Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Donnie Brasco:
Two great performances from the leads and a very tense story. Also the most Italian film of all time 8/10

The Rhythm Section:
Contuining my quest to to see every mediocore action movie ever made. A few deviations from the formulaic revenge film that I expected from the synopsis, but the action never came to life, and the twist ending was stupid. 5/10
 
Speaking of Al Pacino, I watched Stand-up Guys. A gangster reconnects to his old friends after a long period in jail, only to find out his friend has to kill him by the morning, and so they decide to have some fun overnight.

I'm not quite sure whether to like the film or not. It features Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin, so the acting is great; they get to play off each other well; and there are a lot of moments of good humour and standard scenes twisted in surprising ways; but overall, it's a bit weak and inconsequential, and the ending doesn't make much sense. I.e., it's clearly a suicide mission, but that means Claphands will kill Alex. Or they manage to kill Claphands, but then it's not the dramatic ending that is strongly implied.

So I guess it's a weak concept lifted by good performances and individual scenes. Not a bad way to spend 1.5h. :)
 
Watched State of Play, a 2009 political thriller featuring Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, and Ben Affleck. Saying too much more about the plot would easily reveal some of its twists and turns, but 'political thriller' says it all really. Apparently, reviewers thought it was fairly good; but I thought it was pretty average in every way. Nothing really wrong with it and some good plot turns, but lacklustre performances by everyone and a general failure to get narrative tension going mean that it's best fit for distracted watching.
 
Cheimoon said:
Watched State of Play, a 2009 political thriller featuring Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, and Ben Affleck. Saying too much more about the plot would easily reveal some of its twists and turns, but 'political thriller' says it all really. Apparently, reviewers thought it was fairly good; but I thought it was pretty average in every way. Nothing really wrong with it and some good plot turns, but lacklustre performances by everyone and a general failure to get narrative tension going mean that it's best fit for distracted watching.
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Funnily enough I watched it the other day too. Yeah it wasn't really much of anything. I think the credits say it was based on something BBC but I couldn't be arsed to investigate further.
 
Grinner said:
Funnily enough I watched it the other day too. Yeah it wasn't really much of anything. I think the credits say it was based on something BBC but I couldn't be arsed to investigate further.
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I read that the people from the BBC show worried that the material couldn't be condensed into a film, and that Pitt was signed on first, but left because he and the director disagreed on the script, and there wasn't time to fix that due to a strike. All that to say that there might well be a good bit of difference between the series and the film. Also, Crowe and Affleck have really nothing performances here. (Pitt and Edward Norton were supposed to play those roles until Pitt left the project. Can't imagine what the film would have been like with them on board!)

Not that I feel like watching the BBC series either, but so maybe it didn't deserve this particular film. ;)
 
Cheimoon said:
I read that the people from the BBC show worried that the material couldn't be condensed into a film, and that Pitt was signed on first, but left because he and the director disagreed on the script, and there wasn't time to fix that due to a strike. All that to say that there might well be a good bit of difference between the series and the film. Also, Crowe and Affleck have really nothing performances here. (Pitt and Edward Norton were supposed to play those roles until Pitt left the project. Can't imagine what the film would have been like with them on board!)

Not that I feel like watching the BBC series either, but so maybe it didn't deserve this particular film. ;)
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Yeah everybody was pretty dull and even the military psycho looked like he worked at Wal-Mart or summat. Helen Mirren was rubbish. I've always felt that she's pretty overrated TBH.
 
Grinner said:
Yeah everybody was pretty dull and even the military psycho looked like he worked at Wal-Mart or summat. Helen Mirren was rubbish. I've always felt that she's pretty overrated TBH.
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Was she there just as a nod to the British series? Not sure why someone of her stature needed to have such a boring role. Her role as newspaper boss was an absolute cliché - except she didn't yell at people.

I'd imagine the newspaper culture is one thing that the series worked out better. There are some random references to the 'corporate owners' wanting something, and how they're in on something or other (collusion!), but it's not worked out at all. More generally, nothing Mirren does or that otherwise happens at the newspaper's office changes the plotline. Crowe just keeps going as he wanted. In fact, the one time near the end when Mirren actually does clearly stop him from continuing his work, Affleck walks in right after to undo that decision.
 
