Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Massive Spanner said:
I hated Midsommer yet weirdly also liked it.
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I feel the same way :lol:

I saw the film just once 3 years ago and I haven't recommended the film to anyone or even talked about it since. Yet I feel that I can remember almost every scene vividly. Whatever Aster does just works in a weird way. He seems to have found a weird spot between pure shock value and high art.
 
AlPistacho said:
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.
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Yep, agreed. TPBE doesn’t bear a second viewing, not the way Usual Suspects demanded to be rewatched. TPBE just wasn’t very exciting, it was like if Masterpiece Theater did a stage production of the novel. I think it was also structured poorly, you never felt the thrill of the chase, you never felt you were revealing clues. That’s Netflix’s problem in a nut shell: they get prestige directors by giving them artistic control, and they (almost) never deserve it.
 
Scandi Red said:
I feel the same way :lol:

I saw the film just once 3 years ago and I haven't recommended the film to anyone or even talked about it since. Yet I feel that I can remember almost every scene vividly. Whatever Aster does just works in a weird way. He seems to have found a weird spot between pure shock value and high art.
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Why did you hate Midsommar!? It's amazing!
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Yep, agreed. TPBE doesn’t bear a second viewing, not the way Usual Suspects demanded to be rewatched. TPBE just wasn’t very exciting, it was like if Masterpiece Theater did a stage production of the novel. I think it was also structured poorly, you never felt the thrill of the chase, you never felt you were revealing clues. That’s Netflix’s problem in a nut shell: they get prestige directors by giving them artistic control, and they (almost) never deserve it.
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That reminds me.

Usual Suspect 10/10

One of those movies with multiple rewatch potential. Not just for how good it is, but because even on the 3rd or 4th watch you might still be noticing new things that point to the ending.
 
Massive Spanner said:
It’s horrible :lol:

it’s a good film but I’d never watch it again. It was all very sickening.
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Rooney in Paris said:
Why did you hate Midsommar!? It's amazing!
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I thought it was fecking amazing. When they take the shrooms before arriving at the commune that was the best depiction of psychedelics I’ve ever seen on screen, bar none. The gruey bits were pretty bad though. I think I would watch it again but I’ve a lot of other movies to work through first (a list I will be dead before completing)
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I thought it was fecking amazing. When they take the shrooms before arriving at the commune that was the best depiction of psychedelics I’ve ever seen on screen, bar none. The gruey bits were pretty bad though. I think I would watch it again but I’ve a lot of other movies to work through first (a list I will be dead before completing)
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I depiction is quite good…

 
The Menu

Mental Ralph Fiennes film with some great performances, especially from our lead. Really odd and interesting film, with some scenes and a presence that I really enjoyed. Thought it was really good throughout without ever getting to the of being brilliant. Very enjoyable and solid film though.

7.5/10


Banshees of Inisherin

I’ll readily and unashamedly admit to being a Martin Mcdonagh fan boy. I have loved all his previous films, and I adore the chemistry between Farrell and Gleason. So with all of that said, I was a little disappointed in this film. It definitely wasn’t as funny as previous McDonagh entries, and it lacked any sort of pay off. In fact I will go as far as to say that in some regards it all felt a little pointless, notwithstanding the important arc of Padraig. Still, an excellent film by almost any standard, but just an okay film by Mcdonagh standards.

8/10 (film scale) 6/10 (Mcdonagh scale)


Dune (part one)

I just rewatched this as part of a Denis Villeneuve rewatch binge. Along with Alex Garland and Martin McDonagh, my favourite director working today. Every time I have seen this (third time now), there is more to see and appreciate. Aside from being one of the most beautifully shot films I’ve seen in a long time, it brings superb performances and a great script to what is, undoubtedly, my favourite genre; science fiction. The more times I see this, the more I am convinced that it is a masterpiece in its own right, and will be even more highly regarding when placed into the context of part two, which is being released later this year.

