Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

De père en flic 2 (Father and Guns 2). A 2017 Québec comedy in which the concept of the first film is fully recycled: Michel Côté and Louis-José Houde play father and son cops who go undercover at a retreat to try and turn an important criminal into a witness against his organization. This time, it's a couples retreat, where the dad acts as an assistant leader (who has to stand in for the psychologist leading the retreat when he gets injured), and the son is a couple in theory together with his (ex-)girlfriend, played by Karine Vanasse.

This is a lot like the first film, but better. That one was a bit hit and miss, this one is mostly hit. I had some trouble following the dialogues some time (Houde goes so fast all the time), but it was overall quite funny and they managed to keep up the tone and quality throughout. Nothing deep, just fun. 3/5

The Other Guys. A 2010 Hollywood buddy cop action comedy by Adam McKay starring Will Ferrelll and Mark Wahlberg. Their characters are a desk guy by choice and by suspension, respectively, and don't fit together at all. So, hilarity ensues when they end up going out on the streets together to solve a complicated case.

I was surprised to see this was received well, cause I thought it's not very good. You can see exactly what's supposed to be funny (a lot of absurd dialogues and situations), but often it's just weird and not actually funny. That's awkward. There are also genuinely funny bits, and as a whole, the film is watchable. But I wouldn't consider this a success. 2/5

(Also: I didn't know McKay was behind a lot of comedies (including Anchorman) before he turned serious (well, at least in his subject matter) with The Big Short. Funnily, while The Other Guys as a film has absolutely nothing to say about anything (or only extremely superficially, its closing credits are accompanied by a long list of factoids and graphics demonstrating issues with the US financial sector, wage structures, equity, and government support for banks - basically summarizing the general criticism of The Big Short. It creates interesting kind of transition between both films.)

Spy Kids: All The Time In The World. A 2011 Hollywood action comedy for kids and part 4 in the series. The main characters of the first three parts are all grown up, so we get a new family of spies, this time including a spy mom (Jessica Alba). It's OK. As with the other Spy Kids films, the plot is uneven and the special effects look cheap (although better here), but my kids liked it and laughed a lot. Not a film I'd mind as much rewatching. (Given that my kids rewatch a lot of them and there is definitely worse stuff out there. I mean, we were rewatching Fe@rless the other day...)
 
Uncharted 2022

Didn't enjoy it at all, thought I could suspend reality and try get something from it, but its just not good at all. Works as a game, but just doesn't as a movie, at least for me. Acting was also not that great either and the amount of things you just have to ignore are too many.

3/10.
 
Sylar said:
Lost city is fun.
Channing Tatum is great for this role
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Yes he's great in these comedy roles. 21 Jump Street was really funny because of him. The scene where he stumbles into the musical instruments was just :lol:
Minkaro said:
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Thought I’d give it a go, and it ended up being great. The trailer scene with them trying to get over the wall is absolutely hilarious in the film.

Pedro Pascal is very good in it, but there’s something utterly charming about how Nic Cage wholeheartedly embraces his NICOLAS FREAKING CAGE persona, and while the film itself plays tribute to his career, he plays it in a self-deprecating way. A lovely surprise.

8/10
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I've been waiting all my life for this movie but didn't watch it as I was fasting... But Ramadhan is over so I'm gonna go watch it this week. As soon as the lube arrives :nervous:
BlueHaze said:
The Nightingale

Hard to review this movie properly without giving away big spoilers since it starts off so brutally intense. This is a story of a woman who is out for revenge on the men responsible for taking her most precious things away from her in the most horrifying and tragic way. Her path is accompanied by a young lad who acts as her guide preventing her from getting lost in the woods. A very dark, graphic, intense and sad story, not for the sensitive ones.

7/10
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Yeah had to watch this when the missus was out... That opening :(
 
The Founder

It's still such a great movie about McDonald's. Michael Keaton is really good in this one.

Score: 9
 
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

On general release from today, this latest instalment from the MCU I guess picks up not long after the mayhem caused in WandaVision. I won't give any of the plot away but what I was not expecting was how heavily Wanda/Scarlet Witch features in this film. You could easily have renamed this film Scarlet Witch in the Multiverse of Madness and no-one would bat an eyelid. It really did put her front and centre and showcase what she is really all about. As enjoyable as this movie was, I kept thinking where was this Wanda Maximoff during all of the previous Avengers nonsense. Ok so it wouldn't have made much of a story but she could have taken care of business in 10 minutes on this showing.

So we see Doctor Strange continuing to deal with the fallout from the previous events in terms of the rifts in the Multiverse and trying to restore some sort of order. I'm surprised that Loki never popped up at some point to add to the madness but in all fairness there was whole raft of new characters to keep us amused. With all the experience gained from the nearly 30 MCU films so far, the visuals are as you would expect by now, slick, spectacular and well executed. But they still couldn't make up for what was still basically a chaotic 2 hours of so many elements that combined well in parts but appeared very jumbled in others. This is one of the rare occasions where perhaps the film would have benefited from an extra 30 minutes or so to develop a more coherent story and give the characters more depth though as I insinuated at the beginning of the review, Scarlet Witch is definitely the star of the show here with Doctor Strange serving as a more than adequate and able counterpoint.

