Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Man of Steel - 3/5

Having a bit of a Superman marathon after Super/man: The Christopher Reeves Story (4/5). First watched the original movie (5/5), then watched the recent Superman and Lois show (3/5) and now rewatched Man of Steel.

Turned out better than I remembered. Especially the opening scene on Krypton, that was just fantastic. Unfortunately, the middle part of the movie struggles to reach those initial heights, and the final third just seemed to drag with drawn out CGI fights. A shame, really, as far as sci-fi opening sequences go, it had everything. Stunning effects, alien creatures, massive spaceships, banishments, dying planets, incredible technology, and a lot of heart binding it all together.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
This is brilliant. He mentions loads of films that I haven't seen or even heard of (and that I probably never will) but with such passion and respect to make it really enjoyable. I love that he teases he might re-make American Psycho (I'd absolutely love to see his vision for it) and that he finishes that interview with a Miyazaki film. In general, every interview I've seen of this guy just makes me like him more, he seems like a person you'd love to sit down with for an evening, with a glass of Italian wine, and talk about life and cinema.

- Do you think that's why you want that cinema to be showcased more?
- No. It's because it's great cinema. I want great cinema to be showcased more, and bad cinema to be showcased less.
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Yeah, it's lovely. People that are just so positive and enthusiastic are amazing. :)
 
Criminal. A 2016 action thriller featuring Kevin Costner as a psychopath who gets injected memories of a spy to help fix a very dangerous situation. But he's not a willing participant, until the memories' emotions kick in. This got terrible reviews, but I watched it anyway as it features Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones. That should help right? Wrong. Their parts especially are terrible: they play a spy boss and doctor, and those parts and everything around them is both terribly motivated and horribly cliched. But funnily, the part about the psychopath who undergoes changes (what sounded like the bad part) is exactly kinda engaging and what kept me watching. Less action thriller trappings and more psychology, and this might actually have been something. As it is, 4/10.

Downton Abbey: A New Era. Obviously only a film for people that have watched and liked the series. Even so, the first half hour is terrible, as they hastily try to reintroduce all the characters and situation through a quick mishmash of pointless mini-scenes. But once that's done and the film settles into its main narrative(s), it's the usual feelgood fun - until they again need to wrap up everything quickly at the end. Should-have-been-a-new-season-instead/10
 
Just watched the Queen movie the other night - Bohemian Rhapsody. (Yes, it took me a while to get around to seeing this one!)

It was decent - Rami Malek did a good job as Freddie, but not that historically accurate which took me out of the immersion a bit. It didn't really 'grab' me in the same way that the Elvis 2022 movie did.

3/5 stars. Worth watching, but wouldn't see it a second time.
 
DarkLord1984 said:
Just watched the Queen movie the other night - Bohemian Rhapsody. (Yes, it took me a while to get around to seeing this one!)

It was decent - Rami Malek did a good job as Freddie, but not that historically accurate which took me out of the immersion a bit. It didn't really 'grab' me in the same way that the Elvis 2022 movie did.

3/5 stars. Worth watching, but wouldn't see it a second time.
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Sacha Baron Cohen was originally going to play Mercury, and I can’t help but think it would have been far better. Malek never approached the sexuality and passion, nor the physicality. I did not like this movie at all.
 
DarkLord1984 said:
Just watched the Queen movie the other night - Bohemian Rhapsody. (Yes, it took me a while to get around to seeing this one!)

It was decent - Rami Malek did a good job as Freddie, but not that historically accurate which took me out of the immersion a bit. It didn't really 'grab' me in the same way that the Elvis 2022 movie did.

3/5 stars. Worth watching, but wouldn't see it a second time.
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He won an Oscar for this right? I like Rami but I wasn’t a fan of this role too.
 
Sweet Square said:
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Documentary about 60’s Congo and the prime ministership of Patrice Lumumba. Features an incredible amount of historical footage and interviews which are all put together with free following editing to match the jazz soundtrack.

It’s brute materialism linking together Belgium colonialism, American civil rights, CIA funded jazz groups, Mi5 spying, the charismatic baldness of Mr Kruschev, bribery, assassinations, political infighting of the Congo and even the atomic bomb.