I would already consider Villeneuve to be one of the finest science fiction directors of all time, after his work on Blade Runner 2049 (another masterpiece), and Arrival (excellent); but this film is the one that really brings it home. One of the best science fiction adaptations of all time, one of the best films I have seen in the last five years or so, and in its own right….one of the best science fiction movies ever made.

Epic, gorgeous, intense, and brilliant.

10/10


Glass Onion

Silly Knives out sequel. Was much lauded for its ensemble cast, but I actually found most of the cast fairly poor. Ended up watching it twice because the fiancé wanted to see it. Was in many respects better the first time around when you knew the solution to the conundrum. But it also showed you how silly the entire thing was. In fairness it’s quite entertaining without ever being particularly good. The first movie was much much better.

5.5/10
 
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The Banshees of Inisherin - dark (macabre) tragi-comedy of Brendan Gleeson’s Colm wanting to break off his friendship with Colin Farrell’s Pádraic. It’s set on the backdrop of the Irish Civil War and is clearly an allusion to that war. I really enjoyed it, the humour was peak McDonagh (the confessional scene was hilarious). My only critique was Brendan Gleeson chopping his fingers off didn’t seem like it fit in the story. The real warm centre of the story is Kerry Condon’s Siobahn. 8/10

Hamid - 8 year old Hamid misses his father who has gone missing in Indian occupied Kashmir. When the people around him say that he’s gone to ‘God’ to do work, Hamid begins ringing ‘God’ to ask when his dad will come back…-and ends up ringing an Indian soldier who has previously harassed his dad and others in the occupied state. Through the repeated conversations the soldier eventually develops his own humanity It’s equal parts charming and sad. The cinematography is beautiful - some stunning shots of Kashmir. The plot does drag in places (it could have been around 20 mins shorter in my opinion) but the young lead is very endearing. 7/10
 
Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle:

I had tickets to watch this when it first came out at the cinema but had a job interview I needed to prep for so couldn't go. Catching up on it on blu-ray last night, I'm sad I wasn't able to see it on the big screen.

The film tells an embellished account of a Japanese soldier (Hiroo Onoda) who refused to surrender at the end of WWII and instead spent almost 30 years fighting guerrilla warfare on the Philippine island of Lubang.

It's exceedingly mid-budget, painting itself as a survival against all elements and one of comradeship between the soldiers still holding out - a sense of absolute stubbornness permeates with their refusal to believe in Japan's surrender.

Shots are framed lusciously in the tropical jungle. A mid-point scene where one of the soldiers die is heart-breaking due to the soldier's unwillingness to grieve as a result of the mission they believe they're still on.

While not masterful in an objective sense, it's an expansive film that presents both a captivating story and history lesson that many of us in the west won't be familiar with. I liked it a lot.
 
I watched Banshees, having never been particularly impressed with Martin Mc before - have always thought his brother was a good filmmaker though. For a good hour or so it was excellent. Funny, affecting, with sweet interweaving characters, and crucially it was fecking restrained, with none of that contrived 'wacky' plotting that his other films have. It was mercifully free of the often preening dialogue too. It crumbles at the end when they hurriedly chuck on all the plot they can, and the signposted war parallels felt crude and pandering.

Still, a strong film and it showed me that he does have a talent for writing, and it works when he isn't overcomplicating everything.
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Have you seen Upstream Color? I think you’d love it. It’s a brilliant film made by an absolute madman/genius.
10/10
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I have not but I'll check it out for sure. I have a couple of movies in my queue atm ("Gloria" and "Julia") but I'll add this to the list!
 
Before Sunrise

Sometimes the most simple movies can be the best. Really enjoyed this movie. Just very real. I've read Before Sunset is the best of the trilogy, so looking forward to watching that.
 
Men 2022
No idea what I’ve just seen will need to process it. I get the theme and message. Watch it you’ll either love it or hate. But you’ll definitely need a strong stomach.
 
