Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

RedPed said:
Yeah he went all Hollywood after that with his Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, Kung Fu Panda efforts and the damn awful The Tuxedo, The Medallion movies. I've seen Gorgeous a few times (still have it on DVD) but don't really remember much about it. The fecker's nearly 70 and still going.

Great shout with Zu. Forgot about that one. Boy, Brigitte Lin was fecking gorgeous. :drool:
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How dare you speak ill of The Tuxedo. I've only ever seen Gorgeous once, I can vaguely remember Shu Qi or whatever her name was and the fight at the end but nothing else. I started watching a film with her in it last week The Assassin which looked good, but it was in 4:3 format for some reason and it was just annoying.

The Foreigner he did a few years ago where he does battle with the IRA was decent, but obviously not what he used to make.
 
Dangerous Lies
After getting a job as an elderly man's carer, a broke woman and her husband inherit his fortune. But they also inherit a web of dangerous enemies and suspicions. Felt like a made for TV trash. Not sure why Netflix is promoting this shite. Did have some hot birds in it though 2/10
 
watched Millers Crossing last night for the first time in about 15 years

its still fecking class
 
I had watched Dr Strangelove and 2001 from Kubrick before and loved those. Only liked the first part of full metal jacket, second part seemed like a different movie.

Just watched the Shining and the movie was good but some of the scenes and imagery in it is just beautiful. The child riding the bike and camera following it is so simple yet sticks in my head. The "all work and no play", "here's Johnny", the chats with Loyd at the bar; so many memorable scenes. Are there any other directors like Kubrick whose individual scenes are that memorable?
 
Dr. StrangeHate said:
I had watched Dr Strangelove and 2001 from Kubrick before and loved those. Only liked the first part of full metal jacket, second part seemed like a different movie.

Just watched the Shining and the movie was good but some of the scenes and imagery in it is just beautiful. The child riding the bike and camera following it is so simple yet sticks in my head. The "all work and no play", "here's Johnny", the chats with Loyd at the bar; so many memorable scenes. Are there any other directors like Kubrick whose individual scenes are that memorable?
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Almost every Tarkovsky long take comes to mind.

Have you seen any of Jonathan Glazer films ? For me he's the closest modern director to Kubrick.
 
Rewatched a few more films, Sunset Boulevard which was a delight after getting all the silent film references this time around, the fantastic feverishly pulpiness of Strangers on a Train (though I still don't think much of Farley Granger) and finally Rio Bravo which I remember hardly giving a chance and then ticking it off as 'watched' for several years. It's a great film and I was finally ready for it after having watched a few of Hawks' following "hangout" films, Hatari and El Dorado.

I think I'm gonna make May a rewatching month starting with mostly 50's films:

Rashomon
Seven Samurai
The Searchers
North by Northwest
La Strada
Ugetsu
Some Like it Hot
Shadows
 
R.N7 said:
Rewatched a few more films, Sunset Boulevard which was a delight after getting all the silent film references this time around, the fantastic feverishly pulpiness of Strangers on a Train (though I still don't think much of Farley Granger) and finally Rio Bravo which I remember hardly giving a chance and then ticking it off as 'watched' for several years. It's a great film and I was finally ready for it after having watched a few of Hawks' following "hangout" films, Hatari and El Dorado.

I think I'm gonna make May a rewatching month starting with mostly 50's films:

Rashomon
Seven Samurai
The Searchers
North by Northwest
La Strada
Ugetsu
Some Like it Hot
Shadows
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I once looked at IMDBs top100 (or 250) to see if there was anything highly rated that I'd missed.

One of them (on your 50s theme) was "Twelve Angry Men" so ordered the DVD. Absolutely fantastic.

Not long after, I asked my Dad if he'd seen it and what else he'd recommend from the time... he said "All about Eve" and "Rear Window" which I'd heard of obvious but never got round to watching. Loved AAE and thought RW was ok but was expecting more given the hype about it. To be honest, I'm not a big James Stewart fan (in the minority I realise).

One more from the 50s..."Bridge over the River Kwai". Again, brilliant - I don't think I've seen a bad Alec Guinness performance (who's also in the original Lady Killers, another 50s film).



(Edit. There was a film high in IMDBs ratings that I'd never heard of, though not 50s. "City of God", highly recommend.)
 
Dr. StrangeHate said:
I had watched Dr Strangelove and 2001 from Kubrick before and loved those. Only liked the first part of full metal jacket, second part seemed like a different movie.

