Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

KIMI

Agree with @Wibble on this one. It felt more like an extended episode of a TV show than a fully fledged motion picture, but Soderbergh is as stylish as ever and the Martinez score is a nice throwback to classic thrillers of old; it's also the best Covid-as-a-backdrop movie I've seen so far. Plus, there's a neon-haired Zoe Kravitz to look at, who is exceptional in her role.

8/10
Yeah it's a great little film, and Zoe Kravitz is wonderful in her role.

What other films with Covid as a backdrop are there? I think this was the first one I saw.
 
Sorry, we missed you

Great film, really hits home how shite life is for some people and how vile the working system is.

8/10

Howl’s Moving Castle

Good, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Spirited Away. Felt the last 10-15 minutes if the film were a bit eh and ruined what had been a good build up.

6.5/10
Just wanted to say thanks for the review on Sorry, we missed you.
Watched it over the weekend and yeah geez, it's a tough reality check on the struggles of life.
A bit of a rough ending but I suppose that is exactly what they were going for.
 
Yeah it's a great little film, and Zoe Kravitz is wonderful in her role.

What other films with Covid as a backdrop are there? I think this was the first one I saw.
Songbird came out quite early on during the pandemic.

Mythic Quest refers to it a lot (TV, not a film), it even has an entire episode built around on Facetime conversations.
 
Yeah it's a great little film, and Zoe Kravitz is wonderful in her role.

What other films with Covid as a backdrop are there? I think this was the first one I saw.
8, rue de l'humanité (Stuck Together) is a French Netflix film about various people living in an apartment block with its own inner courtyard (which includes a pharmacy) during the first months (or so) of the pandemic. It's OK-ish; I discussed it here.

Can't think of any others. I have seen various films now that I know were made during the pandemic (the end titles will even credit someone with the health side), but so far they all pretend there is no such thing.
 
Falling for Figaro. A 2021 UK romcom about a young hedge fund manager (Danielle Macdonald) who decides to take a year off to try and kickstart a career in opera - taught in rural Scotland by a bitter teacher (Joanna Lumley) who has just one other student (Hugh Skinner).

It's ok. The overall story develops quite well and there are some decent laughs as well. On the other hand, the main character's treatment of her original boyfriend is very unsympathetic (but not portrayed as such) and there is simply nothing that explains why she would be so attracted to the other student, or he to her.

So the com part kinda works (3/5) but the rom not so much (2/5).
 
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Not sure what's with the word 'Home' in the last 3 Spidey movies, but anyway finally got round to catching this at the cinema before being consigned to the streaming world. There was a lot of hype around this movie and rightly so when you consider the plot and introduction of the MultiVerse. But although there were a lot of great moments in this film, it was all just a bit same old same old in the end. With so many key characters jockeying for screen time, I think that was managed pretty well overall and it was pretty cool seeing Mr. Maguire again. I think sometimes because we're being served up a fantasy movie, the producers think that they can get complacent and introduce some nonsensical, lazy elements to the plot that we are just expected to lap up. I also wasn't happy with how compliant and accepting the baddies were of their predicaments when sucked from their own realities but great to see them all together I suppose. Holland grows into the role more with each outing and gets to show off his acting range in this movie and the supporting cast do their job.

I'm all for the shared billing with the superheroes in these crossover movies though I don't get why they have to get parodied although I understand they can't be allowed to overshadow the main character. This is a Spider-Man movie after all. Anyway, I'm glad I caught it on the big screen. Will no doubt give it a re-reun when it lands on Disney+. Fair to middling as they say.

I'm giving this a 6/10.
 
A Passage to India (1984)

This David Lean film deserves to be recognized like Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia.
A film about enduring friendship, courage, forgiveness and redemption.
Must mention the wonderful Peggy Ashcroft for her great supporting role in the film.

