I thought it was great as well. Not as good as Lock Stock, but I'd put it above Snatch.
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
- Thread starter golden_blunder
- Start date
Yes it is very under the radar and entertaining.
Also saw Frailty with Matthew McConaughey again last week and really enjoyed it. It's directed by Bill Paxton.
I made peace with the fact I'll never see another Kurtzman Trek again. And I'm just fine with that! Counting on Mike and Rich for a synopsis, and then some more.
let's tag team this, i've seen precisely zero minutes so far. maybe by the time the enterprise launches, we can finish this and st picard.
Can someone recommend me a movie. I'm stuck.looking for one and none interest me. Needs to be 2 hours or more. And a gripping story. No obvious suggestions like the Godfather or Scarface. I mean Who hasn't seen them.
The Lost City of Z.
Ran (1985)
The Declined
A fatal accident at a remote survivalist training camp sends participants into a panic - and sets the stage for a chilling showdown. Starts decent but quickly becomes standard humans-being-hunted movie 5/10
A fatal accident at a remote survivalist training camp sends participants into a panic - and sets the stage for a chilling showdown. Starts decent but quickly becomes standard humans-being-hunted movie 5/10
Dark Skies on Amazon Prime is a good watch if you like supernatural thrillers but it's under 2 hours. I see that Showgirls also landed on there yesterday.
Dark Skies on Amazon Prime is a good watch if you like supernatural thrillers but it's under 2 hours. I see that Showgirls also landed on there yesterday.
Parasite - Absolutely brilliant film 9.5/10
Gershon's boobies and Berkeley's ass are just a joy to behold. Rena Riffel was pretty hot in that movie too. She even made a sequel starring her character. Probably trash though.
I thought we were being sarcastic. The idea of Berkley stripping always seemed strangely frightening to me.
Actually I've never seen it, but I've heard mixed things about it being so bad that it's good and then claims that it's actually good it was just misunderstood at the time and that it's horrendous shite. So I'm looking forward to actually watching it to see what kind of a mess it is. So I'm intrigued.
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I thought we were being sarcastic. The idea of Berkley stripping always seemingly strangely frightening to me.
Actually I've never seen it, but I've heard mixed things about it being so bad that it's good and then claims that it's actually good it was just misunderstood at the time and that it's horrendous shite. So I'm looking forward to actually watching it to see what kind of a mess it is. So I'm intrigued.
Yeah it's not a masterpiece by any means but it's not as bad as people make out. She's come a long way since Saved By The Bell. Some great bodies on there. Some of the characters are a bit naff but the film's watchable.
Gretel and Hansel. Lame, vacuous, intellectually counterfeit. A big stupid voice over points out all the themes, then does nothing with them. It's a Gaga pop music video stretched out over 90 minutes.
The Angel (2018) on netflix.
It’s 1 hr 54 so not quite there.
Gripping true story of the Egypt/Israeli conflict in the early 70s.
Knives out
Enjoyable movie. The whole family had fun watching it, particularly as we've been playing some mystery based board games recently so we all had a good time trying to figure it out. Should make more of these types of films 8/10
Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker
Just as bad as I remember it being from the cinema. Only sat through it again because the kids wanted to watch it. I'm far from a Star Wars fanboy and it disappointed me that they ended the story with such a by-the-numbers finale, so I can only guess how annoyed the fanboys were 4/10
Enjoyable movie. The whole family had fun watching it, particularly as we've been playing some mystery based board games recently so we all had a good time trying to figure it out. Should make more of these types of films 8/10
Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker
Just as bad as I remember it being from the cinema. Only sat through it again because the kids wanted to watch it. I'm far from a Star Wars fanboy and it disappointed me that they ended the story with such a by-the-numbers finale, so I can only guess how annoyed the fanboys were 4/10
The best Gina Gershon boobies movie is that one where she is the lezzing painter robber.
Nah, Jennifer Tilly steals it in that movie Bound. Watched that a few months back.
I loved this at the time but,given world events I can't get through this film at the moment. The way Cuaron creates a mood of aching loss and wounded people battling on against dwindling hope...well I tried to watchthe highlight reel and was in floods.
I've been watching a range of other films and dramas recently, both light and heavy - chernobyl etc and have been able to enjoy them separate from the horror going on. I think it's the mark of a true masterpiece that Children of men just hits me with emotion on a much more profound level straight away. Maybe in a few weeks time I will be able to get through watching it. But right now it's about the only film I can't face watching.
