Season 1 of The Exorcist was very good.
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
- Thread starter golden_blunder
- Start date
Oh yes seen that, it was excellent.
The first hour of Nosferatu was great. No idea what the feck they were at after that. Eggers worst film for me. Also Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a shit actor and I can’t comprehend why he keeps getting major roles.
It Follows (2014)
Next in line was It Follows, which unfortunately turned out to be a bit of a letdown for me. It leans much more into classic horror tropes of the 70's and 80's where the people being chased are young, and the cause of the problem is sexual promiscuity (although it does take that formula and plays with it a bit). Perhaps it's just a matter of taste, but that seems a little played out, and when it literally comes down to who gets to have sex with who to beat the entity, I was almost rolling my eyes. As for the horror itself it never really scared me too much. There are some creepy/unsettling scenes and situations for sure, but ultimately the entity just seems mechanically fairly easy to beat (or avoid at least). Towards the end it even felt like an episode of Stranger Things for a little while.
I will give the movie credit for the cinematography. There are some really clever shots and usage of a moving camera that adds a lot to the paranoia of the situation. And as with other clever horror films, the combination of the plot and shot selection constantly has you scanning the screen, which I really like. Maika Monroe is good as the lead, but beyond her the acting performances are pretty unremarkable.
I don't know, it seems like the premise was wasted a bit. I think more could have been done with the paranoia and uncertainty involved in the ordeal. Maybe this is just made for a younger audience.
5/10. The weakest of my horror binge so far.
Next in line was It Follows, which unfortunately turned out to be a bit of a letdown for me. It leans much more into classic horror tropes of the 70's and 80's where the people being chased are young, and the cause of the problem is sexual promiscuity (although it does take that formula and plays with it a bit). Perhaps it's just a matter of taste, but that seems a little played out, and when it literally comes down to who gets to have sex with who to beat the entity, I was almost rolling my eyes. As for the horror itself it never really scared me too much. There are some creepy/unsettling scenes and situations for sure, but ultimately the entity just seems mechanically fairly easy to beat (or avoid at least). Towards the end it even felt like an episode of Stranger Things for a little while.
I will give the movie credit for the cinematography. There are some really clever shots and usage of a moving camera that adds a lot to the paranoia of the situation. And as with other clever horror films, the combination of the plot and shot selection constantly has you scanning the screen, which I really like. Maika Monroe is good as the lead, but beyond her the acting performances are pretty unremarkable.
I don't know, it seems like the premise was wasted a bit. I think more could have been done with the paranoia and uncertainty involved in the ordeal. Maybe this is just made for a younger audience.
5/10. The weakest of my horror binge so far.
When it ended with Tubular Bells...
They can be funny. They can be clever. They can be an abstraction of fears or stresses that most people are familiar with. They can be a commentary on the time they were created. They can be a cheap thrill. They can be satire. They can be so bad they're good (cause they're cheap, so any random amateur can throw something resembling a film together). They can be surreal. They can be interesting for thousands of reasons.
You asked.
For golden era of tv horror i think the twilight zone and the early 60's deserves a shout.
You've gone and made @Dirty Schwein cry. I hope you're happy with yourself!
I think there are visceral thrills and there are mental juxtapositions that are in many horror films instead of outright scariness. There are also tales of comeuppance that work in horror, sort of delaying the gratification of revenge. Fun and suspenseful, but not scary. I like weird and creepy, and mysterious powers, and fighting against impossible odds.
It's hard for horror films to be scary unless they tap into your own private fears, like all the Catholic church demonic possession stuff. Like DS was saying earlier about the Grave Pain Islamic stuff, I'm sure for them that's scary but it isn't if that's not part of your tradition. I don't care for gore anymore, and I've never been a fan of slashers.
I agree. Probably why I never watch horror anymore as nothing supernatural scares me (knowing it is nonsense) and slasher/gore films are boring and pointless.
what do you enjoy in life, wibble?
I quite enjoy fantasy and fiction and will probably just buy into a premise fairly easily.
Agree on most slasher / gore films, i feel like theres probably a handful of redeeming films but they're the exception to the terrible rule. I'd probably mention something like Braindead for gore, where its stupid and not that plausible, as compared with Hostel or the like.
