Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

The Founder
Movie about the cock that turned McDonald's into a franchise. Micheal Keaton was phenomenal, not a surprise. Really enjoyed this story as I was unfamiliar with it 8/10

Volition
A man that can see snapshots into the future sees a vision of himself dying and must find a way to prevent it. I really enjoyed the first half of this movie but they introduced a new element into it about halfway through, which made it take a turn for the worst. Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes 6.5/10

Chaos
Jason Statham and Ryan Philippe have to stop Wesley Snipes, who has a load of hostages in a bank heist. Typical action movie from a certain time, I had fun but it won't be for everyone 5.5/10
 
Jungle Cruise Mix Indiana Jones, The Mummy and maybe a bit of Pirates OTC and then mix Disney style to make a film for kids under 10 years old and you get Jungle Cruise. Saved by the main leads but I'd avoid it unless you have young kids. 3/10 or 6/10 if you have young kids.
 
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Finding You Alleged rom com set in Ireland but made by Americans. I think they were going for a Notting Hill or 4 Weddings vibe but missed by a country mile. The leads were likeable enough but it could have been set anywhere. However, the biggest problem is that the plot and dialogue were often nonsensical and almost painful. 2/10
 
Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice upon a Time -

Granted I'm not the biggest fan of the rebuild films but this is an excellent finale that's both extremely different yet faithful to the original premise.

The onus has been on Studio Khara (and Anno) to 'retell' the story of Evangelion to an updated format and change it from the episodic structure that grounded the original series. The main shift has been away from story because everything in these films happens so quickly and the exposition is just insane at times. This is actually a bit of a negative I suppose but it works as it builds on fans' existing knowledge of what has already happened, then shifts thhings away towards changing events, timeline and even character origins. In short, it makes everything fresh.

What this one does especially is create a faithful reimagining of the End of Evangelion film, ramping up the action massively and bringing together an updated meaning to the end of the series, whichoffers a much less cynical perspective than the original series brought. The action is typically very exciting and bookmarked by strong moments at the beginning and end. The peripheral characters like Asuka, Mari and Rei get more focus but the film it's still ultimately about Shinji. Surprisingly Gendo is offered more reflection, which I've noted in some post-film research that stated Anno felt very removed from Shinji, who was previously his cypher, and more sympathetic towards Gendo. I'll stop here because I'd be spoiling the film otherwise.

Basically, If you've seen and know anything about Evangelion, I highly recommend sitting through the tetralogy. It opens with a recap but it's much better to go back and figure out a way to understand what's going on. All you need to know I guess is that this is a maximalist piece of work, designed to challenge and excite viewers. It's anime sure but unquestionably unique.

4.5/5
 
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Lawless. Rural Virginia, 1931: three brothers run a moonshine business and are upscaling, while a new deputy is putting on the heat because they're not playing along with his corruption game. Features Tom Hardy, Jesaica Chastain, Guy Ritchie, and Shia Lebouef among others. (Also a few minutes of Gary Oldman.)

It was an OK film - well acted, well shot, nothing remarkable, but all as it should be. It was just kinda uninteresting. I was pulled along fine while watching it, but it all felt very forgettable. A combination of predictable developments, zero character development, lots of underdeveloped side stories (both love affairs, for example), and ultimately no stakes (that's in hindsight, but I feel cheated into caring, or thinking someone actually died in dramatic fashion).

Wish Dragon. An animated film set I China about a poor teenager (I think? late high school?) who receives a tea pot in which a dragon lives that can grant him three wishes. He uses them to try and get back together with his primary school bestie who's now a famous model, while fighting off gangsters who are after the teapot.

This was fun. It's a kids film, of course, with a pretty straightforward story, and the animation or creativity wasn't anything special. But there are lots of hilarious moments and ultimately it's just a good ride - certainly for my kids.
 
Run. Hide. Fight.
A bunch of outcast students take a school hostage and live stream it on the internet. A 20 year old girl needs to find a way to rescue her classmates and teachers. Basically Die Hard in a school. Whilst it had decent performances and the first half was full of suspense, the second half of the film didn't really have much going on and the plot quickly unravels to nothing. No real thesis point beyond "these kids were bullied" so the school setting felt a bit in bad taste 5.5/10
 
House of Hummingbird (Dir. Bora Kim)

Not a bad film but it didn't grab me like I expected - I've heard it described as a classic of modern Korean filmmaking.

