Just give it all the documentary awards, please. A must watch if you have Netflix.
Yes, I cried too.
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
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Just give it all the documentary awards, please. A must watch if you have Netflix.
Yes, I cried too.
@Dirty Schwein , reading the wikipedia page on Anya Taylor-Joy now, and she's been in a boatload of horror movies I've never seen, but would like to earn my certificate in ATJ Film Studies. Any recommendations, or ranks on the Schwein-o-meter for the following (not all horror):
The Witch
Split
Glass (made $247million on a $9million budget, no wonder they keep shitting out M Night movies)
Thoroughbreds
Marrowbone
The New Mutants
Last Night In Soho
The Northman
Amsterdam
The Menu
The Witch
Split
Glass (made $247million on a $9million budget, no wonder they keep shitting out M Night movies)
Thoroughbreds
Marrowbone
The New Mutants
Last Night In Soho
The Northman
Amsterdam
The Menu
Northman and the Witch would be the 2 i'd recommend from that, both excellent. 2 of the best movies of the last 20+ years. I enjoyed Menu too.
Split was probably one of M Nights better movies. Glass was pretty poor really
New Mutants was watchable but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it, think she has a dodgy russian accent in that one. Last Night in Soho was pretty forgettable, i was barely paying attention to it.
The Witch is top tier. Watch that first.
I enjoyed The Menu, although I had a personal nitpick. I would recommend that one.
Split is a good Shyamalan film.
Glass is dog shit.
Northman is worth watching, makes you want to go gym right afterwards.
Last Night In Soho is ok but feels like a missed opportunity for something amazing. The horror elements ruin it.
New Mutants is awful.
Marrowbone was ok but I don't remember it that much. Might need to watch it again myself.
Haven't seen Thoroughbreds and Amsterdam.
Thanks, fellas. It's helpful to have @caid 's opinion alongside @Dirty Schwein 's because the latter will lead you right up the garden path and you'll find yourself watching some horror film that will scar you for the rest of your life!
I'll give the ones you both liked a watch!
Out of these, I would recommend The Menu and The Witch. The Northman is worth a watch as well .
Split is certainly one of M Nigth's strongest, but it still is Shyamalan. Glass a lot worse. I thoroughly enjoyed Last Night In Soho, but I know it was quite divisive. Marrowbone and Thoroughbreds are both decent movies.
HBO'S Salem's Lot was silly but still very enjoyable vampire movie. Very heavy Stranger Things vibes.
3.5/5
3.5/5
The Northman is God-tier filmmaking.
?? What makes it so?
Woman of the Hour
True story of Rodney Alcala, a serial rapist & murderer who went on a dating TV show and won. Directed/produced by and starring Anna Kendrick, this was a decent thriller about a heinous man.
The performers were excellent and Kendrick showed restraint in portraying the violence, which is good for a common audience.
With that said, some of it felt over-directed, a common pitfall of debutants, it also struggled to capture the true feeling of the 70s because Kendrick looked exactly as she does in something like Pitch Perfect. The film also felt a bit empty, like it was missing something, which wasn't helped by a load of side characters being killed to simply show more horrific crimes of Rodney.
There was a great scene between him and Kendrick though, that was very tense.
Overall, I thought it was decent and will have loads of people googling about the true story 6/10
True story of Rodney Alcala, a serial rapist & murderer who went on a dating TV show and won. Directed/produced by and starring Anna Kendrick, this was a decent thriller about a heinous man.
The performers were excellent and Kendrick showed restraint in portraying the violence, which is good for a common audience.
With that said, some of it felt over-directed, a common pitfall of debutants, it also struggled to capture the true feeling of the 70s because Kendrick looked exactly as she does in something like Pitch Perfect. The film also felt a bit empty, like it was missing something, which wasn't helped by a load of side characters being killed to simply show more horrific crimes of Rodney.
There was a great scene between him and Kendrick though, that was very tense.