An amazing array of things but films are rarely one of those things these days. However, the worst are superheros and horror, which started meh and just got worse and worse to the point of unwatchability. TV is generally far better in that you can usually find something to watch that you don't regret watching.
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A number of others genres can have elements of horror e.g. sci-fi, dystopian type films, sci-fi, zombies etc that can still work but the pure supernatural and gore/slasher stuff bores me senseless.
I agree on superhero movies. I used to be the same about horror films. but they are a lot of fun. especially now since there is a good mix of squeamish jump scare-type movies combined with eerie atmospheric vibe types. you’d be surprised how not so terrible quite a few of them are.
Anora (2024).
Written, Produced, Edited, and Directed by Sean Baker.
Just finished this a few minutes ago, full report later, but Baker is the real deal. This movie is really well made, Mikey Madison is fantastic and I’d be happy if she wins the Oscar. It reminds me of something like a Technicolor version of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, something Cassavettes would do (more the 2nd half of the film). Gonna think on this, but it’s very good. Lots of nudity/sex scenes, so brace yourself.
Update: I know there was some discussion here regarding an essay about the veracity of sex workers’ lives,?or something to that effect, and I read the first paragraph and it was enough.
Anora is not a documentary. It’s not even peeling the lid back on the seedy lives of strippers. The entire story is told in the trailer so I’m not sure it can be spoiled
It’s two hedonists drinking and whizzing and boinking, a paean to youthful exuberance. There isn’t much story, the dialogue feels real, scenes have a lot of wide coverage so the actors interact more and it has a more European vibe.
It doesn’t moralize, it doesn’t tell you how you’re supposed to feel, it doesn’t paint the strippers as victims. The ending allows for some thought.
It’s shot really well, many scenes use an excess of color, deep focus, good angles but not cutty enough to distract. I was actually a little surprised how technically good it was.
8/10
Written, Produced, Edited, and Directed by Sean Baker.
Just finished this a few minutes ago, full report later, but Baker is the real deal. This movie is really well made, Mikey Madison is fantastic and I’d be happy if she wins the Oscar. It reminds me of something like a Technicolor version of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, something Cassavettes would do (more the 2nd half of the film). Gonna think on this, but it’s very good. Lots of nudity/sex scenes, so brace yourself.
Update: I know there was some discussion here regarding an essay about the veracity of sex workers’ lives,?or something to that effect, and I read the first paragraph and it was enough.
Anora is not a documentary. It’s not even peeling the lid back on the seedy lives of strippers. The entire story is told in the trailer so I’m not sure it can be spoiled
stripper meets Russian party boy, she then bangs him for money outside the club, he asks her to be his girlfriend for the week (for money) and they end up getting married.
It doesn’t moralize, it doesn’t tell you how you’re supposed to feel, it doesn’t paint the strippers as victims. The ending allows for some thought.
It’s shot really well, many scenes use an excess of color, deep focus, good angles but not cutty enough to distract. I was actually a little surprised how technically good it was.
8/10
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florida project >> anora
Yeah I see your point, but not all horror has to be scary to be good, there is plenty of implied horror films, The Babadook , The Witch , or The Others, Final Destination , Woman in Black for example, they are more what you don't see than you do.
Horror can also be funny, Evil Dead is the best example, but I am not a huge fan of comic horror.
I agree, I would also add Tales of the Unexpected and from late 70s early 80,s , I remember a series called armchair Thriller , excellent at the time.
Is it really? I haven’t seen that one yet. I started it but wasn’t in the zone, so stopped.
Not my intention, and not my fault if people like dumb movies
But seriously, I think it has a lot going on in terms of style and themes, but the horror was pretty mediocre and somewhat formulaic, in my opinion.
Bump: Finally watched this last night. My wife found it tough going, wanted something lighter. I'm glad I watched it but it was heavy going a lot of the time. The subject matter is difficult I suppose for most Irish people to watch. The end was interesting too as I thought it'd carry on through the Beal na Blath incident.
Hard to watch the black & tans and that English landlord without the emotions taking over, for me anyway. Felt similar when watching "In the Name of the Father" years ago.
Apparently it’s the most meticulously researched and historically accurate film ever made about that period.
Imo it’s probably Baker best film although it’s very different to Anora. Florida Project is more neorealist where I found Anora to be like a long Seinfeld episode.