10/10
 
Eternals

I did not dislike it, the story was OK , the big battle was decent enough, I just got bored with it, 2h 35mins was far to long, they could 've shaved 45m of it and still told the same story.
I would normally save Marvel films and watch them a few times, not this one , once is enough.
Hope the sequel is better.
Harry Styles :rolleyes:

5/10
 
Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1991)

Available on Prime Video. A reminder of all the things that made Jackie Chan what he is today. All the usual elements are here: rubbish acting, cheesy dialogue, terrible dubbing, slapstick humour and set pieces, gorgeous leading lady, crazy stunts, near-death experiences and epic final act. But a great trip down memory lane nonetheless. Chan was churning these films out for fun in his heyday before Hollywood got their grubby mitts on him and whilst some will forever stand the test of time (yes I'm talking about you Police Story, Project A, Supercop and Wheels on Meals etc.), others are aging quite badly. Personally, I think some of his best work was with Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung but there's more than enough in his back catalogue to satisfy just about every taste I guess.

Back to the story. On a mission to retrieve some lost Nazi gold from the desert, Chan goes Indiana Jones style as he comes up against all sorts of baddies with similar ideas setting the scene for some great, expertly choreographed fight scenes with the usual Chan humour. How this guy has been doing this for 50 years now is staggering but I'm guessing he got through a lot of stunt men during that time as they really should take all the credit for some of the things they put their bodies through. It's not one of his finest hour and 40 minutes but it did enough to make me want to go on another binge, pretty much like when I hunted out all things Cynthia Rothrock a while back.

A bit of a mixed bag really but you don't come here for great story-telling and Oscar-worthy performances. Chan settled on his style very early on and just continued to run with it over the years. Armour of God II is not as good as the first instalment but some of the visuals are very impressive especially in the climactic showdown in the Nazi bunker. There's one sequence which I won't spoiler here.....but holy feck! I honestly don't know how he does some of the stuff he does and I'm guessing he ended up in the hospital a few times during filming but fair fecks to the guy. His grandkids must have the most amazing stories told to them at night. Mindless, wince-inducing fun at it's best which kinda sags in the middle but picks up again at the end. Yeah, it was worth the re-watch, if only just to revisit the things I'd forgotten took place in this movie, both good and bad.

I'm giving this a 6/10.
 
The Prototype

A government agent stumbles upon an alien conspiracy to conquer Earth. Using a blue liquid created by the aliens to make soldiers stronger, he becomes The Prototype-the only hope for mankind.
When I saw this was 1.9/10 on imdb , I just had to watch, in all honestly the 1.9 is generous.
It is a shocking film, right up there with Birdemec has the worst film I have seen
It goes from being set 300 yin the future, to the wide west in the 1800's, apparently had a budget of $1m, hard to see where it was spent.

1/10
 
Harpoon

Rivalries, dark secrets, and sexual tension emerge when three best friends find themselves stranded on a yacht in the middle of the ocean desperate for survival.

This was not bad actually, was not expecting much, the acting was decent enough, th story was good.

6/10
 
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The Adam Project

More holes than the plot, which doesn't make much sense anyways. Ryan, Ruffalo and the kid carry the movie with Zoe making a pointless guest appearance.

Watch it if you don't have anything better to do.

5/10
 
Lords of Salem

Heidi, a radio DJ, is sent a box containing a record - a "gift from the Lords". The sounds within the grooves trigger flashbacks of her town's violent past. Is Heidi going mad, or are the Lords back to take revenge on Salem, Massachusetts?
I normally quite like Rob Zombie, but not this, I was expecting more than what was presented.
It started off OK, then went quickly down hill.

4/10
 
Dora and the Lost City of Gold. A 2019 American youth film in which Dora the Explorer has grown up to be a live-action 16-year old teenager. Her parents leave to find a lost city, sending Dora to the big city to leave with her aunt and uncle. She soon losts touch with her parents while she and some schoolmates are kidnapped by people looking to find Dora's parents and the city - leading to a dangerous trip through the jungle.

This was better than I expected. It's got enough pace and some surprisingly great jokes (especially the various winks to the animated Dora kids series) to keep adults amused, and my pre-teen kids both loved it. I would not have wanted to watch this for myself, but a good family film. As such: 4/5.
 
Dora and the Lost City of Gold. A 2019 American youth film in which Dora the Explorer has grown up to be a live-action 16-year old teenager. Her parents leave to find a lost city, sending Dora to the big city to leave with her aunt and uncle. She soon losts touch with her parents while she and some schoolmates are kidnapped by people looking to find Dora's parents and the city - leading to a dangerous trip through the jungle.