Just watched the Shining and the movie was good but some of the scenes and imagery in it is just beautiful. The child riding the bike and camera following it is so simple yet sticks in my head. The "all work and no play", "here's Johnny", the chats with Loyd at the bar; so many memorable scenes. Are there any other directors like Kubrick whose individual scenes are that memorable?
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Have you seen “Barry Lyndon”? It’s Kubrick taking framing of scenes to the max. It’s slow (very slow) but probably my favourite film of his - like stepping inside 18th century paintings for three hours.
 
I loved Hitchcock as a kid and The 39 Steps was my favorite. I fear that his films will have aged very badly so don't want to watch them again.
 
MoskvaRed said:
Have you seen “Barry Lyndon”? It’s Kubrick taking framing of scenes to the max. It’s slow (very slow) but probably my favourite film of his - like stepping inside 18th century paintings for three hours.
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Agreed, for me that's peak Kubrick. The story suits the Kubrick style so well and the entire film is a masterpiece in my opinion.

It makes me a bit sad that he never got his Napolean epic made as his slant on period dramas hints at what that could have been.
 
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Don't breathe

Plot and reviews were promising but turned out as pure shite movie. The characters made about every possible mistake and irrational move there is while trying to escape a blind man's house. Also, middle class kids as burglars ffs.

1/10
 
R.N7 said:
Rewatched a few more films, Sunset Boulevard which was a delight after getting all the silent film references this time around, the fantastic feverishly pulpiness of Strangers on a Train (though I still don't think much of Farley Granger) and finally Rio Bravo which I remember hardly giving a chance and then ticking it off as 'watched' for several years. It's a great film and I was finally ready for it after having watched a few of Hawks' following "hangout" films, Hatari and El Dorado.

I think I'm gonna make May a rewatching month starting with mostly 50's films:

Rashomon
Seven Samurai
The Searchers
North by Northwest
La Strada
Ugetsu
Some Like it Hot
Shadows
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Have you seen Scaramouche? I love that film just because it's wonderful escapism and has fantastic swordfighting. Stewart Granger must have got so much tail when he was in Hollywood...such a beautiful man.
 
“Les Diaboliques”. It’s been called the best film Hitchcock never made but in fact it makes you appreciate just how good Hitchcock was. It’s well acted but parts of the plot don’t make much sense (the retired ex-detective who hangs about at morgues) while the score fails to create suspense in the way Herrmann’s do. 6/10. Chabrol’s “Le Boucher” is much better (and more worthy of comparison with Hitchcock).
 
The remake, with Sharon Stone, was awful.
 
Grinner said:
Have you seen Scaramouche? I love that film just because it's wonderful escapism and has fantastic swordfighting. Stewart Granger must have got so much tail when he was in Hollywood...such a beautiful man.
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I have and I liked pretty much everything about it except Stewart Granger, felt like he was too occupied with himself and his own performance to notice any of the other actors.
 
R.N7 said:
I have and I liked pretty much everything about it except Stewart Granger, felt like he was too occupied with himself and his own performance to notice any of the other actors.
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That's interesting. But wasn't a big part of his character to be a headstrong dick who needed to be reined in to win the day? Leading men back then were a lot more about star power and carrying movies than those of today.

I'll have to watch it again.
 
MoskvaRed said:
“Les Diaboliques”. It’s been called the best film Hitchcock never made but in fact it makes you appreciate just how good Hitchcock was. It’s well acted but parts of the plot don’t make much sense (the retired ex-detective who hangs about at morgues) while the score fails to create suspense in the way Herrmann’s do. 6/10. Chabrol’s “Le Boucher” is much better (and more worthy of comparison with Hitchcock).
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The best film Hitch never made is Charade. Le boucher is a great film though.
 
Grinner said:
That's interesting. But wasn't a big part of his character to be a headstrong dick who needed to be reined in to win the day? Leading men back then were a lot more about star power and carrying movies than those of today.

I'll have to watch it again.
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Many swashbuckling characters were like that but many of the leading actors had a natural charm and twinkle in their eye that Granger lacked. Your Burt Lancaster's, Errol Flynn's and Tyrone Power's for example.
 
R.N7 said:
Many swashbuckling characters were like that but many of the leading actors had a natural charm and twinkle in their eye that Granger lacked. Your Burt Lancaster's, Errol Flynn's and Tyrone Power's for example.
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Errol Flynn is a tough one to beat. Yes, I think Granger definitely has a bit of English reserve about him. Most English imports to Hollywood had it, David Niven, Leslie Howard certainly spring to mind. Niven lets go a bit in A Matter of Life and Death though...as much as Niven can. He's great in person though. A real raconteur and his books are a fun read too.
 
Ha, I watched Rear Window last night as well. As RN7 said, it's perfect lockdown viewing, especially if you; a) Live in a flat, and b) Love people watching/ can verge on being a peeping Tom as you look out onto your neighbourhood.

