Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. It was good indeed
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
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I finally also watched Tenet yesterday. I was actually surprised about how it turned out to be - in good and bad ways.
On the positive side, the story made much more sense than I expected. It helped that I watched with my wife, who is awesome at this kind of logical puzzles. Together, we figured it out pretty much completely - even if some loose ends and paradoxes remain at the end. But that's intentional I'm sure, and Nolan has said he didn't aim for scientific accuracy. (My main gripe: how can the protagonist lead the mission by having set it up from the future, if he only can know about the situation because he was involved in it? I suppose that's a typical sort of problem with time travel plots though.) Also, I thought the music was much better than I anticipated. After reading all about the music overpowering dialogues (which doesn't bother me anyway, with closed captioning), I expect another piece of Zimmer-like bombast. But the soundtrack is actually often quite subtle, or even largely absent from some action scenes, and fairly abstract in places as well (by using reversed sounds etc.). Quite strong. I also liked how the film 'felt' real in most places, probably because it actually includes relatively few vfx shots (as I read afterwards). The inverted fighting also worked pretty well, even if it was hard to follow sometimes. (And apparently also actually filmed that way!)
On the negative side, I thought there were actually quite a few clumsy bits in the film. Usually, you can at least expect good filmcraft from Nolan, but I thought it wasn't so good here. There were a couple of jarring or pointless cuts (e.g., before his first meeting with Kat, you have a five-second shot of the protagonist entering a building lobby and greeting someone at a desk - and instantly we switch to him entering a room where Kat is; or, later on, a brief scene where Sator is given binoculars on his yacht without much point). The pacing was weird as well. Several action scenes felt really quite slow and boring (especially the Tallinn car chase), there were long talk scenes that felt fairly irrelevant and, again, boring (I guess because I thought the characters and overall plot fairly uninteresting), and the action in general tended to be either underwhelming or chaotic (I had no idea what was going on in most of the final battle scene). Also, some of those lines you'd expect to presage events are actually empty talk (e.g., 'tenet can open doors, some good, some bad' - but the password is used only twice and both times to the advantage of the protagonist).
On the predictable side (for a Nolan film), of course women have few and pretty lame roles and there is virtually no humor or levity anywhere (I even read that the protagonist's one funny line ('Where's my hot sauce?') was improvised by Washington) - which would be OK if this was actually a profound or serious drama, but it really isn't, which makes some of the supposedly cryptic or profound lines (especially in the first half hour) appear pretty silly.
As a whole, I can't say I was bored or underwhelmed (even if half the final third is quite predictable once you've figured out the plot - like that it's the protagonist at that Norwegian freeport and Kat diving from that boat), but I also wasn't very impressed. Ultimately, I guess this was a lot like Nolan's Batman 1 and 3, Inception, and Interstellar for me: good in places, poor in others, and rather unengaging and 'meh' overall.
5/10 or 6/10 - can't decide.
On the positive side, the story made much more sense than I expected. It helped that I watched with my wife, who is awesome at this kind of logical puzzles. Together, we figured it out pretty much completely - even if some loose ends and paradoxes remain at the end. But that's intentional I'm sure, and Nolan has said he didn't aim for scientific accuracy. (My main gripe: how can the protagonist lead the mission by having set it up from the future, if he only can know about the situation because he was involved in it? I suppose that's a typical sort of problem with time travel plots though.) Also, I thought the music was much better than I anticipated. After reading all about the music overpowering dialogues (which doesn't bother me anyway, with closed captioning), I expect another piece of Zimmer-like bombast. But the soundtrack is actually often quite subtle, or even largely absent from some action scenes, and fairly abstract in places as well (by using reversed sounds etc.). Quite strong. I also liked how the film 'felt' real in most places, probably because it actually includes relatively few vfx shots (as I read afterwards). The inverted fighting also worked pretty well, even if it was hard to follow sometimes. (And apparently also actually filmed that way!)
On the negative side, I thought there were actually quite a few clumsy bits in the film. Usually, you can at least expect good filmcraft from Nolan, but I thought it wasn't so good here. There were a couple of jarring or pointless cuts (e.g., before his first meeting with Kat, you have a five-second shot of the protagonist entering a building lobby and greeting someone at a desk - and instantly we switch to him entering a room where Kat is; or, later on, a brief scene where Sator is given binoculars on his yacht without much point). The pacing was weird as well. Several action scenes felt really quite slow and boring (especially the Tallinn car chase), there were long talk scenes that felt fairly irrelevant and, again, boring (I guess because I thought the characters and overall plot fairly uninteresting), and the action in general tended to be either underwhelming or chaotic (I had no idea what was going on in most of the final battle scene). Also, some of those lines you'd expect to presage events are actually empty talk (e.g., 'tenet can open doors, some good, some bad' - but the password is used only twice and both times to the advantage of the protagonist).
