Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

[Sweet Square]

Yes! Have you seen Wages Of Fear?

Hopefully I’m going to give it a rewatch tonight. Did you like Wages Of Fear?

What's the story behind the rivalry with Star Wars?

I think Sorcerer came out on the same opening weekend as the first Star Wars movie. It absolutely tanked/fail at the box office resulting in the studios starting to give up on the auteur director.

Also Friedkin turned down the chance to produce the Star Wars as well. He must of hated nerds.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

Hopefully I’m going to give it a rewatch tonight. Did you like Wages Of Fear?


I think Sorcerer came out on the same opening weekend as the first Star Wars movie. It absolutely tanked/fail at the box office resulting in the studios starting to give up on the auteur director.

Also Friedkin turned down the chance to produce the Star Wars as well. He must of hated nerds.

Wages Of Fear is brilliant. It's the same story as Sorcerer, although Friedkin claims it's not a remake (it's a remake). Both movies are excellent 10/10.

 

[CassiusClaymore]

The Iron Claw

Based on the tragic lives of the Von Erich brothers and starring Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) and a ridiculously roided up Zac Efron I did have a few problems with this as passing itself off as a biopic. It's a decent watch if you can get over Zac Efrons stupid haircut and puffed up face but I don't agree with the some of the decisions taken in the production process. Firstly they omit one of the brothers completely from the story. I've read why they decided to do that but it still doesn't sit right with me. Secondly just weird shit like pretending that Kerry didn't have a family is odd to me and that his brother found him when it was actually his Dad. They did a good job of building up the bond between the brothers in the first half but I just wish I could call it honest when it isn't, even if thematically it is true to itself. Decent watch whether you know the story or not but would've been nice to imagine a bigger director getting a crack at it with a better cast. Scorsese would've nailed it.

 

[weetee]

Wages Of Fear is brilliant. It's the same story as Sorcerer, although Friedkin claims it's not a remake (it's a remake). Both movies are excellent 10/10.

You have good taste, sir!

Sorcerer is one of those few movies I really can't wait til I get the missus to approve of an OLED screen and watch it in all its glory once more. Sadly won't ever see it in the cinema I guess except by fat chance.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

You have good taste, sir!

Sorcerer is one of those few movies I really can't wait til I get the missus to approve of an OLED screen and watch it in all its glory once more. Sadly won't ever see it in the cinema I guess except by fat chance.

Remind me not to slaughter you in the next WW game.

 

[RedSky]

I'm on the side of The Creator being a car crash of a film. Visuals were nice, but the story was horrendous. Didn't like the action sequences either, honestly found it boring and predictable.

I love sci-fi too so it was a big disappointment for me.

Spoiler

Was there ever an explanation on why there were androids on the big bad ship, despite the humans main objective being to destroy all androids. Why have hundreds/thousands of them on the main ship?

 

[Badunk]

Monolith

A bit of a twist on the conspiracy genre. Basically, this young Australian journalist starts a podcast looking into strange phenomena, conspiracies, aliens, etc. A couple of callers to the podcast talk about a brick that just sort of appeared but which kind of communicates with them. More people call into the podcast to recount similar stories, about how a relative came into possession of one of these bricks and that they soon started having visions and behaving strangely before eventually becoming people that their loved ones didn't recognise. Our protagonist becomes obsessed by the story and the podcast's popularity rises. She digs deeper, things get weirder and... I won't spoil the rest.

The whole film takes place in the journalist's house (we're not told her name) and she only interacts with other people via the phone. This leads to a claustrophobic feel to the film, as events unfold that make her (and others) question her sanity.

I liked it. 8/10

By the way, it doesn't come out for another week, so I'm writing this from the future.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

Monolith

A bit of a twist on the conspiracy genre. Basically, this young Australian journalist starts a podcast looking into strange phenomena, conspiracies, aliens, etc. A couple of callers to the podcast talk about a brick that just sort of appeared but which kind of communicates with them. More people call into the podcast to recount similar stories, about how a relative came into possession of one of these bricks and that they soon started having visions and behaving strangely before eventually becoming people that their loved ones didn't recognise. Our protagonist becomes obsessed by the story and the podcast's popularity rises. She digs deeper, things get weirder and... I won't spoil the rest.