Cynthia Rothrock Appreciation Day
Ah, good old Cynth, the female equivalent of Steven Seagal, churning out film after film, sometimes 3 or 4 in a year for around 15 years straight during the 80s and 90s. She's still going strong today I believe though I haven't seen any of her recent work. Some of them just straight-to-video hokum but all with the common attributes of low budget, low production, sloppy dubbing, poor scripts and terrible acting though some films did break away from this norm to be fair. I first stumbled across Cynthia Rothrock in her film China O'Brien all those years ago. Not gonna lie, she was sexy af with those beautiful eyes though she had a weird profile thing going on with her nose but for a compact package she could certainly take care of business.
Not a patch on her Asian counterparts (but then again Americans never do martial arts well anyway) and certainly not in the same league as Michelle Yeoh. I don't think Rothrock got the appreciation she deserved though I would say she has a bit of a cult status in the martial arts film community. She has her trademark fighting style which was pretty distinctive and effective back in the day incorporating high kicks, splits and intricate routines and her favourite overhead back kick and hitting men in the family jewels but they look very dated now. Too choreographed and overuse of multi-angle/slow-mo shots kind of dilutes the intended impact at times. In Rothrock's world everybody including the cleaning lady are skilled martial artists so of course every dispute and confrontation is settled by a beatdown. Most of her films centre around the usual themes and incorporate every cliche imaginable. Honor and Glory deserves a special mention for just how bad the acting and dialogue was. Anyway, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the Rothrock 'classics'. All available on Prime Video.
Martial Law (1990)
With David Carradine as the main antagonist and a short appearance by the guy who played SubZero in The Running Man, this is one of Rothrock’s better efforts. Rothrock’s movies are a bit of an anomaly though as revisiting these films again, she doesn’t have as much screen time as you would expect (or I remember) and most of the other fighters are usually better than her. This is very evident in this film and I’m surprised that Martial Law is even billed as a Rothrock movie as her on-screen partner is more the central character. Standard stuff with a more serious edge. 5/10.
Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)
Martial Law duo Sean (played by a different actor this time round) and Billie are back again fighting crime in their own inimitable style but this time having to go undercover to infiltrate a high end night club in order to track down a cop killer. Rothrock takes more of a central role in this sequel and the action sequences are more gritty. Acting is a lot better and the absence of the hammy characters that kind of tarnished the first movie makes this eminently more watchable. 6/10.
Honor and Glory (1993)
Not one of Rothrock's finest outings though she doesn't really do much fighting in this one. Working as an FBI agent, tracking a corrupt banker she teams up with her reporter sister to take him down. I wasn't sure whether this was tongue-in-cheek as the acting and dialogue was so bad. The dodgy banker was more of a caricature than anything else and could not be taken seriously at all. Not a good place to start a Cynthia Rothrock journey of discovery. 3/10.
Guardian Angel (1994)
Rothrock is on the trail of a heartless female killer who murdered her detective partner slash fiancé. Having quit the force, Rothrock takes up employment as the bodyguard of the killer’s ex-boyfriend. Decent story, better acting and some funny moments. Again don’t judge the fight scenes too harshly. Enjoyable romp. 6/10.
Sworn to Justice (1996)
Rothrock moves away from the traditional cop role to play a criminal psychologist who is out to avenge the death of her sister and nephew. If you’ve seen the TV series ‘Medium’ you’ll get an idea of the role she plays here. Having made movies for well over 10 years at this point, she is able to branch out from the usual one-dimensional characterisations and display more of her acting range. Fight scenes are quite sparse with one particularly comedic sequence in the Jackie Chan style and she still looks as great as ever. Even the casting bar is raised with the likes of Mako, Brad Dourif and Walter Koening (Checkov of Star Trek fame) included on the roster. Average thriller. 6.5/10.
Showdown in Manila (2016)
Not really a Rothrock movie as she only plays a supporting role. Generic action thriller full of C and D-listers that turns into a very poor man’s Expendables/Rambo style movie in the final third where Rothrock is cast as one of the elite team sent into the jungle to take down a human/drug trafficking thug. Some flat acting on display here. Nothing really to write home about. If this is what she’s up to now then shame but I guess you can’t stay young forever. 4/10.