On the predictable side (for a Nolan film), of course women have few and pretty lame roles and there is virtually no humor or levity anywhere (I even read that the protagonist's one funny line ('Where's my hot sauce?') was improvised by Washington) - which would be OK if this was actually a profound or serious drama, but it really isn't, which makes some of the supposedly cryptic or profound lines (especially in the first half hour) appear pretty silly.
As a whole, I can't say I was bored or underwhelmed (even if half the final third is quite predictable once you've figured out the plot - like that it's the protagonist at that Norwegian freeport and Kat diving from that boat), but I also wasn't very impressed. Ultimately, I guess this was a lot like Nolan's Batman 1 and 3, Inception, and Interstellar for me: good in places, poor in others, and rather unengaging and 'meh' overall.
5/10 or 6/10 - can't decide.
The Swimmers - 8/10.
saw this yesterday in the royal festival hall as part of the BFI film festival. Nearly cried about 3 times. Very good movie.
saw this yesterday in the royal festival hall as part of the BFI film festival. Nearly cried about 3 times. Very good movie.
Shutter Island Contrived and boring meh/10
Mr Harrigan’s Phone - adaptation from a Stephen King novella about a young boy’s kinship with a reclusive billionaire and what transpires after he dies. It’s a slow burner, and is a tense horror coming of age-drama. Although it’s not really a horror. It’s good - the main actor is superb. 6.5/10.
Are you talking about the 1968 film with Burt Lancaster? That movie is indeed awesome. Great short story it's based on too.
It's Donald Sutherland, right? He's wonderful.
Yep - just owns the screen whenever he’s on.
He does that, he's so magnetic and watchable. Elevates any film he's in.
I rate it a 7 out of 10.
So, the internet is quite divided about this movie.
I think it's a nice little story with interesting characters and dialogues. I like the young actor who plays Craig. He also played Bill in the movie "IT" right ? Donald Sutherland is always great.
A bit confused what was going on. Is the movie supernatural or not? Was Mr. Harrigan's ghost killing those people or a henchman who worked for Mr. Harrigan? The movie keeps referring to phone hacks. There was also a strange man (the henchman?) watching Craig when the latter secretly puts the cellphone in the coffin.
I think it's purposely left ambiguous. I think there's a supernatural element to it - remember he rang the phone and could hear the ringtone from the grave, and the phone battery died out as well. That guy watching him put the phone in is a red herring I think. Although he also looked like the bully that died's dad (not sure if it's meant to be the same person or just the same actor playing two roles). I think it comes down Mr Harrington's personality - dispatching of enemies without any guilt...and that's the difference between him and Craig. Craig felt guilt and eventually put a stop to it. It's a good movie - I think the word I was looking for in my earlier review was 'creepy' not horror-cum-coming of age-drama!
The Dressmaker. A 2015 Australian drama / comedy / western / weird film by Jocelyn Moorhouse, featuring among others Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth, and Hugo Weaving. Winslet plays a woman who returns to her childhood town in 1951, which is a small village in rural Australia. She's coming to deal with some childhood trauma and find out what really happens - which turns out to be rather complex.
It's a good film. In part, it's totally weird and very funny; but there is also a lot of serious drama around children and community bullying and the impacts that can have, as well as life issues more generally (the final third is mostly drama and little comedy - until the outrageous finale). Kate Winslet is incredible through all of it, as are Huge Weaving and Judy Davis especially. Great filmmaking as well, some very good shots and composition.
I particularly enjoyed the premise. Winslet plays a dressmaker, which is the tool she uses to gain information and get back to people. In turn, her 'enemies' in town hire a competing dressmaker to try and undo Winslet's influence. All that is captured in a real western atmosphere in terms of some of the shots and a lot of music - which means you're kinda watching a gunslingler shootout in the form of people wearing dresses (for this part of the film, anyway). It sounds really weird but works quite well and is really hilarious once get what's happening.
I'm feeling generous and am giving this 4/5.
It's a good film. In part, it's totally weird and very funny; but there is also a lot of serious drama around children and community bullying and the impacts that can have, as well as life issues more generally (the final third is mostly drama and little comedy - until the outrageous finale). Kate Winslet is incredible through all of it, as are Huge Weaving and Judy Davis especially. Great filmmaking as well, some very good shots and composition.
