Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

John Wick 4 - 9/10

Best of the series so far in my opinion and a treat on IMAX. Some of the fight scenes are absolutely sensational ,if you’re looking for an action movie than this is one of the best in years
 
All Quiet on the Western Front Stunningly shot and not a little bleak anti-war film set in WW1. Easily my film of the year so far and I have no idea how Everything Everywhere All At Once beat this great bit of film making at the Oscars. 9/10
 
Vidyoyo said:
Infinity Pool (2022)

A dark psychological thriller that sets up camp somewhere between satire and horror, made by Brandon Cronenbourg, son of David,

It tells the tale of a group of wealthy tourists who get more than they bargained for when they accidentally kill a local farmer and are coerced into performing an operation that creates a double version of them, which is swiftly executed.

After a very engaging first act, the story sort of loses itself in lots of well-shot moments of excessive brutality (inc. sexual) that felt to me like a bit of a missed attempt at declaring decadence as its own form of psychological torture.

Still, the actors mostly do a good job given the rambunctiousness of the script, particularly Mia Goth who plays an alluring, yet absolutely terrifying, femme fatale. 2/5.
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It's a great concept ruined by a messy plot. Felt like Cronenbourg had no idea where he was taking it.
 
Grotesque

Lovable psychopath Mildred Moyer doesn't take kindly to her back-alley plastic surgery operation getting botched and unleashes vengeance on everyone from her past who tormented her about her looks.
I have watched some real shite over the years, but OMG this is the worst film I have ever seen , even worse than Birdmec.
It is the lowest budget slasher, well any film I have watched, there is many killings, but never once does she get any blood on her, everything is just bad about his film.
Well there is one part, something I have never seen in a slasher film before, she removed the intestines from one victim and them skips with them :wenger:

1/10 and that just for the skipping bit.
 
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The Rapture (1991)

A telephone operator living an empty, amoral life finds God and loses him again.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would
Mimi Rogers in the lead role is fantastic. She goes from a sinner to a believer to a sinner back again.
The acting and filming were excellent.
I am not religious one bit and this film dealt with the Rapture without being preachy.
I would recommend watching this.

8/10
 
The Visitor

After a series of tragedies, Robert moves with his wife back to her childhood home. After he discovers an old portrait of a man who looks like him, he goes down a rabbit hole to discover the identity of this mysterious doppelganger.
I was expecting ore from a Blumhouse film, it was lacking an all area, especially the lead, he was dreadful.
I have seen worse, it was just about watchable.

5/10
 
pauldyson1uk said:
Grotesque

Lovable psychopath Mildred Moyer doesn't take kindly to her back-alley plastic surgery operation getting botched and unleashes vengeance on everyone from her past who tormented her about her looks.
I have watched some real shite over the years, but OMG this is the worst film I have ever seen , even worse than Birdmec.
It is the lowest budget slasher, well any film I have watched, there is many killings, but never once does she get any blood on her, everything is just bad about his film.
Well there is one part, something I have never seen in a slasher film before, she removed the intestines from one victim and them skips with them :wenger:

1/10 and that just for the skipping bit.
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I think Itchy & Scratchy did something similar.
 
Hair Trigger 2022

Really enjoyed this, impressive for a directorial debut.. Horror with gangstery influences like Tarrantino, Coppola and wotnot.. but the Jim Jarmusch influence is the most striking with the slow dialog and long pauses.. The acting is a little bit iffy at times but I guess its to be expected with such a tight budget. 7.5/10
 
Wibble said:
All Quiet on the Western Front Stunningly shot and not a little bleak anti-war film set in WW1. Easily my film of the year so far and I have no idea how Everything Everywhere All At Once beat this great bit of film making at the Oscars. 9/10
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Soundtrack was good too.
 
pauldyson1uk said:
Grotesque

Lovable psychopath Mildred Moyer doesn't take kindly to her back-alley plastic surgery operation getting botched and unleashes vengeance on everyone from her past who tormented her about her looks.
I have watched some real shite over the years, but OMG this is the worst film I have ever seen , even worse than Birdmec.
It is the lowest budget slasher, well any film I have watched, there is many killings, but never once does she get any blood on her, everything is just bad about his film.
Well there is one part, something I have never seen in a slasher film before, she removed the intestines from one victim and them skips with them :wenger:

1/10 and that just for the skipping bit.
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The Pauldy we know and love :drool:
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
I have. It’s pretty good, it avoids a lot of the bombast and excess of his later films. Jim Belushi tries but does not manage to ruin it.
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Wibble said:
Not since the 80's but I seem to remember enjoying it.
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Watched it tonight, I thought it was quite good. Surprisingly visceral, all the violent stuff held up really well and kind of takes you a bit by surprise, even in the context of civil war. Hard to believe it's pretty much an indie film from a new director. It's a bit all over the place though, I wish it was a bit more focused. Think I'd give it a 7,5/10.
Also, I didn't mind Jim Belushis dumb jokes that much, since other than that the misery was pretty relentless.

Made me think about Peter Weir's The Year of Living Dangerously, which is I watched a few weeks ago. Enjoyed that one even more.
 
John Wick 4

The attempted magnum opus of the new action genre. Fittingly peaking on a top down video game style action sequence(So good a scene that someone in my screening decided to stand up and record it from his iPhone)There are some genuinely great shots, to point where it almost works as a silent film.

And while it’s a low bar, the film deserves credit for simply attempting to be cinematic. It’s clear that a bunch of people worked on something that they thought others wanted to see, which is rare these days. Plus it has a real ending!

Still…..it’s overblown and far too long. Ultimately its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. The appeal of the series is seeing a unstoppable Wick going around popping off 360 no scope headshots but that can only go on for so long before it starts to lose impact. The last hour becomes meaningless as Wick is bulletproof and the only answer the film has is to add more stuff.

The story is devoid of anything but the standard action shtick which holds up for about 2 hours then dies, it then tries to fit all of the 1979 film The Warriors into 60 minutes, which doesn’t work.

Keanu is a bit meh as Wick although that’s sort of the point I guess but the support cast is great(Ian McShane leather tanned face and
fat suit Scott Adkins are cinematic poetry).

Imo Atomic Blonde is still the best of the bunch. But John Wick 4 was better than I expected and a decent way to kill 3 hours.

7/10
 
Triangle of Sadness

Very similar themes to The Menu. Filmed in 3 acts, the first two of which are superb. The second act, set on a luxury yacht is hilarious and sad at the same time. The film is let down by its final act where the message becomes a bit simplistic. Worth a watch though.

7/10
 
Sweet Square said:
John Wick 4

The attempted magnum opus of the new action genre. Fittingly peaking on a top down video game style action sequence(So good a scene that someone in my screening decided to stand up and record it from his iPhone)There are some genuinely great shots, to point where it almost works as a silent film.

And while it’s a low bar, the film deserves credit for simply attempting to be cinematic. It’s clear that a bunch of people worked on something that they thought others wanted to see, which is rare these days. Plus it has a real ending!

Still…..it’s overblown and far too long. Ultimately its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. The appeal of the series is seeing a unstoppable Wick going around popping off 360 no scope headshots but that can only go on for so long before it starts to lose impact. The last hour becomes meaningless as Wick is bulletproof and the only answer the film has is to add more stuff.

The story is devoid of anything but the standard action shtick which holds up for about 2 hours then dies, it then tries to fit all of the 1979 film The Warriors into 60 minutes, which doesn’t work.

Keanu is a bit meh as Wick although that’s sort of the point I guess but the support cast is great(Ian McShane leather tanned face and
fat suit Scott Adkins are cinematic poetry).

Imo Atomic Blonde is still the best of the bunch. But John Wick 4 was better than I expected and a decent way to kill 3 hours.