Others that I want to see/see again:
Rage and Honor I & II
China O’Brien I & II
Lady Dragon I & II
Undefeatable
Righting Wrongs
Ah, good old Cynth, the female equivalent of Steven Seagal, churning out film after film, sometimes 3 or 4 in a year for around 15 years straight during the 80s and 90s. She's still going strong today I believe though I haven't seen any of her recent work. Some of them just straight-to-video hokum but all with the common attributes of low budget, low production, sloppy dubbing, poor scripts and terrible acting though some films did break away from this norm to be fair. I first stumbled across Cynthia Rothrock in her film China O'Brien all those years ago. Not gonna lie, she was sexy af with those beautiful eyes though she had a weird profile thing going on with her nose but for a compact package she could certainly take care of business.
Not a patch on her Asian counterparts (but then again Americans never do martial arts well anyway) and certainly not in the same league as Michelle Yeoh. I don't think Rothrock got the appreciation she deserved though I would say she has a bit of a cult status in the martial arts film community. She has her trademark fighting style which was pretty distinctive and effective back in the day incorporating high kicks, splits and intricate routines and her favourite overhead back kick and hitting men in the family jewels but they look very dated now. Too choreographed and overuse of multi-angle/slow-mo shots kind of dilutes the intended impact at times. In Rothrock's world everybody including the cleaning lady are skilled martial artists so of course every dispute and confrontation is settled by a beatdown. Most of her films centre around the usual themes and incorporate every cliche imaginable. Honor and Glory deserves a special mention for just how bad the acting and dialogue was. Anyway, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the Rothrock 'classics'. All available on Prime Video.
Martial Law (1990)
With David Carradine as the main antagonist and a short appearance by the guy who played SubZero in The Running Man, this is one of Rothrock’s better efforts. Rothrock’s movies are a bit of an anomaly though as revisiting these films again, she doesn’t have as much screen time as you would expect (or I remember) and most of the other fighters are usually better than her. This is very evident in this film and I’m surprised that Martial Law is even billed as a Rothrock movie as her on-screen partner is more the central character. Standard stuff with a more serious edge. 5/10.
Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)
Martial Law duo Sean (played by a different actor this time round) and Billie are back again fighting crime in their own inimitable style but this time having to go undercover to infiltrate a high end night club in order to track down a cop killer. Rothrock takes more of a central role in this sequel and the action sequences are more gritty. Acting is a lot better and the absence of the hammy characters that kind of tarnished the first movie makes this eminently more watchable. 6/10.
Honor and Glory (1993)
Not one of Rothrock's finest outings though she doesn't really do much fighting in this one. Working as an FBI agent, tracking a corrupt banker she teams up with her reporter sister to take him down. I wasn't sure whether this was tongue-in-cheek as the acting and dialogue was so bad. The dodgy banker was more of a caricature than anything else and could not be taken seriously at all. Not a good place to start a Cynthia Rothrock journey of discovery. 3/10.
Guardian Angel (1994)
Rothrock is on the trail of a heartless female killer who murdered her detective partner slash fiancé. Having quit the force, Rothrock takes up employment as the bodyguard of the killer’s ex-boyfriend. Decent story, better acting and some funny moments. Again don’t judge the fight scenes too harshly. Enjoyable romp. 6/10.
Sworn to Justice (1996)
Rothrock moves away from the traditional cop role to play a criminal psychologist who is out to avenge the death of her sister and nephew. If you’ve seen the TV series ‘Medium’ you’ll get an idea of the role she plays here. Having made movies for well over 10 years at this point, she is able to branch out from the usual one-dimensional characterisations and display more of her acting range. Fight scenes are quite sparse with one particularly comedic sequence in the Jackie Chan style and she still looks as great as ever. Even the casting bar is raised with the likes of Mako, Brad Dourif and Walter Koening (Checkov of Star Trek fame) included on the roster. Average thriller. 6.5/10.
Showdown in Manila (2016)
Not really a Rothrock movie as she only plays a supporting role. Generic action thriller full of C and D-listers that turns into a very poor man’s Expendables/Rambo style movie in the final third where Rothrock is cast as one of the elite team sent into the jungle to take down a human/drug trafficking thug. Some flat acting on display here. Nothing really to write home about. If this is what she’s up to now then shame but I guess you can’t stay young forever. 4/10.
Others that I want to see/see again:
Rage and Honor I & II
China O’Brien I & II
Lady Dragon I & II
Undefeatable
Righting Wrongs
Never heard of her ^^
Coming soon: The Paul Verhoeven Appreciation Day:
Flesh + Blood
RoboCop
Total Recall
Basic Instinct
Showgirls
Starship Troopers
Hollow Man
Black Book
Elle
Flesh + Blood
RoboCop
Total Recall
Basic Instinct
Showgirls
Starship Troopers
Hollow Man
Black Book
Elle
Nice!
