Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Just got tickets to an early screening of Valkyrie, early reviews are that it is excellent
 
"And Quiet Flows the Don". Russian movie about the Don Cossacks during the Civil War. Excellent movie I thought, though I lived for the books as a kid. Not for the faint of heart as it is ~6hrs on the long side.
 
Just watched Rescue Dawn with one of my rapidly becoming favourite actors Christian Bale. Have wanted to see it for a while now as love the escape themes in movies; good film, not great. Expected more, done in a very matter-of-fact way and not too gory or graphic with no schmaltzy emotional undertones you would expect. There were no slow-motion deaths with an opera playing in the background, put it that way.
 
Touching on the escape themes (as above) in movies, two movies I was quite disappointed in both were Papillon and Midnight Express - having read both books first, I found the movies a huge let-down. I'm not sure why the actual escape that occurred in Midnight Express wasn't shown in the movie as the ending was shit and the real-life incident was far more exciting. Papillon should be remade in French with a proper actor, not Steve McQueen.
 
Burn after reading

Actors were fantastic, yes it was funny too but they could have avoided the political undertone (especially of the CIA part, that was not funny, Sledge Hammer was not funny)
 
Giggsy PO I enjoyed it as well, it has some real quality actors and actresses in it. It was a great movie about nothing really, just based on interesting characters doing crazy "Shit"(as Brad Pitt's character would say)
 
Glengarry Glen Ross

Pure brilliance. I can't believe I missed this movie since yesterday. After the The Kite Runner probably the best movie I have seen this year.
 
Zack And Miri Make a Porno

Funny film. When Judd Apatow and Kevin Smith come together, it can only lead to good things. Really funny film, one family walked out halfway through, but it's not exactly a family film. Also one of the only films I've been to where they were IDing people. I'd say to go and see it if you get the chance.
 
Giggsy PO said:
Glengarry Glen Ross

Pure brilliance. I can't believe I missed this movie since yesterday. After the The Kite Runner probably the best movie I have seen this year.
Click to expand...

Aye, brilliant film.

Watched Dirty Pretty Things, last night, probably for my second time. Didn't realise it was such a good movie. Audrey Tatou has to be the cutest looking girl in the history of cutest looking girls.
 
The Baader-Meinhoff Complex

Decent, If a bit rock and roll for the first hour and a half. The second hour and a half was completely unnecessary. Worth a watch, but hardly earth-shattering.

5/10
 
Just watched The Shining for the first time.

Fantastic movie, it was really well acted, directed and shot. Brilliant stuff. I did miss the start though (only flicked on when they were first looking through the hotel).

It wasn't too hard to figure out for mine, though I could be wrong in my assumptions.

9/10.

Would like to have some spoiler talk with people who've seen it, just to make sure I got the jist of it:

Jack was the reincarnation of the original groundskeeper, the one who killed his wife and daughters many years ago. I'm sure that's the case as it would explain all the bar scenes, and obviously the photo right at the end.

But what about the actual hotel and room 237? Because I missed the start I'm assuming the killings went on in that room years ago?

Is the Hotel haunted, did it turn Jack crazy (in both lives)? I'm assuming it is, because the wife was seeing shit too.
 
olesmyhero said:
Don't ever see the made for TV remake. It's awful.
Click to expand...

This is SBS, I doubt they'd show a shoddy version.

Though my brother told me it was like 4 hours long, and this certainly didn't seem anywhere near that long so maybe it was. Shall look into it.

Was still great either way. And what about my spoiler talk... Care to fill me in?
 
cesc's_mullet said:
This is SBS, I doubt they'd show a shoddy version.

Though my brother told me it was like 4 hours long, and this certainly didn't seem anywhere near that long so maybe it was. Shall look into it.

Was still great either way. And what about my spoiler talk... Care to fill me in?
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure you got it right. My other theory is that Jack goes the way he goes because his wife is fecking hideous.
 
There is nothing at the beginning of the film (The Shining) to shed any light on any of that. Jack is told the story of what happened all those years ago in passing. But everything you need to know to establish what happened occurs at the end of the film. I think they leave it intentionally open to a little bit of interpretation but on the whole I am inclined to agree with your take on what happened. Although I am not sure I would use the word "reincarnation" so much as some kind of inexplicable altered reality. As evidenced by his conversation with the butler, who says: "You have always been the caretaker." It is like as soon as Jack gets up there, the past is rewritten or something.

On the whole it is that ambiguity at the end which keeps you thinking and is one of the things that makes the film so memorable.
 
