Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

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.

Yep. Most depressing film I've ever seen. Just makes you hate life.

I vote “Last Exit to Brooklyn” for the depressing film category. At least “Requiem for a Dream” is visually stylised depression.

Is the Last Exit film any good, by the way? I loved the book as a teen, but never got round to watching the film - I think I watched the trailer and didn't fancy it.
 
Yep. Most depressing film I've ever seen. Just makes you hate life.



Is the Last Exit film any good, by the way? I loved the book as a teen, but never got round to watching the film - I think I watched the trailer and didn't fancy it.
Last Exit to Brooklyn is good. Pretty gritty and rough too.
 
Watched The Revenant today. I remember people being disappointed with it back when it was released so had low expectations.

Amazing film. The direction was top notch.

8/10
 
Yep. Most depressing film I've ever seen. Just makes you hate life.



Is the Last Exit film any good, by the way? I loved the book as a teen, but never got round to watching the film - I think I watched the trailer and didn't fancy it.

It´s a well made film and well acted. It’s just depressing as hell, and in a realist style (unlike “Requiem for a Dream”).
 
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 remember being massively underwhelmed by it, I think the first half hour was quite good but then just turned into a big pile of meh
 
I remember being massively underwhelmed by it, I think the first half hour was quite good but then just turned into a big pile of meh
There’s definitely a sag after it becomes a bit rom-commy…probably at the bit where he leaves Anna Kendrick at the airport. But it does redeem itself a bit later.
 
Maggie Cheung is just perfect in every way.
Rewatched Irma Vep a few days back and it’s such a great film. Although Cheung is playing “herself” in the film, it’s still a brilliance performance, she really captures the feeling of being foreigner in another country.
 
Speak No Evil

Starts well but soon unravels into the unrealistic and unrelateable as the discomfort is laid on too thick and unevenly. Culminating in a level of filmmaking incompetence.

I'm not a particularly assertive person and usually grimace through most awkward social interactions and conversational crudity but when it comes to the safety of your kids, drunk driving, physically abusive behaviours, there is a base level of expectation that I have as a human. For the characters to not baulk under such a weight is to jettison all relateability. Any empathy is killed and the sympathy is non existent.

It also kind of reads as a reactionary rebuking of a certain kind of political correctness and effete liberal politeness. It feels like the film is suggesting that if only we were to indulge our irrational feelings about strangers, the unemployed, the browns a little more then we would be in a better place, as if manners and human decency are an impediment to addressing frog boiling red flags. Perhaps the snowflakes were on watch and they've gone and dragged in this massive wooden horse (geddit, Trojan wars, Greek literary reference).

Ostlund and Haneke cover similar ideas regarding the skewering of social acceptability and the paralysis of politeness, but do so in a more relatable and insightful way, which in turn makes the scenarios more discomforting. Lynch's peaks behind the white pickets are far more outlandish but infinitely more believable. Hooper's Chainsaw Massacre for all its excess is less gratuitous and more responsible.

Not forgetting the Thucydidean quote about brutal and short existences outside the system, or was that Nico?

It's pretentious as hell and I expect many will think it's making some insightful political statement, going on to misattribute Milgram, Stamford and Arendt, but it's actually just a rather shit film all in all.
 
Speak No Evil

Starts well but soon unravels into the unrealistic and unrelateable as the discomfort is laid on too thick and unevenly. Culminating in a level of filmmaking incompetence.

I'm not a particularly assertive person and usually grimace through most awkward social interactions and conversational crudity but when it comes to the safety of your kids, drunk driving, physically abusive behaviours, there is a base level of expectation that I have as a human. For the characters to not baulk under such a weight is to jettison all relateability. Any empathy is killed and the sympathy is non existent.

It also kind of reads as a reactionary rebuking of a certain kind of political correctness and effete liberal politeness. It feels like the film is suggesting that if only we were to indulge our irrational feelings about strangers, the unemployed, the browns a little more then we would be in a better place, as if manners and human decency are an impediment to addressing frog boiling red flags. Perhaps the snowflakes were on watch and they've gone and dragged in this massive wooden horse (geddit, Trojan wars, Greek literary reference).