Overall, I thought it was decent and will have loads of people googling about the true story 6/10
SALEM”S LOT (2024) bears all the hallmarks of post-production reshoots and tinkering and is very uneven as a result. The usually splendid Alfre Woodard looks like she was on the Jack to deliver some clunky lines.
The Tobe Hooper 1979 TV version is still the best of the three versions. This one is the worst.
The Tobe Hooper 1979 TV version is still the best of the three versions. This one is the worst.
Happy 70th birthday to greatest monster in cinema
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Good question. I didn't even bother finishing it. A massive yawn.
On the jack or had the jack?
What does that mean?
Like most things in life it needed more Björk.
It means VERY different things in the UK (Cockney rhyming slang = alone) and Australia (sexually transmitted disease).
Instant Family. A comedy-drama with Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as a couple who decide to adopt three foster siblings, including a teenager (Isabela Merced). I half expected this wouldn't work (Wahlberg's films are often more hit than miss for me), but this one is pretty sweet and often quite funny, and also appropriate earnest about the foster children and your experiences. 7/10
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile. A kids movie about a singing crocodile that turns out to be living on the attic when a family moves into a New York house. Apparently based on a popular kids book, but I didn't know it. It's really fun. The story is a little lame (even one of my kids asked when it would have its turn), but the film is fun and really quite enjoyable. It also features Javier Bardem as a goofy and sweet magicien, and what more could anyone ask for. 7/10
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile. A kids movie about a singing crocodile that turns out to be living on the attic when a family moves into a New York house. Apparently based on a popular kids book, but I didn't know it. It's really fun. The story is a little lame (even one of my kids asked when it would have its turn), but the film is fun and really quite enjoyable. It also features Javier Bardem as a goofy and sweet magicien, and what more could anyone ask for. 7/10
I know the Aussie one from AC/DC's song.
In terms of pure filmmaking, if you're talking about only the technical aspects, I get it. It's a gorgeous looking film despite being dirty and grimy, with some standout scenes. It lacks a little something to be a masterpiece, in the end it's a rather straightforward adaptation of the Hamlet story, if a little grittier than the usual adaptations. Everyone in it is very good, and Skarsgard in particular delivers an impressive primal, physical performance. It's a very good film.
Drunk
Ballerina
Korean revenge movie on Netflix. A female bodyguard is unable to protect her ballerina friend, who commits suicide after being drugged and sexually assaulted by a gang member who filmed it, and sets out on a mission to get justice.
I tthought it was a bit meh.
It's all a bit forced and far-fetched for me. I don't really understand the motives of anyone in the film. I don't know why the bodyguard and ballerina end up friends. It doesn't seem to be a sexual relationship. I don't understand why the pharmacist who makes drugs for the gang member is so happy to get involved in violence. It might be a much better film if it was 30 minutes longer because the characters' backstories were fleshed out. As it is, it's a 5/10 for me.
Korean revenge movie on Netflix. A female bodyguard is unable to protect her ballerina friend, who commits suicide after being drugged and sexually assaulted by a gang member who filmed it, and sets out on a mission to get justice.
I tthought it was a bit meh.
The bodyguard and ballerina went to school together but hadn't seen each other since. Their reunion seems forced, but montages display a wonderful friendship that blossoms. They lose touch again. Then the ballerina calls the bodyguard out of the blue, the bodyguard goes to the ballerina's apartment and finds her dead in the bath, having slit her wrists.
The ballerina's phone rings, the bodyguard answers it and says nothing, and the gang member on the other end demands that the ballerina meets him at 2am under a motorway bridge. The bodyguard observes him from afar, then tails him, breaking into his house after he leaves. She finds BDSM paraphernalia and flash drives of the abuse he's perpetrated on dozens of drugged girls, including the ballerina.
She then deliberately puts herself in a position to be drugged and abused by him in a seedy hotel that reminded me of Hostel. However, she isn't really drugged and they end up having a fight, where she slashes his face before escaping with one of the girls who is being abused. However, the girl is soon recaptured by the gang member, so the bodyguard goes on the warpath to get her back.