Massive Spanner said:
One of my favourite movie scenes of recent years.
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I thought it would be years until I see another scene from a modern film that was as good as the time stopping moment from The Worst Person In The World, but the night club ending was incredible and just as good.

The fact it’s Charlotte Wells first film is really something, has to be one of the best debuts in a very long time.

What did you think of the ending ? For me it was pretty clear he died(Most likely from suicide)soon after the holiday trip. But seen a good number of people suggest otherwise.
Massive Spanner said:
the actress who plays Sophie is going to be a star.
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Yep it was brilliant performance and she has the potential for a great career.
 
Sweet Square said:
I thought it would be years until I see another scene from a modern film that was as good as the time stopping moment from The Worst Person In The World, but the night club ending was incredible and just as good.

The fact it’s Charlotte Wells first film is really something, has to be one of the best debuts in a very long time.

What did you think of the ending ? For me it was pretty clear he died(Most likely from suicide)soon after the holiday trip. But seen a good number of people suggest otherwise.

Yep it was brilliant performance and she has the potential for a great career.
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These were my no.1 & 2 films of last year.

Aftersun no.1 - absolutely amazing, wonderful, etc etc.

In terms of Aftersun's ending, I don't know how else you can interpret it. It's pretty clear he killed himself and she's reflecting on it.
 
I watched Glass Onion last night. Despite all the criticism it's gotten, I thought it was quite good. Not your usual detective story in that you can't figure out the plot early if you just pay attention properly; rather a mystery that reveals itself over the course of the film. (Even if it's not that mysterious - but the crime actually being very simple and straightforward is the whole point of it.) The humor also really worked for me.

4/5
 
jderbyshire said:
In terms of Aftersun's ending, I don't know how else you can interpret it. It's pretty clear he killed himself and she's reflecting on it.
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I’ve seen some arguments put forward that they both had a fallen out and simply grew apart from each other rather than him dying.

I guess people are looking for a more happy ending but agree with you, it seems pretty clear that the holiday was the last time they spent time together. There a lot of hints -

.Buying the rug, he can’t really afford(Which Sophie still has years later)

He is clearly suffering from some type of depression as he randomly breaks down Potential suicide attempt when going into the sea at night. Won’t say how he injured his arm.

A general lack of self care for himself - nearly gets run over by the bus and lying about having a diving licence.


jderbyshire said:
These were my no.1 & 2 films of last year.

Aftersun no.1 - absolutely amazing, wonderful, etc etc.
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I can’t chose between them but yeah both were my top 2 for last year.
 
Went to the cinema today to watch Tar and found it very good. Anybody else seen it?

It's a psychological drama about a composer who manipulates people to get ahead and eventually meets her downfall. There's no reason to her behaviour except the implication that this is how you act in the challenging world of music composition.

It delves into themes of control and power, looking at how people lose themselves when they're so fixated on a goal that they put other people's feelings aside. In that sense it reminded a lot of The Piano Teacher only less violent.
 
Vidyoyo said:
Went to the cinema today to watch Tar and found it very good. Anybody else seen it?
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I saw a clip where she was having argument with a student about white composers, looked like it was copy straight off of twitter. Is there a lot of that in the film ?
 


I liked this but tbh the praise it's getting seem a bit mad. It's just the Mr Burns ''I bring you love'' scene for over two hours.
 
Sweet Square said:
I saw a clip where she was having argument with a student about white composers, looked like it was copy straight off of twitter. Is there a lot of that in the film ?
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No that's just one scene - a good one though that shows how her elitist tendencies rankles against the modern world's identity values. She does more egregious things later on.

Her story is basically a sad one that shows how putting art before feeling creates tons of issues for everyone around her. Though she does get fecked by others at the same time.

It's a great character portrait IMO.
 
