The Passion of the Christ (2004): Don't really know why I decided to watch this, I suppose it was mainly out of curiosity to see how it stood up to previous films about the story of Jesus Christ and the fact that it was directed by Mel Gibson and stars Jim Caviezel but anyway I watched it last night (I'm not at all religious but love a bit of history). Its apparently the greatest story ever told and most people alive obviously know the plot and I've got to say that this version is for me by far the best adaptation of the story I've ever seen, its incredibly brutal and incredibly moving and even if you are a sceptic (like me) you will be moved by the central themes of man's inhumanity to man and the act of forgiveness, especially forgiveness. My eyes welled as the film progressed through Christs initial betrayal by Judas and denial by Peter, his subsequent "trial" and finally his "punishment" which is portrayed in all its glorifying violence to magnificent and heartbreaking effect. This is a hard watch but a totally fulfilling hard watch which you'll either love or hate but religion aside I was incredibly impressed and moved by a story I was already familiar with because it was calculated, callous and brutally violent but ultimately uplifting despite this. 9/10
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
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Me and the wife saw that at the cinema. I t was a different crowd than usual in to watch it (I had a student job at a cinema), more posher old couples and spinster types. A lot were shocking by how graphic it was.
Good film, but wssn't the dialogue a bit stilted and mumbly from memory?
Caviezal's lines were a bit mumbly all right but then if you think about it he was being tortured almost constantly throughout the film and the spoken language was mostly Aramaic, I didn't really think it was an issue myself.
Knives out: I thought it would be fun, but instead it just left me with an overwhelming desire to smack Daniel Craig.
12/20
12/20
I loved it. Nice play on some of the clichés and good plot twist. I agree that Craig's character needed some getting used to, but I didn't find it that grating. Really looking forward to the sequel that apparently might be made.
Ad Astra
Kin pointless movie with a message that was clear within the first 15 minutes and then spent 2 hours to spell it out explicitly whilst tossing in seemingly random and nonsensical events to fluff out the rest of the running time.
being the most ridiculous.
Kin pointless movie with a message that was clear within the first 15 minutes and then spent 2 hours to spell it out explicitly whilst tossing in seemingly random and nonsensical events to fluff out the rest of the running time.
Angry space baboons (wtf) and interstellar space pirates (who were they and what did they want?)
Still amazed he was never involved with any of the other predator films.
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The Last Narc - Amazon https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12163674/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
For any big fans of Narcos - Mexico, this series that just dropped on Amazon is a fairly interesting take on the murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena and the subsequent investigation.
The docuseries touches on the cartel, its connections with politicians and also the role of the CIA in Camarena's abduction, torture and killing.
For any big fans of Narcos - Mexico, this series that just dropped on Amazon is a fairly interesting take on the murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena and the subsequent investigation.
The docuseries touches on the cartel, its connections with politicians and also the role of the CIA in Camarena's abduction, torture and killing.
Interesting. Thanks for the recommendation. Definitely going to watch that.
The Blackout
No meteorites hit Earth, no terrorists put the world in danger, no atomic war was started, but something did go wrong. Contact between most towns on Earth has been severed. A small ring-like area in Eastern Europe still has electricity, and maybe even life is being reported from the Space. What military forces find outside the Ring is shocking. There are dead corpses everywhere: in stores, in cars, on roads, in hospitals and railway stations. Who or what is destroying all life on Earth? How long will the last outpost of mankind survive?
Russian dubbed film, it was OK , have seen worse.
Interesting story, could have been done better
4/10
No meteorites hit Earth, no terrorists put the world in danger, no atomic war was started, but something did go wrong. Contact between most towns on Earth has been severed. A small ring-like area in Eastern Europe still has electricity, and maybe even life is being reported from the Space. What military forces find outside the Ring is shocking. There are dead corpses everywhere: in stores, in cars, on roads, in hospitals and railway stations. Who or what is destroying all life on Earth? How long will the last outpost of mankind survive?
Russian dubbed film, it was OK , have seen worse.
Interesting story, could have been done better
4/10
Ghost of War
Five American soldiers assigned to hold a French Chateau near the end of World War II. This unexpected respite quickly descends into madness when they encounter a supernatural enemy more terrifying than anything seen on the battlefield.
This was really good , up until the ending WTF !!!