Also Anora is somewhat similar(The stress/and element)to an old Baker film called Take Out
A very 7/10 type indie film but was a interesting watch. It’s also up on YouTube for free.
The bit about Sir John being kidnapped and brought up to the hills was on a Documentary on One on RTE radio a few years back but I can't recall what part of the country it actually happened. I'll have to check if that was a common occurrence.
3 horror-adjacent films that were really good, may work for you:
Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil
Cabin In The Woods
Cemetery Man.
The first is more or less a deconstruction of the backwoods hillbillies terrorizing sexy college kids. In this, the titular friends (southern stereotypes) go out to their new cabin for a weekend of fishing. Some vacationing college kids see them and think they must be evil, and overreact - each time accidentally maiming or killing themselves, while T & D are trying to figure out what is wrong with theee college kids.
The second is more of a sci fi with monsters, but the premise is really good. Played straight and with a pretty interesting twist.
The third is an Italian romantic meditation on life focused on a guy (Rupert Everett) who works in a cemetery. For unknown reasons, the dead come back to life a few days after being buried so he has to kill them again and bury them. He smokes cigarettes coolly and goes about his business until he meets Emmanuel Beart. It’s kind of a comedy, just works really well.
Thanks, will watch.
In Anora when
Vanya runs off
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Absolutely brilliant for kid under 10, pretty terrible for everyone else.
Absolutely brilliant for kid under 10, pretty terrible for everyone else.
True. After Hours is a good example(Although oddly one of the few Scorsese films that hasn’t clicked with me).
It reminded me of Senifeld as after
Vanya runs off its becomes group of selfish idiots looking for even bigger idiot.While causing chaos to everyone else
Imo Anora works far better as a comedy than a drama.
I'd agree. I do like that they kept it grounded and it wasn't some Pretty Woman-esque abomination where we do a kiss then slow dissolve to black. The ending is good food for thought. I thought it really made the film work. Sort of like how at the end of Past Lives that one scene really just seals the deal.
I have to go watch the other Sean Baker things.
First weekend of the local film festival done.
I saw A Complete Unknown first. I have never been a big fan of Dylan's music, although I guess I have never given him a proper chance digging deeper into his music. I did enjoy the music in this film quite a bit, and all the performances I thought were well done. Chalamet was great as far as I am concerned, sure at times it came off a bit like an impression but overall I thought he really embodied Dylan (at least as far as someone with little knowledge of Dylan would think of him). The movie itself was an interesting insight into the first few years of Dylan's career, although I do think it dragged on a bit (could probably have cut out one or two performances) as I think it was a bit much of the same in the end. Anyway, certainly worth a watch and I'd have no issue with Chalamet winning an Oscar for this. 7/10
I then saw Presence. I was quite stoked for some reason. It had a great premise I thought, and it certainly had some qualities in terms of the filmmaking (the camera work in particular). The script lacked though. I can overlook a lot of issues in movies, but I always struggle with movies where character talks in a way that I just think no one would. Some scenes in this movie had that issue, and it just takes me out of it. Some of the subplots just got left as well, which was a bit odd. The last 15 minutes or so were quite effective though. 4.5/10
Today I first watched Bird. Never seen a film by Andrea Arnold before, I didn't get around to see Fish Tank when that was new and then I never really knew what more she did. Anyway, this was certainly a good film. Again, the camerwork was probably one thing that stood out most in the film. For the most part I think it was really well done, but some of the shaky cam scenes got a bit too much for me (and I usually really do like shaky cam). Anyways, I thought it started out really strong, the dynamics between Keoghan and Adams' character was quite well made and it overall painted a very interesting picture. As it went along and drifted a bit from that, it did lose me a bit, although it was always engrossing. Superb acting from everyone as far as I am concerned and really good use of music as well. Good film. 7/10
The second one for today was September 5. A much more standard film, following ABC's reportage of the 1972 Olympics hostage drama. I thought it was technically well made, and certainly very suspenseful. Nothing much to say here really; it's simple and effective in what it's trying to do. 7.5/10
