I’m not sure it’s cheap per se but I agree it wasn’t as well threaded it could be. I also thought it was pretty obvious who stole Fry’s heart (the Marquis family) from the start. But it was an enjoyable couple of hours overall.
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
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Your right. Cheap was the wrong word. Wrote that first then realised unthreaded was better but like a numpty kept cheap too.
Saw this the other night. Very enjoyable! I’m on dry January though so couldn’t enjoy the wine
I'm convinced Villeneuve makes deliberately sterile films for the purpose of reminding you why emotion is important - a kind of inverse reminder that life without it is as morose as his films tend to depict.
It's a testament I think to his strength as a filmmaking that he gets away with it. Enemy is similar in tone. That movie made me feel very uncomfortable.
Good review btw.
I liked The Menu too. Was funny, was silly. Not a classic that people must see but was easy to enjoy
That felt intentional to me. I'm sure it was in Enemy's case. Maybe its a theme he comes back to? Sounds about right for Sicario too.
Is it similar to Fresh? That was also a pretty fun movie.
I'm sure he doesn't see it that way, but yeah! It's like his camerawork: always meticulous, but sometimes a film needs a little mess to get something across and that's just not in Villeneuve's cinematic vocabulary, it seems. But otherwise, absolutely, he's super strong.
I have to stay I'm always quite curious about his first films, Polytechnique and Maelstrom. I thought Incendies packed a stronger punch than anything he's done since (although I haven't seen Enemy yet), so I'm wondering if that's a standout or part of his earlier style.
Ooo I haven't seen Incendies. Maybe this is the wrong phrase but... Did you like it?
Yes, it's my favorite Villeneuve film, and I keep going on about it.
This is what I said about it in this thread:What's Fresh?
Now I want to rewatch it as well. it does seem like the type of film that can be a cult classic. I'm going to recommend it to a few friends who might like it.
Sometimes films (and novels) focus more on character and individual choices and themes which can be meaningful and powerful to people who can relate to that. Typical personal themes include love, personal religion, revenge, redemption, creativity, and basically every theme related to human nature and the human condition. For me, a work of fiction or art doesn't have to focus on a social or political message to have a point. Prisoners deals with the concept of different types of prisons - physical, psychological, and emotional and the ramifications of such things. I think that can be mapped to a lot of different types of situations and like any good noir, it comes with a healthy dose of the repercussions of personal choices.
Curious, have you seen The Banshees of Inisherin? That's been a super popular movie here and among some friends of mine that really loved it but it's definitely one I would say doesn't carry a social or political message, its themes are much more personal.
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Decent movie, also on Disney. Lady has no luck in online dating, then finds a charming guy in the grocery store, he then has her round for dinner round his and things get interesting.
Just watched The Menu. Liked it. Found the humour better than Glass Onion.
Sorry, I guess that line of mine that you bolded wasn't clear. What I meant was that films don't have to have a clear social or political message to have a point (I don't think only those films have a point!), but that it's often hard to put into words what's the point of a film (in anyone's personal perception) if there isn't such a clear message. Somehow, for Prisoners I felt rather empty afterwards in that regard, and I was trying to figure out and put into words why that was.
I haven't seen Banshees yet btw.
Ari Aster is such a fecking madman. Not sure what to expect from this.
Turtles are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers - A quirky Japanese comedy about a bored housewife who decides to be a spy. There's something absolutely charming about the whole thing - the characters, the stupid ass plot, the bright as feck colours. Juri Ueno is absolutely adorable in the the lead role too. The kind of movie that manages to melt this pretentious man's icy heart.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio - stop motion animation about the well known tale of Pinocchio. This departed from the main depictions (ie Disney) in some aspects. It was dark in places but enjoyable. Ending was quite touching and bittersweet. 7/10
Fresh sounds interesting, I'll give it a watch!
Under The Skin getting the credit it deserves
I watched Banshees of Inisherin last night and have to say I enjoyed it. I deliberately didn't read much about it beforehand, so I went in without any expectations. Can't say I was a huge fan of In Bruges (I thought it was a good film but wouldn't rave about it) but I liked this better. The supporting cast were very good and, obviously, the backdrops are spectacularly beautiful. I can actually empathise with Gleeson's character, because I have a friend who I've known for 20 years or so, and I'd struggle to explain what I like about him but I could rattle off a dozen traits that really get on my nerves.
A solid 8/10 for me.
A solid 8/10 for me.