Interesting film with a good amount of action and mystery. Good story .
Without the ending it was a solid 7-8/10, but the ending just dragged it down.
5/10
Five American soldiers assigned to hold a French Chateau near the end of World War II. This unexpected respite quickly descends into madness when they encounter a supernatural enemy more terrifying than anything seen on the battlefield.
This was really good , up until the ending WTF !!!
Interesting film with a good amount of action and mystery. Good story .
Without the ending it was a solid 7-8/10, but the ending just dragged it down.
5/10
The Shining
38 years of age and I've finally got round to watching a cinema masterpiece, it's one of those films that never age as the sounds and the setting carry the scares as much as the ghosts and madness that prevails during the movie. The only thing that annoys me with this movie is it leaves far too many questions unanswered which I know some love because it gives you something to discuss but leaves me a little bit of mind feck.
My take on it was the hotel kept the souls of those who had been killed and that Grady was the devil himself. Room 237 was clearly a room where a woman was killed in her bath but the one scene that really confused me was when Wendy looked in horror at the ghosts of a man dressed as a bear clearly giving a blowjob to what looked like a member of staff, no idea what that was all about.
As for Jack Nicholson, what an actor the man is/was.
9/10
38 years of age and I've finally got round to watching a cinema masterpiece, it's one of those films that never age as the sounds and the setting carry the scares as much as the ghosts and madness that prevails during the movie. The only thing that annoys me with this movie is it leaves far too many questions unanswered which I know some love because it gives you something to discuss but leaves me a little bit of mind feck.
My take on it was the hotel kept the souls of those who had been killed and that Grady was the devil himself. Room 237 was clearly a room where a woman was killed in her bath but the one scene that really confused me was when Wendy looked in horror at the ghosts of a man dressed as a bear clearly giving a blowjob to what looked like a member of staff, no idea what that was all about.
As for Jack Nicholson, what an actor the man is/was.
9/10
Time To Hunt
Korean Netflix original about a man who's been recently released from prison and he gets together with his crew of low level criminals and they rob a casino. Then the Korean gangsters who own the casino send a hitman after them, who will stop at nothing on his pursuit to kill them. Really enjoyed this. Once the robbery of the casino begins, it's really, really tense. The acting was great, the action was fun, the score was superb and there was a scene at a bar that was nail-bitingly suspenseful. Just wish they tightened it and shaved off about 20 minutes 8/10
Korean Netflix original about a man who's been recently released from prison and he gets together with his crew of low level criminals and they rob a casino. Then the Korean gangsters who own the casino send a hitman after them, who will stop at nothing on his pursuit to kill them. Really enjoyed this. Once the robbery of the casino begins, it's really, really tense. The acting was great, the action was fun, the score was superb and there was a scene at a bar that was nail-bitingly suspenseful. Just wish they tightened it and shaved off about 20 minutes 8/10
You made me google whether Jack Nicholson died
I watched Primal Fear the other night, great performance from Norton.
You made me google whether Jack Nicholson died
I had the same reaction when I read his last statement.Rewatching Margin Call and I think it's better than the Big Short that had an outsider's crusade perspective. Nice character stuff, and very intimately linked to the crisis. Also like the very austere way it was filmed, total opposite of the big short.
Minor annoyance was the junior analyst (Zachary Quinto) -too naive/ignorant about salaries. I have classmates in similar positions (in big banks, 5 years out of their tech degrees, very smart people) and they are proud of wealth inequality. Like the British guy in the film.
Minor annoyance was the junior analyst (Zachary Quinto) -too naive/ignorant about salaries. I have classmates in similar positions (in big banks, 5 years out of their tech degrees, very smart people) and they are proud of wealth inequality. Like the British guy in the film.
When I watched it via DVD years back, I almost made it to the end.
There is that scene near the end when Jesus is in a dungeon type room and the guards are taking turns to whip him with a sharp studded leash; with such energy and force, they had to take rest before starting again.
Eventually Jesus was lying on the floor but his body had lost shape and form and all you could see was a puddle of flesh and blood.I couldn’t watch anymore after that.
I’ve often thought I’d watch it again to completion, but I get nervous about that scene and don’t think I could handle seeing it again.
savage. Graphic. Brutal.
