Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Hugh Jass said:
Half way through blonde. Actually think its good. Sort of like Raging Bull in style, obviously different themes. Its an arty film.
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I really didn't get on with this movie at all even though it looks good. I've seen it described as a horror movie masquerading as a biopic but there's never a moment where Marilyn Monroe has any positivity, Seven Year Itch coming out is mainly told through Joe DiMaggio's violent reaction and Some Like It Hot is shown as a troubled production rather than the huge success it became, that it becomes so relentless and repetitive. The talking foetus throughout the movie and the JFK scene are also just baffling bad choices.
 
Just going to put my minor rant here.

Tried to see Smile on Saturday. Due to where we were, went to the theatre on the Santa Monica 3rd Street promenade. For those that don't know the 3rd Street Promenade is a massive tourist outdoor mall right next to the beach and pier. Santa Monica is right next some of the wealthiest cities (Pacific Palisades and Malibu)

It was the worst theatre experience I've ever had. 2-3 groups of teenagers (all under 18 but allegedly with a parent) would not shut the *** up. The kids next to me kept laughing and running their own stupid commentary every 30 seconds. The groups of teens in front kept whipping out their phones and talking to each other at a slightly lower volume than the cnuts next to me. The little brat next to me could not stay still either, which would be okay if he could be quiet but he could not, loud slurping of his drink, squeaking his shoes, moving the seat up and down. It was out of control. I wanted to go full @McGrathsipan but instead, after 30 minutes we just walked out. After complaining to the manager found out that they had already received a "few complaints" already but said they couldn't kick them out because both groups had parents with them. Obviously horrible parents that never taught their kids basic respect for others, courtesy, and decorum. Never seen such misbehaved teens before at a movie and I've seen hundreds in the theatres over decades. And not just one group but at least two separate groups of brats (maybe three but couldn't be sure if a few were a third group or just part of the larger group).
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
Just going to put my minor rant here.

Tried to see Smile on Saturday. Due to where we were, went to the theatre on the Santa Monica 3rd Street promenade. For those that don't know the 3rd Street Promenade is a massive tourist outdoor mall right next to the beach and pier. Santa Monica is right next some of the wealthiest cities (Pacific Palisades and Malibu)

It was the worst theatre experience I've ever had. 2-3 groups of teenagers (all under 18 but allegedly with a parent) would not shut the *** up. The kids next to me kept laughing and running their own stupid commentary every 30 seconds. The groups of teens in front kept whipping out their phones and talking to each other at a slightly lower volume than the cnuts next to me. The little brat next to me could not stay still either, which would be okay if he could be quiet but he could not, loud slurping of his drink, squeaking his shoes, moving the seat up and down. It was out of control. I wanted to go full @McGrathsipan but instead, after 30 minutes we just walked out. After complaining to the manager found out that they had already received a "few complaints" already but said they couldn't kick them out because both groups had parents with them. Obviously horrible parents that never taught their kids basic respect for others, courtesy, and decorum. Never seen such misbehaved teens before at a movie and I've seen hundreds in the theatres over decades. And not just one group but at least two separate groups of brats (maybe three but couldn't be sure if a few were a third group or just part of the larger group).
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I feel your pain.
 
The Wolf House

Stock motion film about a girl who escapes from a Nazi commune in Pinochet's Chile.

Genuinely one of the greatest pieces of art I've seen. Simply amazing. Also full movie is on youtube.

10/10
 
Athena. A new Netflix film, about riots in a Paris suburb that erupt when police kill a boy from their community. The films arch runs from the explosion of the violence until its end, spanning less than a day in total.

Stylistically, it's very impressive. The film consists for the most part of a series of very long takes (or scenes presented as such, anyway) with tons of moving parts and action, set first at a police station and then in and around a block of flats. It's quite the feat technically, and also builds up to an extremely tense atmosphere, filled with anger and violence. A I said, very impressive, it really hits hard.