The bodyguard gets tooled up, goes to the gang's drug manufacturing plant, shoots the big boss dead and kills about 30 gang members. She finds the gang member and the girl (who appears dead), there's a gun fight, then the bodyguard flamethrowers him to death.
The ballerina's phone rings, the bodyguard answers it and says nothing, and the gang member on the other end demands that the ballerina meets him at 2am under a motorway bridge. The bodyguard observes him from afar, then tails him, breaking into his house after he leaves. She finds BDSM paraphernalia and flash drives of the abuse he's perpetrated on dozens of drugged girls, including the ballerina.
She then deliberately puts herself in a position to be drugged and abused by him in a seedy hotel that reminded me of Hostel. However, she isn't really drugged and they end up having a fight, where she slashes his face before escaping with one of the girls who is being abused. However, the girl is soon recaptured by the gang member, so the bodyguard goes on the warpath to get her back.
The bodyguard gets tooled up, goes to the gang's drug manufacturing plant, shoots the big boss dead and kills about 30 gang members. She finds the gang member and the girl (who appears dead), there's a gun fight, then the bodyguard flamethrowers him to death.
Fair Play (2023), starring Phoebe Dynevor, Young Han Solo.
Ignore the little teaser scene that plays if you hover over this title on Netflix. This is a psycho-sexual drama, in the style of Closer or Oleanna, or A Streetcar Named Desire, or maybe even Blue Valentine. Phoebe and Young Han Solo work for a hedge fund (? finance ? stock broker ?) and are a hot couple. The opening scene kinda sets the tone, and thank feck I wasn't watching this with my kids.
That scene was kinda rough and out of nowhere. Brace yourself.
The story: a vacancy at the company means someone is getting a promotion to PM (Pokemon Master?). They both think it's going to be Solo, but Phoebe gets the gig. Since it is against company policy to date subordinates or co-workers, they must keep their romance secret. Meanwhile, jealousy, careerism, and more jealousy screw up their relationship. Is she weak? Is he a loser? Will their love survive? Will no one think of the corporate capitalist pigs?
I was unfamiliar with this writer/director, Chloe Domont, who mainly is a TV hired gun director. As the writer of this, she's allowed to get away with some pretty racy/rancid dialogue, that if the writer were male, you'd think it was Joe Eszterhas in disguise. Solo does a good job of eliciting sympathy. There is a jarring scene
The ending is very much a downbeat, now-we're-all-broken ending. I found it to be a pretty interesting movie, even though I definitely sided with one character over the other. I think a stronger script would have left the viewer with a 50/50 opinion on who was wrong and who was right, but they tip their hand a bit too much in this one.
Phoebe Dynevor is a Manchester girl, and only when she is yelling does her accent slip. She does really well except when she's reciting the data that is supposed to make her a wunderkind, she's saying it like she's reading chemical formulas and doesn't know what any of the words mean. Beyond that, she was great. Alden Ehrenreich is very good in this, way better than he was in the Han Solo movie, kind of a young Brando vibe. He burns and rages, and then cools to wounded puppy, and back in the blink of an eye. And that one scene is going to divide audiences.
Not recommended for Family Night or Date Night.
8/10
Ignore the little teaser scene that plays if you hover over this title on Netflix. This is a psycho-sexual drama, in the style of Closer or Oleanna, or A Streetcar Named Desire, or maybe even Blue Valentine. Phoebe and Young Han Solo work for a hedge fund (? finance ? stock broker ?) and are a hot couple. The opening scene kinda sets the tone, and thank feck I wasn't watching this with my kids.
They hook up in a bathroom at a wedding reception, and Solo goes down on her and comes up with blood all over his face, hands, and shirt; she's got blood on her dress, because she's ovulating.