7/10
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I’m going to sound like an apostate here, but is Wick supernatural? How does he avoid getting killed? I haven’t seen any of these, except for about 10 minutes of JW2, which featured some physics-defying fights and some extremely poor VFX. So I didn’t get the whole John Wick jam. Is he like James Bond, Jonah Hex, or Jack Reacharound? Or none of the above? Are these movies meant as spoofs?
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
I’m going to sound like an apostate here, but is Wick supernatural? How does he avoid getting killed? I haven’t seen any of these, except for about 10 minutes of JW2, which featured some physics-defying fights and some extremely poor VFX. So I didn’t get the whole John Wick jam. Is he like James Bond, Jonah Hex, or Jack Reacharound? Or none of the above?
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I've only seen John Wick 1 and 4 but I think he's suppose to be every action hero rolled into one but not in a supernatural way, just very good at fighting, shooting, etc. It's all very stupid. The answer to how he doesn't get killed is no one else can aim. It's not a spoiler but at one point in the 4th film about 10 guys are shooting at him and zero hits(And for some reason he has a bulletproof jacket, which means half the film Wick is running around covering his face with his jacket, again very stupid). There's no tension especially in the last hour because we all know he isn't in any danger. The enjoyment comes from watching how many different ways John Wick can kill someone, which for me has about a 2 hour limit.

Wing Attack Plan R said:
Are these movies meant as spoofs?
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I think the plot of the first film is meant to be a spoof on the action genre(Someone kills Wick dog, so he goes on insane killing spree) but then it takes itself very seriously. The 4th film isn't a parody.
 
Wibble said:
All Quiet on the Western Front Stunningly shot and not a little bleak anti-war film set in WW1. Easily my film of the year so far and I have no idea how Everything Everywhere All At Once beat this great bit of film making at the Oscars. 9/10
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The cinematography was fantastic, the period costuming was great (although I am not an expert to really gauge historical accuracy), and the color palette was excellent which showcased both earlier points. It does highlight the whole horrors of war which is relevant to the now. For those that like these types of movies, I can see why it is excellent.

One thing I thought was a bit inaccurate was how the British were portrayed as objecting to the Treaty of Versailles and the French were the most strict. If my memory serves (and it may be wrong) it was actually Wilson and the Americans who objected more to the Treaty of Versailles while the British and French were both down with the punishment angle. Plus, they got together in other agreements like Sykes-Picot and caused a whole lot of long-standing issues when they divvied up the Ottoman empire.

That said, I didn't really enjoy the movie myself. I am not a big fan of war movies, so I'm not the target audience. I'd only give it a 7 myself as it wasn't best movie of the year material for me (for me, Decision to Leave and Broker were the best of 2022).
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
I’m going to sound like an apostate here, but is Wick supernatural? How does he avoid getting killed? I haven’t seen any of these, except for about 10 minutes of JW2, which featured some physics-defying fights and some extremely poor VFX. So I didn’t get the whole John Wick jam. Is he like James Bond, Jonah Hex, or Jack Reacharound? Or none of the above? Are these movies meant as spoofs?
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John Wick could singlehandedly take out Michael Myers. Think about that for a second. He's not the boogeyman. He's the guy you send to kill the boogeyman.
 
Wibble said:
All Quiet on the Western Front Stunningly shot and not a little bleak anti-war film set in WW1. Easily my film of the year so far and I have no idea how Everything Everywhere All At Once beat this great bit of film making at the Oscars. 9/10
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oneniltothearsenal said:
The cinematography was fantastic, the period costuming was great (although I am not an expert to really gauge historical accuracy), and the color palette was excellent which showcased both earlier points. It does highlight the whole horrors of war which is relevant to the now. For those that like these types of movies, I can see why it is excellent.

One thing I thought was a bit inaccurate was how the British were portrayed as objecting to the Treaty of Versailles and the French were the most strict. If my memory serves (and it may be wrong) it was actually Wilson and the Americans who objected more to the Treaty of Versailles while the British and French were both down with the punishment angle. Plus, they got together in other agreements like Sykes-Picot and caused a whole lot of long-standing issues when they divvied up the Ottoman empire.

That said, I didn't really enjoy the movie myself. I am not a big fan of war movies, so I'm not the target audience. I'd only give it a 7 myself as it wasn't best movie of the year material for me (for me, Decision to Leave and Broker were the best of 2022).
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How much of the film would you say is English subtitles?

I don’t mind them in parts but can’t really be doing with them for large chunks if I’m honest.
 
TheReligion said:
How much of the film would you say is English subtitles?

I don’t mind them in parts but can’t really be doing with them for large chunks if I’m honest.
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The version I watched on Netflix was 100% dubbed in English, but done quite well.

