Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Dirty Schwein said:
Dashcam
An American vlogger visiting London has the night from hell when she agrees to drive a sick woman to a hidden location. This has all the ingredients to be a really fun "found footage" style movie. Gore, suspense, eerieness etc but the main character was so fecking unlikeable and obnoxious that is really hard to want anything else beyond watching her die a horrible death.

Not sure why they made her such a douche bag, it really ruins the film and seems to be the complaint from just critic reviews too. The actress is playing herself (she's an actual vlogger)... What were they thinking?

Also, the characterization makes no sense. Like she goes through so much torment, barely escapes a situation with her life against a demon... Then instantly proceeds to start making jokes. Then she narrowly escaped being chased by a killer and enters a house for shelter and instantly starts making jokes.

This could result have been a 6 or 7 but because of the protagonist, I can only (being generous) give it a 4/10
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Annie Hardy - she was in a band in the mid 00s called Giant Drag. She is basically playing herself yeah - she livestreams and has a podcast.

I thought she was pretty good in this film and I was pleasantly surprised by this.

I do find her quite funny times, despite the fact she is a conspiracy theorist, born-again Christian and Trump sympathiser)
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Yeah I saw it at the cinema and don't remember any issues with the sound design. If anything, I remember it being one of the strong parts of the film.
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The audio was fine for me but found it unwatchable and we gave up quite early on. Visually it didn't do that much for me and the rest was a bit of a mess imo. Style over substance and I didn't care much for the style. Sorry RIP.
 
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Bullet Train Silly and pointless if mildly entertaining at times. So obviously a not very successful attempt to make a very Japanese style of film by a Hollywood outfit only slightly familiar with Japanese cinema. However, they have obviously watched Snatch and/or Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels and though merging in elements was a good idea. And Sandra Bullock appears near the end giving the impression that they signed her up but forgot to write her into the script until most filming had already been done. Meh/10
 
Wibble said:
The audio was fine for me but found it unwatchable and we gave up quite early on. Visually it didn't do that much for me and the rest was a bit of a mess imo. Style over substance and I didn't care much for the style. Sorry RIP.
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I don't really care but thank you for apologizing :lol:
 
Wibble said:
Bullet Train Silly and pointless if mildly entertaining at times. So obviously a not very successful attempt to make a very Japanese style of film by a Hollywood outfit only slightly familiar with Japanese cinema. However, they have obviously watched Snatch and/or Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels and though merging in elements was a good idea. And Sandra Bullock appears near the end giving the impression that they signed her up but forgot to write her into the script until most filming had already been done. Meh/10
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You know it was based on a crime novel from a famous and popular Japanese crime writer.

The film was super entertaining (although the novel is better) but this is one of those Wibble moments where your taste is just incomprehensible to me. :lol:
 
Wibble said:
Bullet Train Silly and pointless if mildly entertaining at times. So obviously a not very successful attempt to make a very Japanese style of film by a Hollywood outfit only slightly familiar with Japanese cinema. However, they have obviously watched Snatch and/or Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels and though merging in elements was a good idea. And Sandra Bullock appears near the end giving the impression that they signed her up but forgot to write her into the script until most filming had already been done. Meh/10
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I think the Sandra Bullock cameo was a tit for tat type deal since Tatum also had one. And Pitt had a great cameo in their meh movie that came out earlier.
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
You know it was based on a crime novel from a famous and popular Japanese crime writer.
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Sounds right. Not sure the the filmmakers got it at more than a superficial level though.

The film was super entertaining (although the novel is better) but this is one of those Wibble moments where your taste is just incomprehensible to me. :lol:
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Not sure about super entertaining. I didn't hate it but it was very forgettable and I wanted to like it more. The script wasn't great and the pacing was so relentless that it almost became exhausting and boring in equal parts.
 
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Wibble said:
Sounds right. Not sure the the filmmakers got it at more than a superficial level though.