The story: a vacancy at the company means someone is getting a promotion to PM (Pokemon Master?). They both think it's going to be Solo, but Phoebe gets the gig. Since it is against company policy to date subordinates or co-workers, they must keep their romance secret. Meanwhile, jealousy, careerism, and more jealousy screw up their relationship. Is she weak? Is he a loser? Will their love survive? Will no one think of the corporate capitalist pigs?
I was unfamiliar with this writer/director, Chloe Domont, who mainly is a TV hired gun director. As the writer of this, she's allowed to get away with some pretty racy/rancid dialogue, that if the writer were male, you'd think it was Joe Eszterhas in disguise. Solo does a good job of eliciting sympathy. There is a jarring scene
that becomes basically a hate-feck, a bit dirty and violent, and she hits her face on a sink a few times. She accuses him of rape. But was it rape? From her vantage point probably yes but from his vantage point probably no. I'm not going to go back and rewatch it, but I recall they are again doing it in a bathroom, doggie style, and it's loud and he closes his eyes as he races to the finish line and doesn't hear her tell him to stop. He's surprised when she accuses him later.
Phoebe Dynevor is a Manchester girl, and only when she is yelling does her accent slip. She does really well except when she's reciting the data that is supposed to make her a wunderkind, she's saying it like she's reading chemical formulas and doesn't know what any of the words mean. Beyond that, she was great. Alden Ehrenreich is very good in this, way better than he was in the Han Solo movie, kind of a young Brando vibe. He burns and rages, and then cools to wounded puppy, and back in the blink of an eye. And that one scene is going to divide audiences.
Not recommended for Family Night or Date Night.
8/10
This sounds familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. I think I've seen this, but if not, it was remarkably similar. I don't remember there being a ballerina, though!
RiP summed it up pretty well. It's a sumptuous feast for the senses - especially in a cinema.
It looks and sounds good but it also totally vacuous nonsense.
So I saw this yesterday and I'm very surprised it won the Palme d'Or. I'm not sure what else was in the official competition, maybe it was a weak year, but it feels like a weird choice. Let's just get one thing out of the way: it's good film. The performances are all around solid (I don't think there's a single weak performance in it), it feels ultra realistic overall, it tows the line between comedy and frankly uncomfortable situations really well, and while the ending is a little bit strange, it kinda lands it fine. I'd say it's overly long for what it is, there's 20-30mns that could be trimmed here and there, but overall, it's good.
I'm just not sure why it's worthy of the Palme - not that it ultimately matters, but it just doesn't feel like it. It's not particularly cool that the festival can brag about itself being hip, I'm not quite sure it's particularly impactful in terms of social messaging, I don't feel it has that much to say in the grand scheme of things. A big part of it feels a bit "Good Time"y (which is a good film) without quite achieving the level of chaos or anxiety the Safdie brothers' film had, but that was tight and tense whereas this seems to drag on at times.
I dunno, it was good, it was probably just the fact it opens with "Palme d'Or 2024" that raises expectations immediately.
By the way, do you recommend his other films you listed?
Don't really understand it. I don't know how a revenge story based on the Hamlet legend can be "vacuous nonsense". It's fine not liking it though, just seems a really inaccurate way of describing it.
I’m hopefully seeing it this week but I did get the vibe he was awarded the Palme d'Or for his overall career.
Yep. I’m a pretty big Baker fan.
Tangerine - I watch this every year at Christmas. Follows two working class trans sex workers on Christmas Eve. Beautiful film. My favourite of Baker films.
The Florida Project - Probably Baker best work. A mother and daughter story set in the poor outskirts of Disney Land Florida. Reminded me of Ken Loach work(But without the openly socialist politics). Willem Dafoe is in it as well.
Red Rocket - Best Trump 2016 era movie as it’s not about Trump. Broke former porn star meets a 17 year girl. Set in deindustrialise America. Also does the Italian neorealist thing of making the mundane aspects of life and turning into something cinematic.
Takeout - Delivery worker in 2004 having to pay back debts. It’s a very ok film nothing particularly great but I would recommend it because Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou directed it for only $3000. It’s interesting to see how such a low budget film can still be at times cinematic. Plus I love the aesthetics of early 2000’s digital cameras.
