A bad sign given his current standards
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
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Moloch
A woman and her family get shaken up after a strange break in to their home so she investigates the incident to figure out what caused it, stumbling into a dark family secret. Folk horror based on Dutch folklore, this slow burn had an interesting narrative and a good lead performance. It was missing a bit of originality in direction, but the story felt fresh. Was annoyed by the CGI towards the end. Decent watch overall 6.5/10
A woman and her family get shaken up after a strange break in to their home so she investigates the incident to figure out what caused it, stumbling into a dark family secret. Folk horror based on Dutch folklore, this slow burn had an interesting narrative and a good lead performance. It was missing a bit of originality in direction, but the story felt fresh. Was annoyed by the CGI towards the end. Decent watch overall 6.5/10
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In A Violent Nature
A group of teens accidentally awake a serial killer, who starts to pick them off one by one.
A nice flip on the slasher genre, no fast cuts, chatty teens and pulsating music. It instead has nice, long shots, a mute killer and barely any music. The director plays it smart by mostly following things from the POV of the actual killer, which allows them to create a lot of suspense and not have to focus on character building for a group of teens that are there for slaughter. Some of the kills are also very inventive and memorable, the camera staying on the deaths for a beat too long really helps your brain process how gnarly some of this is.
With that said, I didn't like that the focus occasionally switched from the killer to the teens. The teens had no character development, so it felt needless, most of those actors also were pretty shit and the dialogue was really bad (like listening to the goons in Arkham City talking whilst you sneak around as Batman).
Overall though I appreciate it tried to be different and is a film you think about for a while after the credits role. The slow pacing is a big part of that, it prints some of the scenes into your brain 7.5/10
A group of teens accidentally awake a serial killer, who starts to pick them off one by one.
A nice flip on the slasher genre, no fast cuts, chatty teens and pulsating music. It instead has nice, long shots, a mute killer and barely any music. The director plays it smart by mostly following things from the POV of the actual killer, which allows them to create a lot of suspense and not have to focus on character building for a group of teens that are there for slaughter. Some of the kills are also very inventive and memorable, the camera staying on the deaths for a beat too long really helps your brain process how gnarly some of this is.
With that said, I didn't like that the focus occasionally switched from the killer to the teens. The teens had no character development, so it felt needless, most of those actors also were pretty shit and the dialogue was really bad (like listening to the goons in Arkham City talking whilst you sneak around as Batman).
Overall though I appreciate it tried to be different and is a film you think about for a while after the credits role. The slow pacing is a big part of that, it prints some of the scenes into your brain 7.5/10
I've had this in my watch list for a while now, but just never get around to watching it. It feels like it would get boring/repetitive, but doesn't seem that way from what you say.
Watched this last night and really enjoyed it. Very impressive debut from Rose Glass, I was actually surprised that it seems a more polished film than her follow-up Love lies bleeding (though in fairness, the scruffiness of LLB works very well), and great performances by the 2 leads. It reminded me of a few 70s horror films and was a good blend of body horror and thriller, with loneliness at its heart - a deep rooted, incredibly sad loneliness that Morfydd Clark does a great job of translating to the screen. I enjoyed that it was overall a slow burner and pretty understated, made the finale all the more powerful and impactful.
My wife was so bored she fell asleep and it can get boring at times but the kills are spread well and you'll be thinking about them until the next one happens. It's worth a watch just for the fact that they have tried to inject some new life into a very dormant sub-genre.
Nights Of Cabiria
Film directed by federico fellini about a sex worker called Maria who is living in postwar WW2 Rome.
Maria is struggling with wanting to keep the independence she gets from her job with also her desire to experience a relationship that could lead to marriage. While always unsure if this idea of traditional relationships is what she really desires.
The script is done by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Who brings his unique brand of christian Marxism and shows us the class systems of the city. Be it the poor/lumpen(sex workers, pimps, drug dealers), outcast homeless, religious institutions, the upper classes and even travelling magic shows. There’s a brilliant dance scene(One of many) which highlights the reserved Italian upper class compared to more free poor.
Fellini compared cinema to religion and it’s hard to argue with him when him and Aldo Tonti creates such incredible images. The perfect blend of neo realism with spiritual imagery.
Giulietta Masina delivers one of the all time great screen performances. Her comedic moments mirror that of Chaplins Tramp but Giulietta adds both a deep vulnerability and toughness to the character. It’s impossible to not fall for her by the 30 minutes mark.