I saw A Complete Unknown first. I have never been a big fan of Dylan's music, although I guess I have never given him a proper chance digging deeper into his music. I did enjoy the music in this film quite a bit, and all the performances I thought were well done. Chalamet was great as far as I am concerned, sure at times it came off a bit like an impression but overall I thought he really embodied Dylan (at least as far as someone with little knowledge of Dylan would think of him). The movie itself was an interesting insight into the first few years of Dylan's career, although I do think it dragged on a bit (could probably have cut out one or two performances) as I think it was a bit much of the same in the end. Anyway, certainly worth a watch and I'd have no issue with Chalamet winning an Oscar for this. 7/10
I then saw Presence. I was quite stoked for some reason. It had a great premise I thought, and it certainly had some qualities in terms of the filmmaking (the camera work in particular). The script lacked though. I can overlook a lot of issues in movies, but I always struggle with movies where character talks in a way that I just think no one would. Some scenes in this movie had that issue, and it just takes me out of it. Some of the subplots just got left as well, which was a bit odd. The last 15 minutes or so were quite effective though. 4.5/10
Today I first watched Bird. Never seen a film by Andrea Arnold before, I didn't get around to see Fish Tank when that was new and then I never really knew what more she did. Anyway, this was certainly a good film. Again, the camerwork was probably one thing that stood out most in the film. For the most part I think it was really well done, but some of the shaky cam scenes got a bit too much for me (and I usually really do like shaky cam). Anyways, I thought it started out really strong, the dynamics between Keoghan and Adams' character was quite well made and it overall painted a very interesting picture. As it went along and drifted a bit from that, it did lose me a bit, although it was always engrossing. Superb acting from everyone as far as I am concerned and really good use of music as well. Good film. 7/10
The second one for today was September 5. A much more standard film, following ABC's reportage of the 1972 Olympics hostage drama. I thought it was technically well made, and certainly very suspenseful. Nothing much to say here really; it's simple and effective in what it's trying to do. 7.5/10
Decent spread.
Nah, I didn't recommend him that film because it's quite divisive. Sinister on the other hand... Don't think I've met anyone who dislikes it.
Gladiator 2
You can enjoy this if you've never seen the original. The action sequences are quite fun, Denzel is having a whale of a time and the story is ok. But then you have to question why you haven't seen the original. Mescal is weak sauce compared to Crowe, the story is more focused on leaning into the original (and retrospectively ruining it) as opposed to standing on its own two feet. Pointless film 3/10
That was so bloody distracting. You have an intense scene and all the while there's a monkey crawling across the back of someone's head
That was so bloody distracting. You have an intense scene and all the while there's a monkey crawling across the back of someone's head
I lost it when Gladiator-man (can't remember main character or actor's name, so I've just been calling him that) fought those baboon-dog things. Also, sharks. I admire how Ridley linked in the Jaws/Planet of the Apes/Training Day universes together. Suck it, Marvel.
My wife's family were hard to read during the film, so I don't think they enjoyed it. I was having the time of my life. Just let Denzel do whatever he wants for 2 and a bit hours.
Ridley Scott has totally lost it, and lost it quite some time ago, too. fecking with the Alien universe with his dire sequels, fecking with Gladiator with this trifle, and 2027’s The Shining 2 should be garbage as well. The trailer looks shit: https://tinyurl.com/The-Shining-2
With the possible exception of The Martian, which still wasn't peak Scott, it must be over 20 years since he made something great.
I enjoyed Tucker and Dale, it was great fun. Not seen or avoided the other 2. I'll see if I can persuade my wife to try the other two.3 horror-adjacent films that were really good, may work for you:
Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil
Cabin In The Woods
Cemetery Man.
The first is more or less a deconstruction of the backwoods hillbillies terrorizing sexy college kids. In this, the titular friends (southern stereotypes) go out to their new cabin for a weekend of fishing. Some vacationing college kids see them and think they must be evil, and overreact - each time accidentally maiming or killing themselves, while T & D are trying to figure out what is wrong with theee college kids.
The second is more of a sci fi with monsters, but the premise is really good. Played straight and with a pretty interesting twist.
The third is an Italian romantic meditation on life focused on a guy (Rupert Everett) who works in a cemetery. For unknown reasons, the dead come back to life a few days after being buried so he has to kill them again and bury them. He smokes cigarettes coolly and goes about his business until he meets Emmanuel Beart. It’s kind of a comedy, just works really well.