Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Lessons Of Darkness

Herzog masterpiece on the aftermath of the Gulf war. It’s a film which completely blurs the lines of cinema, it’s a sci fi film, a war time documentary and biblical epic all at the same time.

Herzog oils fire as an alien creature, it doesn’t just cover vast amount of land but instead it pretends to be water as form of camouflage(The Germans are very weird people)

There’s a long take where the camera slowly moves through the oil field, getting closer to an open leak as the sky is covered in pitch black smoke, which looks like hell on earth and then Herzog then starts to bang out bible verses.

Like of all his great documentaries, the human element is still the core of the movie. From the slow pan across a table full of torture devices to interview with people who have seen the horrors of war, it is as every bit as disturbing as the burning fields.


10/10

Also it’s on free on YouTube

 
Pengabdi Setan 1982 (Satan's Slave)
After the death of his wife, a businessman and his two kids are plagued by visions of ghosts and demons, and soon, people around them start to die, which all started after the arrival of their new and mysterious housekeeper. I usually consider when a film was made whilst trying to critique it but despite this being made in the early 80's, that's no excuse for a horrendous execution of the narrative. It was all over the place. For example, near the start they show the son getting possessed and showing signs that he will be the antagonist... but then that narrative just stops and the son is back helping the family. So many threads like this are setup and forgotten about. Add that in with the awful filmmaking on offer and yeah, it's dreadful 1/10

Pengabdi Setan 2017 (Satan's Slaves)
After dying from a strange illness that she suffered for 3 years, a mother returns home to pick up her children. A soft reboot prequel to the above. I remember watching this years ago and it was quite fun and on second watch, I enjoyed it even more. Really well thought out, quite tense and the story felt original enough. There were some really nice imagery too. If the director had a better grasp of how to end a scene/scare moment, this could have been a classic 6.5/10

So I watched these two as I knew the final part of the trilogy was in the cinema here in Malaysia so I went to it and it had no fecking subs :mad:
 
Any of you sub to Shudder? I had it when it first came out but it kept lagging so I dropped it.

Fancy trying again but wanna know if it has improved...
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Pengabdi Setan 1982 (Satan's Slave)
After the death of his wife, a businessman and his two kids are plagued by visions of ghosts and demons, and soon, people around them start to die, which all started after the arrival of their new and mysterious housekeeper. I usually consider when a film was made whilst trying to critique it but despite this being made in the early 80's, that's no excuse for a horrendous execution of the narrative. It was all over the place. For example, near the start they show the son getting possessed and showing signs that he will be the antagonist... but then that narrative just stops and the son is back helping the family. So many threads like this are setup and forgotten about. Add that in with the awful filmmaking on offer and yeah, it's dreadful 1/10

Pengabdi Setan 2017 (Satan's Slaves)
After dying from a strange illness that she suffered for 3 years, a mother returns home to pick up her children. A soft reboot prequel to the above. I remember watching this years ago and it was quite fun and on second watch, I enjoyed it even more. Really well thought out, quite tense and the story felt original enough. There were some really nice imagery too. If the director had a better grasp of how to end a scene/scare moment, this could have been a classic 6.5/10

So I watched these two as I knew the final part of the trilogy was in the cinema here in Malaysia so I went to it and it had no fecking subs :mad:
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Wow :lol:
Indonesian movie got reviewed on Redcafe!

I think I watched part 1 >30 years ago but don't remember the story at all.
 
Karel Podolsky said:
Wow :lol:
Indonesian movie got reviewed on Redcafe!

I think I watched part 1 >30 years ago but don't remember the story at all.
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Mate I try watch horror from every country, think it's really interesting.

I recently reviewed May The Devil Take You and Macabre a few years ago... I believe both are Indonesian?
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Mate I try watch horror from every country, think it's really interesting.

I recently reviewed May The Devil Take You and Macabre a few years ago... I believe both are Indonesian?
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I am Indonesian but not a fan of Indonesian movies. Only enjoyed them when I was a kid.

My favourite 'horror' movie is from Thailand, "Pee Mak".