But my issue is that the story doesn't really hold up until the end. A film so angry and serious I'd expect to have some kind of message, or at least leave you with a residual anger or a will to change the world or whatever. This one just left me feel empty. 'Is that how it ends? OK, so now what, what does this say?' That was a bit disappointing.

So let's say 7/10.
 
The Fog (1980)
John Carpenter movie about a mysterious fog that takes over a coastal city and has the angry ghosts of mariners who died 100 years prior. Quite atmospheric and great cinematography by Dean Cundy but I thought the overall plot and characters were very thin. A proper remake (not that BS one from the mid 2000s) would actually be good. I can see this as a much better movie with a fleshed out narrative 5.5/10
 
X
A group of struggling filmmakers go to an elderly couples ranch in Texas to secretly shoot a smut porno and start getting picked off one by one. Loved the opening shot, framed like a 4:3 aspect ratio and then tracks into 16:9... very clever... just hope the rest of the film was as inventive. In typical Ti West fashion, the opening 2/3 of the film is great, building character and tension and laying seeds... then the final act shits the bed with the landing. I just hate it when characters do stupid shit to move the plot forward, it really takes me out and I just can't get back on board. Lots of gore (and worse...) and clearly paying homage to the exploitative nature of porn and 70s/80s slashers, which was fun but just needed another layer of something to make it stand on its own two feet. I did laugh out loud a few times though 6/10
 
Dirty Schwein said:
The Fog (1980)
John Carpenter movie about a mysterious fog that takes over a coastal city and has the angry ghosts of mariners who died 100 years prior. Quite atmospheric and great cinematography by Dean Cundy but I thought the overall plot and characters were very thin. A proper remake (not that BS one from the mid 2000s) would actually be good. I can see this as a much better movie with a fleshed out narrative 5.5/10
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In the last week of my secondary school, each year (1-5) would get a film, some food and a can (one of the highlights of the school year.. best one was Escape to Victory).

One year it was The Fog. Probably dated and will always suffer by comparison from Halloween the year before but scared the shit out of me
 
BeforeKeanetherewasRobson said:
In the last week of my secondary school, each year (1-5) would get a film, some food and a can (one of the highlights of the school year.. best one was Escape to Victory).

One year it was The Fog. Probably dated and will always suffer by comparison from Halloween the year before but scared the shit out of me
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Carpenter was gold dust to horror and it's criminal how he was treated by Hollywood. No wonder he is always so bitter towards the industry.
 
Dead Man's Shoes As good or better than I remember. Paddy Consedine is superb but so are many of the performances. 8.5/10
 
Interview With The Vampire
Saw this for the first time. It was decent if a little repetitive. Brad Pitt was shockingly bad in this but I found Tom Cruise fun. Wished it had another layer to it but overall, I enjoyed it 6/10
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Carpenter was gold dust to horror and it's criminal how he was treated by Hollywood. No wonder he is always so bitter towards the industry.
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Seems he was treated like shit by other directors as well, which is sad.



I do miss Carpenter style of films, where they could be thoughtful and also a ton fun.
 
Sweet Square said:
Seems he was treated like shit by other directors as well, which is sad.



I do miss Carpenter style of films, where they could be thoughtful and also a ton fun.
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Yes I heard about this too. Also he made feck all from Halloween, the studios shafted him. Prince Of Darkness is a fecking amazing movie.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Yes I heard about this too. Also he made feck all from Halloween, the studios shafted him. Prince Of Darkness is a fecking amazing movie.
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Oh didn’t know that. At least he gets some cheques when they do the remakes. It still amazes me at just how little it cost to make Halloween and how much money it made.


Agree with you Prince Of Darkness. Imo Carpenter run from 1976 to 1988 is up there with any other director.
 
Sweet Square said:
Oh didn’t know that. At least he gets some cheques when they do the remakes. It still amazes me at just how little it cost to make Halloween and how much money it made.


Agree with you Prince Of Darkness. Imo Carpenter run from 1976 to 1988 is up there with any other director.
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The thing I love about him is that he realises filmmaking is supposed to be fun. Most directors forget that.

