Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

12 Angry Men (1957)

Great movie. Just 12 guys in a room arguing back and forth while you can hear the raining outside. All you need is great dialogue.
 
Poor Things - What a bizarre movie. Emma Stone is a sort of Frankenstein's monster and spends 1/3 of the movie topless. Visually, it looks like a Wes Anderson film on acid or a Tim Burton film in color. It was entertaining but dragged at the end. 7/10
 
I’ve just rewatched Total Recall and my god I forgot how good it is. It’s just the ideal 90s Sci Fi movie. The pacing is perfect, it knows when to be funny, serious, and batshit mental. So many great scenes, Arnie one liners, the performances are all top. There’s no ‘Good guy being good’ angle either. The action scenes are just Arnie mowing down person after person or killing them in the funniest ways, using that rando as a human shield at one point :lol: It’s brilliant.
 
I’ve just rewatched Total Recall and my god I forgot how good it is. It’s just the ideal 90s Sci Fi movie. The pacing is perfect, it knows when to be funny, serious, and batshit mental. So many great scenes, Arnie one liners, the performances are all top. There’s no ‘Good guy being good’ angle either. The action scenes are just Arnie mowing down person after person or killing them in the funniest ways, using that rando as a human shield at one point :lol: It’s brilliant.
another one they should have left alone. The remake just had no clue *what made the Arnie one good.
 
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another one they should have left alone. The remake just had no clue made the Arnie one good.
I thought it was kinda fun actually. I mean, it's got nothing to do with the original and is much less good/interesting; but if you forget they got the same title and source material, it's a fun film in its own right.
 
I thought it was kinda fun actually. I mean, it's got nothing to do with the original and is much less good/interesting; but if you forget they got the same title and source material, it's a fun film in its own right.
Fair enough. I'm a fan of PKD and I think the movies made of his stories are always lacking. One thing they always forget is the absurdity in his stories. He likes to set up a complicated problem ("what if a secret agent is implanted with false memories, what if humans had to play a bluffing card game against aliens who were telepathic" etc.) and then uses human foibles and frailties to solve it. Total Recall / We Can Remember It For You Wholesale erred in using a big action star as the lead, as most/all PKD heroes were essentially beta males, often married to women who couldn't stand them, and often envious of their incompetent bosses. Total Recall (Arnie) was fun. The story is more about guilt and culpability when you don't remember what you've done, and how to tell the difference between real memories and implanted ones. PKD took a lot of speed while writing, it should be mentioned.
 
Saltburn (2023), with Barry Keoghan.
Keoghan is a lock for a Best Actor nomination, and he should probably win it, too.
Some really nice directorial touches in this, great composition of shots. They used a squarish aspect ratio, not really sure why, but it made it feel a little more "timeless" and less part of the current cinema moment, like you are discovering a film from 20 or so years ago. There were quite a few things I didn't like in this film, and fortunately my teenager bailed out before things got too gnarly. It's a really well made film. I don't know if I'd recommend it to the average viewer cuz it is so off-putting in parts. I loved the ending with Keoghan dancing around with his ding dong flapping in the breeze in celebration of his victory , but felt the moral ambiguity was definitely of this cynical age. Whereas films like The Talented Mr. Ripley / Purple Noon, and Parasite also deal with an outsider gazing through the window to the lives of the rich, Saltburn differs because it celebrates the villain. I'll be happy for Keoghan to win the golden statue.
8/10

Spoilers Ahead:

I watched this last night and thought it was OK. I can’t get my head around Barry Keoghan‘s character getting away with it though. I mean it’s a massive plot hole that the police must have been like ‘nope. Nothing to see here guys’

Decent film and Barry is a great actor with such a unique look.
 
12 Angry Men (1957)

Great movie. Just 12 guys in a room arguing back and forth while you can hear the raining outside. All you need is great dialogue.

Love the film but it does suffer from the answering too fast syndrome that is so common in old films.
 
Point Break

One of those cult classic, endlessly referenced films I'd never got around to watching but bored one day during the Xmas - New Year gooch I saw it on iPlayer and thought what the hell

The story is preposterous, the script is full of clichéd nonsense, the performances are all ridiculous caricatures and a lot of the action irrelevant but wow what a ride!