Ostlund and Haneke cover similar ideas regarding the skewering of social acceptability and the paralysis of politeness, but do so in a more relatable and insightful way, which in turn makes the scenarios more discomforting. Lynch's peaks behind the white pickets are far more outlandish but infinitely more believable. Hooper's Chainsaw Massacre for all its excess is less gratuitous and more responsible.

Not forgetting the Thucydidean quote about brutal and short existences outside the system, or was that Nico?

It's pretentious as hell and I expect many will think it's making some insightful political statement, going on to misattribute Milgram, Stamford and Arendt, but it's actually just a rather shit film all in all.
I thought it was terrible too. Characters choices and reactions were unrelateably dumb.
 
I suppose this is the right place for this question: are there any places where you can watch old films (30s/40s/50s)? I'm not looking for obscure stuff, simply Hollywood films and other big titles from that period.

I am currently watching Five Came Back, a Netflix documentary about five Hollywood film makers that worked for the US military during the war to make propaganda films, and I'm realizing I have seen very few (in some cases none) of the films by Frank Capra, George Stevens, Willie Wyler, John Hudson, and John Ford. So now I'm wondering where I could (legally and in good quality) get access to some of those films.
 
I suppose this is the right place for this question: are there any places where you can watch old films (30s/40s/50s)? I'm not looking for obscure stuff, simply Hollywood films and other big titles from that period.

I am currently watching Five Came Back, a Netflix documentary about five Hollywood film makers that worked for the US military during the war to make propaganda films, and I'm realizing I have seen very few (in some cases none) of the films by Frank Capra, George Stevens, Willie Wyler, John Hudson, and John Ford. So now I'm wondering where I could (legally and in good quality) get access to some of those films.

The Criterion Channel.
 
No Sudden Move was disappointing.
Incredible cast but underutilized.
Felt like it was an attempt to ape the Lock Stock genre of films if that makes any sense.

4/10
 
The Harbinger

When a family moves their troubled daughter to a small town and their neighbors start mysteriously dying, they fear something evil has followed them.
It was OK , watchable but that about it.

4/10
One day, I wish we could watch films together :lol:
 
Lake Mungo
Not the first time I've seen this. Very good mockumentary about the strange goings on with regards to a girl that drowns in a lake. Definitely worth a watch
7/10
 
End of the Road

Netflix. Shite. Don’t watch it. Poor acting, poor story, poor everything.

Getting rather fed up of what they keep wasting money on. How hard can it be to produce something decent with the budget they have?
 
Top Gun: Maverick

What a fantastic experience that was. Exceeded my expectations and the best movie in the last two years.
I'm surprised the movie works so well considering the storyline is almost a copy of the first movie.
I think the audience enjoy seeing people who are so good and confident in their abilities that they seem almost invincible.
The movie is very cool and it's even better than the original imo.

9.5 out of 10

-0.5 point deduction because no "Take my Breath Away" and Hangman saving their asses (Maverick can save himself!)
 
Last edited:
Thor: Love & Thunder. From what I've read, I think I was supposed to be disappointed by this one, but I thought it was great. Awesome bit of dumb fun. All those superhero films pretending they're deep, or have something to say, or that something bad might happen (while invariably actually being very flimsy, predictable affairs) - none of all that, let's have some fun! And what else do you watch these films for anyway? They're pure entertainment, so they might as well entertain. I even loved the way a number of Guns N Roses songs were integrated into the action.

Yep, nice. :) 4/5 (for a fun superhero flick)
 
Thor: Love & Thunder. From what I've read, I think I was supposed to be disappointed by this one, but I thought it was great. Awesome bit of dumb fun. All those superhero films pretending they're deep, or have something to say, or that something bad might happen (while invariably actually being very flimsy, predictable affairs) - none of all that, let's have some fun! And what else do you watch these films for anyway? They're pure entertainment, so they might as well entertain. I even loved the way a number of Guns N Roses songs were integrated into the action.

Yep, nice. :) 4/5 (for a fun superhero flick)
I loved Ragnarok... That was fun. This was just horrible...