I particularly enjoyed the premise. Winslet plays a dressmaker, which is the tool she uses to gain information and get back to people. In turn, her 'enemies' in town hire a competing dressmaker to try and undo Winslet's influence. All that is captured in a real western atmosphere in terms of some of the shots and a lot of music - which means you're kinda watching a gunslingler shootout in the form of people wearing dresses (for this part of the film, anyway). It sounds really weird but works quite well and is really hilarious once get what's happening.
I'm feeling generous and am giving this 4/5.
100% my opinion too. Which is unusual. They all tend to provoke strong opinions. Not many leave them feeling “meh” but that’s exactly how I felt. Don’t think I’ll bother with Tenet.
I think it's a general issue with Nolan. Outside Memento and Insomnia, his films just lack some kind of emotional/dramatic dimension. Even if technically it's there in the plot, it just doesn't come out much, which makes the whole thing feel a bit plain in the end. Even The Prestige, which I really like, is ultimately more of a puzzle than an emotional journey.
I had decided I didn't need to see Tenet either btw, but now it appeared on Netflix, my curiosity got the better of me and I ended up watching it anyway. My wife and I actually hesitated and said we'd just stop early if we didn't like it - but we did end up seeing it through, and I don't particularly regret having spent time on it. It's not something I look back at particularly fondly either though, I enjoyed watching The Dressmaker (see two posts up) much more.
Yeah, I loved Memento. I also liked Following. And I enjoyed Dunkirk for what it was. Not a fan of the Prestige though. Totally agree that all of his stuff lacks emotional heft. Just never care that much about what’s happening on the screen. Which is weird because Interstellar piles on overtly emotional scenes with a fecking spade. That did draw me in, to be fair. Although the ridiculous final third blew through whatever good will I was feeling going into it.
I've seen both, and I have absolutely loathed every minute of Baz Luhrmann films I've seen before Elvis, and while he clearly still hasn't learned any restraint over the last 30 years, I enjoyed this one. I actually thought it has a lot of emotional depth and showed what a tragic life he ultimately led, all orchestrated by Col. Tom Parker, if this film is to be believed.
Oh, yeah, Following was nice (as far as I remember now). I liked Dunkirk as well, but more in a documentary kind of way, it was fascinating to see the story play out.
I also agree on Interstellar actually. The first bit is quite good, it's when he joins the space program and we leave the post-apocalyptic landscape of his home behind when the film starts losing me.
The Mat Damon section was fun. I kind of loved him
Yeah, it wasn't all bad. Just not really a success as a whole as far as I'm concerned.
Fall
I remember seeing polar reviews of this a couple of months ago in the media (I think the Graun gave it 5 stars) and it popped up for rent on iTunes this week or last, so gave it a watch.
As @Bilbo mentioned, if you don't do heights (I don't) it's quite uncomfortable at times but I found it gripping despite guessing the denouement very early on in the film
. Yeah there were a few ropey scenes acting-wise and (rarely) some questionable CGI, but on the whole I'm gonna be watching it again before the rental times out and I'll probably pick it up on physical too if it gets a 4K release. A keeper for me.
8/10
I remember seeing polar reviews of this a couple of months ago in the media (I think the Graun gave it 5 stars) and it popped up for rent on iTunes this week or last, so gave it a watch.
As @Bilbo mentioned, if you don't do heights (I don't) it's quite uncomfortable at times but I found it gripping despite guessing the denouement very early on in the film
Well, I figured that the obvious way out/way to attract attention was to draw straws and the 'winner' to jump, so not far off)
8/10
The Princess Bride - charming, cult fantasy movie that I've been meaning to watch for ages. It's about a farmhand named Westley, trying to save his beloved Princess Buttercup from her impending marriage to Prince Humperdinck. On the way he meets all sorts of interesting characters (including Andre the Giant).
There's a lot to like here - the comedy is still great all these years later, the story ticks along nicely, and the actors all embrace the absurdity of it. Also massively refreshing to see actual genuine film sets, and no CGI used at all. Robin Wright is absolutely beautiful. And there's also a nice cameo from Peter Falk too. I enjoyed it. 7/10
There's a lot to like here - the comedy is still great all these years later, the story ticks along nicely, and the actors all embrace the absurdity of it. Also massively refreshing to see actual genuine film sets, and no CGI used at all. Robin Wright is absolutely beautiful. And there's also a nice cameo from Peter Falk too. I enjoyed it. 7/10
Mommy, Xavier Dolan's 2014 film. Really really good. A single mom (widow) takes her teenage son back home after he has been creating too much trouble at the institution he was at. He has sever ADHD and violence issues, and it's not easy on her (or him), but things start looking up when they befriend their neighbour, who is staying at home for mental health reasons.
