Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Impetigore
A toll booth operator travels to her ancestral village in hopes of claiming an inheritance - until she discovers the unsettling truth about her past. Indonesian horror movie with a decent story and the location felt like a character in itself, something I usually enjoy. Looking at who directed it, I expected a lot of gore but it was a far more retrained than I expected. Whilst I mainly enjoyed the film, it didn't really do anything new and towards the end, I was kinda flagging as the film was running out of steam 6/10

It's A Wonderful Knife

After saving her town from a psychotic killer, Winnie Carruthers' life is less than wonderful. When she wishes she'd never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe where without her, things could be much, much worse. Pointless Xmas horror flick in the vein of It's A Wonderful Life. Generic and boring, I've already forgotten the film and only watched it recently. The killer had a decent design though and some brutal kills but ultimately it was very forgettable 2/10

Grave Torture

Two children have their parents killed in a suicide bomber's attack, the culprit claimed he had personally heard the screams from grave torture, which is something present in the religion of Islam. Now older, the two orphan's try to prove that grave torture is a made up myth. Interesting story/premise that really had me hooked and the opening act was very powerful, which decent character building but from about the start of the final third, it just turns stupid and they add in random supernatural scenes, jump scares that dont work and the story itself veers off track. It lands the ending though so it feels like such a shame that the 30 or so minutes preceding it are so filler, could have been a horror classic 7/10

Out Come the Wolves

At a cabin deep in the wilderness, a weekend of hunting turns to mayhem and a fight for survival when a pack of wolves attack a man, his female best friend and her fiance. The first act was done quite well, establishing the tense relationship between the 3 characters but once they go to the forrest, it becomes pretty boring fairly quickly 4/10

Lake Bodom

Based on the true story of the Lake Bodom murders in the 1960s, a group of teens go there to re-enact the murders but soon realise that they are in danger from the same killer. Firstly, have to say that this was shot really well. There were enough twists and turns to keep this movie interesting but the final act felt quite generic and the film loses steam by the end. Still, not the worst slasher I've seen 6/10
 
Impetigore
A toll booth operator travels to her ancestral village in hopes of claiming an inheritance - until she discovers the unsettling truth about her past. Indonesian horror movie with a decent story and the location felt like a character in itself, something I usually enjoy. Looking at who directed it, I expected a lot of gore but it was a far more retrained than I expected. Whilst I mainly enjoyed the film, it didn't really do anything new and towards the end, I was kinda flagging as the film was running out of steam 6/10

It's A Wonderful Knife

After saving her town from a psychotic killer, Winnie Carruthers' life is less than wonderful. When she wishes she'd never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe where without her, things could be much, much worse. Pointless Xmas horror flick in the vein of It's A Wonderful Life. Generic and boring, I've already forgotten the film and only watched it recently. The killer had a decent design though and some brutal kills but ultimately it was very forgettable 2/10

Grave Torture

Two children have their parents killed in a suicide bomber's attack, the culprit claimed he had personally heard the screams from grave torture, which is something present in the religion of Islam. Now older, the two orphan's try to prove that grave torture is a made up myth. Interesting story/premise that really had me hooked and the opening act was very powerful, which decent character building but from about the start of the final third, it just turns stupid and they add in random supernatural scenes, jump scares that dont work and the story itself veers off track. It lands the ending though so it feels like such a shame that the 30 or so minutes preceding it are so filler, could have been a horror classic 7/10

Out Come the Wolves

At a cabin deep in the wilderness, a weekend of hunting turns to mayhem and a fight for survival when a pack of wolves attack a man, his female best friend and her fiance. The first act was done quite well, establishing the tense relationship between the 3 characters but once they go to the forrest, it becomes pretty boring fairly quickly 4/10

Lake Bodom

Based on the true story of the Lake Bodom murders in the 1960s, a group of teens go there to re-enact the murders but soon realise that they are in danger from the same killer. Firstly, have to say that this was shot really well. There were enough twists and turns to keep this movie interesting but the final act felt quite generic and the film loses steam by the end. Still, not the worst slasher I've seen 6/10
You've been busy!