It's about a young girl (Eun-hee) growing in the early 1900s who's struggling with her family's frequent quarrels and the harsh nature of the Korean education system. She's dubbed a delinquent for not fitting into Korea's rigid expectations and the film paints a portrait of an unhappy time in her life, relaxed only by affections for friends and lovers. The acting from the main character (Ji-Hu Park) is very good; down to earth and very believable.

What it doesn't do well are the stylistic choices. The music is too modern and at odds with the apparent time setting. The colour palate is also just a little too clean. I also think it's a little long for the lack of dramatic tension and I my full attention didn't extend beyond 100 minutes (it's 2hr 20m total).

So yeah, not bad but not brilliant. One for fans of movies like A Girl at my Door and Han Gong-Ju.

3/5
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Run. Hide. Fight.
A bunch of outcast students take a school hostage and live stream it on the internet. A 20 year old girl needs to find a way to rescue her classmates and teachers. Basically Die Hard in a school. Whilst it had decent performances and the first half was full of suspense, the second half of the film didn't really have much going on and the plot quickly unravels to nothing. No real thesis point beyond "these kids were bullied" so the school setting felt a bit in bad taste 5.5/10
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Run Hide Fight
Alternative view 7/10 if (although on Sky) you view it as a Netflix type movie.

A thriller survival movie with the setting being a high school.. and antagonists being high school shooters as opposed to zombies , inbreeding hill billies or terrorist.

I agree any point made was probably made early on eg how easy it is to happen, how crap the protocols are when it does happen, and also how long it takes for people to realise what’s happening.

After that it becomes a survival movie.

probably given it a 7/10 because new movies have been crap recently due to 2020 being lockdown and it’s only now that okish movies are starting to premiere
 
The Kid Detective - Adam Brody plays a washed-up 30-something whose life peaked at 13, when he was a renowned town detective solving small crimes for the locals. Now, twenty years later, his life still hasn't moved on - he's still solving trivial crimes for kids and petty locals. Until the day a naive college girl walks into his office and he's asked to solve a real case - the case of her murdered boyfriend. It's dark, real, sometimes humorous, and strangely poignant. With some subtle throwbacks to old murder mysteries, this movie is surprisingly good with a strong performance from Brody. 7/10
 
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Ferguson’s Hairdryer said:
Run Hide Fight
Alternative view 7/10 if (although on Sky) you view it as a Netflix type movie.

A thriller survival movie with the setting being a high school.. and antagonists being high school shooters as opposed to zombies , inbreeding hill billies or terrorist.

I agree any point made was probably made early on eg how easy it is to happen, how crap the protocols are when it does happen, and also how long it takes for people to realise what’s happening.

After that it becomes a survival movie.

probably given it a 7/10 because new movies have been crap recently due to 2020 being lockdown and it’s only now that okish movies are starting to premiere
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I wish they focused more on this stuff instead of turning into Die Hard Teen Edition. It had the potential to be really good in my opinion.
 
SmashedHombre said:
The Kid Detective - Adam Brody plays a washed-up 30-something whose life peaked at 13, when he was a renowned town detective solving small crimes for the locals. Now, twenty years later, his life still hasn't moved on - he's still solving trivial crimes for kids and petty locals. Until the day a naive school girl walks into his office and he's asked to solve a real case - the case of her murdered boyfriend. It's dark, real, sometimes humorous, and strangely poignant. With some subtle throwbacks to old murder mysteries, this movie is surprisingly good with a strong performance from Brody. 7/10
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Read that as Adrien Brody at first :nervous:
 
What are people's favourite mystery films? I've asked something similar before and got a cracking list including Chinatown and others of that kind of genre.

Love a good mystery especially if it's atmospheric and gets you invested in working out what's going on.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
I wish they focused more on this stuff instead of turning into Die Hard Teen Edition. It had the potential to be really good in my opinion.
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You’re right. Would have been much harder to finish the second act in the same way as the first, but if they did it well it would have been a very good movie.
 
Wibble said:
Controversial view about Batman and Robin. I'm in the middle as I didn't totally hate it although I'm not really a fan of any Batman film.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture...rs-maligned-silly-and-endlessly-quotable-film
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I should watch Batman Forever again. In my memory, it's a really fun film: stylish design, good action, amusing bad guys, a cool hero - and that rarest of beasts, a good post-80s U2 track. Pulp of courses, but good pulp. I think it's usually slammed as crap though, so I'm wondering if my teenage memory has gotten the better of me or if it really is the silly fun I remember it for.