The whole film takes place in the journalist's house (we're not told her name) and she only interacts with other people via the phone. This leads to a claustrophobic feel to the film, as events unfold that make her (and others) question her sanity.

I liked it. 8/10

By the way, it doesn't come out for another week, so I'm writing this from the future.

Did you see it at a festival?

 

[Badunk]

Did you see it at a festival?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I'm on the side of The Creator being a car crash of a film. Visuals were nice, but the story was horrendous. Didn't like the action sequences either, honestly found it boring and predictable.

I love sci-fi too so it was a big disappointment for me.

Spoiler

Was there ever an explanation on why there were androids on the big bad ship, despite the humans main objective being to destroy all androids. Why have hundreds/thousands of them on the main ship?

Yeah, the Creator was shite. It looked nice but the acting was mediocre, the script was awful and the narrative a complete mess. You’ve flagged the most obviously stupid deus ex machina plot hole but the whole thing was riddled with similarly stupid moments. I had a rant about them in my review earlier on in this thread.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Furioza

Bit of a random discovery on Netflix. 2021 film about a gang of Polish “Ultras” and the various scrapes they get into; organised tear ups with other firms, skirmishes with the police and a turf war with international cocaine dealing gangsters. Was expecting a shit, Polish version of Green Street but was actually an ok, Polish version of Gomorrah. Nicely shot, well acted with proper gnarly and extremely violent action (mainly fighting) scenes. Loses the run of itself towards the end and probably shouldn’t mention Gomorrah, as it’s nowhere near as good so that will make expectations far too high. Still worth a watch though.

6.5/10

 

[Rooney in Paris]

 

[Cheimoon]

Haywire. A 2011 spy action thriller by Steven Soderbergh, starring Gina Carano Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas. Carano is a black ops contractor who gets trapped in a web of deceit.

It's not good. As can be expected in a short film (about 90 min) with this many characters, all characters are paper thin. What's more, the cast gets nothing to work with, so most performances totally fall flat. Fassbender is decent though. Carano in turn obviously does have a lot to do, but she doesn't seem to know how to pitch her character, so it's no success. The story is also pointless: the many layers don't get interesting, but rather become tiring after an otherwise promising first 20 min or so. Also, why is there literally only one single woman in this entire film? (At least it's the main character, I guess.)

Despite all that, the visual aspect of the film is great. Many good scenes and shots, nice lighting, and a lot of interesting choices, such as a summarized heist scene almost entirely without sound (only music). That's interesting, but it can't save the movie, and I just can't understand how this got rated so well. 2/5

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

Haywire. A 2011 spy action thriller by Steven Soderbergh, starring Gina Carano Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas. Carano is a black ops contractor who gets trapped in a web of deceit.

It's not good. As can be expected in a short film (about 90 min) with this many characters, all characters are paper thin. What's more, the cast gets nothing to work with, so most performances totally fall flat. Fassbender is decent though. Carano in turn obviously does have a lot to do, but she doesn't seem to know how to pitch her character, so it's no success. The story is also pointless: the many layers don't get interesting, but rather become tiring after an otherwise promising first 20 min or so. Also, why is there literally only one single woman in this entire film? (At least it's the main character, I guess.)

Despite all that, the visual aspect of the film is great. Many good scenes and shots, nice lighting, and a lot of interesting choices, such as a summarized heist scene almost entirely without sound (only music). That's interesting, but it can't save the movie, and I just can't understand how this got rated so well. 2/5

Unpopular opinion: Steven Soderbergh is totally overrated and not very good.

 

[Wibble]

Unpopular opinion: Steven Soderbergh is totally overrated and not very good.