Couple of questions:
1.) what is "grave torture"? Don't make me google this shit. I'm already on enough watch lists.
2.) what is going on with Indonesian cinema and Indo horror in particular? Sounds like they are trying to push the envelope, but where are they in their development?
3.) are the wolves the good guys in the 4th film, above?
 
I haven't heard of them either, but I thought Get Out was a terrific movie.
It was page after page of diatribes, rejoinders, sneak attacks with innuendo, double entendres, calumnies, insinuations, accusations, grandstanding, showboating, spirited defenses of indefensible actions, you name it. We were all scarred by the experience.
 
It was page after page of diatribes, rejoinders, sneak attacks with innuendo, double entendres, calumnies, insinuations, accusations, grandstanding, showboating, spirited defenses of indefensible actions, you name it. We were all scarred by the experience.
It was pretty great alright
 
You've been busy!

Couple of questions:
1.) what is "grave torture"? Don't make me google this shit. I'm already on enough watch lists.
2.) what is going on with Indonesian cinema and Indo horror in particular? Sounds like they are trying to push the envelope, but where are they in their development?
3.) are the wolves the good guys in the 4th film, above?
My wife's recently returned from abroad and has major jetlag so I'm free to watch movies from 10pm, so been sneaking in 2 per night!

1. Grave torture is the thought that sinners will be crushed inside their graves and their soul will feel the pain. Something along those lines. This movie is on Netflix so worth a watch if you fancy a different kinda horror film.

2. Indonesian cinema is doing ok, especially thanks to The Raid films (although they're directed by a Welsh dude). Their main export seems to be horror and they stand out to neighbouring countries due to the higher production values. Joko Anwar seems to be at the forefront of their horror movement but they're gonna struggle to reach reach mainstream appeal until they firstly make them less rooted in Islam (as many of the Western audiences will struggle with a lot of the cultural nuances) and also they (especially Joko) needs to learn how to structure a scare sequence. His films are generally good until he introduces the supernatural/scare moments and they feel very basic and early 2000s. With that said, many are popping up on Shudder these days so that's a good sign.

3. Nah the wolves are cnuts.
 
It was page after page of diatribes, rejoinders, sneak attacks with innuendo, double entendres, calumnies, insinuations, accusations, grandstanding, showboating, spirited defenses of indefensible actions, you name it. We were all scarred by the experience.
Debates, discussions - these are words with a D this time! Dialogue, duologue, diatribe, dissention, declamation, double-talk: it's all talk.
 
It was page after page of diatribes, rejoinders, sneak attacks with innuendo, double entendres, calumnies, insinuations, accusations, grandstanding, showboating, spirited defenses of indefensible actions, you name it. We were all scarred by the experience.
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Impetigore
A toll booth operator travels to her ancestral village in hopes of claiming an inheritance - until she discovers the unsettling truth about her past. Indonesian horror movie with a decent story and the location felt like a character in itself, something I usually enjoy. Looking at who directed it, I expected a lot of gore but it was a far more retrained than I expected. Whilst I mainly enjoyed the film, it didn't really do anything new and towards the end, I was kinda flagging as the film was running out of steam 6/10

It's A Wonderful Knife

After saving her town from a psychotic killer, Winnie Carruthers' life is less than wonderful. When she wishes she'd never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe where without her, things could be much, much worse. Pointless Xmas horror flick in the vein of It's A Wonderful Life. Generic and boring, I've already forgotten the film and only watched it recently. The killer had a decent design though and some brutal kills but ultimately it was very forgettable 2/10

Grave Torture

Two children have their parents killed in a suicide bomber's attack, the culprit claimed he had personally heard the screams from grave torture, which is something present in the religion of Islam. Now older, the two orphan's try to prove that grave torture is a made up myth. Interesting story/premise that really had me hooked and the opening act was very powerful, which decent character building but from about the start of the final third, it just turns stupid and they add in random supernatural scenes, jump scares that dont work and the story itself veers off track. It lands the ending though so it feels like such a shame that the 30 or so minutes preceding it are so filler, could have been a horror classic 7/10