This was better than I expected. It's got enough pace and some surprisingly great jokes (especially the various winks to the animated Dora kids series) to keep adults amused, and my pre-teen kids both loved it. I would not have wanted to watch this for myself, but a good family film. As such: 4/5.

Although I was made to watch many many animated films when my son was young, and enjoyed most, I have to say that it sounds like I dodged a bullet with this one.
 
The Amityville Rising

A chemical blast at a military base sets off a supernatural disaster in this tense action-horror thriller. As Sgt. Dash tries to keep the peace at the local police station, the explosion unleashes a toxic acid rain.
:lol: :lol: Make a crappy film, stick Amityville in the title.
Poor acting, bad scenery, unconvincing effects, joke of a story line and an angry Chinese lady for no apparent reason. No spoilers but you will know the plot and outcome after about 5 minutes.

1/10
 
Although I was made to watch many many animated films when my son was young, and enjoyed most, I have to say that it sounds like I dodged a bullet with this one.
So this one is not animated - and basically nothing like the Dora series (which is for very small kids and pretty annoying for parents).
 
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The Adam Project

More holes than the plot, which doesn't make much sense anyways. Ryan, Ruffalo and the kid carry the movie with Zoe making a pointless guest appearance.

Watch it if you don't have anything better to do.

5/10
I just read an article about Shawn Levy (who directed this and Free Guy) signing on to direct Deadpool 3 for Marvel, and it described The Adam Project as "critically acclaimed". Apparently all it takes is a 6.3 average rating on RT nowadays.
 
The Amityville Rising

A chemical blast at a military base sets off a supernatural disaster in this tense action-horror thriller. As Sgt. Dash tries to keep the peace at the local police station, the explosion unleashes a toxic acid rain.
:lol: :lol: Make a crappy film, stick Amityville in the title.
Poor acting, bad scenery, unconvincing effects, joke of a story line and an angry Chinese lady for no apparent reason. No spoilers but you will know the plot and outcome after about 5 minutes.

1/10
Please review this when it eventually releases
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18454132/
 
I just read an article about Shawn Levy (who directed this and Free Guy) signing on to direct Deadpool 3 for Marvel, and it described The Adam Project as "critically acclaimed". Apparently all it takes is a 6.3 average rating on RT nowadays.
Netflix does something similar with its critically acclaimed section. Can be anything from The Godfather to the 2011 sci fi comedy Paul(Which is a ok film but wasn’t a critical hit)
 
The Uncanny ( original title They Live in the Grey )

Claire, while investigating a child abuse case, discovers that the family is being tormented by a supernatural entity.
This was way better than I was expecting, decent acting , good story, the ending was a bit predictable but still good.
I would defiantly recommend this.

7/10
 
Seperation

A young girl finds solace in her artist father and the ghost of her dead mother.
This I thought was excellent, acting was good, the little girl was excellent, Brain Cox as the Father in law very good.
The story was well written, doing well tonight, 2 very decent horrors.

7/10
 
Bad Boys for Life. A 2020 American film, again starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, but this time directed by Adil & Bilall instead of Michael Bay. As in the previous installments, Smith and Lawrence have to find and fight some super gangster while Lawrence is trying to get out of this violent line of work.

The change of director doesn't really show: Adil & Bilall do their best to continue Bay's style, up to the direct quotation of a few of Bay's best-known shots. They are a little more patient in their camerawork though; the constant cutting didn't irritate me here like it does in Bay's films. Still, ridiculous explosions galore, everything is glittery and shiny, people look cool at all times, and so on and so forth.

None of that really appeals to me (or not anymore), but we thought we'd give this a chance based on the trailer. And yes, the sort of scenes that have bits end up in the trailer (i.e., the action and comedy) work quite well and are good fun. But the film continuously grinds to a halt between them, trying to add a serious dramatic angle about the reasons Lawrence's character has this time to want to take it easier - and Smith's even has his own thing happen to him. If that carried any real weight or had consequences, it could have added a dimension to the film; but of course, something happens, all reservations are overcome, and they're going all-out again. That isn't a spoiler: it wouldn't be a Bad Boys film if this didn't happen. But given this inevitability, those dramatic interludes just delay the action - and are rather boring as such, and really wear the film down given hoe much time they take up.