Gh_axPfXYAUIUil


Best film I’ve seen this year and a must watch.

10/10
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Looks interesting, cheers.
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Sacha Baron Cohen was originally going to play Mercury, and I can’t help but think it would have been far better. Malek never approached the sexuality and passion, nor the physicality. I did not like this movie at all.
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It was such a shit film. Like an AI generated biopic ticking all the boxes to be in the running for awards. Malek is such a limited, boring actor, and the film just had no ambition whatsoever. And let's not even talk about the editing...
 
Rooney in Paris said:
This is brilliant. He mentions loads of films that I haven't seen or even heard of (and that I probably never will) but with such passion and respect to make it really enjoyable. I love that he teases he might re-make American Psycho (I'd absolutely love to see his vision for it) and that he finishes that interview with a Miyazaki film. In general, every interview I've seen of this guy just makes me like him more, he seems like a person you'd love to sit down with for an evening, with a glass of Italian wine, and talk about life and cinema.
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Yep he’s got that Scorsese skill of expressing his film knowledge while still coming across as engaging and ending up promoting lesser known films. His view on modern film makers and Cronenberg cough the substance cough was brilliant.
Rooney in Paris said:
- Do you think that's why you want that cinema to be showcased more?
- No. It's because it's great cinema. I want great cinema to be showcased more, and bad cinema to be showcased less.
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That was a great moment. My favourite is - “The language of cinema is about the dark and the light and the space in between. And how you are brought in front of something that deals with dreams. Dreams are always about the unconscious and the unconscious is always a revolutionary force”.

Absolutely banger of a quote.
 
Sweet Square said:
That was a great moment. My favourite is - “The language of cinema is about the dark and the light and the space in between. And how you are brought in front of something that deals with dreams. Dreams are always about the unconscious and the unconscious is always a revolutionary force”.

Absolutely banger of a quote.
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*chef's kiss*
 
Grand Theft Hamlet

Documentary about a group of people working together in GTA Online to perform Shakespeare Hamlet.

A really lovely and funny film. Enjoy the commitment to the idea and how they kept all the truly bizarre imagery and interactions of online video games.

8/10
 
Who Invited Them?
Two couples bond at a housewarming party. The hosts become suspicious when the lingering guests reveal wealth and continue drinking into the night. This was surprisingly a decent movie. The narrative is a slow burn but there's enough tension throughout that it doesn't feel slow. I was kinda worried it was heading to an obvious conclusion but it takes enough of a left turn to not end in a completely stale way. I also liked the two male actors as they played side roles in random shows I watched years ago (Veronica Mars/13 Reasons) and it's nice to see them still acting. I would recommend this for a quick horror film that's not too heavy 6.5/10

Companion
A weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin turns into chaos after it's revealed that one of the guests is not what they seem. I would 100% advise anyone that wants to watch this to go in cold. Don't watch the trailers and don't look at the film poster. Luckily, I'm one of those weirdos that avoids everything about a film until after I watch it and I can't imagine enjoying this as much if I had watched the trailer. It was a really fun movie and had great characters, good humour, smart plot points and a belter of a performance from Sophie Thatcher, she's gonna be a horror star. If you think too hard, there are some plot holes and I also think it doesn't explore the interesting themes as deep as it could have but it was still a really enjoyable watch 7/10

The Monkey
When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father's old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. This is a strange film. If you are in the mood for off-beat humour and violent kills, you'll enjoy this. If you want an interesting story with character development, you're not finding that here. I had fun but the pacing was well off and it dragged at points despite there being an over-the-top kill every few scenes. It gets repetitive after a while. This will be a divisive film depending on your mood when you watch it. Personally, I had a decent enough time 6.5/10

Presence
A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs. I will give this props for trying something different as the film is told from the perspective of a ghost. However, I watched the trailer (after the film) and it's a damn lie! The trailer makes it look like it's gonna be a terrifying horror flick but it's actually a family drama with a ghost in it. And the issue here is that the drama didn't feel interesting with characters that feel like cardboard cutouts. The climax of the film was unearned and the final reveal seems worthwhile at first but when you think about it, you quickly realise how stupid it actually is 5.5/10