Out Come the Wolves

At a cabin deep in the wilderness, a weekend of hunting turns to mayhem and a fight for survival when a pack of wolves attack a man, his female best friend and her fiance. The first act was done quite well, establishing the tense relationship between the 3 characters but once they go to the forrest, it becomes pretty boring fairly quickly 4/10

Lake Bodom

Based on the true story of the Lake Bodom murders in the 1960s, a group of teens go there to re-enact the murders but soon realise that they are in danger from the same killer. Firstly, have to say that this was shot really well. There were enough twists and turns to keep this movie interesting but the final act felt quite generic and the film loses steam by the end. Still, not the worst slasher I've seen 6/10
mmm they sound interesting watches, I will add them to my ever growing watch list
 
I watched a few things over the holidays and hopefully I'll remember most of them, but I had high expectations for Nosferatu and I have to say I was slightly underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, it's a great film - it's brilliantly put together, Eggers truly has a great eye, the acting is great, the score does a good job, and some of the shots are beautiful, but having seen pretty much every adaptation of Dracula, and the 1922 version of Nosferatu being one of my first mind-blowing experiences watching old films, I lacked to see anything new or fresh about this one. Eggers clearly loves Murnau's film and it's a nice hommage, but as much as I enjoyed it (even though I felt it was a bit dragged out, it's not a story that requires 2h), it absolutely didn't leave a lasting impression like his other films did.

I guess if it was my first foray into adaptations of Stoker's work, or at the very least if I hadn't seen the original Nosferatu, I'd feel differently about it.
 
I watched a few things over the holidays and hopefully I'll remember most of them, but I had high expectations for Nosferatu and I have to say I was slightly underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, it's a great film - it's brilliantly put together, Eggers truly has a great eye, the acting is great, the score does a good job, and some of the shots are beautiful, but having seen pretty much every adaptation of Dracula, and the 1922 version of Nosferatu being one of my first mind-blowing experiences watching old films, I lacked to see anything new or fresh about this one. Eggers clearly loves Murnau's film and it's a nice hommage, but as much as I enjoyed it (even though I felt it was a bit dragged out, it's not a story that requires 2h), it absolutely didn't leave a lasting impression like his other films did.
Good review of the film here https://www.theringer.com/2024/12/23/movies/nosferatu-movie-review-robert-eggers
Nosfera-2.0 is richly conceived and executed, but there’s a nagging feeling of nothingness at its center. In the absence of any genuinely radical revisionism or consistent heart-in-throat scares, what is Eggers’s movie accomplishing besides being accomplished?
 
That's a great read, thanks. It cristalises well why I didn't really get into it, and the phrase "nagging feeling of nothingness" definitely applies - which I was surprised with, because it's not something I'd have levelled at any of Eggers's previous film. I also liked the snippet
his style is too lucid to be truly dreamy
which rings very true.

Have you seen it?
 
That's a great read, thanks. It cristalises well why I didn't really get into it, and the phrase "nagging feeling of nothingness" definitely applies - which I was surprised with, because it's not something I'd have levelled at any of Eggers's previous film. I also liked the snippet

which rings very true.
The review is very good and could use for a lot of modern directors(Oz Perkins fits this description Imo). Maybe it’s jealousy of never going to film school but I do think it’s possible for a film maker to be over educated. There’s truth in the Herzog quote
Academia is the death of cinema. It is the very opposite of passion. Film is not the art of scholars, but of illiterates.
Directors can be stuck in an endless loop of cinema references rather than attempting to say anything. Style over substance can produce great works of art cough Miami Vice cough but it requires a unique style and not just copying/reproducing how Kubrick filmed candles 40 years ago.
Have you seen it?
Unfortunately I haven’t yet. Tbh my cinema funds are taking a hit this month. At the end of January I’m hopefully seeing The Brutalist and then Werner Herzog version of Nosferatu(Seen it many times but never on the big screen).

Also I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Northman. A bit like the Nosferatu review I saw it as a solid film but overall unremarkable. Still I don’t want to write off Eggers yet as he does seem to care which is rare these days. Also I’ve read Eggers film doesn’t feature the brilliant scene of Nosferatu running around carrying with his own coffin!
 