Not sure about super entertaining. I didn't hate it but it was very forgettable and I wanted to like it more. The script wasn't great and the pacing was so relentless that it almost became exhausting and boring in equal parts.
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The filmmaker clearly wanted a Guy Ritchie-style movie which probably makes sense for a western audience when pitching it. The last 20 minutes or so were a great departure from the novel though, definitely written as an over-the-top Hollywood ending rather than reflecting the novel's ending. incidentally, Isaka's earlier novel was made by a Japanese filmmaker, Tomoyuki Takimoto, and it also gets a few things off with his tone IMO. Isaka's novels read perfect for cinema but I can see how they are not easy to translate with the same tone and humor and sparse complexity. Some of his characters just won't be easy for an actor to capture the same way as written in a novel and for his characters there's just a unique tone to some that would be hard to really capture - a bit like The Long Goodbye movie, which was okay as a movie, but I just don't see the written Philip Marlowe quite the way Elliot Gould portrayed him, mostly due to intangibles.

Also, Sandra Bullock's character plays an important role as the handler of Ladybug who is on the phone with him throughout, then appears at the end. It makes perfect sense for her to only appear at the end and it isn't really as you described it. Ryan Reynolds also has a 2-second cameo as Carver. It's fun when a bigger-name actor makes a cameo in a minor scene like Daniel Craig as a stormtrooper.
 
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oneniltothearsenal said:
The filmmaker clearly wanted a Guy Ritchie-style movie which probably makes sense for a western audience when pitching it. The last 20 minutes or so were a great departure from the novel though, definitely written as an over-the-top Hollywood ending rather than reflecting the novel's ending. incidentally, Isaka's earlier novel was made by a Japanese filmmaker, Tomoyuki Takimoto, and it also gets a few things off with his tone IMO. Isaka's novels read perfect for cinema but I can see how they are not easy to translate with the same tone and humor and sparse complexity. Some of his characters just won't be easy for an actor to capture the same way as written in a novel and for his characters there's just a unique tone to some that would be hard to really capture - a bit like The Long Goodbye movie, which was okay as a movie, but I just don't see the written Philip Marlowe quite the way Elliot Gould portrayed him, mostly due to intangibles.

Also, Sandra Bullock's character plays an important role as the handler of Ladybug who is on the phone with him throughout, then appears at the end. It makes perfect sense for her to only appear at the end and it isn't really as you described it. Ryan Reynolds also has a 2-second cameo as Carver. It's fun when a bigger-name actor makes a cameo in a minor scene like Daniel Craig as a stormtrooper.
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I found Bullock's appearance distracting but maybe that is because the end seems very drawn out/a bit of a mess. Sounds like that is the bit they changed the most. If they had planted the landing I'm sure I'd have liked it far more.
 
The Invitation (2022)
A woman is invited to the wedding of her long lost relatives and soon finds the dark secrets they are hiding. I liked that the director have this a slow, gradual build but it really falls flat in the sense of scares and once they reveal the predictable shift in narrative, it really shits the bed. If you want to watch a film about a dinner invitation with dark intentions, watch The Invitation (2015) or if you wanna see a movie about a wedding guest that enters a family with dark secrets, watch Ready Or Not. Both films far better than this 4/10
 
Time Trap

Low budget time warping flick. Some kids go looking for their teacher who disappeared in a cave while he was looking for some other kids that had disappeared 40 years earlier. It starts out OK with a solid premise, although the acting is horrific - and the cast overdo the 'I'm stupid' trope frequently as part of the woeful script (psycho Flintstones being a particular lowlight) which grates - but goes steadily downhill from the half-way point with a brief respite in the last 5 minutes. What could have been done with what is a pretty good idea descends into farce and despite the sci-fi setting stretches credibility. There's an obvious pun to be made out of this film's title, but I won't bother.

I suppose if you're a time-travel junkie it's worth a watch, just.

4/10
 
I actually really enjoyed Bullet Train. Thought it was exactly what a silly action movie should be and Pitt is always great.
 