Palmer might be the most forgettable movie ever

in fact what was it even about? I only remember JT being in it
 
Speaking of forgettable, I watched Birds of Prey earlier. A DC action comedy with very little action and very little comedy. Even Margot Robbie's most diehard fans will struggle to try and argue it's more than a 3 or 4 out of 10. She is easily the best thing in it tbf.
 
Death Wish

Bruce Willis stars as a doctor who increasingly takes the law into his own hands as he embarks on a mission to get justice for the murder of his wife and injury of his daughter during a home invasion robbery. Obviously Willis can’t act, and he doesn’t even try here, which is on balance probably a good thing. Hank from Breaking Bad reprises that role, although in this case when he finally figures out what’s going on his reaction is quite different.

Ridiculous movie which tries to engage in some contemporary social commentary but mostly doesn’t take itself seriously.

3/10
 
2cents said:
Death Wish

Bruce Willis stars as a doctor who increasingly takes the law into his own hands as he embarks on a mission to get justice for the murder of his wife and injury of his daughter during a home invasion robbery. Obviously Willis can’t act, and he doesn’t even try here, which is on balance probably a good thing. Hank from Breaking Bad reprises that role, although in this case when he finally figures out what’s going on his reaction is quite different.

Ridiculous movie which tries to engage in some contemporary social commentary but mostly doesn’t take itself seriously.

3/10
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Can't believe they remade that, Charles Bronson was perfect in the role.
 
Another horrible Willis movie....Hudson Hawk. It bombed when it was released and age has not helped. Mind-bogglingly bad. I can't believe I made it all the way through.
 
I think I didn't mins that one actually. Fun little action film - or.maybe I'm confusing it with something else now. :D

I watched Random Hearts tonight, a drama by Sydney Pollack featuring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas. It was... OK. I kinda enjoyed it (or whatever verb is appropriate for a drama) while.watching it, although some bits are really too slow. That goes in particular for the romance scenes, which just didn't seem well developed: lines that didn't connect, and camerawork that created distance. (Like constantly switching between the protagonists' faces, so you don't see them interact together in this moment of emotional intimacy.) It was a good film otherwise though: calm, measured, incisive - and I liked the jazz soundtrack.
 
Couple of Horror films from the Horror Channel tonight.
Matriarch

Low budget British horror
An expecting Mother (Rachel) and husband (Matt) crash their car in the countryside and are offered shelter by a farmer and his wife.
It been done many times and bettre than his, but it had it good points and the ending had a nice twist.
Worth a watch.

6.5/10

Wake Wood

The parents of a girl who was killed by a savage dog are granted the opportunity to spend three days with their deceased daughter.
It was OK , Pet Cemetery rip off.

5/10
 
pauldyson1uk said:
Couple of Horror films from the Horror Channel tonight.
Matriarch

Low budget British horror
An expecting Mother (Rachel) and husband (Matt) crash their car in the countryside and are offered shelter by a farmer and his wife.
It been done many times and bettre than his, but it had it good points and the ending had a nice twist.
Worth a watch.

6.5/10

Wake Wood

The parents of a girl who was killed by a savage dog are granted the opportunity to spend three days with their deceased daughter.
It was OK , Pet Cemetery rip off.

5/10
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Funnily enough I just watched WW, I was thinking 4 or 5 at most myself. Not a big film fan usually, but bouts of insomnia have kept me up watching trashy forgettable horror flicks of late.
 
Shadow in the Cloud

A female WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight
WTF have I just watched, it made no sense, they took a short from the Twilight Zone and made this.
Just dont , its not worth it.

:wenger: /10
 
pauldyson1uk said:
Shadow in the Cloud

A female WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight
WTF have I just watched, it made no sense, they took a short from the Twilight Zone and made this.
Just dont , its not worth it.

:wenger: /10
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This is the only scary flying nonsense that you need to watch.