Wait a minute, is this other version just a shorter edited more tv-friendly version, or a whole new version with a different cast etc?
 
olesmyhero said:
Whole new version with different cast. Stephen King directed it if I remember correctly, and if he didn't direct it he had a much more involved role than in Kubrick's version.
Click to expand...

Yeah well I certainly wont be watching that.

BTW I've got another question, feck the spoiler alert I'm pretty sure everyone in here's seen the movie before...

Jack's let out of the storage by the ghost/person. I'm assuming this means these people (like the bartender) are a minifestation of the people from years ago, a bit like the old crazy Jack assuming himself after he's there for a while.

But yeah, my question is, are the people real/ghosts? They must be real in some way if one could physically open the storage door for Jack.
 
Youve hit the nail on the head. They have to be real on some level to have opened the door. Although I cant think of too many other bits of evidence that they are real - besides that they could all be explained away as figments of Jack's increasingly disturbed imagination.
 
Simon Adebesi said:
Youve hit the nail on the head. They have to be real on some level to have opened the door. Although I cant think of too many other bits of evidence that they are real - besides that they could all be explained away as figments of Jack's increasingly disturbed imagination.
Click to expand...

Just thinking about it the tennis ball rolling to the kid, and the whole old lady strangling the kid and kissing Jack would back up the theory too.
 
And I'm positive he's been reincarnated now:

"It's as if I know what's going to be around every corner. I mean, I know we've all had our moments of deja vu, but this is ridiculous..."

- he says to his wife, whilst he's having breakfast in bed at home, after they've first had a look at the Hotel.
 
Spoonatov said:
Aye, brilliant film.

Watched Dirty Pretty Things, last night, probably for my second time. Didn't realise it was such a good movie. Audrey Tatou has to be the cutest looking girl in the history of cutest looking girls.
Click to expand...

**Minor Spoiler about Dirty Pretty Things**

I thought Dirty Pretty Things was gritty and watchable enough but the whole love plot between the Nigerian fella and Audrey Tatou's career was completely implausible. There's absolutely zero sexual tension between the two and we only know she loves him because they tell us she does.

I also thought the Nigerian character would have been far more complex and interesting if he actually had murdered his wife. The fact that they made it a false murder charge was a bit of a cop-out IMO.

A further sticking point for me was the way Audrey Tatou's character's desire to go to New York was built up as some sort of fantastic, elusive resolution to the conflict. They're already living in London ffs, which is one of greatest cities in the world. It wasn't as though they were living in Baghdad or some other war torn hell hole where they were fighting for their survival and trying to escape to a better place.
 
Melbourne Red said:
**Minor Spoiler about Dirty Pretty Things**

I thought Dirty Pretty Things was gritty and watchable enough but the whole love plot between the Nigerian fella and Audrey Tatou's career was completely implausible. There's absolutely zero sexual tension between the two and we only know she loves him because they tell us she does.

I also thought the Nigerian character would have been far more complex and interesting if he actually had murdered his wife. The fact that they made it a false murder charge was a bit of a cop-out IMO.

A further sticking point for me was the way Audrey Tatou's character's desire to go to New York was built up as some sort of fantastic, elusive resolution to the conflict. They're already living in London ffs, which is one of greatest cities in the world. It wasn't as though they were living in Baghdad or some other war torn hell hole where they were fighting for their survival and trying to escape to a better place.
Click to expand...


Fair points, Melb. That said, it wasn't really meant to be a love story, so, I wasn't too fussed how Okwe(Nigerian) and Audrey Tatou's character's supposed connection unfolded, and yeah it was strange that she wanted to go to NY despite already living in a world city. Although, to be fair, she was taken advantage of in London. But the film did show us that life can be hell for immigrants/illegal immigrants. No matter what the far right would like us to believe, they've not all taken our jobs. Thankfully, it didn't paint all illegals as angels, as it was an illegal immigrant that was profiteering in organs.
 
People'll do anything for a chance at a better life. Human nature. Sadly, there will always be as many people looking to take advantage of this.

PS Audrey's fit.
 
It was better. But I personally thought The Departed was very good. Certainly not half ass in my view. With the proviso that I always think Matt Damon is a cnut, it had a great cast. To be honest I find it hard to see what your criticism of it was, given how closely it copied IA. Unless you didnt think it offered anything new, and was therefore a bit pointless? I could probably see that - if I had watched them the right way around.

This comes back to that other post about the possible Old Boy remake. I am sure I will be in the same position then. If it changes it I will invariably think they have done so to the detriment of the film. If they dont I will (again invariably) struggle to see the point of the remake and say remake offers nothing new. Hard to see how it can win - with me. But I guess it will bring a great story to a broader audience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.