An odd one for me. I have it in my head that he is a decent director, maybe because I liked Sex Lies and Videotape when it came out. However, when I look at his filmography there aren't many of his films that I love or hate (of the ones I've seen - did he really make Magic Mike? Wasn't that about stripping?). Although, maybe that isn't true as the last one of his I watched was Contagion, which is 13 years ago unbelievably. Even his best stuff I find often tends to be emotionally cold.

Not dissimilar to my view on Coldplay who had an excellent debut album, a follow up with 3 or 4 good songs, a third album with 1 or 2 good songs and thereafter have produced nothing I'll voluntarily listen to. Trading on past glories.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

An odd one for me. I have it in my head that he is a decent director, maybe because I liked Sex Lies and Videotape when it came out. However, when I look at his filmography there aren't many of his films that I love or hate (of the ones I've seen - did he really make Magic Mike? Wasn't that about stripping?). Although, maybe that isn't true as the last one of his I watched was Contagion, which is 13 years ago unbelievably. Even his best stuff I find often tends to be emotionally cold.

Not dissimilar to my view on Coldplay who had an excellent debut album, a follow up with 3 or 4 good songs, a third album with 1 or 2 good songs and thereafter have produced nothing I'll voluntarily listen to. Trading on past glories.

He is the Coldplay of directors.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

I'm on the side of The Creator being a car crash of a film. Visuals were nice, but the story was horrendous. Didn't like the action sequences either, honestly found it boring and predictable.

I love sci-fi too so it was a big disappointment for me.

Spoiler

Was there ever an explanation on why there were androids on the big bad ship, despite the humans main objective being to destroy all androids. Why have hundreds/thousands of them on the main ship?

Yeah, the Creator was shite. It looked nice but the acting was mediocre, the script was awful and the narrative a complete mess. You’ve flagged the most obviously stupid deus ex machina plot hole but the whole thing was riddled with similarly stupid moments. I had a rant about them in my review earlier on in this thread.

John David Washington is all anyone needs to prove nepobabies are a plague.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

The Blackening
A group of friends are stalked by a crazy killer during a night in a holiday cabin. A really funny satire on horror tropes and black stereotypes. Far more enjoyable than I thought it would be and actually has an interesting perspective. I would recommend it 7.5/10

 

[Cheimoon]

Unpopular opinion: Steven Soderbergh is totally overrated and not very good.

An odd one for me. I have it in my head that he is a decent director, maybe because I liked Sex Lies and Videotape when it came out. However, when I look at his filmography there aren't many of his films that I love or hate (of the ones I've seen - did he really make Magic Mike? Wasn't that about stripping?). Although, maybe that isn't true as the last one of his I watched was Contagion, which is 13 years ago unbelievably. Even his best stuff I find often tends to be emotionally cold.

Not dissimilar to my view on Coldplay who had an excellent debut album, a follow up with 3 or 4 good songs, a third album with 1 or 2 good songs and thereafter have produced nothing I'll voluntarily listen to. Trading on past glories.

Yeah, I was looking at his list of films as well (many of which I have to admit I haven't seen, especially his early stuff), and it's not all that impressive. I guess he's got that 'auteur' label, but I would say overall not really a quality label - even if he did make some good films, of course.

'Excellent debut album' far oversells Coldplay though. Let's just say they didn't start out as bloated crap.

 

[Wibble]

'Excellent debut album' far oversells Coldplay though. Let's just say they didn't start out as bloated crap.

I really enjoyed Parachutes with it's 6th form misery/mysticism vibe. Later stuff like the one with the monkeys video and Vida La Whatever make me cringe.

 

[Cheimoon]

I really enjoyed Parachutes with it's 6th form misery/mysticism vibe. Later stuff like the one with the monkeys video and Vida La Whatever make me cringe.

I mean, it's ok, there are a couple of decent tunes on their first two albums. But it's overall such whiny shit, 'excellent' is far too strong for me.

Yes, I'm a great music critic as well.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

I wish I had been given as many chances to create mediocre art as both Coldplay and Soderbergh have been given. Soderbergh insisting on being his own cinematographer as well as editor I always found to be pretentious, like if Chris Martin played all the instruments.