Vidyoyo said:
No that's just one scene - a good one though that shows how her elitist tendencies rankles against the modern world's identity values. She does more egregious things later on.
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Tbh I liked her in that scene :nervous:

Vidyoyo said:
Her story is basically a sad one that shows how putting art before feeling creates tons of issues for everyone around her. Though she does get fecked by others at the same time.

It's a great character portrait IMO.
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Cheers, will give it a watch.
 
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Sweet Square said:
Tbh I liked her in that scene :nervous:.

Cheers, will give it a watch.
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What's most interesting I think is that nothing she says in that scene is directly a problem. It's more the way she does it to prove a point to herself, where ultimately the only person who gets hurt is the guy she's railing against. Frankly it's not necessary and thus becomes a bit of an abuse of power considering her status as teacher and his as student.

The problem in the film at least is that people who see the video don't have a reason to consider that - they simply react to what she said, which was edited for effect. It becomes a weapon against her - possibly the most powerful weapon used against her - when actually there's tons of other things we as the audience know she's done that is far more malicious.

Again it's only one relatively minor part but it's been talked about a lot in reviews. I think because we don't see much non-reactionary media discuss cancel culture.

But yes, I agree with her that you can still enjoy the way things sound even if you don't like the artist in question. Morrissey for example. The tit.
 
Vidyoyo said:
What's most interesting I think is that nothing she says in that scene is directly a problem. It's more the way she does it to prove a point to herself, where ultimately the only person who gets hurt is the guy she's railing against. Frankly it's not necessary and thus becomes a bit of an abuse of power considering her status as teacher and his as student.

The problem in the film at least is that people who see the video don't have a reason to consider that - they simply react to what she said, which was edited for effect. It becomes a weapon against her - possibly the most powerful weapon used against her - when actually there's tons of other things we as the audience know she's done that is far more malicious.

Again it's only one relatively minor part but it's been talked about a lot in reviews. I think because we don't see much non-reactionary media discuss cancel culture.
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Cheers.

Sees this is where your far nicer person than me as your right about the power dynamic but as soon as he said white cis composters, I just wanted her to throw a Glen Gould cd at his head and tell him to shut up. I tend to think the answers to these types of questions are to bulldoze down every university and replace them with public housing.

But it’s good that film isn’t two plus hours of twitter arguments(Which tbh is the wrong impression I got from that viral clip). Plus I’m always a fan of whatever Blanchett is doing.


Vidyoyo said:
But yes, I agree with her that you can still enjoy the way things sound even if you don't like the artist in question. Morrissey for example. The tit.
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:lol:

Yep Morrissey is go to example. The talented prick! Tbh I tend to think reactionaries make the best art overall for whatever reason.
 
Hustle 2022 7/10

Adam Sandler continues to impress in his move away from the same old comedy character he used to play.

Film is basically Rocky but with a basketball backdrop and scout/coach and player relationship.
 
Won some money after United beat City and was thinking about finally get the Wong Kar box set but……



Fallen Angel and Happy Together might as well be a completely new films.

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Everything Everywhere All at Once Interesteing multiverse premise and done well for the most part. They did well lightening the mood from time to time as this could have taken itself far too serioulsy. It was also nice to see an older, non-white female as the lead of a major film and carrying the film so well. Very enjoyable even if the ending didn't work quite as well as the rest of the film. Well worth a watch. 8/10
 
Wibble said:
Everything Everywhere All at Once Interesteing multiverse premise and done well for the most part. They did well lightening the mood from time to time as this could have taken itself far too serioulsy. It was also nice to see an older, non-white female as the lead of a major film and carrying the film so well. Very enjoyable even if the ending didn't work quite as well as the rest of the film. Well worth a watch. 8/10
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Only cos ScarJo wasnt available
 
Sweet Square said:
Won some money after United beat City and was thinking about finally get the Wong Kar box set but……



Fallen Angel and Happy Together might as well be a completely new films.

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Do it anyway. It'll only rise in price once it goes out of print.

I bought the Shohei Imamura collection when it came out for £50 and it's going for around £350 these days.
 
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