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass et al work at a Seattle magazine and go to report on a story based on a a guy's classified ad where he's looking for someone with which to go back in time; it's based on an actual ad (which turned out to be a prank, wanker) for this purpose with the SNG strapline at the end. What's pitched as Sci-Fi is more of a rom-com but the characters carry the story well. And it's genuinely funny from time to time without trying too hard like so many other films do.
It reminded me a lot of The Girl Who Invented Kissing (which is a great rom-com), but the hook here is more that the time travel aspect is teased for most of the film's 90ish minutes with the inter-character relations more at the fore.
I couldn't find this streaming so ended up buying the UK Blu Ray (which I never received) and then the German version (which thankfully only has sporadic forced subs, if the language is set to English) called Journey of Love
7/10 in its genre, 6/10 in general
Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass et al work at a Seattle magazine and go to report on a story based on a a guy's classified ad where he's looking for someone with which to go back in time; it's based on an actual ad (which turned out to be a prank, wanker) for this purpose with the SNG strapline at the end. What's pitched as Sci-Fi is more of a rom-com but the characters carry the story well. And it's genuinely funny from time to time without trying too hard like so many other films do.
It reminded me a lot of The Girl Who Invented Kissing (which is a great rom-com), but the hook here is more that the time travel aspect is teased for most of the film's 90ish minutes with the inter-character relations more at the fore.
I couldn't find this streaming so ended up buying the UK Blu Ray (which I never received) and then the German version (which thankfully only has sporadic forced subs, if the language is set to English) called Journey of Love
7/10 in its genre, 6/10 in general
Ah, yes, that makes more sense. Now that I think about it I suppose a lot of Prisoners' themes could be applied to the prison culture in America in addition to the other types of imprisonment it touches on (emotional, psychological, etc). I think those could be applied as a metaphor to greater social policy actually. And I thought about that because I Googled and it seems Banshees is a metaphor for the Irish Civil War (which I never would have guessed on my own). So even films that appear to just have personal themes could be seen as metaphor for greater issues.
Holy shit, this is actually getting decent reviews!
I loved Safety Not Guaranteed . Great feeling in the movie, genuinely funny, some real pathos. It starts out like it’s going to be twee, especially with Aubrey Plaza in it, but the characters are actually pretty well grounded. It seems like it’s going to be cliches about city hustlers and country bumpkins, but then they take time to humanize both.
They made this for very little money. Fun Fact: the movie initially
didn’t show the time machine working at the end. They redid the ending so that Mark Duplass’s character wasn’t insane and delusional. That whole scene was a VFX fix, and I think it saved the picture.
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Under The Skin was boring and terrible even with Scarlett Johansson naked in it. That has to be the most ringing denunciation in film history: Scarlett is naked and it’s still not worth the time. 2/10 (2 for Scarlett being naked).
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Have you seen Upstream Color? I think you’d love it. It’s a brilliant film made by an absolute madman/genius.
10/10
I think the issue with The Pale Blue Eye was
if we are meant to be shocked when it’s revealed that Bale is the mysterious killer, they failed. They never gave the audience any reason to get emotionally invested in Bale. I think that part was written to be enigmatic when what it needed was a sense of “this is the hero”. Think of Jeff Bridges in True Grit. Despite the gruffness of the character, you knew he was the hero and that at some moment in the story he would be heroic and risk everything. In TPBE, Bale is a reserved dry drunk. He occasionally is in bed with a barkeep, but that’s emblematic of Scott Cooper’s style: they lay there talking without passion/emotion when they should have been going at it and using that intensity to “tell” things about Bale.
I also think it was meant for Jeff Bridges, because Cooper had been wanting to do the film for over a decade. Bridges would have elevated it, as much as I like Bale, Bridges would have been better.
They also shortchanged a bunch of dramatic developments, most notably the rape scene. In 1830, a young lady did not attend a big ball alone, and 3 cadets wouldn’t just suddenly be on hand to drunkenly rape her. This could have been addressed by having the woman in a carriage on the way home, it breaks down, the driver goes to get help, and then it happens. It made me think there were a bunch of scenes that got cut out that would have made this film emotionally powerful. It was surprisingly uninvolving. You never got the sense you were watching a Sherlock Holmes hot on a case. It was staid and slowly paced.
I also think it was meant for Jeff Bridges, because Cooper had been wanting to do the film for over a decade. Bridges would have elevated it, as much as I like Bale, Bridges would have been better.