(Great U2 video, too, and I'm sure I'm right about that.)
 
Accidentally left made the review in the underrated movies thread as it was supposed to be here. But anyway. @Rooney in Paris

Sleepers.

Brilliant movie. But a warning, it’s a hard watch. Some scenes in this were very uncomfortable. Very good cast too. Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt, Robert Di Nero, Terry Kinney. A bit similar to A time to Kill (Another brilliant movie). They don’t make movies like these anymore, gritty and dirty. Had my eye on this for some time and finally watched it on Netflix. Everyone's acting was on point. They played their parts really well. Props to those kids acting out these roles. They did a fantastic job. 8/10
 
The Dark
An undead teenage girl befriends a blind boy that she meets in a forest she haunts and hunts in. Both have been victims of unimaginable abuse, and each finds solace in the other. There may be a chance of light at the end of their tunnel, but it will come with a body count. Way too slow for my liking. Some flashback scenes were good but the majority of the film failed because the gore/violence didn't really need to be there and the characters felt very two dimensional 3/10
 
Me, You, Madness
Poor imitation or satire of American Psycho. House burglar tries to case the house of an attractive nympho billionaire who is also a serial killer. Supposed to be a comedy thriller but more like an off beat rom com.
4/10
 
Leon Le Professional
Rewatched this for the first time since I was a kid, directors cut with parts not shown in initial release due to unsavoury connotations.
A lonely, and somewhat socially slow, hitman takes in a girl whose family have been murdered by corrupt narcotics officers. Gary Oldman is great as the psychotic classical music listening drug addicted leader of the bent police force. Back in the day he would have made a great Joker in noir Batman film.

8/10
 
Ferguson’s Hairdryer said:
Leon Le Professional
Rewatched this for the first time since I was a kid, directors cut with parts not shown in initial release due to unsavoury connotations.
A lonely, and somewhat socially slow, hitman takes in a girl whose family have been murdered by corrupt narcotics officers. Gary Oldman is great as the psychotic classical music listening drug addicted leader of the bent police force. Back in the day he would have made a great Joker in noir Batman film.

8/10
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Which version is better? Always a lottery IMO.

Donnie Darko is much worse for the extra bits as more info means more opportunity to spot plot holes

Apocalypse Now - extra footage adds nothing and damages the feel and flow of the film.

Blade Runner: Final Cut - is brilliant

Edit: I have never seen Leon
 
Wibble said:
Which version is better? Always a lottery IMO.

Donnie Darko is much worse for the extra bits as more info means more opportunity to spot plot holes

Apocalypse Now - extra footage adds nothing and damages the feel and flow of the film.

Blade Runner: Final Cut - is brilliant

Edit: I have never seen Leon
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Hmmm, added scenes mostly are just interactions between Leon and the young girl (Natalie Portman) and shift it more from fatherly bond to something very inappropriate so for me it completely changed my perception of those two but no difference to the movie.
 
Opinion seems split amongst those who saw the original cinematic release that was heavily edited for US audiences. hmmmmm?
 
Spiral: From The Book Of Saw
I was really excited for this because I really enjoy watching actors go out of their comfort zone. Going from comedy to dramatic worked great for Robin Williams and Jim Carrey but unfortunately Chris Rock doesn't seem to have the range to pull this off.

Right from the first scene, it just felt like Chris Rock was just playing himself, screaming and making jokes in every scene, which was massively distracting.

His acting beyond that was also awful. He used the same exact expression to portray anger/confusion/sadness etc. Normally I don't lay into actors but casting him was a big mistake in this movie.

With that said, I did enjoy the fact that it seemed to have a slightly bigger budget and didn't opt for that green colour palette that Saw as a franchise is known for and also dug the concept of the killer targeting corrupt cops, I just wish they delved into that further than simply surface level.

The twist was so telegraphed that it really hurt the final act of the movie.

Also, there is a flashback scene but the budget was clearly already spent. They literally slapped a moustache on Samuel L Jackson and had Chris Rock wear a cap backwards (whilst on duty) and hoped that would do the trick to make them look younger :lol:

I was really looking forward to this franchise reinventing itself but in the end, it was a missed step 5/10
 
Wibble said:
Which version is better? Always a lottery IMO.