So, uneven and too long: 2/5.
 
I could check with my wife...?

(Is it because I'm being negative? Better tell @TheReligion, he might be proud of me!)
No it's because you gave a movie a rating!

Edit: I've just scrolled up the page and realised you've done it for a few movies!
 
No it's because you gave a movie a rating!

Edit: I've just scrolled up the page and realised you've done it for a few movies!
Yeah, @Wibble kept asking so I spinelessly relented. I justify it to myself by thinking that I give a rating relative to other movies in the genre; so my 4/5 for Dora had nothing to do with my 9/10 for Parasite.

Yes, that makes sense in my head.
 
Fast and Furious of the Furious Fast 9 The Fast and the Furious 9 F9 Fast

It's stupid as feck, most of the stunts don't make sense. 90% of the movie is characters emoting as if nobody told them what emotion they're meant to be portraying. They made Edinburgh look nice but nobody living there had a Scottish accent. The script is trash. It really is a trash movie for trash people.

I fecking loved it. 8/10.
 
Eternals

I did not dislike it, the story was OK , the big battle was decent enough, I just got bored with it, 2h 35mins was far to long, they could 've shaved 45m of it and still told the same story.
I would normally save Marvel films and watch them a few times, not this one , once is enough.
Hope the sequel is better.
Harry Styles :rolleyes:

5/10
Styles not just playing a randomer... Nope. He's the brother of Thanos... It's gonna be a disaster :lol:
Harpoon

Rivalries, dark secrets, and sexual tension emerge when three best friends find themselves stranded on a yacht in the middle of the ocean desperate for survival.

This was not bad actually, was not expecting much, the acting was decent enough, th story was good.

6/10
Yes I remember seeing this. Really fun movie.
Lords of Salem

Heidi, a radio DJ, is sent a box containing a record - a "gift from the Lords". The sounds within the grooves trigger flashbacks of her town's violent past. Is Heidi going mad, or are the Lords back to take revenge on Salem, Massachusetts?
I normally quite like Rob Zombie, but not this, I was expecting more than what was presented.
It started off OK, then went quickly down hill.

4/10
The trailer for this was great... But instead of a good movie, we get this tripe, Rob carries on pushing his talentless wife and we get a few shots of Satan jerking off. Awful movie but great trailer for sure. Not a fan of any Zombie films of I'm being honest.
Fast and Furious of the Furious Fast 9 The Fast and the Furious 9 F9 Fast

It's stupid as feck, most of the stunts don't make sense. 90% of the movie is characters emoting as if nobody told them what emotion they're meant to be portraying. They made Edinburgh look nice but nobody living there had a Scottish accent. The script is trash. It really is a trash movie for trash people.

I fecking loved it. 8/10.
It's so funny that they want us to buy Vin Diesel and John Cena as brothers. Aside from being jacked, they literally have zero resemblance :lol:
 
The French Dispatch

You know what you’re getting with Wes Anderson and this was one of his better ones. 3 stories around a fictional publication. I was reading this was Anderson’s love letter to journalism and that came through quite obviously. It was a good movie, not his best, but good none the less. Also felt the actors in the 3rd story were criminally underused (Norton, Dafoe). Also Lea Seydoux is gorgeous.

7.5/10
 
Ali and Ava

Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook both put in stellar performances in a good movie about the ups and downs of love while touching on different cultural dynamics.

7/10.

Election



Enough said. 8/10.
 
Old (2021)

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would, I always find Shyamalan films 50/50 whether it will be really good or absolute tripe. Some of my most ready-to-walk-out moments in cinemas have been at his films in the past.

However I think he's hit the nail on the head with this one.

The premise is that a group of people find themselves on a beach which speeds up the ageing process and they have to work out why, and how to escape.

I've seen some comments calling it disjointed and criticising some of the performances however I would disagree with both points. At 1hr 49mins it's not a short film but I think it works its way through nicely, it's a plot that needs explaining so he takes his time to do it.