Grace Kelly is just perfection. The set-up of the film, the three secondary characters, and the repeated tracking shots across the apartments are all fantastic. I don't think it's dated at all, in response to @Wibble's concerns above. The only area you might be able to say that is the gender politics. I couldn't decide if James Stewart's character was treating Grace Kelly the way he did due to 1950s relations between the sexes... or if we were supposed to just think he was a bit of a dick/ further evidence of his frustration of being stuck at home.
 
The Lodge
A soon-to-be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé's two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place. After Goodnight Mommy, I have been eagerly waiting for this. I even reserved a place for it in my top 5 of the year, that's how confident I was that I'd love this.
Safe to say, I was disappointed. Whilst the film builds up suspense and dramatic irony really well, it relies heavily on a few plot twists and you can see these coming a mile off, which takes away from their impact. The dad character is also the world's worst dad/husband/person and his stupidity make the film difficult to enjoy.

The camera work was really solid but the film was a little too dark to fully appreciate the angles covered by the camera. Been waiting for this for about two years and disappointed with the final result. But give it a shot, it's still better than a lot of other horror films 6/10
 
Volumiza said:
AD ASTRA

I enjoyed it, my Mrs didn't. I enjoyed the slightly morose and lethargically paced story. I actually thought it resembled Apocolypse Now. Great special effects and set pieces, Pitt was pretty good and brilliant soundtrack.

Could have been amazing but I reckon whatever it was trying to do, it just missed it's mark by a fraction.

7/10
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Got this lined up for tonight. I like a bit of sci fi even if it does miss the mark a bit.
 
Extraction
I had a lot of fun with this over-the-top action movie. Felt like something straight from the late 80s/early 90s. Some of the set pieces were awesome, especially that long take car chase. Chris Hemsworth is convincing as an action star 6.5/10
 
The Way Back
Jack Cunningham was an HS basketball phenom who walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he may get one last shot at redemption. I love sports movies but this one didn't do it for me. Not cheesy enough. The film focused more on Ben Affleck's character rather than the sports angle. The redemption arc also felt rushed. There were some great moments though 4/10
 
The Grudge (2020)
A tired version of this franchise. Full of tropes, jump scares that you see coming a mile away and a narrative that jumps from one place to another. To many characters with no real arcs. Awful and boring 1/10
 
Ford Vs Ferrari
Had a lot of fun watching this one. Two and a bit hours flew by. Recommended

8.5/10
 
The Cat said:
Got this lined up for tonight. I like a bit of sci fi even if it does miss the mark a bit.
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Volumiza said:
Enjoy
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Ad Astra is one of those movies that should definitely be consigned to the overrated movies thread. On a par with Interstellar and both pieces of garbage. Took a lady friend for an evening out and that film certainly killed the mood. It was her choice and she even apologized. Rubbish.
 
The Cat said:
Got this lined up for tonight. I like a bit of sci fi even if it does miss the mark a bit.
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It's a wonderful film even though it's not perfect. It's intimate despite its overarching plot (saving the world), it's mainly a family drama set in space. The final third could have been slightly better, but it was still one of the better films of the past year, for me - as is usually the case for James Gray films.
 
RedPed said:
Ad Astra is one of those movies that should definitely be consigned to the overrated movies thread. On a par with Interstellar and both pieces of garbage. Took a lady friend for an evening out and that film certainly killed the mood. It was her choice and she even apologized. Rubbish.
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Yeah that movie was proper shite.
 
ThierryHenry said:
Ha, I watched Rear Window last night as well. As RN7 said, it's perfect lockdown viewing, especially if you; a) Live in a flat, and b) Love people watching/ can verge on being a peeping Tom as you look out onto your neighbourhood.

Grace Kelly is just perfection. The set-up of the film, the three secondary characters, and the repeated tracking shots across the apartments are all fantastic. I don't think it's dated at all, in response to @Wibble's concerns above. The only area you might be able to say that is the gender politics. I couldn't decide if James Stewart's character was treating Grace Kelly the way he did due to 1950s relations between the sexes... or if we were supposed to just think he was a bit of a dick/ further evidence of his frustration of being stuck at home.
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Sexual impotence is one common theory for Jimmy Stewart's behaviour.
 
Knives Out

Cool, modern and old fashioned all in one who dunnit film. Usually find Daniel Craig annoying but he’s good and the rest of the cast is brill too.

8/10
 
RedPed said:
Ad Astra is one of those movies that should definitely be consigned to the overrated movies thread. On a par with Interstellar and both pieces of garbage. Took a lady friend for an evening out and that film certainly killed the mood. It was her choice and she even apologized. Rubbish.
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It had the potential to be great but it clearly failed, the first half of it was alright at least
 
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