My Pafology' and 'feck', but I felt the wider story was quite subtle.

For example, his exchange with Sintara (the other black author judge) is quite brutal and frank, where he literally attacks her under the guise of innocent questioning. Contrast this to the nod of approval he gives the black actor dressed as a slave when he leaves the film producer at the end. He's realised that his enemy isn't the black creators at all (which is what he's warring against the whole movie). They're in the trenches with him. His enemy is the market and the people who lead the market that consume the stereotypes, the caricatures, the blaxpoitation that they have to churn out.

I also felt they handled the unresolved trauma between the parents and the siblings really well. It's there just under the surface without bubbling on top. The line his brother gives him at the wedding about him and his dad was really nicely done I thought.
 
The Corinthian said:
The publisher, producer (and marketeer guy) i.e. the white folks responding to Wright's works were definitely caricature-esque in nature of their response to 'My Pafology' and 'feck', but I felt the wider story was quite subtle.

For example, his exchange with Sintara (the other black author judge) is quite brutal and frank, where he literally attacks her under the guise of innocent questioning. Contrast this to the nod of approval he gives the black actor dressed as a slave when he leaves the film producer at the end. He's realised that his enemy isn't the black creators at all (which is what he's warring against the whole movie). They're in the trenches with him. His enemy is the market and the people who lead the market that consume the stereotypes, the caricatures, the blaxpoitation that they have to churn out.

I also felt they handled the unresolved trauma between the parents and the siblings really well. It's there just under the surface without bubbling on top. The line his brother gives him at the wedding about him and his dad was really nicely done I thought.
Click to expand...
Disagree about the overall plot, but I guess that's subjective - agree about the family stuff though and the relationship with the brother is one of the best things about the film. Sterling K Brown is generally great in a lot of stuff I've seen him in (although judging by his filmo, he seems to do a lot of stuff without necessarily being too picky :D)
 
I don't remember Porno very well tbh but I am pretty sure T2 was nothing like it plot-wise? T2 was more like a homage to the original characters in the movie with little bits and pieces from Porno in it.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Not sure if the bolded is serious or not, but Villeneuve confirmed a 3rd one will be made (Dune Messiah).
Click to expand...

Not literally serious. Just reinforcing how abrupt and unfinished the end felt.

As for the part concerning the spice or the cultural stuff - the spice's role and importance was really well explained during the first film (genuine question - did you fall asleep and miss it?)
Click to expand...

I got it about Spice but the mystic nonsence in part 2 seemed almost totally separate and pointless.

and as for the universe it's set in, the culture, I enjoyed that Villeneuve didn't go hard on on the exposition and just introduced elements more organically, creating a canvas rather than jamming out down the audience's throats.
Click to expand...

And forgot to film an ending it would seem. :)
 
ChrisNelson said:
Yes it's in English mainly, some subtitled bits.
Click to expand...
Cheers! I live in Spain and while my Spanish is good, following a 2 hour film in a foreign language while following subtitles in Spanish can be tiring if I go after a rough day of work, hence the question :D This seems manageable!
Wibble said:
And forgot to film an ending it would seem. :)
Click to expand...
Tss tss
 
Tarrou said:
I don't remember Porno very well tbh but I am pretty sure T2 was nothing like it plot-wise? T2 was more like a homage to the original characters in the movie with little bits and pieces from Porno in it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I remember being surprised, how different the plots were and so I read up on it and saw that they decided not to base the sequel to Trainspotting strictly on the Porno novel.

I guess my main gripe with T2 is what @Rooney in Paris cited as its strengths; I felt that it builds on the characters' likability and the fact that the actors look much older hence captures quite easily what it's like for folk like Renton, Sick Boy or Begbie to have gotten older.

the plot and the acting I thought weren't all that.
 
The Andromeda Strain 6/10
Maddening that so many of Crichtons books are wasted. The original was made too early, and this remake was made too poorly.

It’s a great book and you’d think it’d be an easy adaptation.

I may be misremembering but the book felt like a few scientists being in a really claustrophobic space, and it really drove the tension. The latest movie involves so much of the world outside of the lab that it never becomes tense or feel like there are any stakes. It does the typical lazy thing of cutting to the president or show a map of the whole world or America to make things feel big.

The Gyllenhaal/Reynolds movie ‘life’ basically steals the entire premise and whole sections of plot, sets it in space, and makes a good stab of it. It kind of stands that they could have done the same in a science lab in the desert.
 