 
Soul Pixar's latest. Well meaning but seriously dull. It has a "Black people for Dummies" vibe. 3/10
 
pauldyson1uk said:
Couple of Horror films from the Horror Channel tonight.
Matriarch

Low budget British horror
An expecting Mother (Rachel) and husband (Matt) crash their car in the countryside and are offered shelter by a farmer and his wife.
It been done many times and bettre than his, but it had it good points and the ending had a nice twist.
Worth a watch.

6.5/10

Wake Wood

The parents of a girl who was killed by a savage dog are granted the opportunity to spend three days with their deceased daughter.
It was OK , Pet Cemetery rip off.

5/10
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Fix it quickly before they take away your horror membership card. Don't worry, I'll run interference.

"OVER HERE. THE AMERICAN RING IS BETTER THAN THE JAPANESE VERSION."
 
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Johnny Mnemonic: (spoilers ahead!!!)
The climax of the movie involves a cybernetic dolphin helping Keanu Reeves upload 320GB of data from his brain into a satellite before the data kills him via nosebleed. 10/10.
 
Venom: My lad has been on at me for ages to watch it. It's terrible, the paid critics are right, there's literally no story and no ending. And I bought the fecking steelbook (looks nice) 3/10

Ender's Game: Another waste of my life, but better than Venom. The kids act well, especially the two leads, but 5/10. The story is crapola.
 
The Dig: A drearily cute, which is my favorite sort of cute, Netflix drama set somewhere around Ipswich sometime around 1940. Has a bit of historical background which will add to the appeal if you’re into that sort of thing. Nothing much really happens, and this is not one to hold the attention of the kids, but it’s still entertaining for whatever reasons - perhaps because it’s heartwarming. The main negative is how old Ralph Fiennes looks which reminds you that you’re an old fecker now.

Verdict: 15/20
 
Watched The Platform tonight. It's a Spanish Netflix film in which someone is imprisoned in a tower where a big table loaded with awesome food is slowly lowered through the tower. Those at the top eat themselves silly, those at the bottom get nothing. Every month, though, prisoners are randomly relocated, so there is no fixed hierarchy.

The overall metaphor for society is pretty obvious, but that doesn't matter: it's very well worked out, the acting and script are great, and the environment is appropriately minimalistic. Overall, it's a really well-executed film, that makes great use of its central concept.

I disliked that it had no real conclusion though. The direction in which they develop the story around the concept basically guides you to the ending; but it feels like the ending comes a couple of scenes too early. Or at least, it left me with unsatisfactory questions. (Is the girl really the message? If so, what does she convey? And how is she received and interpreted? What's the consequence? Or does she just stand for people's desire to see a possible resolution no matter the circumstances and no matter how symbolic?) In that sense, I felt like the film's narrative just serves to explores its concept in full - rather than actually telling a story. Still, it was a great watch, and I'd recommend it.

Organic Potatoes said:
The Dig: A drearily cute, which is my favorite sort of cute, Netflix drama set somewhere around Ipswich sometime around 1940. Has a bit of historical background which will add to the appeal if you’re into that sort of thing. Nothing much really happens, and this is not one to hold the attention of the kids, but it’s still entertaining for whatever reasons - perhaps because it’s heartwarming. The main negative is how old Ralph Fiennes looks which reminds you that you’re an old fecker now.

Verdict: 15/20
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It's on my list. Looking forward to spending a harmless Saturday evening this way. :)
 
Sputnik:
Russian sci-fi/horror, set in 80s USSR, released last year.
Many elements worked very well (the relationship between the colonel and main character was great), some not so much (the psychology angle wasn't the best), and the pacing was a little uneven (slow start, which was fine, but then things happen too quickly). Still, it was gripping, and I couldn't predict the plot. 8/10.
 
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berbatrick said:
Sputnik:
Russian sci-fi/horror, set in 80s USSR, released last year.
Many elements worked very well (the relationship between the colonel and main character was great), some not so much (the psychology angle wasn't the best), and the pacing was a little uneven (slow start, which was fine, but then things happen too quickly). Still, it was gripping, and I couldn't predict the plot. 8/10.
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This one's going on the list, sounds great.
 