I tried to watch China O'Brien on Amazon Prime last year but the picture quality is terrible. From what I remember back in the day Richard Norton was in a lot of her films too. I always loved the sound effects of someone getting punched or kicked in the Hong Kong films back then.
You just want to justify watching Basic Instinct and Showgirls. Don't think we don't know.
I watched Flesh + Blood last year, bit uncomfortable at times but a very good show. Rutger Hauer is always excellent.
You got me.
Yeah, you're right about Norton. I used to skip past it thinking I'll get round to it later. Wish I'd caught it while I had the chance.
Is that the one by Oz Perkins? Don't think I like his work...
Dont Let Go
After a man's family dies in what appears to be a murder, he gets a phone call from one of the dead, his niece. He's not sure if she's a ghost or if he's going mad, but as it turns out, he's not.
Not a bad film , decent story, predictable ending, but watchable.
6/10
After a man's family dies in what appears to be a murder, he gets a phone call from one of the dead, his niece. He's not sure if she's a ghost or if he's going mad, but as it turns out, he's not.
Not a bad film , decent story, predictable ending, but watchable.
6/10
Bad Boys for Life just as vacuous and unfunny as you would expect. Amazing that they stretched this incredibly dumb 3 line plot to over 2 hours 1/10
Pocahontas
Never got the hype. Feels like it's missing an act 5/10
Never got the hype. Feels like it's missing an act 5/10
A Serious Man
Finally got around to watching it after seeing the praise for it my Best Films of the 21st Century thread. Didn't think it was one of their best, although an average Coen Brothers film is a good film made by anyone else. It's just not that enjoyable to watch a slow-burning slog when a man gets tormented by life in a series of small, frustrating setbacks. Would have been more enjoyable to watch if he'd been hit by a car or something.
Broadway Danny Rose
Well what a f***ing gem of a film. Had some great screwball dialogue, some slapstick and loads of heart and pathos. Beautiful piece of work. It's hard to think of a more talented paedo than Woody tbh
Finally got around to watching it after seeing the praise for it my Best Films of the 21st Century thread. Didn't think it was one of their best, although an average Coen Brothers film is a good film made by anyone else. It's just not that enjoyable to watch a slow-burning slog when a man gets tormented by life in a series of small, frustrating setbacks. Would have been more enjoyable to watch if he'd been hit by a car or something.
Broadway Danny Rose
Well what a f***ing gem of a film. Had some great screwball dialogue, some slapstick and loads of heart and pathos. Beautiful piece of work. It's hard to think of a more talented paedo than Woody tbh
Child's Play
The new one with Aubrey Plaza and Mark Hammill. The original terrified me when I was a kid, this one seemed to lose a lot of that. It's kind of like the difference between Robocop and The Terminator. Turning Chucky into a rogue AI takes away too much from what made him extra freaky. It was entertaining enough, just nowhere near as good as the original which I've not seen in about 18 years so might actually be shit. Hammill does lend Chucky and air of creepiness as the film goes on, but the scariest thing is Aubrey Plaza blending in as someone who's not an insane weirdo. Some of the kills were inventive.
5/10
The new one with Aubrey Plaza and Mark Hammill. The original terrified me when I was a kid, this one seemed to lose a lot of that. It's kind of like the difference between Robocop and The Terminator. Turning Chucky into a rogue AI takes away too much from what made him extra freaky. It was entertaining enough, just nowhere near as good as the original which I've not seen in about 18 years so might actually be shit. Hammill does lend Chucky and air of creepiness as the film goes on, but the scariest thing is Aubrey Plaza blending in as someone who's not an insane weirdo. Some of the kills were inventive.
5/10
Almodóvar's lockdown diary, good reading:
https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion...o-almodovar-coronavirus-lockdown-diary-part-1
https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion...-part-2-escape-memories-madonna-warren-beatty
https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion...o-almodovar-coronavirus-lockdown-diary-part-1
https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion...-part-2-escape-memories-madonna-warren-beatty
Miami Vice - 2006
First time re watching it and it's up there with Mann best films(Maybe just below Heat and Collateral)
Briliiant film.
9/10
First time re watching it and it's up there with Mann best films(Maybe just below Heat and Collateral)
Briliiant film.
9/10
Someone recommend me a good thriller post 2017
I'm not sure if there even are. Been looking for a good one myself.
The last 3 sadfie brothers films - Only Heaven, Good Time and Uncut Gems.