Hamlet, like most Shakespeare is terribly melodramatically plotted, but we love it for the language and delivery more than anything. Hamlet in particular is a ludicrous plot (although his best play, Romeo and Juliet, also had a very silly end).
Important bloke is murdered by his brother who then marries the widow. Son of the dead bloke seeks revenge but is so clueless and mentally ill that he bungles the whole thing, leading to many deaths including his own and his mother's. The end.
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Watched Heretic with Hugh Grant last night (not literally). I went into this with high hopes as the early reviews had been so positive and whilst I did enjoy it at times I felt like I was watching one of Ricky Gervais's stand up sets. Where it differs is that there are some genuine laughs in this but it's very talky and very short on scares and thrills. I kind of enjoyed the tense first half more despite it being the talkier bit and felt like the pay off when shit got real in the second half was a little lacking. Probably a 6/7 out of 10 for me.
I also watched this now, but I didn't see as much quality in it. There is some very stylish stuff in there (including how violence a few times suddenly erupts and immediately ends again), good performances, and the story works well, but I failed to see the narrative depth or character development that people appear to see in there. It seemed fairly straightforward to me, and I thought the ending was quite disappointing.
With that, I mostly mean the very last scene. The bit in Philadelphia was a little plain as well, but it fits the earlier bits where Tom/Joey summarily deals with any of this kind of challenges that he comes across. But at the kitchen table - my interpretation is that the implication is that they are now on their way back, to an eventual end state where things are good again within the family. But if so, what has changed, what has anyone learned? What's the difference with if the gangsters had never found Tom/Joey?
To be clear, I was kinda happy that it ended well. There's enough crap going on, I don't need made-up stories in movies to be depressing as well if there's no strong point to it. But I had expected more given the high praise the movie got. In the end, the whole good is a sort of dark feelgood story.
To be clear, I was kinda happy that it ended well. There's enough crap going on, I don't need made-up stories in movies to be depressing as well if there's no strong point to it. But I had expected more given the high praise the movie got. In the end, the whole good is a sort of dark feelgood story.
Not much difference between a 6 and 7 out of 10, so I’d say our opinions are close enough
I also watched with lower expectations as it was a move I knew I wanted to watch but had forgotten how much the critics loved it. For what it’s worth the ending didn’t quite land for me either. Although I did thoroughly enjoy the Philly reunion.But I feel like your description sounds more like and 8 and mine more like a 5. But then those scores aren't very interesting anyway.Not much difference between a 6 and 7 out of 10, so I’d say our opinions are close enough
RIP
Apocalypse Z
A Spanish zombie thriller, based on a successful book trilogy. I don't think it adds anything new to the genre, except that our hero uses a harpoon to kill zombies. It's ok. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's worth a watch if you need a zombie fix.
6/10
A Spanish zombie thriller, based on a successful book trilogy. I don't think it adds anything new to the genre, except that our hero uses a harpoon to kill zombies. It's ok. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's worth a watch if you need a zombie fix.
6/10
Office Black Belt. A South Korean action comedy about a freewheeling young dude who's great at martial arts and kinda accidentally rolls into a job as a parole officer. After a couple of small situations, he gets assigned to a big case alongside his mentor that's not as easy to resolve.
It's very lightweight, but it's good fun. There's a good chunk nearer the end where the film is quite gritty and dramatic for a stretch, which is a little odd tonally; but it works overall, and it's good that the subject matter in question isn't treated with just more laughs. Nothing special, but good enough. 6/10
It's very lightweight, but it's good fun. There's a good chunk nearer the end where the film is quite gritty and dramatic for a stretch, which is a little odd tonally; but it works overall, and it's good that the subject matter in question isn't treated with just more laughs. Nothing special, but good enough. 6/10
Is it related to the same material as World War Z?
No. But the same basic premise as every other zombie apocalypse story.