Free Solo, Conquest of Everest, My Octopus Teacher, and the others. Films that celebrate the reckless Grail quests of fragile white males in all their Arthurian privilege. Delight in the desecration, that sees daring, decadent westerners crampon their way across the face of indigenous cultures. Tourism as Imperial conquest.

Sherpa is more of the same but shifts the focus somewhat to the voices of the native people. The film highlights exploitative economies, complicit governments and entitled tourists that treat the natives with a mix of patronising exoticism and a contemptuous othering. One triumphant moment sees a group of Sherpas shut down the mountain as a platform to collective bargaining. Another great scene shows a pasty European getting slapped by a hand gloved in historical resentment. It was - hero to white climbers everywhere - Ueli Steck who got the slapping, and he is now dead after falling off a mountain: boo hoo-cares.

Oh won't someone assuage this white man's burdensome guilt.
 
Can it be true? There is a Face Off sequel coming!

Maybe they should call it Wig Off and have Travolta and Cage exchanging wigs.
 
Grinner said:
Can it be true? There is a Face Off sequel coming!

Maybe they should call it Wig Off and have Travolta and Cage exchanging wigs.
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love Face Off. Not seen it for a few years mind, I’m sure I’d find it pretty cheesy now.

A sequel without Woo, Cage or Travolta is unlikely to be of interest to be honest.
 
Have yet to watch this(Its only just come out)but it looks very interesting. Mix of the Abel Ferrara and the Safdie Brothers(Stars Julia Fox from Uncut Gems).



Edit - Might be a tad NSFW
 
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dumbo said:
Free Solo, Conquest of Everest, My Octopus Teacher, and the others. Films that celebrate the reckless Grail quests of fragile white males in all their Arthurian privilege. Delight in the desecration, that sees daring, decadent westerners crampon their way across the face of indigenous cultures. Tourism as Imperial conquest.

Sherpa is more of the same but shifts the focus somewhat to the voices of the native people. The film highlights exploitative economies, complicit governments and entitled tourists that treat the natives with a mix of patronising exoticism and a contemptuous othering. One triumphant moment sees a group of Sherpas shut down the mountain as a platform to collective bargaining. Another great scene shows a pasty European getting slapped by a hand gloved in historical resentment. It was - hero to white climbers everywhere - Ueli Steck who got the slapping, and he is now dead after falling off a mountain: boo hoo-cares.

Oh won't someone assuage this white man's burdensome guilt.
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I don’t understand the acclaim regarding My Octopus Teacher. If I wanted hi-res underwater shots with some guy going on about his feelings, I’d put Planet Earth on mute and listen to Dashboard Confessionals. DNF/10
 
Greenland: Watchable generic disaster movie with Gerard Butler wheres he's not butchering an American accent. 6.6/10.5
 
I watched Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods tonight. A group of Black Vietnam vets return to Vietnam 'today' to find the remains of their friend and recover some gold they found. I'm not too sure how to describe my experience with it, but I thought it was gripping and interesting throughout. It's 2.5h, but save from some bit near the middle, it never felt long. Lots of interesting topics are broached, like the Black Vietnam war experience, modern-day Vietnamese perspectives on 'the American War', the veterans' PTSD more generally, and more. The one bit that didn't really work for me was the fighting near the end; it didn't really fit the messages and point of the film and felt a bit cheap; but it wasn't long and Lee got it back on track for the final part. I'd recommend it.

I also watched We Can Be Heroes with the family yesterday. It's a film by Robert Rodriguez, who also made the Spy Kids series, and basically a kids version of The Avengers. For me as an adult, it wasn't very good: lots of lines, scenes, and ideas that didn't really work or were contradictory ('we need teamwork!' - and off they go onto their individual fights). But my kids (8 and 4) loved it, and were much more enthusiastic about this then the first Spy Kids film, which I thought worked much better. Shows what I know as a boring, rational adult!
 
The Deer Hunter

Seen it before of course. For some reason decided to subject myself to the entire thing again last night, thinking maybe that I’d missed what is so great about it on previous viewings. But no, apart from the obvious scene I still find it almost unwatchable.

Boring 4/10
 
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