It's the funniest movie I have ever seen.
* I:d place Mr. Bean "Holiday" as the 2nd funniest.
 
Karel Podolsky said:
I am Indonesian but not a fan of Indonesian movies. Only enjoyed them when I was a kid.

My favourite 'horror' movie is from Thailand, "Pee Mak".

It's the funniest movie I have ever seen.
* I:d place Mr. Bean "Holiday" as the 2nd funniest.
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I'll have a watch of it thanks!
 
Confess Fletch If you though Fletch Lives was bad you haven't seen this film. Dumb and totally unfunny. 1/10
 
The Gray Man

Really enjoyed this, unexpectedly so given all the middling reviews. Insane action, fun performances by Evans and Gosling, and Ana de Armas and Dhanush are total badasses.

8/10, bring on the sequel.
 
Ok lads. Gonna watch one of these tomorrow. The trench, Hard boiled, Escape of LA, Cliffhanger, Basic instinct, 12 angry men or Requeim for a dream
 
Wibble said:
Confess Fletch If you though Fletch Lives was bad you haven't seen this film. Dumb and totally unfunny. 1/10
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Thanks for this. Fletch is a masterpiece, Fletch Lives was horrendous. Wish I’d never watched Lives & don’t intend to watch Confess.
 
AaronRedDevil said:
Ok lads. Gonna watch one of these tomorrow. The trench, Hard boiled, Escape of LA, Cliffhanger, Basic instinct, 12 angry men or Requeim for a dream
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Cliffhanger is a great, and I think very under appreciated, action film. Excellent stunt-work, great cinematography, and an incredibly hammy (although extremely well judged) performance from John Lithgow. The movie is great fun.

If you want the opposite of fun, go for Requiem for a dream (it is an incredible film though).
 
calodo2003 said:
Requiem or Basic Instinct.
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BusbyMalone said:
Cliffhanger is a great, and I think very under appreciated, action film. Excellent stunt-work, great cinematography, and an incredibly hammy (although extremely well judged) performance from John Lithgow. The movie is great fun.

If you want the opposite of fun, go for Requiem for a dream (it is an incredible film though).
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I always here a lot about Requiem. I'll watch it Tomorrow.
 
Requiem for a Dream

Well that was interesting. Really showed you the ugly side of drugs and what it does to a person. Fecking hell. Leto and Wayne were fecked up in this. Watching them spiral and suffering the consequences of there actions was a fitting end for them. Watching Jennifer Connelly was sad to watch. Selling herself just for a hit, supposed that’s the way it is in the real world. The worse was the Mother. Ellen did a brilliant job, it was really sad seeing her basically nearly killing herself for the dress and thinking she’s going to be on tv. That was fecking rough. Jesus that was depressing though.
8/10
 
Jane Eyre. The 2011 film by Cary Fukunaga, with Mia Wasikowska as Jane. I thought this was quite good: good acting and camera work, and an alright adaptation of the book. I do think the shortened youth part means some explanation is missing for the state of mind of the adult character (who you'd expect to be much more angry and/or depressed based on what's shown of her youth), but given the youth part really is very brief, it doesn't hinder the film too much. Nice also how the film doesn't let itself get slowed down to much by all the usual trappings of the time (speech, behaviour, process), which is often a bit of a drag in other films set in this world (pre-20th century English upper classes). I did think it felt like lacking feel a bit in substance though. 7/10
AaronRedDevil said:
Jesus that was depressing though.
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One of those films that's just so depressing that I can appreciate it. A bit shallow, but that's me I guess! Pi is also a good film btw. It's his preceding film, and uses a lot of the same visual trickery.
 
Cheimoon said:
One of those films that's just so depressing that I can appreciate it. A bit shallow, but that's me I guess! Pi is also a good film btw. It's his preceding film, and uses a lot of the same visual trickery.
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Pi is an excellent movie - used to have it on DVD then lost the disc!
 