I didn't realise this was a Kathryn Bigelow film but when I saw her name at the beginning I was immediately at ease. In the wrong hands all of the above would create an absolute disaster but she creates a masterpiece of style, a visual feast of extreme action and a knockabout lark of larger than life characters

I suspect some may be tempted to say its so bad it's good but that's bollocks it's just good fullstop. It's a wild ride expertly put together, played with real gusto and delivered with efficiency. It was excellent. I'm going to watch again
 
Point Break

One of those cult classic, endlessly referenced films I'd never got around to watching but bored one day during the Xmas - New Year gooch I saw it on iPlayer and thought what the hell

The story is preposterous, the script is full of clichéd nonsense, the performances are all ridiculous caricatures and a lot of the action irrelevant but wow what a ride!

I didn't realise this was a Kathryn Bigelow film but when I saw her name at the beginning I was immediately at ease. In the wrong hands all of the above would create an absolute disaster but she creates a masterpiece of style, a visual feast of extreme action and a knockabout lark of larger than life characters

I suspect some may be tempted to say its so bad it's good but that's bollocks it's just good fullstop. It's a wild ride expertly put together, played with real gusto and delivered with efficiency. It was excellent. I'm going to watch again

What a film. :drool: There's just something about it that makes it so watchable. Your last paragraph sums it up for me.
 
Fair enough. I'm a fan of PKD and I think the movies made of his stories are always lacking. One thing they always forget is the absurdity in his stories. He likes to set up a complicated problem ("what if a secret agent is implanted with false memories, what if humans had to play a bluffing card game against aliens who were telepathic" etc.) and then uses human foibles and frailties to solve it. Total Recall / We Can Remember It For You Wholesale erred in using a big action star as the lead, as most/all PKD heroes were essentially beta males, often married to women who couldn't stand them, and often envious of their incompetent bosses. Total Recall (Arnie) was fun. The story is more about guilt and culpability when you don't remember what you've done, and how to tell the difference between real memories and implanted ones. PKD took a lot of speed while writing, it should be mentioned.
Yeah, I like Dick as well. (Posts that feel sexual but aren't!) As you say, he's very good at picking a premise and making a story out of it. I actually think of him as a sociology/psychology writer first, SF second. (And his approach works much better for shorts than longs, I think. (No, not sexual either.)) Either way, I did read this story but don't remember a thing of it right now, so I'll just trust you on this. :D
 
Ferrari

“Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past.”

Ferrari is another banger made by the God.

Adam Driver & Penélope Cruz put in brilliant performances as the broken married couple. Cruz is by far Mann best ever female character. Driver role as Enzo has all the classic workings of a Micheal Mann lead.

The racing scenes are intense and you get a sense at how little of a shit these blokes cared about safety. As usual with Mann films his characters are fighting against their ideals, their past, their economic position and the ability to change the world they live in for better or for worse.

The test track scenes have the same feel as the bank preparation scenes in Heat. Also Mann gets rid of all the nerd bollocks about needing a bridge long imax film stock in order to create something cinematic. Ferrari is shot on digital and is easily the best looking film of the year.

Incredible film worth seeing on the big screen.
 
I thought it was good. The more you disect it though the worse it gets.

  1. The ending is abrupt
  2. Why does the film cover just 1 year 1957
  3. Could have done with more racing.
But it was an engaging watch and refreshing seeing a strong female character by Penelope Cruz who gave no Fs.
 
Yeah, I like Dick as well. (Posts that feel sexual but aren't!) As you say, he's very good at picking a premise and making a story out of it. I actually think of him as a sociology/psychology writer first, SF second. (And his approach works much better for shorts than longs, I think. (No, not sexual either.)) Either way, I did read this story but don't remember a thing of it right now, so I'll just trust you on this. :D
Posts that sound sexual but aren't.
 
Point Break

One of those cult classic, endlessly referenced films I'd never got around to watching but bored one day during the Xmas - New Year gooch I saw it on iPlayer and thought what the hell

The story is preposterous, the script is full of clichéd nonsense, the performances are all ridiculous caricatures and a lot of the action irrelevant but wow what a ride!

I didn't realise this was a Kathryn Bigelow film but when I saw her name at the beginning I was immediately at ease. In the wrong hands all of the above would create an absolute disaster but she creates a masterpiece of style, a visual feast of extreme action and a knockabout lark of larger than life characters

I suspect some may be tempted to say its so bad it's good but that's bollocks it's just good fullstop. It's a wild ride expertly put together, played with real gusto and delivered with efficiency. It was excellent. I'm going to watch again

Kathryn Bigelow directed Point Break?! What the hell?
 