I make short films and make sure my sets are really fun. I've been on sets with "auteurs" and it's fecking depressing.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
The thing I love about him is that he realises filmmaking is supposed to be fun. Most directors forget that.

I make short films and make sure my sets are really fun. I've been on sets with "auteurs" and it's fecking depressing.
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Name and shame! Name and shame!
 
HellRaiser(1987)

Some cool visuals and gory effects but overall it was surprisingly and disappointedly shite. The pin head guy isn’t even the main bad guy, the family narrative it’s going for is very rushed and scenes with good tension are killed straight away after the main character does something very stupid(Although the acting was very solid from everyone)

There’s some good fantasy horror elements but overall it was a mess. Still kinda of enjoyable.

5/10
 
The Remains of the Day (1993)

Meh. The Nazi-sympathetic Englishman was a more interesting story than the butler stuff.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
The thing I love about him is that he realises filmmaking is supposed to be fun. Most directors forget that.

I make short films and make sure my sets are really fun. I've been on sets with "auteurs" and it's fecking depressing.
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It's great if it's fun, but why is it "supposed to be fun"? I would imagine Malick's sets are not fun, but he's made some absolute masterpieces. Weird thing to hold against directors.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
It's great if it's fun, but why is it "supposed to be fun"? I would imagine Malick's sets are not fun, but he's made some absolute masterpieces. Weird thing to hold against directors.
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Sorry when I say fun, I mean more like making sure you're not treating people like shit. Some of these indie directors look at how Kubrick treated his crew for example and try emulate that and I'm there thinking:

1. You ain't fecking Kubrick
2. That shit shouldn't fly in this day and age
3. Why can't you be nice and still achieve your vision?

I literally was on a set where the director stopped in the middle of a take to scream at the actress because she wasn't doing it the way he explained. Then he yelled the direction at her and the cameraman was like "mate that makes no fecking sense" and then the director starts having a go at that guy for talking back... I'm there thinking why this guy is being a dick... It's just a short film.
 
Wibble said:
Dead Man's Shoes As good or better than I remember. Paddy Consedine is superb but so are many of the performances. 8.5/10
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I've never even heard of this. Will give it a watch. Paddy Considine is brilliant in House of the Dragon.
 
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Really enjoyed this. It's difficult to talk about the plot without spoiling it but the trailer will give you an idea of what you can expect. It's dark at times and hilarious at others. Strong performances from the main actors, particularly from Colin Farrell. I was really impressed by Barry Keoghan as well.

8.5/10
 
Decision to Leave (2022)

Caught this at the cinema earlier. It's the new film from Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Joint Security Area, The Handmaiden, etc).

It's ostensibly a crime drama but also a romance thriller, something of a melange of genres that suits the film's constantly mysterious style. I made a mental note to say it combines the obsessiveness of detective work with the abstraction of personal attraction, but for the life of me I can't figure out a way to word this without sounding like a pretentious twit. What I can say though is that the set design is absolutely gorgeous. Chan-wook is always hugely underrated in this category.

It's the sort of film where, at first, you'll want to figure out whodunnit but then later realise whodunnit isn't important because solutions to problems are secondary to the plight of human existence - a conundrum you can't really "solve". The type of movie for people who enjoy their dramas deep and the journey as the destination.

4/5
 
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Moonfall

A refreshing take on this genre. - I really liked the basis of the film. As always, it’s good to see Halle Berry too!
 
Cole9 said:
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Really enjoyed this. It's difficult to talk about the plot without spoiling it but the trailer will give you an idea of what you can expect. It's dark at times and hilarious at others. Strong performances from the main actors, particularly from Colin Farrell. I was really impressed by Barry Keoghan as well.

8.5/10
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Really looking forward to this.
 
Halloween Ends

Was that really what they came up with for the last film in what is maybe the greatest horror franchise in history.
It was dreadful, the worst out of the whole lot.
It was no Halloween film, it was more like a romance with some Halloween elements thrown in.
Massive let down.

2/10
 
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