Oh you got cancer?? Here's a joke about a hammer!! Ffs :mad:
 
Just got around to watching American Psycho.
Hilarious performance by Christian Bale.
Bateman's taste in music really lets him down.
One of those films that I would probably have rated much higher 20 years ago. 6/10.
Does anyone recommend the novel?
 
Just got around to watching American Psycho.
Hilarious performance by Christian Bale.
Bateman's taste in music really lets him down.
One of those films that I would probably have rated much higher 20 years ago. 6/10.
Does anyone recommend the novel?
The novel is several notches above the film which, while amusing/ok, is nowhere near as brilliant as BEE's book.
 
The Father
Anthony Hopkins plays an elderly father of Olivia Colman who despite beginning to lose his mind, refuses any sort of nursing or assistance. Excellent performance from Hopkins, kinda makes the other actors around him feel like they're reading lines he's that good :lol: I found some of the filmmaking/transitional techniques in this brilliant to put you in Hopkins' headspace. Very clever. The ending was also quite powerful 7/10

The Dog

Channing Tatum, a former ranger has to take his friends military-trained dog to his funeral. The film was labelled as a comedy and Tatum has good comedic chops so I watched this but the comedy was few and far between. Mainly a drama, which is fine but I was mis-sold and didn't need this right after watching the film above 5.5/10

Nowhere Special

Inspired the the true story of a 35 year old window cleaner and single dad who is told he has a few months to live so tries to find a new family for his 3 year old son. Really well acted and pulls at the heartstrings in a big way. Not the perfect watch on a plane after watching the above two films... Why didn't I just watch Uncharted instead! But yeah, excellent movie 7.5/10
 
Just got around to watching American Psycho.
Hilarious performance by Christian Bale.
Bateman's taste in music really lets him down.
One of those films that I would probably have rated much higher 20 years ago. 6/10.
Does anyone recommend the novel?
Yea the novel is great. A bit darker and much more fleshed out. A great read overall.
 
Yea the novel is great. A bit darker and much more fleshed out. A great read overall.
And extremely disturbing at times. I don't think I've ever felt so bad reading a book, had to put it down at times.
The Father
Anthony Hopkins plays an elderly father of Olivia Colman who despite beginning to lose his mind, refuses any sort of nursing or assistance. Excellent performance from Hopkins, kinda makes the other actors around him feel like they're reading lines he's that good :lol: I found some of the filmmaking/transitional techniques in this brilliant to put you in Hopkins' headspace. Very clever. The ending was also quite powerful 7/10
Not that I care about ratings, but why "only" 7 for The Father?
 
Not that I care about ratings, but why "only" 7 for The Father?
Because I really thought the other characters appeared like they're reading off a teleprompter for the first half because of how good Hopkins was that it was so distracting. Also felt like it was a little slow pacing wise, which surprised me because it was only 90 minutes but felt like 110 minutes...
 
And extremely disturbing at times. I don't think I've ever felt so bad reading a book, had to put it down at times.

Not that I care about ratings, but why "only" 7 for The Father?
Yea there’s one moment in particular which stands out in my head (read it over 10 years ago), near the end of the book where he stabs the toddler at the zoo.
 
A few new films:

The Son: Florian Zeller’s follow up to ”The Father”. It is much more obviously a play to film adaptation, with none of the disorientating effects of The Father.. Well-acted, worth seeing - 7/10

Marlowe: an all- star cast live out their Bogart and Bacall fantasies in sleep-inducing fashion on an all-expenses paid trip to Barcelona (where the director has a house). Really poor 3/10

The Menu: Not literally Eat the Rich but a satire on foodie culture and the divide between the 1% and those who serve them. 7/10.
 
Moonfall
I can't even. Avoid it unless you want to watch a silly movie for whatever weird reason

Avoid/10
 
Dick Dynamite (2022)

A Scottish indie flick packed with Nazis, zombies and ninjas. fecking hilarious and starring a top notch class of amateur and professional actors including some well known names. It may have clearly been made on a budget but the director knows how to craft a solid movie experience. I recommend keeping an eye out for it when it gets a wider release, and I'm not just saying that because they're local to my area and I know a few of the folk involved.