I was forward to Bullet Train as I’m one of the few people who think David Leitch last film Atomic Blonde was maybe the best action film of the last 10 years(Million times more interesting than the John Wick shite).

But yeah it was nothing more than a self aware Guy Ritchie movie.
 
Long story short. A kind of romantic comedy drama about a guy who only gets to experience a few minutes of the day of his wedding anniversary and then is fast-forwarded to next year, and the next, and so on, to see what his life will be like if he doesn't change his ways.

Crap. The main character is unlikeable, the humor largely lame, and the story moves way too slowly for what it has to say (and it's only a 1.5h movie!). Also, all this trouble just because the guy has a habit of postponing stuff...?

3/10
 
CassiusClaymore said:
Barbarian

Went into this only knowing the bare bones synopsis and tbh that's probably a large part of why I enjoyed this so much. I can't even liken it to a certain film without spoiling it. Suffice to say if you like horrors/thrillers then stick it on your list and don't read anything beforehand. @Dirty Schwein - let me know what you think.
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caid said:
+1 for Barbarian.
Probably not a classic but close enough to be worth a watch
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Tarrou said:
Barbarian is great, and genuinely quite scary too
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Watched this last night, and the girlfriend and I really loved it. It's scary, creepy, disturbing and funny in parts, feels like a few differents films or shorts put together, but it works really well. Good cast, the music is great too, and the directing is top notch - probably one to follow as a director. I was quite surprised when I saw it was a directorial debut, the filmmaking seems so assured and confident.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Watched this last night, and the girlfriend and I really loved it. It's scary, creepy, disturbing and funny in parts, feels like a few differents films or shorts put together, but it works really well. Good cast, the music is great too, and the directing is top notch - probably one to follow as a director. I was quite surprised when I saw it was a directorial debut, the filmmaking seems so assured and confident.
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It’s a fantastic film. One of those like Get Out that you’re just better off knowing nothing going in cause it surprises you so much along the way. And yeah it’s beautiful looking considering the tiny budget.
 
The Good Nurse

True crime Netflix drama (which is normally anathema to me, I don't do Netflix movies) with solid performances from Jessica Chastain (especially) and Eddie Redmayne, who almost managed to get through the entire runtime without playing himself.

It was a good watch, if lacking a bit in background to Redmayne's character, but since he's never given a motive or reason for what he did I'm not sure what they could have done differently with that. There's some evil bastards in this world for sure, and I thought this was treated well by Netflix/the production team. I wasn't famliar with the case prior to watching and so the parallels with the nurse murder case currently ongoing in the UK, and the insulin nurse a few years ago around Stockport was pretty chilling. With the latter, you;'d think they'd have found a way to prevent that particular M.O. in the intervening years.

7.5/10
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Watched this last night, and the girlfriend and I really loved it. It's scary, creepy, disturbing and funny in parts, feels like a few differents films or shorts put together, but it works really well. Good cast, the music is great too, and the directing is top notch - probably one to follow as a director. I was quite surprised when I saw it was a directorial debut, the filmmaking seems so assured and confident.
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Yeah its a good movie. I was a bit surprised it was directed by a guy, felt much more like it was a story by a woman.
 
Spoony said:
WKW is the tits.
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I remember finding Fallen Angel by accident one night due to a bad bout of insomnia and it still might be my favourite film of all time. There's such a special atmosphere about it, impossible to explain other than telling people to just watch it.

Also imo My Blueberry Night is just as good as his works(Never really understood the hate for it).
 
Also watched Barbarian recently. Really, really fun, definitely worth watching, even if the characters did make bafflingly moronic decisions even by horror movie standards. Wish I'd seen it in the cinema. 4/5.

Donnie Darko I forgot how good this film is. It's one of those late 90s, early 00s films that just speaks to me. 4.5/5

Triangle of Sadness very on the nose but entertaining enough. Don't feel any urge to watch it again any time soon and I really wasn't fussed by the final act. Girls are going to love Harris Dickinson. 3/5.