So Love Lies Bleeding was a fun experience. I'd read nothing about it and went it without knowing what it was about, and felt kinda reassured when the A24 logo came up. There might be some parallels with the Iron Claw they released recently, but I preferred Love Lies Bleeding which was a lot more "fun" and out there. The perfornances all around are genuinely great, Kristen Stewart is a really good actress and while I didn't know Katy O'Brian before this, she delivers a great performances. Dave Franco sports one of the greatest cinematic mullets of all time, and Ed Harris is a great villain in it. The last half hour is a bit convoluted and messy, but in a fun way and the ending is great. The soundtrack is super cool too and works super well. I didn't know anything about this director beforehand but she's one whose next work I'll check out, seems like she has a voice. Really enjoyable little film that I could see becoming one of those little gems that has a bit of a cult following (not to the extent of other cult films, it's not quite that, but the kind that will pop up in conversation with very few people having seen it, and then you realise this one guy has seen it, and then you're friends, cinema friends!)
 
Rooney in Paris said:
So Love Lies Bleeding was a fun experience. I'd read nothing about it and went it without knowing what it was about, and felt kinda reassured when the A24 logo came up. There might be some parallels with the Iron Claw they released recently, but I preferred Love Lies Bleeding which was a lot more "fun" and out there. The perfornances all around are genuinely great, Kristen Stewart is a really good actress and while I didn't know Katy O'Brian before this, she delivers a great performances. Dave Franco sports one of the greatest cinematic mullets of all time, and Ed Harris is a great villain in it. The last half hour is a bit convoluted and messy, but in a fun way and the ending is great. The soundtrack is super cool too and works super well. I didn't know anything about this director beforehand but she's one whose next work I'll check out, seems like she has a voice. Really enjoyable little film that I could see becoming one of those little gems that has a bit of a cult following (not to the extent of other cult films, it's not quite that, but the kind that will pop up in conversation with very few people having seen it, and then you realise this one guy has seen it, and then you're friends, cinema friends!)
Click to expand...

Not seen Saint Maud?
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Kong X Godzilla: The New Empire
I'm usually a fan of these brainless monster verse films but this was atrocious. Maybe I'm fatigued, maybe it's because I saw how good a monster movie can be with Minus 1... Whatever it is, this was shamefully boring and when things became anti-gravity, I was thinking "well this is ironic, a weightless film by all stretches of the imagination". It has enough action for those looking for that but there is zero substance to this movie 3/10
Click to expand...
CoopersDream said:
Had a nice double feature tonight

First it was Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. A movie that knows exactly what it is, and it's quite entertaining. Whether it's Kong fighting Godzilla on the Cheops pyramid, or Kong fighting with Godzilla in zero gravity or in Rio, it's a feast for the eyes. It's better the less the humans talk obviously, and a lot of it is ridiculous but when it's giant monsters beating each other up it's quite glorious. 6/10

Overall a good night at the movies.
Click to expand...
My teenage son and his mates saw Kong X Godzilla last night, and they all LOVED it. I think this movie is aimed squarely at teenaged boys, and as far as they are concerned, it hit all the targets. Just hearing about the plot from my son was making me laugh. On its face, this kind of movie is ridiculous, but it's made for people who don't have a problem imagining a gigantic prehistoric reptile teaming up with a gigantic gorilla while they use space-time portals to beam around earth and fight an army of evil gorillas. Thank feck there are people willing to make movies like this.

Teenage boys say 10/10
 
ScholesyTheWise said:
Am I the only one who thinks that Trainspotting T2 is a shite sequel that shouldn't have been made?

I thought that Irvine Welsh was milking it with the characters in the book 'P0rno' [ can you type p o r n on the caf?] which this movie is sort-of-based-on,
but still, a much better film could have been made out of it.

that was real meh territory.
Click to expand...
Trainspotting was revolutionary to me. It was the best synergy between music and style and story that I'd ever seen. Love this film. And yet, I never even heard of T2, and had to google it to make sure it was real. It's real. It's about as necessary as Hamlet 2 [the movie Hamlet 2 was very funny, but the idea is ridiculous, as they say in the movie]. I read the description and it sounds shite. Recommend it?

iu
 
Last edited:
Wing Attack Plan R said:
My teenage son and his mates saw Kong X Godzilla last night, and they all LOVED it. I think this movie is aimed squarely at teenaged boys, and as far as they are concerned, it hit all the targets. Just hearing about the plot from my son was making me laugh. On its face, this kind of movie is ridiculous, but it's made for people who don't have a problem imagining a gigantic prehistoric reptile teaming up with a gigantic gorilla while they use space-time portals to beam around earth and fight an army of evil gorillas. Thank feck there are people willing to make movies like this.

