As mentioned above, I read pretty much every baseball book I could find, so I read Shoeless Joe, the book FoD is based on. Kinsella (the author) was obsessed with SJ and the Black Sox, so the connection (wanting to meet his hero who was destroyed by scandal) is the foundation of the plot. Also, he was Canadian, so you have no excuse @Cheimoon!
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
- Thread starter golden_blunder
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You are right. I completely forgot or flat out never realized this.
As a tangent, the late half of the 80s was replete with pretty good sports movies - Hoosiers & Major League immediately come to mind as being as goos as the movies above. @Cheimoon, have you ever seen Hoosiers?
I did mention 'growing up in North America'. I think that's where I went wrong for these films.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking for the Eight Men Out film. I generally like period pieces, especially if it's the first half of the 20th century. (Less so for the exquisite dress-up ones for earlier periods.)
I haven't seen Hoosiers I don't think. Good actors, that should also go on The List.
I'm think of sports films I know more generally. Not too many I guess. (Although probably a lot more than I'm thinking of right now.) Also, does Space Jam count?
I would put Hoosiers above all the movies we are discussing right now actually. And I misspoke, it’s not very good, it’s timelessly brilliant. It’s probably the best sports movie that has 15%ish (or more) of the movie being actual game play and it is very good skill displayed by the actors, a few of whom played college basketball in real life, all played in high school (I would put Miracle up there as well as a similar quality movie with true, engaging actual gameplay). They had to learn how to shoot & play like a 1950s short & slow basketball team & they pulled it off exceedingly well. Then you have the storyline itself & the quality lead actors.I did mention 'growing up in North America'. I think that's where I went wrong for these films.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking for the Eight Men Out film. I generally like period pieces, especially if it's the first half of the 20th century. (Less so for the exquisite dress-up ones for earlier periods.)
I haven't seen Hoosiers I don't think. Good actors, that should also go on The List.
I'm think of sports films I know more generally. Not too many I guess. (Although probably a lot more than I'm thinking of right now.) Also, does Space Jam count?
Space Jam counts. Hell, to me, Fletch is somewhat of a sports movie.
Original or remake? I’ll take the original all day long as it has that gritty 1980’s vibe that is so perfect for the story.
Wait. There’s a remake of Hoosiers? Please don’t say that.
Didn’t pan down far enough. I was referring to the 2004 Miracle with Kurt Russell as a similar flick to Hoosiers in realistic gameplay (the quality of Miracle is also quite high overall).
Slap Shot is the best.
Brewster's Millions has a baseball element to it.
Brewster's Millions has a baseball element to it.
For all his lengthy career, Hoosiers is what comes to mind when I see Gene Hackman.
Justice League
Overly long but there's some mindless fun to be had if you watch in installments 6/10
Overly long but there's some mindless fun to be had if you watch in installments 6/10
The Blues Brothers I loved this film when it came out. Just saw it for the first time in forever and loved it again. The music. The absurdist humor. What isn't to love? 10/10
Nothing. Awesome film.
The sequel though... I mean, it's ok(ish), but not a patch on the original.
Do you know if the Zack Snyder version is going to get a physical release?
Nothing has been announced but I would assume it will at some point.
Thanks, I will keep an eye out.
fecking hell, you alright mate? You actually enjoyed a daft 80s comedy.
Ok, let's have your thoughts on Bachelor Party...Tom Hanks finest hour.
It was late. Beers had been consumed. It was great nostalgic fun.
Bachelor Party? I think I saw that at the time but didn't remember it much. An acting tour de force from Mr Hanks I assume?
Coming 2 America - did the original have this many weird superfluous 80s musical numbers?
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Snyder pretty much nails it in this 4-hr marathon of a monster that I quite satisfyingly sat through in one sitting. A more complete story, fleshed out in the right places without all the tedium of superfluous narrative and a raft of additional action sequences that only served to enhance the original. My only gripe as before was the Themiscyra sequence. Those Amazonians really need to upgrade their arsenal. Placed somewhere just beneath the Inifinity War, Ragnarok, Wonder Woman, Blade II offerings in terms of pure gratuitous fun and with probably one of the best endings of any of the superhero movies Snyder has done a decent job in pushing this film up the rankings, for sure. I was completely gripped from start to finish even though I've seen Justice League several times now.
Snyder has somehow managed to serve up a more darker offering, perfectly paced and evoking a greater appreciation for the previously viewed material with an enhanced antagonist, the introduction of new characters and a more compelling soundtrack. If he does decide to go for a Justice League 2, he's certainly set the bar pretty high. I'm all in.