Decision to Leave proper underwhelming. I just didn't give a toss, but I also fell asleep through parts of it which either reaffirms or blows a hole in my review. 2/5.
 
TheGame said:
All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix) - 9/10. Absolutely phenomenal and hard hitting.
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Also give it 9/10. Even the dubbing was top notch.

Hilarious to read criticisms of the movie along the lines of it being woke & anti-war. People can be so fecking ignorant.
 
Sweet Square said:
I remember finding Fallen Angel by accident one night due to a bad bout of insomnia and it still might be my favourite film of all time. There's such a special atmosphere about it, impossible to explain other than telling people to just watch it.

Also imo My Blueberry Night is just as good as his works(Never really understood the hate for it).
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Yeah I loved Fallen Angels as well. WKW and Christopher Doyle were a great combo.
 
TheGame said:
I always watch it with subtitles, can never watch it with dubbing. It's got to be one of the most realistic films about war that I've seen.
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Netflix for me had the movie in German with English dubbing & subtitles. It took me half the movie to realize that it was dubbed, the English dialogue was that great.
 
TheGame said:
I think you can choose between dubbing and subtitles, mine was in german but with english subtitles.
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Didn’t know this, but I’m glad it came dubbed as I have never experienced such a quality experience with dubbing before.
 
redcucumber said:
Also watched Barbarian recently. Really, really fun, definitely worth watching, even if the characters did make bafflingly moronic decisions even by horror movie standards. Wish I'd seen it in the cinema. 4/5.
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This was my biggest issue with it. Some of the decisions the characters made are laugh out loud bad. It took the shine off it a little really which is a shame.

Some good scares though and the overall atmosphere is quite creepy.

Bit disappointed with the character played by Bill Skarsgard too. Feel like they could have done more with him.
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
This was my biggest issue with it. Some of the decisions the characters made are laugh out loud bad. It took the shine off it a little really which is a shame.

Some good scares though and the overall atmosphere is quite creepy.

Bit disappointed with the character played by Bill Skarsgard too. Feel like they could have done more with him.
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I was kind of ok with that. It felt in character in most cases. And it was pretty funny. A few parts were definitely playing for laughs.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Yeah I saw it at the cinema and don't remember any issues with the sound design. If anything, I remember it being one of the strong parts of the film.
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Dirty Schwein said:
Yeah the advertising signed design was fine it was just the dialogue levels.
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I also saw it in the cinema. No audio issues in the slightest, the sound was terrific.
 
Wibble said:
Bullet Train Silly and pointless if mildly entertaining at times. So obviously a not very successful attempt to make a very Japanese style of film by a Hollywood outfit only slightly familiar with Japanese cinema. However, they have obviously watched Snatch and/or Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels and though merging in elements was a good idea. And Sandra Bullock appears near the end giving the impression that they signed her up but forgot to write her into the script until most filming had already been done. Meh/10
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I have a theory that this kinds of movies (Red Notice, Gray Man, etc) actually makes people wants to subs Netflix. Most of the majority of netflix subscriber I suspect aren't too keen on high political drama or Irishman, this is just what they're looking for.
 
All Quiet on the Western Front

I wasn't quite as enamoured as others, but it's a good depiction of the utter futility of war with some genuinely moving scenes. The contrast between brief bursts of peace and fighting was stark but sometimes I thought it went too far in that direction (small niggles, the goose theft was a bit too high camp and didn't sit well for me), and in general the film could have done with a bit more editing.

Another problem that I have with a lot of movies of this type is that due to the nature of the plot, the most of the cast are found wearing the same uniforms, covered in the same mud, whilst due to the era being frequently moustached, making tracking who is who harder than it needs to be (accurate probably, but harder than it needs to be). Coupled with a dub that I didn't think was particularly clever unlike others, I lost the thread a few times in several scenes. I would have preferred original voices with English subs and wasn't able to get that to work.

I don't know if the horror of war, or WW1 in general has been depicted quite as well as this snapshot of it here before, but there are better war films with more-accessible and coherent stories out there.

8/10
 
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