 

[CoopersDream]

At least Soderbergh isn't really considered that good. It's not like Sir Ridley who is hailed as some genius for doing a few good films while producing mediocre films for the majority of his career.

 

[Salt Bailly]

Soderbergh has some all time classics in the bank for me, Solaris and Traffic.

Ocean's Eleven, Out of Sight, Contagion and Side Effects are also excellent.

He's not made a great film for a while though.

 

[Idxomer]

A lot of his stuff can be filed under watchable but forgettable.

Out of Sight, King of the Hill, and Traffic are his best films with Sex, Lies, and Videotape. The Knick's first season is also great.

 

[Cheimoon]

At least Soderbergh isn't really considered that good. It's not like Sir Ridley who is hailed as some genius for doing a few good films while producing mediocre films for the majority of his career.

Ridley Scott is interesting actually. Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator (yes, also), are pretty much classics; but then a lot of his other films feel like just 'strong blockbusters' (and often relatively gritty). That's still pretty good though. 'Genius' would be a little much I think, but definitely 'good' (and overall more so than Soderbergh).

 

[The Corinthian]

Butcher’s Crossing - really interesting off kilter revisionist Western starring Nicolas Cage. A Harvard student drops out to experience the old West with a bunch of Buffalo hide hunters. Something he later regrets. It’s not your typical Western but it is all very well acted. Cage is great but the real star of the show is Jeremy Bobb playing the skinner. 7.5/10

(@Cheimoon fyi if you fancy a decent Western).

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

Soderbergh has some all time classics in the bank for me, Solaris and Traffic.

Ocean's Eleven, Out of Sight, Contagion and Side Effects are also excellent.

He's not made a great film for a while though.

I would agree those are his best, but both of those are inferior remakes, though.
I liked Sex Lies & Videotape when I first saw it but it really does not hold up. Andie MacDowell's character begging James Spader to give her the first orgasm she's ever had probably had more to do with my enjoyment of the film than anything else. Found myself feeling very, very old when I realized Margaret Qualley is Andie's daughter.

Hated the last 3 you listed. I watch a ton of shit, but even to me it's surprising how many times I go watch a film by a director I know I don't like.

 

[Cheimoon]

Butcher’s Crossing - really interesting off kilter revisionist Western starring Nicolas Cage. A Harvard student drops out to experience the old West with a bunch of Buffalo hide hunters. Something he later regrets. It’s not your typical Western but it is all very well acted. Cage is great but the real star of the show is Jeremy Bobb playing the skinner. 7.5/10

(@Cheimoon fyi if you fancy a decent Western).

Thanks! I'll see if I have access to that.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

Ridley Scott is interesting actually. Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator (yes, also), are pretty much classics; but then a lot of his other films feel like just 'strong blockbusters' (and often relatively gritty). That's still pretty good though. 'Genius' would be a little much I think, but definitely 'good' (and overall more so than Soderbergh).

His batting average is pretty poor for having made 2 of my favorite all-time films.

Duellists, Alien, Blade Runner = legendary (3)
Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Matchstick Men, The Martian = all excellent. (4)
Legend, Someone to Watch Over Me, Thelma & Louise, White Squall, Body Of Lies, Kingdom Of Heaven, Hannibal, Last Duel = all good (8)
Black Rain, 1492, GI Jane, A Good Year, American Gangster, Robin Hood, Prometheus, The Counselor, Exodus, Alien Covenant, House of Gucci, Napoleon = all fecking shite. (12)

 

[CoopersDream]

Ridley Scott is interesting actually. Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator (yes, also), are pretty much classics; but then a lot of his other films feel like just 'strong blockbusters' (and often relatively gritty). That's still pretty good though. 'Genius' would be a little much I think, but definitely 'good' (and overall more so than Soderbergh).

I'd agree that Ridley is better than Soderbergh, but to me that doesn't really say much. He certainly have done great films, but for me his bad movies outnumber the ones I truly enjoy by quite a lot. It's just that it's not that uncommon to see him quite high on 'best director' lists, and I just think that any director that has done that quantity of mediocrity do not belong on such lists.