Teenage boys say 10/10
Click to expand...

How do you think it would go down with a six year-old boy?
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
He'd love it. The only blood you get to see is "green" blood, and the humans all miraculously escape the buildings before the giant monsters smash them to bits.
Click to expand...

Great, he’s mad to see it but the age rating had me wondering a bit.
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Trainspotting was revolutionary to me. It was the best synergy between music and style and story that I'd ever seen. Love this film. And yet, I never even heard of T2, and had to google it to make sure it was real. It's real. It's about as necessary as Hamlet 2 [the movie Hamlet 2 was very funny, but the idea is ridiculous, as they say in the movie]. I read the description and it sounds shite. Recommend it?

iu
Click to expand...

There's something nice about seeing the characters on the screen once more, I'll admit.
it's not the worst movie you're going to see in your life.
I called it shite relative to the original which was, as you said, phenomenal. you can certainly do without watching the sequel.
If you do- you'll probably enjoy some bits of it.

it's a 5/10 film for me.
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Trainspotting was revolutionary to me. It was the best synergy between music and style and story that I'd ever seen. Love this film. And yet, I never even heard of T2, and had to google it to make sure it was real. It's real. It's about as necessary as Hamlet 2 [the movie Hamlet 2 was very funny, but the idea is ridiculous, as they say in the movie]. I read the description and it sounds shite. Recommend it?

iu
Click to expand...
I didn't think it was so bad:
Cheimoon said:
T2 Trainspotting. This was pretty decent. I thought the first hour or so was slow going - kinda like a reversed sitcom: a couple of white dudes and a woman hanging out in crappy apartments, going to shitty bars, and doing shady stuff. 'The one about Simon's blackmail plot.' 'The one where Spuds writes his letter.' 'The one where Mark reunites with Simon.' 'The one where Frank spends quality time with this son.' That sort of thing. (Yes, Friends references.)

It got much better after that though, when things start coming together and the direction became clear - and that made the first half better in retrospect as well. It's not as gloriously chaotic as the first film (can't escape the comparison), but it stands up well in the same universe of messiness, optimistic hopelessness, and friendship (betrayed, at this point) - but this time with a bit more perspective and maturity. Great soundtrack and editing again as well, of course.
Click to expand...
 
Beach Rats

Cool film about a young gay man struggling with sexuality. Harris Dickinson puts in a brilliant performance. Solid directing and the cinematography was pretty great. Also it’s film that’s based around male homosexuality which isn’t afraid of showing the male body.

8/10
 
Inner Demons.

A reality television crew, whose show features stories about drug addicts, finds that their 16-year-old junkie for their latest episode might actually not be fighting addiction, but a demonic force gripping her soul.
Meh, seen better seen worse, it did the possession playbook to the letter, you could pretty much see what was going to happen before it did.

3/10
 
pauldyson1uk said:
Inner Demons.

A reality television crew, whose show features stories about drug addicts, finds that their 16-year-old junkie for their latest episode might actually not be fighting addiction, but a demonic force gripping her soul.
Meh, seen better seen worse, it did the possession playbook to the letter, you could pretty much see what was going to happen before it did.

3/10
Click to expand...
Admirable dedication to watching no-hoper films. This couldn’t possibly have looked like it was going to be good?
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Admirable dedication to watching no-hoper films. This couldn’t possibly have looked like it was going to be good?
Click to expand...
Nah they never do , horror/possession are my favourite genre of films, I was hoping it would be slightly better than it was , but you are correct t was never going to be a masterpiece :lol:.
The added bonus is quite night shift and being paid while I watch.
 
Exhuma 2024 Korean

A very good horror movie with 0 jumpscare. Atmospheric and touches a fresh (but not new) take on Geometri and spirit calling from the grave

The 2 plot might not be everyone's cup of tea but damn it's well made. Seldom a movie i want to see twice on cinema
 
You must log in or register to reply here.