Donnie Darko is much worse for the extra bits as more info means more opportunity to spot plot holes

Apocalypse Now - extra footage adds nothing and damages the feel and flow of the film.

Blade Runner: Final Cut - is brilliant

Edit: I have never seen Leon
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Apocalypse Now's most recent cut was amazing. Much better than Redux and even better than the original one. Perfect balance.
 
Wibble said:
Which version is better? Always a lottery IMO.

Donnie Darko is much worse for the extra bits as more info means more opportunity to spot plot holes

Apocalypse Now - extra footage adds nothing and damages the feel and flow of the film.

Blade Runner: Final Cut - is brilliant

Edit: I have never seen Leon
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Try their meatballs. Pretty good.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Spiral: From The Book Of Saw
I was really excited for this because I really enjoy watching actors go out of their comfort zone. Going from comedy to dramatic worked great for Robin Williams and Jim Carrey but unfortunately Chris Rock doesn't seem to have the range to pull this off.

Right from the first scene, it just felt like Chris Rock was just playing himself, screaming and making jokes in every scene, which was massively distracting.

His acting beyond that was also awful. He used the same exact expression to portray anger/confusion/sadness etc. Normally I don't lay into actors but casting him was a big mistake in this movie.

With that said, I did enjoy the fact that it seemed to have a slightly bigger budget and didn't opt for that green colour palette that Saw as a franchise is known for and also dug the concept of the killer targeting corrupt cops, I just wish they delved into that further than simply surface level.

The twist was so telegraphed that it really hurt the final act of the movie.

Also, there is a flashback scene but the budget was clearly already spent. They literally slapped a moustache on Samuel L Jackson and had Chris Rock wear a cap backwards (whilst on duty) and hoped that would do the trick to make them look younger :lol:

I was really looking forward to this franchise reinventing itself but in the end, it was a missed step 5/10
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Wasn’t out of Rocks comfort zone. He’s been churning out tumescent movies for a long while.

I do know what you mean though. Rock can act. He never really turns it on though unless it’s a Woody Allen-esque turn as a version of himself.
 
Wibble said:
Which version is better? Always a lottery IMO.

Donnie Darko is much worse for the extra bits as more info means more opportunity to spot plot holes

Apocalypse Now - extra footage adds nothing and damages the feel and flow of the film.

Blade Runner: Final Cut - is brilliant

Edit: I have never seen Leon
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Donnie Darko is a weird one in this regard, as I’d say you should watch the original followed by the extended cut and then the original again.

Sort of like a video game you need to play a few times to get the full effect if that makes any sense, though if it doesn’t hit the right chords for you I’m not sure it’s worth the time involved.
 
Organic Potatoes said:
Donnie Darko is a weird one in this regard, as I’d say you should watch the original followed by the extended cut and then the original again.

Sort of like a video game you need to play a few times to get the full effect if that makes any sense, though if it doesn’t hit the right chords for you I’m not sure it’s worth the time involved.
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I saw the original and then the extended and the problem with the extended (for me) was that it suffered for reduced mystery/fewer unexplained bits as the original allowed you to suspend your disbelief. The fuller explanations in the extended cut made it so obvious that it was all bollocks that it spoilt it for me.

Replacing the opening song, The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen, with an INXS song was also a crime against humanity.

For me the original makes you think and speculate, the Director's Cut made you want to mutter "it's bollocks" throughout.
 
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Wibble said:
Replacing the opening song, The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen, with an INXS song was also a crime against humanity.
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Is that at the party? I'm just vaguely remembering that song playing at a party scene, which in my memory isn't at the start of the film; so now I'm just curious how messed up my memory is. :)
 
Cheimoon said:
Is that at the party? I'm just vaguely remembering that song playing at a party scene, which in my memory isn't at the start of the film; so now I'm just curious how messed up my memory is. :)
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I thought that was ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart Again’ by Joy Division at the party. I don’t recall what Wibbs is referring to offhand, though I do agree replacing a song by Echo & the Bunnymen isn’t cool in principle.
 
Wibble said:
Which version is better? Always a lottery IMO.

Donnie Darko is much worse for the extra bits as more info means more opportunity to spot plot holes

Apocalypse Now - extra footage adds nothing and damages the feel and flow of the film.

Blade Runner: Final Cut - is brilliant

Edit: I have never seen Leon
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I prefered the original by a lot.
 
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