And like all soundtracks by Nino Rota this one is another classic
One of the greatest films ever made.
10/10
Prince of Darkness
John Carpenter doesn’t make bad films.
8/10
Film directed by federico fellini about a sex worker called Maria who is living in postwar WW2 Rome.
Maria is struggling with wanting to keep the independence she gets from her job with also her desire to experience a relationship that could lead to marriage. While always unsure if this idea of traditional relationships is what she really desires.
The script is done by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Who brings his unique brand of christian Marxism and shows us the class systems of the city. Be it the poor/lumpen(sex workers, pimps, drug dealers), outcast homeless, religious institutions, the upper classes and even travelling magic shows. There’s a brilliant dance scene(One of many) which highlights the reserved Italian upper class compared to more free poor.
Fellini compared cinema to religion and it’s hard to argue with him when him and Aldo Tonti creates such incredible images. The perfect blend of neo realism with spiritual imagery.
Giulietta Masina delivers one of the all time great screen performances. Her comedic moments mirror that of Chaplins Tramp but Giulietta adds both a deep vulnerability and toughness to the character. It’s impossible to not fall for her by the 30 minutes mark.
And like all soundtracks by Nino Rota this one is another classic
One of the greatest films ever made.
10/10
Prince of Darkness
John Carpenter doesn’t make bad films.
8/10
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Bang on. Good review.Nights Of Cabiria
Film directed by federico fellini about a sex worker living in called Maria postwar Rome.
Maria is struggling with wanting to keep the independence she gets from her job with also her desire to experience a relationship that could lead to marriage. While always unsure if this idea of traditional relationships is what she really desires.
The script is done by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Who brings his unique brand of christian Marxism and shows us the class systems of the city. Be it the poor/lumpen(sex workers, pimps, drug dealers), outcast homeless, religious institutions, the upper classes and even travelling magic shows. There’s a brilliant dance scene(One of many) which highlights the reserved Italian upper class compared to more free poor.
Fellini compared cinema to religion and it’s hard to argue with him when him and Aldo Tonti creates such incredible images. The perfect blend of neo realism with spiritual imagery.
Giulietta Masina delivers one of the all time great screen performances. Her comedic moments mirror that of Chaplins Tramp but Giulietta adds both a deep vulnerability and toughness to the character. It’s impossible to not fall for her by the 30 minutes mark.
And like all soundtracks by Nino Rota this one is another classic
One of the greatest films ever made.
10/10
See How They Run (2022)
(Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrian Brody).
If you must watch this, watch it without playing the trailer for it, because they trailer not only gives away a ton of plot but also ruins what were probably several good laughs.
That said, this movie sucked. Sucked what, you ask? Sucked the life out of Sam Rockwell. Rockwell is a mischievous imp of an actor, a screwball who can also elicit emotion. So naturally they cast Rockwell in this and then he proceeds to play his part with a straight-faced mumblecore delivery and sort of an English accent. The most exciting thing he does is drink a pint of beer. You'd expect to see more wild energy and unhinged mayhem from John Gielgud.
The set up is a theater is running a staged version of Agatha Christie's "Mousetrap". The events of SHTR (actually they were telling us it was a shitter of a movie all along and we missed the clue right in front of our noses!) mirror Mousetrap. That's it. That's the whole movie. What should have been madcap and zany, something like "Noises Off!" or even "Murder By Death" is just dull as dishwater.
Saoirse Ronan, by the way, was nominated for 4 Oscars before the age of 20*, she's really really good at acting. So: cast Ronan and have her play a ditzy constable. That's it. There's no twist, where she has pretended to be a dumbshit for half the film and then you find out she's in on the murder. Nope.
Why in feck would this film be written this way or directed this way? It's like when Super Furry Animals ran into Paul McCartney in the recording studio and they had him chew a stalk of celery on a song. Who directed this fecking thing, Ten Hag?
3/10
*it might be a different age, she's only 30 now, but I CBA to look it up
(Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrian Brody).
If you must watch this, watch it without playing the trailer for it, because they trailer not only gives away a ton of plot but also ruins what were probably several good laughs.
That said, this movie sucked. Sucked what, you ask? Sucked the life out of Sam Rockwell. Rockwell is a mischievous imp of an actor, a screwball who can also elicit emotion. So naturally they cast Rockwell in this and then he proceeds to play his part with a straight-faced mumblecore delivery and sort of an English accent. The most exciting thing he does is drink a pint of beer. You'd expect to see more wild energy and unhinged mayhem from John Gielgud.