 

[Cheimoon]

I'd agree that Ridley is better than Soderbergh, but to me that doesn't really say much. He certainly have done great films, but for me his bad movies outnumber the ones I truly enjoy by quite a lot. It's just that it's not that uncommon to see him quite high on 'best director' lists, and I just think that any director that has done that quantity of mediocrity do not belong on such lists.

Yeah, I really wouldn't consider Ridley Scott as one of the all-time greats. That would be a rather limited view on filmmaking I suppose (mostly considering 'big films').

 

[Wibble]

I liked Sex Lies & Videotape when I first saw it but it really does not hold up.

I haven't watched it in a very long time but I suspect I'd agree with you if I did.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

I haven't watched it in a very long time but I suspect I'd agree with you if I did.

Spader’s character, who interviews women on video so he wank to them later, is not quite as edgy and artsy as he was once considered.

 

[Wibble]

Spader’s character, who interviews women on video so he wank to them later, is not quite as edgy and artsy as he was once considered.

More a crime than edgy by modern standards.

I'd bet that the spy cam bit in American Pie is terrible now as well. I saw Leon for the first time recently and that was next level creepy and Pretty baby was bizarrely paedo even when it was released, featuring an 11 year old actor as a child prostitute. And that is before we get into Revenge of The Nerds and Porkies or the normalisation of rape in early Bond films.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

More a crime than edgy by modern standards.

I'd bet that the spy cam bit in American Pie is terrible now as well. I saw Leon for the first time recently and that was next level creepy and Pretty baby was bizarrely paedo even when it was released, featuring an 11 year old actor as a child prostitute. And that is before we get into Revenge of The Nerds and Porkies or the normalisation of rape in early Bond films.

There is some supremely shocking shit in mainstream films.
Leon: The Professional - some seriously creepy pedo shit. "
The film initially included a problematic scene in which Mathilda asks Léon to be her first lover - it was omitted from the final version of the movie after American test audiences were reportedly uncomfortable with the subject matter. The relationship was not consummated, but Mathilda does convince Léon to sleep innocently with her in the same bed.

Director Luc Besson released an exclusive cut of Léon after its wide release - the director's cut included the sensitive scene.

The original script also featured a scene where Léon walks in on Mathilda taking a shower. Thanks to Portman's parents demanding the filmmakers minimize innuendo, the scene was ultimately scrapped."

Ever see "Hotdog: The Movie" (about snow skiing)? The bartender makes a huge drink for a woman and says, "I call this drink the leg-spreader", and another guy leers at the woman and says, "Now there's a woman I can take advantage of." Hilarious.
Or in 16 Candles, when the hunky nice guy says to Farmer Ted, "Caroline is passed out upstairs right now, I could violate her ten different ways and she'd never know."
The list goes on.

https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/9/27/17906644/sixteen-candles-rape-culture-1980s-brett-kavanaugh

 

[Sweet Square]

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Side note, Heaven knows what has to be one of the most depressing films I've ever seen.

 

[CoopersDream]

Saw La Bonheur earlier today. While I certainly can appreciate the techincal aspects of the movie making from this period, I can't help but feel that a lot of these movies are dated. This certainly is that way, the characters generally quite unlikeable so it is hard to really care much about what happens. I will say that this branch of French cinema is something I really don't care for (remember watching Hiroshima Mon Amour in film school, few times I have actively disliked a movie as much as that one). 5/10

 

[Sweet Square]

Side note, Heaven knows what has to be one of the most depressing films I've ever seen.

From the bus trip to the ending in the restaurant its all very bleak. The main character is struck in a endless repeating cycle. I guess the positive is in real life she did get clean.

Its for me the Safdie brothers best film as it really highlights what makes them stand out of as film makers - uses of non actors, obscure internet references, documentary style filming and interesting soundtrack. Although my favourite will always be Uncut Gems mostly because I think Howard is just a very cool/talented guy and a great dad. He didn’t do anything wrong!