It's a drama (with some lighter moments) around a very narrow concept. Also geographically, as probably over 80% of the film plays at the mom's home. And it just works really. The acting is very convincing, creating for a super intense and gripping story. That feel is actually amplified by the 1:1 aspect ratio and quality of composition, which adds to the kinda claustrophobic feeling.
I found Laurence Anyways, Dolan's preceding film, a bit too excessive in various ways, and this one is rather sober in comparison - and it's all the better for it. Beautiful Montréal French dialogues as well; I brushed up my cursing especially.
8 or 9 our of 10
QUOTE="entropy, post: 29589071, member: 64699"]
[/QUOTE]
Who's that? Or who was that? Sorry to say that the only thing I'm recognizing is that he's wearing a Rush shirt...
It's a drama (with some lighter moments) around a very narrow concept. Also geographically, as probably over 80% of the film plays at the mom's home. And it just works really. The acting is very convincing, creating for a super intense and gripping story. That feel is actually amplified by the 1:1 aspect ratio and quality of composition, which adds to the kinda claustrophobic feeling.
I found Laurence Anyways, Dolan's preceding film, a bit too excessive in various ways, and this one is rather sober in comparison - and it's all the better for it. Beautiful Montréal French dialogues as well; I brushed up my cursing especially.
8 or 9 our of 10
QUOTE="entropy, post: 29589071, member: 64699"]
[/QUOTE]
Who's that? Or who was that? Sorry to say that the only thing I'm recognizing is that he's wearing a Rush shirt...
Halloween Ends.
Well that was a load of shite.
3/10
Well that was a load of shite.
3/10
Has it actually ended? That’s the question
Watched Uncut Gems last week.
Chaotic/10.
Loved it. It's brilliant to watch in the sense of how bad a situation can get, and you have that feeling of 'maybe this character will learn their lesson this time', but they don't. Gasped at multiple times throughout. One of those films that completely lived up to the hype for me. I'm glad I watched it later on though and didn't get too caught up in the buzz when it first came around.
Chaotic/10.
Loved it. It's brilliant to watch in the sense of how bad a situation can get, and you have that feeling of 'maybe this character will learn their lesson this time', but they don't. Gasped at multiple times throughout. One of those films that completely lived up to the hype for me. I'm glad I watched it later on though and didn't get too caught up in the buzz when it first came around.
Worth checking out Abel Ferrara/Zoe Lund film Bad Lieutenant if you liked Uncut Gems.
What a movie. Need to rewatch ASAP…
Wanky opinion… Good Time is comfortably better than Uncut Gems.
In a very “mmmm actually Lady Vengeance is a better film by the same person about the same thing than Old Boy” kinda way
In a very “mmmm actually Lady Vengeance is a better film by the same person about the same thing than Old Boy” kinda way
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Both are great. Good Time is really good and Pattinson brilliant in it.
The Safdie Bros don’t half know how to make you anxious
I keep seeing Benny Safdie in stuff and being weirded out by the fact he’s not mentally challenged
I completely agree.
In terms of pure intensity and making the viewer feel uncomfortable Good Time works better but Uncut Gems has got more going for it.
There’s the religious aspect, Howard is mix mash of American Jewish stereotypes(Both positive and negative) and role of religion in the modern world. The guy is cheating on his wife yet is devastated that he mistress has gotten a tattoo, so now they can’t be buried together. Howard is the best representation of the radical anxiety that is core to judaism(the same way Harvey Keitel is cinema best catholic).
The critique of American capitalism, in that it’s not only about exportation but exportation as a sport. Howard sees a connection with himself and the Ethiopian Jews but all this means is that he feels it’s ok to exploit them even more(There also race element here as well).
Plus the most important point, Uncut Gems has better memes. Robert Patterson may have put in a brilliant performance but he didn’t say the title of his film in funny accent. These things matter when ranking cinematic achievements.
Half way through blonde. Actually think its good. Sort of like Raging Bull in style, obviously different themes. Its an arty film.
It’s one of my fav movies of all time. One of the few times I can think of where the adapted storyline works better than the actual novel. And everyone in this movie is on top form. It’s just a brilliant piece of cinema.
If you haven’t read the book, you should give it a read as well. Chuck Palahniuk has released two sequels to Fight Club, both in comic book format. They’re not great if I’m being honest, but there’s some interesting ideas in there, when he’s not being self-referential and meta.
I watched Halloween 2018 for the first time last night. It was decent enough but the fact it changes the francises history is a down turn. Everything past the first Halloween never happened and Myers had been in a mental hospital for 40 years.
6.5/10
I really liked the 2nd one before this. It was everything I wanted. Him killing the shit out of people. Not the Ends one with Romeo and Juliet featuring Myers.
I don't think I have read it. Thanks for the suggestion!