The set up is a theater is running a staged version of Agatha Christie's "Mousetrap". The events of SHTR (actually they were telling us it was a shitter of a movie all along and we missed the clue right in front of our noses!) mirror Mousetrap. That's it. That's the whole movie. What should have been madcap and zany, something like "Noises Off!" or even "Murder By Death" is just dull as dishwater.
Saoirse Ronan, by the way, was nominated for 4 Oscars before the age of 20*, she's really really good at acting. So: cast Ronan and have her play a ditzy constable. That's it. There's no twist, where she has pretended to be a dumbshit for half the film and then you find out she's in on the murder. Nope.
Why in feck would this film be written this way or directed this way? It's like when Super Furry Animals ran into Paul McCartney in the recording studio and they had him chew a stalk of celery on a song. Who directed this fecking thing, Ten Hag?
3/10
*it might be a different age, she's only 30 now, but I CBA to look it up
Accidentally ended up watching both the @Sweet Square favourites to trash them mercilessly critically evaluate them:
Blue Velvet: 8/10
I'm pretty dumb about movies and art in general, and probably missed a lot, but it was interesting and weird and Dennis Hopper was great.
Atomic Blonde: 5/10
What is the hype, didn't get it at all. Bad guys win as usual.
Also watched:
The purple rose of Cairo: 7/10
Not a typical Woody Allen movie, though Mia Farrow does play The Woody Allen Female Lead Character.
Forgettable, decent movie about the magic of movies.
Hannah and her sisters: 9/10
A more typical Woody Allen film, where Mia Farrow somehow is not playing The Woody Allen Female Lead Character.
Hits a lot of his usuals - unhappy marriages and breakups and finding love and meaning in life, and again, there's a homage to cinema. Like a lot of his movies, it is in retrospect quite creepy, as he
The absolute last scene was a bit too happy ending and really should have been cut.
Reading the wiki, it seems he took this plot from Mia Farrow's real life and family, which she and her family didn't appreciate, and with that in mind there's a lot of meta stuff going on in the movie.
The Graduate: 8.5/10
The first 30 minutes are perfection. The rest is also good.
I'm prejudiced against films before the 70s but this was really creatively shot and edited.
A shock to the system: 6/10
Interesting movie, it's like an American Psycho remake but was released years before that, and doesn't have the edge and madness that A P does.
North by northwest: 6/10
Nothing to say.
Groundhog day: 6/10
Nothing to say, was expecting much more of a comedy and not something so sappy and oversweet.
Blue Velvet: 8/10
I'm pretty dumb about movies and art in general, and probably missed a lot, but it was interesting and weird and Dennis Hopper was great.
Atomic Blonde: 5/10
What is the hype, didn't get it at all. Bad guys win as usual.
Also watched:
The purple rose of Cairo: 7/10
Not a typical Woody Allen movie, though Mia Farrow does play The Woody Allen Female Lead Character.
Forgettable, decent movie about the magic of movies.
Hannah and her sisters: 9/10
A more typical Woody Allen film, where Mia Farrow somehow is not playing The Woody Allen Female Lead Character.
Hits a lot of his usuals - unhappy marriages and breakups and finding love and meaning in life, and again, there's a homage to cinema. Like a lot of his movies, it is in retrospect quite creepy, as he
leaves his marriage with Mia Farrow and marries her relative, though in the movie it's a happy thing for Mia and him and the relative.
Reading the wiki, it seems he took this plot from Mia Farrow's real life and family, which she and her family didn't appreciate, and with that in mind there's a lot of meta stuff going on in the movie.
The Graduate: 8.5/10
The first 30 minutes are perfection. The rest is also good.
I'm prejudiced against films before the 70s but this was really creatively shot and edited.
A shock to the system: 6/10
Interesting movie, it's like an American Psycho remake but was released years before that, and doesn't have the edge and madness that A P does.
North by northwest: 6/10
Nothing to say.
Groundhog day: 6/10
Nothing to say, was expecting much more of a comedy and not something so sappy and oversweet.
Post modernistic critique that doesn't even care about the order of the words. Pure genius.
More seriously, sounds excellent, will add to the list.
Somewhat related, have you watched many of Almodovar's films?
Thanks. I found out about it as Sean Baker said it’s a big influence on his new film Anora.
I expected Nights Of Cabiria to be good but it really blew me away.
Its also soooo Italian. Countless amounts of shouting and hand gesturing.