And there's nothing wrong with the acting for me, they do a good job of bringing out the panic with which each character is stricken.

Love the ending, on which I won't comment for obvious reasons and would recommend to any fans of Shyamalan or the genre overall.

8/10
I watched this for the first time over the weekend

Can anyone who has seen this explain why they didn’t just walk back the way they came?

They were driven by car but surely walking back in same road would have been possible. Maybe I missed something obvious
 
Old (2021)

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would, I always find Shyamalan films 50/50 whether it will be really good or absolute tripe. Some of my most ready-to-walk-out moments in cinemas have been at his films in the past.

However I think he's hit the nail on the head with this one.

The premise is that a group of people find themselves on a beach which speeds up the ageing process and they have to work out why, and how to escape.

I've seen some comments calling it disjointed and criticising some of the performances however I would disagree with both points. At 1hr 49mins it's not a short film but I think it works its way through nicely, it's a plot that needs explaining so he takes his time to do it.

And there's nothing wrong with the acting for me, they do a good job of bringing out the panic with which each character is stricken.

Love the ending, on which I won't comment for obvious reasons and would recommend to any fans of Shyamalan or the genre overall.

8/10
You liked it better than me, I thought is was just OK , good for one watch and never again.
I find I am generally disappointed with Shyamalan films, think I gave it a 4/10 on my review.
 
We don't often get porn reviews in this thread.

I got one for ya.

Deep Throat - All-time adult classic which led to legal actions taken, judicial rulings, Congressional hearings, and, years later, rape allegations. Also mob production involvement and funding, the film costing under fifty-grand (in 1972 dollars) in total costs. The kind of back in the day porn flick one could catch in a cinema in a seedy part of town, possibly with some random guy nearby suspiciously moving his arm/hand and possibly glancing your way.

However, Deep Throat was a huge cinematic release that set records and was still considered one of the highest grossing films in US history for many months after release. I probably do not need to describe the premise of the film but the plot was funny and the cinematography was good, plenty of closeup shots if you're into that sort of thing. Surprisingly decent acting for a porn flick, although the main character did seem a bit drugged and less enthusiastic throughout the film, except for those scenes, so perhaps her allegations were true.

Decent script-writing with some hilarious dad jokes, like "Do you mind if I smoke...(looks down)... while you eat?" Fantastic theme song, quite memorable. I may have spanked it a few times in my teens watching this flick.

Thora Birch's parents appeared in the film, a decade before her birth in case you might have wondered if conception occurred during filming.

Score: X/XX
 
I watched this for the first time over the weekend

Can anyone who has seen this explain why they didn’t just walk back the way they came?

They were driven by car but surely walking back in same road would have been possible. Maybe I missed something obvious

I think it's just that they were driven inside the 'force field' but it's effectively a one-way thing, other than under the coral of course!
 
I watched this for the first time over the weekend

Can anyone who has seen this explain why they didn’t just walk back the way they came?

They were driven by car but surely walking back in same road would have been possible. Maybe I missed something obvious

It was just incredibly stupid.
 
The Adam Project (2022)

Absolutely ridiculous plot poorly executed from the get-go in this Netflix original starring Ryan Reynolds running into his younger self in a time travelling caper that does nothing for the genre at all. One redeeming feature of this film is that the 'Ryan Reynolds-ness' is dialled down considerably to make him more bearable on screen. But apart from that and the decent special effects, it's just a bland sci-fi time traveller. Saldana, Garner and Ruffalo are wasted in this movie with a script that a 5-year-old could have put together in a couple of hours. No cohesion to the plot sees people drifting in and out of the story at will and lack of clarity as to where the jeopardy is supposed to reside. Also, after building up all that angst over an absent father from the beginning of the film, the eventual coming together of father and son was such a bizarre exchange. I must have missed something. Even the chemistry between young and old Reynolds was laboured at best.

In order to progress the story the writers indulge themselves in massive leaps of context, factual accuracy and credibility and whilst you're normally able to just shrug these things off with these types of films, perhaps I was too annoyed by what was unravelling before me to be so accommodating. I can't really say I enjoyed it but it was watchable. Free Guy was a whole lot better.

I'm giving this a 5/10.