It's What's Inside
A group of friends gather for a pre-wedding party that descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend arrives with a mysterious game that awakens long-hidden secrets, desires and grudges. A decent cast of relatively unknown actors, fun mystery and a real visual calling card for a first time director. Think there are some missed opportunities in the narrative but regardless, it was a fun watch if you don't take it too seriously. Strange how Netflix spent so much to acquire this at Sundance and then did nothing with it. Worth seeking out 7.5/10
A group of friends gather for a pre-wedding party that descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend arrives with a mysterious game that awakens long-hidden secrets, desires and grudges. A decent cast of relatively unknown actors, fun mystery and a real visual calling card for a first time director. Think there are some missed opportunities in the narrative but regardless, it was a fun watch if you don't take it too seriously. Strange how Netflix spent so much to acquire this at Sundance and then did nothing with it. Worth seeking out 7.5/10
Civil War (2024)
This has to be one of the dumbest movies I have seen in a long time. In terms of plot and character development, it has little to nothing going for it. First of all, the central objective of the protagonists is to get an interview and a picture of the president, before the rebels wins the war. Ok, but why are we supposed to care about that? Feck knows. The movie also doesn't really have anything of value to say. We get very poor character introduction, to the point where it's hard to care about any of them, and in general there is not enough exposition about the overall situation for my liking. For instance, the "Western Forces" seem to be both a super professional army with fighter jets, and also men with rifles and Hawaii shirts. But why?
This is a bad movie masquerading as artsy, because it uses silence, black and white stills, and unconventional music. What a load of shite. A few points for decent cinematography and acting, but that's about it. 3/10.
This has to be one of the dumbest movies I have seen in a long time. In terms of plot and character development, it has little to nothing going for it. First of all, the central objective of the protagonists is to get an interview and a picture of the president, before the rebels wins the war. Ok, but why are we supposed to care about that? Feck knows. The movie also doesn't really have anything of value to say. We get very poor character introduction, to the point where it's hard to care about any of them, and in general there is not enough exposition about the overall situation for my liking. For instance, the "Western Forces" seem to be both a super professional army with fighter jets, and also men with rifles and Hawaii shirts. But why?
- The character arc of the protagonist is nonsense. She goes from this badass, seen-it-all war photographer into panic mode in the final sequence, which she then snaps out of immediately without explanation. I get what they were trying to do with her warming to the younger version of herself and taking her under the wing, but then she is killed when her new protege exposes herself needlessly to get a picture of an empty hallway.
- We get introduced to two new characters midway through the movie, who are then killed almost instantly in what is supposed to be really tense and emotional. But we've known these people for five minutes, so it doesn't hit home at all.
- In the final sequence Washington is invaded by a literal army of rebels, but in the end it's five soldiers and three journalists that enter the White House to get the president. Give me a break.
- When the movie ends with Joe getting his quote and Jessie getting the picture, what are we supposed to feel? It seems like it is partly triumphant because the supposed dictator is dead, but it's not really made clear.
- Casting Nick Offerman for 2 minutes of screentime was criminal. I was really hoping we'd get to see what it was all about in the end, but I guess not.
- We get introduced to two new characters midway through the movie, who are then killed almost instantly in what is supposed to be really tense and emotional. But we've known these people for five minutes, so it doesn't hit home at all.
- In the final sequence Washington is invaded by a literal army of rebels, but in the end it's five soldiers and three journalists that enter the White House to get the president. Give me a break.
- When the movie ends with Joe getting his quote and Jessie getting the picture, what are we supposed to feel? It seems like it is partly triumphant because the supposed dictator is dead, but it's not really made clear.
- Casting Nick Offerman for 2 minutes of screentime was criminal. I was really hoping we'd get to see what it was all about in the end, but I guess not.
This is a bad movie masquerading as artsy, because it uses silence, black and white stills, and unconventional music. What a load of shite. A few points for decent cinematography and acting, but that's about it. 3/10.