I'm giving this a 9/10.
Snyder pretty much nails it in this 4-hr marathon of a monster that I quite satisfyingly sat through in one sitting. A more complete story, fleshed out in the right places without all the tedium of superfluous narrative and a raft of additional action sequences that only served to enhance the original. My only gripe as before was the Themiscyra sequence. Those Amazonians really need to upgrade their arsenal. Placed somewhere just beneath the Inifinity War, Ragnarok, Wonder Woman, Blade II offerings in terms of pure gratuitous fun and with probably one of the best endings of any of the superhero movies Snyder has done a decent job in pushing this film up the rankings, for sure. I was completely gripped from start to finish even though I've seen Justice League several times now.
Snyder has somehow managed to serve up a more darker offering, perfectly paced and evoking a greater appreciation for the previously viewed material with an enhanced antagonist, the introduction of new characters and a more compelling soundtrack. If he does decide to go for a Justice League 2, he's certainly set the bar pretty high. I'm all in.
I'm giving this a 9/10.
Demolition Man: the heroic resistance man gives a speech about bacon and freedom and destroys the nonviolent PC vegan 1984 socialist society with facts, logic, bullets and testosterone. 8/10
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Bugsy. It's a good film: well acted, well placed in its time period, strong story arc. A maffia film with a twist given the Hollywood and Vegas build-up angle - although the former is rather underdeveloped. I'd certainly recommend it if you're into this kind of subject.
What bothered me afterwards, though, was how far this strayed from what actually happened. I get some dramatization, but it's on overdrive here - especially for a film that has some pretense of historicity. In particular, Siegel did not dream up the casino and it wasn't the first of its kind. Also, Siegel was at the top of a hitman squad out east, and moved west primarily because he'd have killed had he stayed in the east. Virginia Hill also had a long mob history, and she didn't quite commit suicide soon after Siegel's death, as the message before the final credits implies. That rather changes the perspective on Siegel and Hill as persons of interest. Romanticizing and increasing the profile of people like that makes a little uncomfortable.
Still, it works well as a movie.
What bothered me afterwards, though, was how far this strayed from what actually happened. I get some dramatization, but it's on overdrive here - especially for a film that has some pretense of historicity. In particular, Siegel did not dream up the casino and it wasn't the first of its kind. Also, Siegel was at the top of a hitman squad out east, and moved west primarily because he'd have killed had he stayed in the east. Virginia Hill also had a long mob history, and she didn't quite commit suicide soon after Siegel's death, as the message before the final credits implies. That rather changes the perspective on Siegel and Hill as persons of interest. Romanticizing and increasing the profile of people like that makes a little uncomfortable.
Still, it works well as a movie.
Bad Boys (1995)
fun, dumb 90’s action-comedy. Martin Lawrence comedic timing steals the show, Will Smith is there & we’re supposed to think he’s really cool, and Tea Leoni is absolutely gorgeous. The evil bad guys doing evil bad guy things are about as bland & undeveloped as you would expect, but it’s a fun time if you just wanna turn your brain off, eat popcorn & watch some explosions & one liners. 6/10
fun, dumb 90’s action-comedy. Martin Lawrence comedic timing steals the show, Will Smith is there & we’re supposed to think he’s really cool, and Tea Leoni is absolutely gorgeous. The evil bad guys doing evil bad guy things are about as bland & undeveloped as you would expect, but it’s a fun time if you just wanna turn your brain off, eat popcorn & watch some explosions & one liners. 6/10
All three are decent enough, I enjoyed the third the most.
I'm desperate for this to get a physical release. I've turned into a physical media snob. Streaming sound quality pisses me off.
I hear what you're saying. This would have been great at the cinema.
Yes me too! The sky version was just HD unfortunately.
This still might be favourite video.Drooling over a Rhodes should go into the synths & keys thread.
Recently re watched Blue Velvet for the millionth time and Badalamenti score is brilliant. One of the all time greats.
Run Lola Run (1998)
Wanted some fine premium European art but it was all just running. 5/10
Wanted some fine premium European art but it was all just running. 5/10
Spotlight (2015) :
I was planning to watch this a long time and I think we talked about it here when I posted about Dark Waters. Enjoyed it more than Dark Waters. Great performance from Keaton and Ruffalo. Script and dialogue were strong in most scenes. and the pacing felt quite decent for a documentation movie which are always mostly slow burners. 8/10
I was planning to watch this a long time and I think we talked about it here when I posted about Dark Waters. Enjoyed it more than Dark Waters. Great performance from Keaton and Ruffalo. Script and dialogue were strong in most scenes. and the pacing felt quite decent for a documentation movie which are always mostly slow burners. 8/10
Yeah, we did.