I’ve only seen two of his short film - The Human Voice and Strange Way Of Life. Both are really great.
Awoken
When nothing can be done for a Fatal Familial Insomnia patient at the hospital, a med student has her brother moved to a secret facility in the basement for alternative treatment. They soon start wondering if he needs medical attention or an exorcism. This did have a few good moments/ideas but overall it was very generic, bad cgi and lots of silly character motivations. Not worth watching 3/10
When nothing can be done for a Fatal Familial Insomnia patient at the hospital, a med student has her brother moved to a secret facility in the basement for alternative treatment. They soon start wondering if he needs medical attention or an exorcism. This did have a few good moments/ideas but overall it was very generic, bad cgi and lots of silly character motivations. Not worth watching 3/10
The Human Voice was excellent - I saw it in this tiny artsy cinema in Madrid (called Sala X - used to be a porn cinema in the 80s, has been converted to an arthouse cinema and big space for drinks and snacks on the bottom floor) and I was happy it was a short as the seats were absolutely awful. One of my worst experiences at the cinema, comfort-wise.
I ask cos I went to an excellent exhibition about Almodovar (specifically linked to the rapport between the city of Madrid and his work) and there's a whole section of his work, mainly his 80s stuff, that sounds like it had a big social dimension that seems interesting and would be right up your alley I think. I'm thinking of: What have I done to deserve this? (1984) and Dark Habits (1983). His first film, Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap (1980) sounds absolutely wild and potentially terrible but is considered to be an important piece of work relating the counter-culture movement at the time in Madrid, la movida madrileña, and some of the scenes were shot in the street where I currently live (I live in an apartment on that street, I don't actually live on the street except the nights my better half kicks me out cos we watched a film that was too strange even for her). In general, his films are so intrinsically linked with Madrid that there'll be a lot of day-to-day stuff shown in them, and that they'll paint a picture of the social canvass of the city.
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Would it boost your score if I mention there’s a Blue Velvet fan edit which includes a 5 minute scene of a dog eating from a bowl ?
It’s funny going back to see some of the original reviews of Blue Velvet. Roger Ebert who was a pretty progressive reviewer hated it because he viewed Lynch directing of Isabella Rossellini as
misogynistic. The same with Mark Kermode who left cinema early because he hated the violence against Dorothy(Kermode later admitted it was a mistake and now loves the film).
I remember the set design and the uses of colours really standing out in The Human Voice.
Almodóvar seems like a great bloke as well. During a recent festival screening for his new film a group of Palestinians protesters interrupted. The crowd was booing yet Almodóvar stopped talking and pretty much gave the microphone over to the protesters. Class act.
Wow that’s sounds amazing. Tbh I had no idea his films are so linked to Madrid. You’ve definitely got me more interested into his work now. Dark Habits looks like something I would love.
It’s the risk we take for the love of the game. I still remember the look of disappointment when I showed someone the Lynch film - What Did Jack Do ? It’s a murder mystery about a love affair between a chicken and monkey.
He's very cool and indeed seems like a really great guy. I also love the fact he and his husband still live in separate flats less than 1km away from each other and consider this to be the reason they're still together.
Yeah his films have always been heavily linked to Madrid, he actually isn't from here (he's from Extremadura) but moved and fell in love with the place. Here's a pic I took at the exhibition showing the proportion set in Madrid in each of his films!
That’s a great answer. I also didn’t know the guy is 75 years old! He looks amazing for it.
Thanks for the picture. So cool to see the breakdown.Yeah his films have always been heavily linked to Madrid, he actually isn't from here (he's from Extremadura) but moved and fell in love with the place. Here's a pic I took at the exhibition showing the proportion set in Madrid in each of his films!
Speak No Evil
Oof. It’s a very solid movie and disconcerting throughout. I kind of enjoyed it. But my god I felt murderous intent towards the kid when she wanted to get a damn teddy bear back. The film felt like Radiohead. I know that it was good. But I don’t like the manner in which it’s good. Great film making. Didn’t enjoy it fully and can’t recommend.
7/10
Oof. It’s a very solid movie and disconcerting throughout. I kind of enjoyed it. But my god I felt murderous intent towards the kid when she wanted to get a damn teddy bear back. The film felt like Radiohead. I know that it was good. But I don’t like the manner in which it’s good. Great film making. Didn’t enjoy it fully and can’t recommend.
7/10
Trap - An utterly ridiculous, proposterous movie, where very little makes sense and is a huge exercise in nepotism.