Caddo Lake
When an 8-year-old girl disappears on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, altering a broken family's history. This is a slow burn thriller and I found it difficult to get into. There is a midpoint shift which I won't reveal but it makes you really work to keep up with the plot, which is not something I was looking to do. It's fine but by the end of this movie, I think I enjoyed it but also my brain hurt from trying to keep up with the story. Probably would be better on a second watch 6/10
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Caddo Lake
When an 8-year-old girl disappears on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, altering a broken family's history. This is a slow burn thriller and I found it difficult to get into. There is a midpoint shift which I won't reveal but it makes you really work to keep up with the plot, which is not something I was looking to do. It's fine but by the end of this movie, I think I enjoyed it but also my brain hurt from trying to keep up with the story. Probably would be better on a second watch 6/10
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Saw this a while back. It was well done, but it reminded me a bit too much of Dark, to the point that after the film it certainly made me like the film a lot less.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Presence
A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs. I will give this props for trying something different as the film is told from the perspective of a ghost. However, I watched the trailer (after the film) and it's a damn lie! The trailer makes it look like it's gonna be a terrifying horror flick but it's actually a family drama with a ghost in it. And the issue here is that the drama didn't feel interesting with characters that feel like cardboard cutouts. The climax of the film was unearned and the final reveal seems worthwhile at first but when you think about it, you quickly realise how stupid it actually is 5.5/10
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I think this is emblematic of Soderbergh's problems over the years: he has completely disappeared up his own ass on many, many occasions. I liked that No Sudden Move film of his I saw recently, but more often than not, he comes across like a pompous fecking film school dickhead* trying to do things in his films because he's trying to score art points from an imaginary jury on RedCafe.





*harsh on @Dirty Schwein ?
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
I think this is emblematic of Soderbergh's problems over the years: he has completely disappeared up his own ass on many, many occasions. I liked that No Sudden Move film of his I saw recently, but more often than not, he comes across like a pompous fecking film school dickhead* trying to do things in his films because he's trying to score art points from an imaginary jury on RedCafe.





*harsh on @Dirty Schwein ?
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Presence vs. Tarot. Rather watch Presence every time :lol:

But in reality, I want to watch the film the Presence trailer promised!
 
Conclave

Deliberately avoided reading anything about this, so was surprised by the ending (which I won't spoil for those who haven't seen it yet). I enjoyed it.

8/10
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Caddo Lake
When an 8-year-old girl disappears on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, altering a broken family's history. This is a slow burn thriller and I found it difficult to get into. There is a midpoint shift which I won't reveal but it makes you really work to keep up with the plot, which is not something I was looking to do. It's fine but by the end of this movie, I think I enjoyed it but also my brain hurt from trying to keep up with the story. Probably would be better on a second watch 6/10
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https://www.redcafe.net/threads/the-redcafe-movie-review-thread.165633/page-1343#post-32721170
 
For anyone looking for a film to watch and hasn’t seen this, one of many GREAT films from the 70s.

I like film nerdy stuff like this guy writes about… what the actors did to get into character, actors that could have been in but weren’t, ad libs, etc. John Cazale (who died before seeing final version) was in five films…. All nominated for Best Picture Oscar.

 
BeforeKeanetherewasRobson said:
For anyone looking for a film to watch and hasn’t seen this, one of many GREAT films from the 70s.

I like film nerdy stuff like this guy writes about… what the actors did to get into character, actors that could have been in but weren’t, ad libs, etc. John Cazale (who died before seeing final version) was in five films…. All nominated for Best Picture Oscar.

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Classic.
 
Se7en.

8.5/10

Seen a few times but hasn’t lost anything. Takes its time and builds. Very good for 90 minutes, excellent for the next 30 and the last five minutes is perfect, including a scene that always makes me laugh.

Pitt “what you got?”… … Freeman “a dead dog”… … Spacey (dead pan) “I didn’t do that”.