Great film, I agree. I think Ruffalo is one of those actors that seem to have a taste like mine: I can pick pretty much any of his movies and there's a good chance I'll like it.I’ve rarely watched a movie that caused me to shout at the screen so many times. The depths to which these crimes were condoned & covered up makes the fallacy of religion even more acute. Great flick.
Trial by fire 8/10
I enjoyed it pretty much, didn't realise it was a true story until the end though. One bit didn't make sense, the woman at the roadside.
I enjoyed it pretty much, didn't realise it was a true story until the end though. One bit didn't make sense, the woman at the roadside.
Is it any good? Had it in my watchlist for a week, but can't seem to get to it.
It’s pretty shit. Nowhere near the brilliance of the first one.
Granted I haven't seen the film but the older I get the more I begin to wonder if contemporary culture is the reason why movies aren't very funny.
It seems to me that comedy as a vehicle is pretty much always a juxtaposition between observation and surprise, which creates laughter as part of our reaction. They can't exist as individual components. Surprising content without observation isn't smart. Observation without surprise isn't funny.
As big budget movies need to appeal to a wide demographic they can't really do unique things that might surprise people. The humour seems - not sanitised - just extremely broad and therefore always involving things we already know. Therefore it doesn't create the necessary surprise to make it funny.
This isn't to say that comedy is dead - stand up isn't - but films, like the majority of TV shows, seem to rely more on wit than anything else. The best ones still make observations that amuse us but they don't exactly surprise us. When was the last time something came out that was truly off the rails?
I noticed this with the Borat sequel mainly. Like the first Coming to America, it was funny because nobody expected what it did. Offensively so.
Random thoughts for midday.
It seems to me that comedy as a vehicle is pretty much always a juxtaposition between observation and surprise, which creates laughter as part of our reaction. They can't exist as individual components. Surprising content without observation isn't smart. Observation without surprise isn't funny.
As big budget movies need to appeal to a wide demographic they can't really do unique things that might surprise people. The humour seems - not sanitised - just extremely broad and therefore always involving things we already know. Therefore it doesn't create the necessary surprise to make it funny.
This isn't to say that comedy is dead - stand up isn't - but films, like the majority of TV shows, seem to rely more on wit than anything else. The best ones still make observations that amuse us but they don't exactly surprise us. When was the last time something came out that was truly off the rails?
I noticed this with the Borat sequel mainly. Like the first Coming to America, it was funny because nobody expected what it did. Offensively so.
Random thoughts for midday.
Nomadland (2020) :
Ehhh I don't know really. This seems like a documentation of how nomads live their lives rather than being an actual movie. I can get why some will relate to this, but otherwise it was just super uninteresting and boring. Some scenes had good drama, but otherall mostly nothing happens in it. If I had watched some of these scenes on their own I would have liked them more, but as a whole, not really.
McDormand's acting is great, and the cinematography was beautiful, but these aren't enough to enjoy it for me. At the end I felt it's one of those movies that are done to be registered on the shelves and claim ton of rewards but not made to be actually watched. Maybe I don't get it, I don't know.
I won't rate it.
Ehhh I don't know really. This seems like a documentation of how nomads live their lives rather than being an actual movie. I can get why some will relate to this, but otherwise it was just super uninteresting and boring. Some scenes had good drama, but otherall mostly nothing happens in it. If I had watched some of these scenes on their own I would have liked them more, but as a whole, not really.
McDormand's acting is great, and the cinematography was beautiful, but these aren't enough to enjoy it for me. At the end I felt it's one of those movies that are done to be registered on the shelves and claim ton of rewards but not made to be actually watched. Maybe I don't get it, I don't know.
I won't rate it.
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The Mortuary Collection
An eccentric mortician recounts several macabre and phantasmagorical tales that he's encountered in his distinguished career.
Its been done before and better but I quite enjoyed this, the story were OK , the last one had a nice twist.
I think worth a watch.
6.5/10
An eccentric mortician recounts several macabre and phantasmagorical tales that he's encountered in his distinguished career.
Its been done before and better but I quite enjoyed this, the story were OK , the last one had a nice twist.
I think worth a watch.
6.5/10