No clue on subtitles as I always have them on.
 
TheReligion said:
How much of the film would you say is English subtitles?

I don’t mind them in parts but can’t really be doing with them for large chunks if I’m honest.
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I watched it with subs. The dialogue wasn't important. It was pretty self explanatory mostly. Please dont kill me, ouch
 
pauldyson1uk said:
I have never seen any of them , are they worth watching ?
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It's a decent action franchise, nothing more than that. For me it doesn't help that I am not fan of Keanu's acting, I think he could definitely be the most overrated actor on planet, or definitely the most awkward one.
 
Amar__ said:
It's a decent action franchise, nothing more than that. For me it doesn't help that I am not fan of Keanu's acting, I think he could definitely be the most overrated actor on planet, or definitely the most awkward one.
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Does anyone actually rate him as an actor though? The guy's acting has been a punchline for decades.

That being said, he should have won an Oscar for Speed. Speed should have won all the Oscars. For everything.
 
Salt Bailly said:
Does anyone actually rate him as an actor though? The guy's acting has been a punchline for decades.

That being said, he should have won an Oscar for Speed. Speed should have won all the Oscars. For everything.
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Many people on the internet do for some reason. Even in John Wick thread here he's been praised for acting.
 
Wong Kar Wai without shades!
FsPKcNdaEAQYnEl
 
Not exactly a review but what are people’s thoughts on the planned remake of Vertigo written by Stephen Knight (of Peaky Blinders fame) and starring Robert Downey Jr? Personally, unless it’s a justifiable new adaptation of the book (D’Entre les Morts) on which Hitchcock based the film (as Soderbergh did with his adaptation of Lem’s Solaris), then it feels rather pointless. I have images of Scotty walking through the streets of San Francisco to Black Sabbath.
 
MoskvaRed said:
Not exactly a review but what are people’s thoughts on the planned remake of Vertigo written by Stephen Knight (of Peaky Blinders fame) and starring Robert Downey Jr? Personally, unless it’s a justifiable new adaptation of the book (D’Entre les Morts) on which Hitchcock based the film (as Soderbergh did with his adaptation of Lem’s Solaris), then it feels rather pointless. I have images of Scotty walking through the streets of San Francisco to Black Sabbath.
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Soderbergh improved upon his predecessor's version. I doubt whoever helms this will.
 
MoskvaRed said:
Not exactly a review but what are people’s thoughts on the planned remake of Vertigo written by Stephen Knight (of Peaky Blinders fame) and starring Robert Downey Jr? Personally, unless it’s a justifiable new adaptation of the book (D’Entre les Morts) on which Hitchcock based the film (as Soderbergh did with his adaptation of Lem’s Solaris), then it feels rather pointless. I have images of Scotty walking through the streets of San Francisco to Black Sabbath.
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Sounds like someone getting ready to burn a huge pile of cash.
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
The cinematography was fantastic, the period costuming was great (although I am not an expert to really gauge historical accuracy), and the color palette was excellent which showcased both earlier points. It does highlight the whole horrors of war which is relevant to the now. For those that like these types of movies, I can see why it is excellent.

One thing I thought was a bit inaccurate was how the British were portrayed as objecting to the Treaty of Versailles and the French were the most strict. If my memory serves (and it may be wrong) it was actually Wilson and the Americans who objected more to the Treaty of Versailles while the British and French were both down with the punishment angle. Plus, they got together in other agreements like Sykes-Picot and caused a whole lot of long-standing issues when they divvied up the Ottoman empire.

That said, I didn't really enjoy the movie myself. I am not a big fan of war movies, so I'm not the target audience. I'd only give it a 7 myself as it wasn't best movie of the year material for me (for me, Decision to Leave and Broker were the best of 2022).
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The exact historical accuracy of the ceasefire negotiations were more or less irrelevant to me. It was the surreal disconnect between thousands getting slaughtered while they happend reinforced by details like worrying about how fresh the croissants were.

In our house I tend to be the one who gets a tear in my eye but my wife was really effected by this film at the end. Maybe because my son is about the protagonists age but maybe as it was all such a waste.
 
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