In terms of the Multiverse element to the story, don't be expecting too much as this theme kind of gets lost in all of the madness. We do get introduced to some new characters and some cameos from other storylines but I found myself being shocked rather than excited by what was unravelling before me. The film is certainly more darker than usual and the pace and tone does not really allow for the quick one-liners, visual gags and banter that we've come to expect. The ante is certainly upped in terms of showcasing the abilities of both Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch, which for me is probably the highlight of the film. We do get to experience real jeopardy, violence and destruction, again more-so perhaps than in other movies but overall it was a blast and I think most people will be satisfied.

Of course with these superhero movies, you'll always find the goalposts being moved to suit the story and narrative in terms of abilities, durability, continuity etc., but we just tend to go with that to be honest. I'm going to place this after Infinity War, Thor: Ragnarok, GOTG 2, Spiderman: No Way Home and just above Black Widow, Endgame etc.

I'm giving this an 8/10.
 
RedPed said:
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

On general release from today, this latest instalment from the MCU I guess picks up not long after the mayhem caused in WandaVision. I won't give any of the plot away but what I was not expecting was how heavily Wanda/Scarlet Witch features in this film. You could easily have renamed this film Scarlet Witch in the Multiverse of Madness and no-one would bat an eyelid. It really did put her front and centre and showcase what she is really all about. As enjoyable as this movie was, I kept thinking where was this Wanda Maximoff during all of the previous Avengers nonsense. Ok so it wouldn't have made much of a story but she could have taken care of business in 10 minutes on this showing.

So we see Doctor Strange continuing to deal with the fallout from the previous events in terms of the rifts in the Multiverse and trying to restore some sort of order. I'm surprised that Loki never popped up at some point to add to the madness but in all fairness there was whole raft of new characters to keep us amused. With all the experience gained from the nearly 30 MCU films so far, the visuals are as you would expect by now, slick, spectacular and well executed. But they still couldn't make up for what was still basically a chaotic 2 hours of so many elements that combined well in parts but appeared very jumbled in others. This is one of the rare occasions where perhaps the film would have benefited from an extra 30 minutes or so to develop a more coherent story and give the characters more depth though as I insinuated at the beginning of the review, Scarlet Witch is definitely the star of the show here with Doctor Strange serving as a more than adequate and able counterpoint.

In terms of the Multiverse element to the story, don't be expecting too much as this theme kind of gets lost in all of the madness. We do get introduced to some new characters and some cameos from other storylines but I found myself being shocked rather than excited by what was unravelling before me. The film is certainly more darker than usual and the pace and tone does not really allow for the quick one-liners, visual gags and banter that we've come to expect. The ante is certainly upped in terms of showcasing the abilities of both Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch, which for me is probably the highlight of the film. We do get to experience real jeopardy, violence and destruction, again more-so perhaps than in other movies but overall it was a blast and I think most people will be satisfied.

Of course with these superhero movies, you'll always find the goalposts being moved to suit the story and narrative in terms of abilities, durability, continuity etc., but we just tend to go with that to be honest. I'm going to place this after Infinity War, Thor: Ragnarok, GOTG 2, Spiderman: No Way Home and just above Black Widow, Endgame etc.

I'm giving this an 8/10.
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so do I need to watch WandaVision before this ?
 
pauldyson1uk said:
so do I need to watch WandaVision before this ?
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Um, as a series in it's own right, it's definitely worth the time investment though you do have to hang on in there with the earlier episodes...but there are only 9 of them. In relation to the Doctor Strange film, it will certainly add context to what is going on. In fact, yeah I would because it's what happens in WandaVision that drives the whole premise of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

To a lesser extent, you may also want to check out the Loki miniseries too.
 
Make sure you download the official app and reach level 16 too or you won't understand 7 and a half scenes. Also go to your local library and find the secret book and read the first 58 pages.
 
RedPed said:
Um, as a series in it's own right, it's definitely worth the time investment though you do have to hang on in there with the earlier episodes...but there are only 9 of them. In relation to the Doctor Strange film, it will certainly add context to what is going on. In fact, yeah I would because it's what happens in WandaVision that drives the whole premise of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

To a lesser extent, you may also want to check out the Loki miniseries too.
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Cheers, I have both on my laptop.
 
Oh forgot to mention...as a sidenote the Avatar 2 trailer landed today too.

Avatar: The Way of Water, I think it was called. I know she's a blue 9-ft alien n'all but Neytiri looked hot as feck. I know it's sad. But yeah.
 
Don't understand the Avatar hate but each to their own, I guess. I'll be there come December.....and the December after that.....and the December after that. :D
 
Solius said:
Amazed they're still forcing it all through. They plan like 3 more of them as well.
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What do you mean amazed? Highest grossing movie of all time?? If they can get to Transformers 5, Pirates of the Caribbean 5 etc., I really don't think Avatar has anything to worry about.
 