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Unfortunately I haven’t yet. Tbh my cinema funds are taking a hit this month. At the end of January I’m hopefully seeing The Brutalist and then Werner Herzog version of Nosferatu(Seen it many times but never on the big screen).

Also I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Northman. A bit like the Nosferatu review I saw it as a solid film but overall unremarkable. Still I don’t want to write off Eggers yet as he does seem to care which is rare these days.
Yeah I really can't wait for The Brutalist, super excited for that. I watched Funny Games US recently and it was a bit of a mindfeck that one of the two bad guys is the director of this. Also Michael Pitt hasn't been doing much recently has he?

I didn't know Herzog had done a Nosferatu!! I thought I'd seen most adaptations, but that's nice to learn. I'll try to give it a watch sometime, though maybe not immediately.

I liked the Northman, I thought it had some of the humour that makes Eggers's stuff great beneath the polished and ultra serious stuff, and it looked great. But The Lighthouse and The Witch are my favourites by him.
 
Yeah I really can't wait for The Brutalist, super excited for that. I watched Funny Games US recently and it was a bit of a mindfeck that one of the two bad guys is the director of this. Also Michael Pitt hasn't been doing much recently has he?

I didn't know Herzog had done a Nosferatu!! I thought I'd seen most adaptations, but that's nice to learn. I'll try to give it a watch sometime, though maybe not immediately.

I liked the Northman, I thought it had some of the humour that makes Eggers's stuff great beneath the polished and ultra serious stuff, and it looked great. But The Lighthouse and The Witch are my favourites by him.

I thought it lagged way too long, was boring and I fell asleep so you'll probably love it.
 
Yeah I really can't wait for The Brutalist, super excited for that. I watched Funny Games US recently and it was a bit of a mindfeck that one of the two bad guys is the director of this. Also Michael Pitt hasn't been doing much recently has he?
I heard the Brutalist does contain scenes about actual planning permission and social effects of architecture which for a nerd like me is the biggest selling point!

Oh I didn’t know about Funny Games US. I haven’t seen any of Brady Corbet work as a director.

Last thing I saw Michael Pitt in was the American Remake of Ghost In The Shell. Terrible movie but some of the best sci fi set design since the original blade runner imo.
I didn't know Herzog had done a Nosferatu!! I thought I'd seen most adaptations, but that's nice to learn. I'll try to give it a watch sometime, though maybe not immediately.
I’m massively bias towards anything Herzog but it’s pretty brilliant.

Klaus Kinski as Nosferatu is pure bliss. He brings that very unique terrifying energy while both Isabelle Adjani and Bruno Ganz put in great performances.

Herzog has humanising static shots of gypsies and local peasantry while in the city its dreamy scenes of left behind middle classes dancing like junkies in an abandoned Dutch city. Plus the soundtrack is done by Popol.

Eggers has said in interviews he is certain and hopes Herzog would hate his take on Nosferatu which tbh is kind of great.

I liked the Northman, I thought it had some of the humour that makes Eggers's stuff great beneath the polished and ultra serious stuff, and it looked great. But The Lighthouse and The Witch are my favourites by him.
I maybe went in expecting too much but it never surprised me. I found it a little predictable which is shouldn’t be the case when a film has Bjork playing a Viking god.

Still not a bad film by any means. Agree with you on the other two films.
 
Nosferatu
On a technical level, this is nearly a 10/10. Some of the visuals, the camera movement, sound design, set design, costume design... All of it was near perfection. This has to be witnessed in a cinema.

Narratively, this film leaves a lot to be desired. After a very strong opening scene and very enjoyable/atmospheric first half, the film just drags for the second half, which makes sense as you look beyond the technical and realise that the story is empty, the dialogue at times makes your eyes roll and the villain looks like a burnt up Dr. Eggman from the Sonic series.

I really wanted to love this but I feel it's Eggers' worst film so far. Not that I hated it, it just won't last in my memory as his other films tend to do 6.5/10