Rewatched all the American pies
American Pie - 7.8/10
The strongest of the four, so many genuine laugh out loud moments. Jim’s bedroom scene with Nadia still holds up. Shannon Elizabeth was a total babe.
American Pie 2 - 6.8/10
Weaker than its predecessor, essentially repeating the same tricks as the first one but still a good laugh. Soundtrack is awesome, lots of punk rock tunes reminding me of my teenage years. Best bit of the film was Stiffler walking up to two girls at a party and telling them he had an eleven inch penis all the way around.
American Pie The Wedding - 6.3/10
The weakest of the four, not enough funny moments and as great as Stiffler is, the film seemed to focus a bit too much on him. The bachelor party scene also went on for far too long.
American Pie Reunion - 7/10
Thought it was a lot better than it should have been. It felt quite fresh and because it had been ten years, that in itself told its own story. Great scene in the gay club with Stiffler dancing.
American Pie - 7.8/10
The strongest of the four, so many genuine laugh out loud moments. Jim’s bedroom scene with Nadia still holds up. Shannon Elizabeth was a total babe.
American Pie 2 - 6.8/10
Weaker than its predecessor, essentially repeating the same tricks as the first one but still a good laugh. Soundtrack is awesome, lots of punk rock tunes reminding me of my teenage years. Best bit of the film was Stiffler walking up to two girls at a party and telling them he had an eleven inch penis all the way around.
American Pie The Wedding - 6.3/10
The weakest of the four, not enough funny moments and as great as Stiffler is, the film seemed to focus a bit too much on him. The bachelor party scene also went on for far too long.
American Pie Reunion - 7/10
Thought it was a lot better than it should have been. It felt quite fresh and because it had been ten years, that in itself told its own story. Great scene in the gay club with Stiffler dancing.
Dark Knight
Been a very long time since ive seen this movie. Its fantastic and not OTT CGI stuff. The story is something a lot of movies lack.
Bale was a good Batman but i forgot how great he was as Bruce Wayne.A good continuation from Begins.
I remember being annoyed at how underused Bale was at Batman in the third installment, but I might have to watch it again as im sure (iirc) hes a crippled Bruce Wayne through most of it.
Really like the score used too.
Been a very long time since ive seen this movie. Its fantastic and not OTT CGI stuff. The story is something a lot of movies lack.
Bale was a good Batman but i forgot how great he was as Bruce Wayne.A good continuation from Begins.
I remember being annoyed at how underused Bale was at Batman in the third installment, but I might have to watch it again as im sure (iirc) hes a crippled Bruce Wayne through most of it.
Really like the score used too.
I do feel it is a little too long though. At some point I just felt done with the film. The ending is very cool, it's not that; I think the material is just stretched a little too thinly for me. Definitely the best of the trilogy though. The other two films are nice, but nowhere near the same level IMO.
It is the standard that I and my 13 year old daughter judge every other comic book film by. So far nothing has come close.
It felt a bit long but the Two-Face bit also felt rushed.
Still, one of the best superhero films in my opinion.
The other ones I liked are:
Deadpool
Guardians of the Galaxy
Thor Ragnarok
Logan
Still gotta see Logan. Does that really feel like a superhero film, or is it a proper drama? The drama angle is interesting, also in Joker; adds something fresh to superhero films. Although the setting remains flimsy (superhero universes), which to me dilutes the drama/emotional strength of the film.
As for the 'proper' superhero films: I loved Thor Ragnarok and Deadpool, but Guardians was just too much for me. I'm more generally getting a little fed up with films focused on VFX or full of random death and destruction. (Like Hulk smashing up Johannesburg in Avengers 2.) Guess I'm getting boring! That has stopped me from really enjoying a lot of recent action movies. I did like the first Avengers film though.
Is it really that interesting ?
Like everyone else I loved it the first time seeing it on the big screen but repeat viewings I've been less and less impressed with it. It has the best big budget set pieces since Michael Mann Heat(An director Nolan is very much influenced by)and the cast is great.
But the moral of the story is the general public are stupid and maybe psychopathic so we(Characters in positions of power)need to lie to them on a daily basis. Nolan Batman films have a really shitty outlook on the general public imo.
Still the pencil trick was cool!
Logan of course has elements of superhero films but it's more about him dealing with death and facing up to his past. It's a really really good movie. Very touching.