Avatar was such a nothing film. All the hype was based on the 3D experience, which admittedly was decent, but the plot was just ‘Dances with Wolves’ in space.
 
I’ve never seen Avatar but it’s a masterpiece because

1)Cameron made fat Americans pay by the bucket load to watch their own military get completely owned. The slobs cried and cheered for a film, where blue people give dudes from Massachusetts PTSD on a scale we’ve never seen before.

2)Its responsible for the only funny SNL sketch.
 
RedPed said:
What do you mean amazed? Highest grossing movie of all time?? If they can get to Transformers 5, Pirates of the Caribbean 5 etc., I really don't think Avatar has anything to worry about.
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It’s just an entirely forgettable film.
 
Sweet Square said:
I’ve never seen Avatar but it’s a masterpiece because

1)Cameron made fat Americans pay by the bucket load to watch their own military get completely owned. The slobs cried and cheered for a film, where blue people give dudes from Massachusetts PTSD on a scale we’ve never seen before.
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:lol:
 
Solius said:
It’s just an entirely forgettable film.
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Can confirm. I know I've seen Avatar. I remember the dude plugging his hair thing into an animal, and also that Michelle Rodriguez was in it (having previously believed she existed only to appear in Fast & Furious films).

Everything else is gone.
 
Sweet Square said:
I’ve never seen Avatar but it’s a masterpiece because

1)Cameron made fat Americans pay by the bucket load to watch their own military get completely owned. The slobs cried and cheered for a film, where blue people give dudes from Massachusetts PTSD on a scale we’ve never seen before.

2)Its responsible for the only funny SNL sketch.
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The sketch is great
 
Mike Smalling said:
Avatar was such a nothing film. All the hype was based on the 3D experience, which admittedly was decent, but the plot was just ‘Dances with Wolves’ in space.
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The 3D was pretty damn cool. The plot was mundane but compared to the dismal narratives we’ve had shoved down our throats by Disney/Marvel ever since it’s Citizen Kane in comparison.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
The 3D was pretty damn cool. The plot was mundane but compared to the dismal narratives we’ve had shoved down our throats by Disney/Marvel ever since it’s Citizen Kane in comparison.
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Not so sure. Avatar’s plot was the most basic ‘Greed/capitalism/technology bad, nature good’ story ever - incredibly predictable. The irony of pushing that message with a film using new tech to get the largest box office is almost too much.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Not so sure. Avatar’s plot was the most basic ‘Greed/capitalism/technology bad, nature good’ story ever - incredibly predictable. The irony of pushing that message with a film using new tech to get the largest box office is almost too much.
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Come on now.
 
RedPed said:
Come on now.
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Which part do you disagree with?

Avatar isn’t even the only movie with this kind of contradiction. The Hobbit trilogy focused on how gold corrupts Thorin, but the decision to make it into three films was obviously purely money driven. At the same time New Zealand introduced a law enabling production companies to shit on film industry workers - the so-called Hobbit law.

These kinds of movies don’t give a shit about the message or the plot. They are just CGI abominations for the braindead masses.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Not so sure. Avatar’s plot was the most basic ‘Greed/capitalism/technology bad, nature good’ story ever - incredibly predictable. The irony of pushing that message with a film using new tech to get the largest box office is almost too much.
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So any movie that wants to be based on a message that capitalism/greed is bad should have some sort of cap in terms of the tech allowed/box office it gets?
 
Avatar was a good watch, nice visuals, not a hard story to follow. Good fun. Not every film has to be some big message or have the greatest speeches and shit ever.

Just 2 hours of "yeah I enjoyed that" is enough.

I'll see the 2nd and give it 10/10 just to piss off all the film buffs around here.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Which part do you disagree with?

Avatar isn’t even the only movie with this kind of contradiction. The Hobbit trilogy focused on how gold corrupts Thorin, but the decision to make it into three films was obviously purely money driven. At the same time New Zealand introduced a law enabling production companies to shit on film industry workers - the so-called Hobbit law.

These kinds of movies don’t give a shit about the message or the plot. They are just CGI abominations for the braindead masses.
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Well, now that you've quantified it with other examples, that's fine. I agree with you to some extent. I groaned initially because I thought you were just looking at Avatar in isolation and picking on that. My objection was that the whole of Hollywood/moviemaking is kind of a paradox. You've alluded to that so that's fine...carry on.
 
Everything Everywhere All at Once

A cool offbeat movie. A bit long, esp in the climax, but well made. Good blend of weirdness in comedy and action with a nihilistic message that simultaneously doesn't take itself seriously and yet appeals.

Definitely give this a watch.

8/10
 
Pogue Mahone said:
The 3D was pretty damn cool. The plot was mundane but compared to the dismal narratives we’ve had shoved down our throats by Disney/Marvel ever since it’s Citizen Kane in comparison.
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Perhaps not Citizen Kane but I'd take 2 hrs of this sort of brainless fun entertainment over superhero bollocks every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
 
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