They also shortchanged a bunch of dramatic developments, most notably the rape scene. In 1830, a young lady did not attend a big ball alone, and 3 cadets wouldn’t just suddenly be on hand to drunkenly rape her. This could have been addressed by having the woman in a carriage on the way home, it breaks down, the driver goes to get help, and then it happens. It made me think there were a bunch of scenes that got cut out that would have made this film emotionally powerful. It was surprisingly uninvolving. You never got the sense you were watching a Sherlock Holmes hot on a case. It was staid and slowly paced.
There is a John Cusack movie called The Raven where he plays Poe, and it’s a lot more interesting. There is more pathos and mystery and blood. It was creepy and macabre in a way that TPBE was like a movie without any vibe.
6/10
Yeah, there is often a lot behind a (good) script that we may miss, be it because it's very subtle, we lack knoweldge or context (including personal experiences), we can't connect emotionally (kinda the same as context) - or we're not paying attention properly (not excluding that for myself!).
Still, as much as that may be true, if I review a film, all I can do is give my personal experience with it. I usually read its Wikipedia page after I've finished a film and browse the IMDB factoids, which might help me find some aspects I'd missed, and I try to explain my views a bit; but ultimately, those reviews are impressions, not studies. As such, they might sometimes say more about me than the film, but so be it.
I guess it's a good thing I'm not a professional art critic.
Lovely understated film, with great performances and a lot of heart. A gem not enough people know about.
Yeah it has like 70% on RT. Although it seems most reviews are - I expected it to be real dog shit but it’s actually ok.
Maybe it’s one those films that worth watching while on a……plane.
I quite enjoyed this film too. It's nothing special and I imagine it's the type that would be quite divisive given what transpires towards the end, but I like that kind of thing.
One thing that I always find myself wondering whether I missed something somewhere though: What's the deal with the ear ?
American Hustle - saw this when it came out ten years ago & it still holds up very well. Great cast.
8 / 10
Zero Dark Thirty - hadn’t seen this in a long while, wanted to rewatch as I just finished Echo 3. Both were written by Mark Boal (who also wrote The Hurt Locker). Some historical liberties were taken such as the female protagonist being a composite, but I don’t think they detract from the film. It’s a gripping showcase of the hunt for UBL.
8.5 / 10
8 / 10
Zero Dark Thirty - hadn’t seen this in a long while, wanted to rewatch as I just finished Echo 3. Both were written by Mark Boal (who also wrote The Hurt Locker). Some historical liberties were taken such as the female protagonist being a composite, but I don’t think they detract from the film. It’s a gripping showcase of the hunt for UBL.
8.5 / 10
Agreed, it would have been much less satisfying if they'd gone down that route
I see your point. And it’s true that character isn’t one you particular like or hate, and as you said Poe does steal the limelight.
I’ll also add
For films like this I like the twist to make sense. So once it’s revealed there are things you remember and think “ahhhhh” or things you notice on a rewatch that make the twist add up and seem obvious. Best example is The Usual Suspects. For TPBE I couldn’t remember anything, can’t be bothered to rewatch, so did a Google. And most the “hints” or “clues” are a stretch. With the exception of the very first scene.
I don't think you missed anything, but I couldn't see a reason for its inclusion either. It just became annoying as the colour was wrong
Ari Aster is one of those "must watch" directors these days. The guy is insane but the end result is always interesting
Clara (2018)
I loved this. A university lecturer teams up with the titular character in the search for habitable planets using the TESS telescope.
It's hard to review without spoilers, but it's a solid sci-fi movie, with unexpected twists that's for the most part based in fact, but it's not hard sci-fi. The underlying story is more romance/drama so that might be a no for some.
8/10
I loved this. A university lecturer teams up with the titular character in the search for habitable planets using the TESS telescope.
It's hard to review without spoilers, but it's a solid sci-fi movie, with unexpected twists that's for the most part based in fact, but it's not hard sci-fi. The underlying story is more romance/drama so that might be a no for some.
8/10
Is she or isn't she an alien? I watched it again a couple of times this afternoon, and I'm still not sure but it's pretty cool how there's loads of signs she might be scattered throughout the film, even before the viewer (on first viewing) might have considered the possibility. She draws the satellite early on, obviously has weird tattoos or markings (the constellation?), skin issues and takes some meds to help her survive on Earth. Or maybe she's like Louise in Arrival and can see the future in some way and she's fitting the narrative around that.
I also didn't know that they're real life husband and wife.
I also didn't know that they're real life husband and wife.
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I didn't notice that, but I'm glad I wasn't the only one who didn't see a reason for it beyond being a bit quirky.
I hated Midsommer yet weirdly also liked it.Ari Aster is one of those "must watch" directors these days. The guy is insane but the end result is always interesting