Alternating between films I’ve seen before/want to watch again, and films that have good reviews/never seen. Next up is Heist.
 
Sweet Square said:
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Documentary about 60’s Congo and the prime ministership of Patrice Lumumba. Features an incredible amount of historical footage and interviews which are all put together with free following editing to match the jazz soundtrack.

It’s brute materialism linking together Belgium colonialism, American civil rights, CIA funded jazz groups, Mi5 spying, the charismatic baldness of Mr Kruschev, bribery, assassinations, political infighting of the Congo and even the atomic bomb.

Gh_axPfXYAUIUil


Best film I’ve seen this year and a must watch.

10/10
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Watched this yesterday, great recommendation.
 
Sweet Square said:
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Documentary about 60’s Congo and the prime ministership of Patrice Lumumba. Features an incredible amount of historical footage and interviews which are all put together with free following editing to match the jazz soundtrack.

It’s brute materialism linking together Belgium colonialism, American civil rights, CIA funded jazz groups, Mi5 spying, the charismatic baldness of Mr Kruschev, bribery, assassinations, political infighting of the Congo and even the atomic bomb.

Gh_axPfXYAUIUil


Best film I’ve seen this year and a must watch.

10/10
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I've seen this couple of weeks ago. Very very good, although I thought that most people would need some more background on certain topics. Loved it.
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Renfield (2023)
With Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina.

I really enjoyed this film. It's a horror comedy about Dracula's familiar Renfield seeking out a support group for victims of toxic relationships so that he can muster the courage to leave the relationship with his boss, Dracula. The "horror" element is more gore, but it's actually really funny. I laughed out loud many times in this. The film is really well done, the tone and energy is fairly manic the whole time, with all of the actors (especially Ben Schwarz) really hamming it up in a good way. Cage is excellent, speaking of hamming it up. He plays Dracula as if it were Al Pacino at his most histrionic.

There were studio problems during the making of this film, and I don't know why they (Universal) had issues. It is exactly what it says on the tin: a very funny, very violent, spin on Dracula. Nicholaus Hoult is great, and in my view he's never been bad in anything. He's a very underrated actor. The only negative I can think of is that Awkwafina played her part in such a way that it was not clear there was supposed to be a romantic spark between her and Renfield. Even now, I'm thinking they became more buddies, and I'm guessing it was supposed to be romantic. So if Renfield and the cop were supposed to be an item, then it's down to a lack of chemistry between them. Either way, it worked, I didn't actually need a romance.

The film is very quick. In stark contrast to most films these days, it felt 10 to 15 minutes too short. They really cut this thing down to the bone, just kept the story moving without a lot of character development -- but that's the beauty of a horror comedy: no one needs that stuff. In tone, I'd say it was closest to a RoboCop or similar, where it's almost a spoof, still very funny, but also presented they want you to take it seriously.

The plot is all very quick and basic: there is a crime family (the Lobos) running the city and having bought off all the cops except for Awkwafina. Dracula needs more victims and his familiar is now wanting to be a hero instead of the bad guy. Hilarity ensues.

9/10
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Yeah, agreed. Over the top and absurd, in a good way. I just thought it kinda slowed down in the second half; but then there are few absurdist films that can keep their initial pace and nuttiness going until the end. Lots of fun hommages to earlier Dracula films as well. Can't really ask for more in this sort of film. 8/10
 
Watched The French Connection for the first time yesterday. Surprised that it was released in 71, felt a lot more modern than that to me. Really enjoyed it, Hackman and Scheider are great. 8.

Rewatched Gone Girl too. Not as compelling as I remember it. Way too long and my least favourite Fincher film from those I've seen. 6.
 
Cheimoon said:
Yeah, agreed. Over the top and absurd, in a good way. I just thought it kinda slowed down in the second half; but then there are few absurdist films that can keep their initial pace and nuttiness going until the end. Lots of fun hommages to earlier Dracula films as well. Can't really ask for more in this sort of film. 8/10
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I don't remember writing that review, but I should mention the horror film rating system is a sliding scale. a 9/10 horror film is not comparable to a 9/10 drama (which would be incredible). It was fun though.
 
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