I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I preferred the original. The ending of the remake was a bit Home Alone. The original is darker and colder.
Macavoy was fantastic in the remake though.
I watched this last night and went into it without having read anything about it.
The first two thirds of the film were really good but I thought the ending was ridiculous and I'm sure there's some artsy metaphor I'm missing which explains it. Genuinely annoyed at how that finished
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
A rare nostalgia sequel that's actually as good if not better than the original. Only slight criticism is that maybe there was one too many subplots crammed in (not sure what the Monica Belluci one really added) but that's a minor niggle and you can tell that the whole cast was having fun with it.
A rare nostalgia sequel that's actually as good if not better than the original. Only slight criticism is that maybe there was one too many subplots crammed in (not sure what the Monica Belluci one really added) but that's a minor niggle and you can tell that the whole cast was having fun with it.
Probably just a case of Burton wanting to keep his Mrs around while he worked.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
I really enjoyed this, probably as much as (if not more) than the original. A bit chaotic with too many narratives and Monica Belluci's character had a lot of setup and no real payoff but it was a really fun film. Nice seeing Michael Keaton back and Tim Burton having fun in this world 7/10
I really enjoyed this, probably as much as (if not more) than the original. A bit chaotic with too many narratives and Monica Belluci's character had a lot of setup and no real payoff but it was a really fun film. Nice seeing Michael Keaton back and Tim Burton having fun in this world 7/10
Ah right. Forgot they were married. That makes a lot of sense now actually.
He's great isn't he. I've got 3 Carpenter film prints on my wall all by Drew Milward...
These are lovelyHe's great isn't he. I've got 3 Carpenter film prints on my wall all by Drew Milward...
Nice.He's great isn't he. I've got 3 Carpenter film prints on my wall all by Drew Milward...
You've just cost me a fortune.He's great isn't he. I've got 3 Carpenter film prints on my wall all by Drew Milward...
No I think it’s an incredibly straight forward film.
That makes Demi Moore's strength and mobility as the old crone even more bizarre. That fight sequence was too much for me
These look incredible.He's great isn't he. I've got 3 Carpenter film prints on my wall all by Drew Milward...
3 classic films and 3 stunning prints, I salute your tasteHe's great isn't he. I've got 3 Carpenter film prints on my wall all by Drew Milward...
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Hell Boy : The Crooked Man
Not actually that bad a film, but my god the CGI is atrocious. Never thought we’d start going backwards on that front. It’s abysmal.
6/10
Not actually that bad a film, but my god the CGI is atrocious. Never thought we’d start going backwards on that front. It’s abysmal.
6/10
He's great isn't he. I've got 3 Carpenter film prints on my wall all by Drew Milward...
Holy shiiiiiiiiit.
The Sleep Experiment
Two detective question a man who ran an experiment which had five men deprived of sleep for 30 days. I think this was based off the Russian Sleep Experiment creepy pasta but they only took a few months to fit their own narrative. I started off enjoying this and looking forward to the mystery being uncovered but the way they fed the audience the full story, character moments and overall mystery was just lazy and boring 4/10
Two detective question a man who ran an experiment which had five men deprived of sleep for 30 days. I think this was based off the Russian Sleep Experiment creepy pasta but they only took a few months to fit their own narrative. I started off enjoying this and looking forward to the mystery being uncovered but the way they fed the audience the full story, character moments and overall mystery was just lazy and boring 4/10
I mean there obviously is subtext. It’s just all the very very obvious subtext for such a surrealist film. Beauty standards, objectification, jealousy, ugly on the inside yadadada. I don’t think this is bad btw, I think it kinda helps the film focus on the important things - sexy bums and big gross tit monsters
Our secondary school put on a movie for each year at the end of term and in our last year they put The Fog on.He's great isn't he. I've got 3 Carpenter film prints on my wall all by Drew Milward...
I don’t know if the teacher who selected it didn’t realise what it was like or knew exactly what he was doing. Scared the sh!t out of me! Great posters, definitely reflects the movie.
Oh shit I totally missed that
I guess the subtext wasn't that obviousI thought she turned into the big gross tit monster because you were only supposed to use the activator fluid once, so it was just some sort of bad chemical reaction.
I mean yeah that is also true. Thats the text. The subtext is that she’s both revealing herself as the monster she is inside, but also finally happy with herself because she no longer has to maintain the perfect beauty standard. Also tits.
Moore’s just been announced in Boots Riley’s new film, so we’re really entering her indie darling Deminaissance phase
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