I had heard good/interesting things about Possessor, directed by Brandon Cronenberg, son of David. I went into it with no expectations and no real idea of what the film was about. The basic premise is intriguing enough. It's about an assassin who carries out hits by possessing the body of unsuspecting folk, via mind control. It's also very, very violent. There are several parts where it takes the violence to the next level, so that's one thing to think about. I loved it. I loved the way it was shot and I quite like the whole 'low-key' nature of it all. Could have gone the Hollowman route and ended up being over the top and silly, but it's grounded well and doesn't get too lost in its own idea. Poses a few interesting questions too, such as the concepts of attachments 'slowing you down', which is what the finale alludes to. I'd recommend. I paid a quid on Amazon to watch it as it wasn't on Prime.

Also caught a Spanish film yesterday, Mirage (Durante la Tormenta), which is a mystery/drama story in the same sort of vein as films like The Butterfly Effect. There's an obvious twist that you can see coming from pretty far away, but it's worked in quite well in a way that doesn't feel too cheap. I liked this. Different sort of film to the last one I mentioned. Only criticism from my point of view is that it starts off as a bit of a thriller, but then changes genre in the final third...which is fine, but I preferred the first third/half of the film tonally. The lead characters are likeable and it sticks the ending, so it has quite a lot going for it. It's also the sort of film that would've also made an interesting short series on Netflix. Overall, it's a decent film to add to the list if you're stuck with what to watch and want something to pass the time.
 
AaronRedDevil said:
Requiem for a Dream

Well that was interesting. Really showed you the ugly side of drugs and what it does to a person. Fecking hell. Leto and Wayne were fecked up in this. Watching them spiral and suffering the consequences of there actions was a fitting end for them. Watching Jennifer Connelly was sad to watch. Selling herself just for a hit, supposed that’s the way it is in the real world. The worse was the Mother. Ellen did a brilliant job, it was really sad seeing her basically nearly killing herself for the dress and thinking she’s going to be on tv. That was fecking rough. Jesus that was depressing though.
8/10
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Incredible movie I never fancy watching again.
 
The Corinthian said:
Pi is an excellent movie - used to have it on DVD then lost the disc!
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I can't actually remember much of it - apart from that it's an Aronofsky film that I don't mind watching! I found Black Swam as unpleasant and depressing as Requiem and just haven't been interested in watching his other stuff.
 
AaronRedDevil said:
I always here a lot about Requiem. I'll watch it Tomorrow.
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Don't!!!

It is too sad and hopeless. You already know that drugs are bad, you are not going to learn anything new from this film. You are just going to experience firsthand the desperate and tragic existence of an addict. Yes, the film is a masterpiece but it is way too dark, it left me with a sadness that lasted for days. Don't watch it.

Edit: I see now that I was too late and you have already watched it, but I am leaving this here for others who may want to watch it. Avoid!!!
 
People should only watch Requiem for a dream high as a kite.
Really enhances the experience.
 
The most depressed I've been after a movie was when I saw the Pianist. Felt drained and empty inside.
 
If you want to be depressed, watch Better Things. It's about a group of teenagers/young adults getting into heroin in the Cotswolds. Bleak isn't a strong enough word to describe it. I'm feeling like shit just writing this.
 
Up in the Air - comedy drama with George Clooney, Anna Kendrick (looking super young here), and Vera Farmiga. It's about a corporate, professional 'firer' (i.e. someone who fires people so the CEO doesn't have to) for a living and part time motivational speaker who spends 300+ days of the year living out of a suitcase and travelling / hotel hopping across the US.

It's a really good movie - the main cast are all top of their game acting wise (Clooney is eminently watchable in this), with a lot of important questions within the subtext i.e. freedom vs commitment, relationships vs casual, career vs family etc. It's got an unexpected, different ending glad it wasn't a cheesy happy ending. There are some moments which come across contrived (but hey, it's a movie) and it's a little too on the nose with the...'I'm American and I live for my career' as I think that trope kinda died out in the late 90s, but I guess it's needed for the overall plot.

There's also some great minor roles for Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis.

All in all, I really enjoyed it. 8/10
 
I vote “Last Exit to Brooklyn” for the depressing film category. At least “Requiem for a Dream” is visually stylised depression.
 
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