I watched Maestro (2023) tonight. I'd have liked for it to have more music scenes and to show a but more of that side from Bernstein's life, but in hindsight it's not so much a film about him as it a film about relationships and love. It was not what I expected or perhaps wanted, but I liked it in the end. Greatly helped by Carey Mulligan.
 
Love And Monsters (2020)
With Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick.
Post-apocalyptic story about a survivor who feels useless and decides to leave his colony to reconnect with his girlfriend whom he has not seen in 7 years. They were separated on the day of the apocalypse, he just found out she’s alive in another underground colony, etc.

It was enjoyable with good monster VFX. Not the most original story and very thin in terms of plotting and backstory. It felt more like a pilot for a Netflix series than a standalone movie, especially one that was scheduled for a wide theatrical release. You know how a movie can sometimes really bring the emotion and thrills in ways TV shows can’t? Well, this was the opposite. Nothing bad about it, maybe it was just the jokey self-deprecating tone of Joel, and how you knew no one was going to die, unlike something like Last of Us.

It was a very solid, passable work. Nothing spectacular, kinda bloodless (visually and emotionally). There were no surprises , and I feel that they should have done a little more set up to pay off at the end. I think it was missing the classic raising of the stakes and the dark night of the soul and the all is lost moments that they talk about in screenwriting books.
Maybe those books have a point.
I’d be more interested in this as a series, to be honest.
7/10
 
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I watched Maestro (2023) tonight. I'd have liked for it to have more music scenes and to show a but more of that side from Bernstein's life, but in hindsight it's not so much a film about him as it a film about relationships and love. It was not what I expected or perhaps wanted, but I liked it in the end. Greatly helped by Carey Mulligan.
How was Cooper’s nose?
 
Crawl

Crap B movie fodder that might provide some enjoyment for those are in to that. Entirely predictable in every way.
 
What do you mean by "answering too fast"?

In old films people deliver the lines far too fast, without pauses to think about a response. This isn't the worst example but I seem to remember it being noticeable last time I watched it.
 
Watched it last night and agree with all your comments. I don’t think some of off putting scenes were not necessary to get the essence and direction of the movie. Fantastic movie for sure.
Can you tell me the nature of these scenes? I'm wondering if I should watch it with the partner. She hates rape/pedophilia etc in films.
 
Can you tell me the nature of these scenes? I'm wondering if I should watch it with the partner. She hates rape/pedophilia etc in films.
Neither of those things happen. Here is what happens:
1.) Barry is in love with Felix and they share a bathroom. After Felix bathes and apparently wanks in it, Barry rushes in and licks the tub, and drinks the water as it drains out. 2.) Barry hooks up with Felix's sister, but she tells him to stop because she's on her period. He fingers her, gets blood on his hands, tastes it, makes her taste it, then wipes it down her neck. He then goes down on her. 3.) He also strips naked and humps the freshly packed grave of Felix. 4.) You also see Barry's knob quite a few times, and he is packing some fecking wood.
Among some other things.
 
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Neither of those things happen. Here is what happens:
1.) Barry is in love with Felix and they share a bathroom. After Felix bathes and apparently wanks in it, Barry rushes in and licks the tub, and drinks the water as it drains out. 2.) Barry hooks up with Felix's sister, but she tells him to stop because she's on her period. He fingers her, gets blood on his hands, tastes it, makes her taste it, then wipes it down her neck. He then goes down on her. 3.) He also strips naked and humps the freshly packed grave of Felix. 4.) You also see Barry's knob quite a few times, and he is packing some fecking wood.
Among some other things.
Yeah I'm not watching this with the partner :lol:
 
Scarface 5/10

i rewatched it over the holidays. Wow. This movie did not age well. Too long. Too boring to develop. His rise is taken for granted and all of a sudden he is the boss.
Great acting by Pacino but the plot is so meh.
 
Watched over the weekend:

John Wick 4: 7/10
Barbie Movie: 7/10
Interstellar: 8/10
Five nights at Freddie’s: 7/10
Poirot Films: 6/10
Nice Guys: 7/10

My wife watched saltburn and thought it was great.