I agree with Guardians of the Galaxy to an extent but I remember how shit the trailer was but the movie made me laugh multiple times.
Sounds good! Now they just need to put Logan back on Netflix in Canada...
I agree, both Guardians film can be quite funny. To me, though, Thor: Ragnarok beats them all in that regard!
I can get that with length. I think the funny thing is I paused it half way to get food. So that helped break it down and probably skewed my opinion
I think some mentioned have been great though. Logan and winter soldier in terms of story were great. Deadpool was a lot of fun.
Thor ragnarok, IW, guardians are probably the best comic to live action stuff I've seen. Especially the first two in terms of being so hyped as a fan.
I get putting this as the top one to rate others against however
Logan is high on our list however it did make the young un sob for about an hour so we haven't rewatched it yet...
Thor Ragnorak is the best superhero film of the lot.
Mainly because it's just a really, really fun movie with shitloads of belly laughs.
Mainly because it's just a really, really fun movie with shitloads of belly laughs.
That I agree with regarding 2 face. Think he could have done more, escaped or something to tell a bigger story (flesh it out). can see why he was involved with joker using him and all. Would have benefited from more of a story (especially when Joker is the main guy) but with 2 face dying and the story of trying to cover up Harvey dent to thus having to use Batman as the fall guy was really intriguing. Think that needed to be the story behind part 3 (however I need to see it again)
I mean it's hard to disagree with the moral being correct, right? Living in 2020 people being lied to by politicians, people being stupid, etc is quite on show
But of course Gotham isn't a good place and never has been
Yep and Thor
That's one of the difficulties with taking superhero films seriously as drama for me. Gotham is so rotten to the core - it makes no sense and then I see everything against that background.
Lit.
Watched Dark knight Rises in the cinema today. Still love it. Tom hardy is just so good and menacing. And that voice is beautiful, it's like Sean Connery with a bullhorn hah. Kinda sad we'll not get a batman movie like this for a LONG time now. A proper trilogy of it. Still doesn't top Dark knight but it's still up there with the good superhero movies.
Ever watched Hardy in Peaky Blinders? Kinda similar voice but the character there makes it even better imho. Bane was definitely awesome too though, especially all the quotable lines from the first fight scene between him and Batman at his lair.
Yeah I love him in PB. His acting is just brilliant. He could do nothing and still steal the scene. That fight between him and batman was brutal. No cinematic shots, just bane beating the hell out of him. And that "You think the darkness is your ally?" Quote was great writing.
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Richard Jewell
Watched it knowing almost nothing about it. I knew Kathy Bates was in it and that it had something to do with a bombing. Turns out it has a lot to do with a bombing. Thought it was fantastic. The performance was top notch all around, don't think the juggalo kid has gotten enough love for his performance. Sam Rockwell is always fantastic and you've got Hamm and Wilde on the side with Bates snatching an Oscar nomination. The directing was fantastic and it was not a surprise to learn that Clint Eastwood was the man behind the movie. I really need to seek out his movies more because they've never disappointed me so far. Some of the things he likes to make movies about don't really interest me but he seems to make it work every time. Really feels like Daniel Day-Lewis would make a good fit for one of his movies.
Easy 9/10
Watched it knowing almost nothing about it. I knew Kathy Bates was in it and that it had something to do with a bombing. Turns out it has a lot to do with a bombing. Thought it was fantastic. The performance was top notch all around, don't think the juggalo kid has gotten enough love for his performance. Sam Rockwell is always fantastic and you've got Hamm and Wilde on the side with Bates snatching an Oscar nomination. The directing was fantastic and it was not a surprise to learn that Clint Eastwood was the man behind the movie. I really need to seek out his movies more because they've never disappointed me so far. Some of the things he likes to make movies about don't really interest me but he seems to make it work every time. Really feels like Daniel Day-Lewis would make a good fit for one of his movies.
Easy 9/10
Watched it yesterday. It was alright.
I like the idea but thought something was off; the casting and some of the dialogue was meh.
It is set up for a few more movies alright.
I thought casting was fine. Maybe dialogue was a bit too... Cartoony? Comicky? I dunno but I went in with low expectations given it was Netflix but enjoyed the way it went
I think a Netflix movie franchise is a good idea and they've secured a top actress for it