Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band) 8/10

German movie, b/w, nominated for two oscars last year. A fascinating story taking place in pre-WW1 Germany. A must see!
 
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari

One of few movies I've seen from the German Expressionist movement... highly entertaining in an eerie way.

It has a disturbing quality to it... the sets are cleverly constructed to give an impression of the warped mind of the protagonist... and the ending was one of the first attempts at a 'twist', thought it was done very well.

7.5/10
 
I watched a bunch of German expressivist movies way back when. Don't remember much, I never do, but I think Caligari was the best one, and that's high praise. It's visually stunning.

It's safe to say the expressivism was immensely influential for film as a medium.
 
Mihajlovic said:
The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band) 8/10

German movie, b/w, nominated for two oscars last year. A fascinating story taking place in pre-WW1 Germany. A must see!
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Disturbing movie. Who did what?
Team Brian GB said:
I watched 'The Hurt Locker' the other night, good but utterly forgettable - I'm not sure there is any replay value in it and it is definately in the category of best picture winners that in a couple of years time no one will know it won.
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Can't disagree with any of that. I was disappointed.
DouLou said:
Un chien andalou

So I figure if I'm gonna try out some movies from the fabled Father of surrealism Luis Bunuel I'll start with his first.
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Nothing wrong with starting with that one, but it doesn't prepare you for whatever came next - His other films are nothing like that one, they make a lot of sense and are highly entertaining.
jgraham said:
I love you Philip Morris

I really rated this film, no doubt some will be a bit put off with the whole gay issue, and to be honest it is pretty graphic on occasions. But I just thought it was a great story portrayed brilliantly by Carey and McGregor. When I went to see it last night a few blokes got up an left during it, pretty much as soon as they realised how gay it actually was which I found pretty funny - not so much those people in particular but the people up and down the country who might just see Jim carey in a new film and go to see it only to be confronted with Jim Carey rear ending some other bloke!
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I saw this one today and was let down. I'm guessing Carey was fascinated by the story, because the characters themselves were stupidly lightweight and so stereotypical that the potential to provoke and challenge vanished.
 
Could anyone suggest me some HILARIOUSLY funny movies please. I m really in the mood to watch to some comedy films.
 
Porkies made me laugh a lot, the grandaddy of high-school teen sex comedies.

All the Monty Python movies are hilarious, my personal favourite being 'Meaning of Life' but most people seem to favour 'Life of Brian'.

Loads of good moments in the Big Lebowski as well, bit of a cult comedy classic.

I also reckon 24 Hour Party people is just about the funniest movie I've ever seen, thanks largely to Steve Coogan's brilliant turn as Tony Wilson. It's about the legendary 80s Manchester music scene. Incredibly underrated film.
 
Melbourne Red said:
I also reckon 24 Hour Party people is just about the funniest movie I've ever seen, thanks largely to Steve Coogan's brilliant turn as Tony Wilson. It's about the legendary 80s Manchester music scene. Incredibly underrated film.
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Maybe so in Oz, but not really on this side of the pond.

Still an incredibly good film.
 
I_live_cement said:
Maybe so in Oz, but not really on this side of the pond.
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It might be highly rated in the UK but I genuinely reckon it's one of the best, and funniest films I've ever seen. Never heard anyone wax lyrical about it even on here, a Manc forum.
 
Repulsion 7/10. Polanski, b/w, claustrophobic and disturbing, extremelly minimalistic music, the movie is a bit slow but never boring, and Catherine Deneuve: not only good acting but she's also just so pretty.
 
Cadillac Records - 5/10

Story of Chess records and Muddy Waters/Etta James/Chuck Berry hitting the big time.

Great soundtrack but I had trouble understanding what Jeffrey Wright was saying most of the time, Adrian Brody is a weak lead, and Beyonce looked chunky and plain as Etta James. Chuck Berry was really well played by Mos Def though.

Worth a look if you like the era and the music.
 
John Rabe - A sort of light, slightly average version of Schindlers list. My subs didnt work so I had to watch it without any, which meant I only understood about 80% what was being said but it was more than enough to understand what was going on. The only really memorable thing about is was Ulrich Tukur's performance, he's been superb in everything I've seen him in.

Antichrist - I liked it. I'm not sure I fully understood it but it was nice to look at. Some of the more gory scenes felt a bit pointless though.

A Clockwork Orange - I had high expectations of it and was left a little bit underwhelmed. The lead actor was good but it all felt a bit dated.
 
Grinner said:
Cadillac Records - 5/10

Story of Chess records and Muddy Waters/Etta James/Chuck Berry hitting the big time.

Great soundtrack but I had trouble understanding what Jeffrey Wright was saying most of the time, Adrian Brody is a weak lead, and Beyonce looked chunky and plain as Etta James. Chuck Berry was really well played by Mos Def though.

Worth a look if you like the era and the music.
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5/10?

How could anyone feck up a movie with that sort of subject matter to work with?
 
Phantom of the Opera(1925)

Liked it, but didn't love it. Silent movies are usually a bit hit and miss with me, if I'm not in the right frame of mind I really struggle to get into them.

Anyways, as far as this one goes it was a pretty good version of a classic story. Credit has to go to Lon Chaney, he plays a perfect Phantom. The make-up used is brutal, and the phantom has a great presence whenever he is on the screen. The scene where he lures Christine down to his lair and she pulls off his mask is brilliant.

6.5/10

May be a bit harsh on such a classic... but I wasn't 'feeling it' so to speak.
 
R.Nilsson7 said:
John Rabe - A sort of light, slightly average version of Schindlers list. My subs didnt work so I had to watch it without any, which meant I only understood about 80% what was being said but it was more than enough to understand what was going on. The only really memorable thing about is was Ulrich Tukur's performance, he's been superb in everything I've seen him in.

Antichrist - I liked it. I'm not sure I fully understood it but it was nice to look at. Some of the more gory scenes felt a bit pointless though.

A Clockwork Orange - I had high expectations of it and was left a little bit underwhelmed. The lead actor was good but it all felt a bit dated.
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you're dated.
 
Saw scarlett johansson and liev schreiber on Broadway tonight. Screiber was excellent. He seemed to be surrounded by weak actors but he himself was so good that it didnt seem to matter how poor the others were. Great energy and great stage presence. Scarlett Johansson was quite poor, which really bugs because I didnt expect her to be any good until I read a glowing review of her performance in the New York Times. Now either she had a really good day the critic watched the show or he was simply lying because there was no way anyone could have praised her performance tonight.

Of the 8-9 film stars I have seen on stage so far only Sam Rockwell and Schreiber have really stood out.
 
The Purple Rose of Cairo

A Woody Allen fantasy set during the depression-era, Mia Farrow plays Cecilia, a woman whos life is changed when movie character Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels) steps out of the screen to meet her in person. The theme concerns the blurred lines between reality and fiction and the role of film in a persons life... thought it had some great writing and liked the ambiguous nature of the ending.

7.5/10
 
Angels & Demons 1/10

Do not fecking bother. I downloaded it thinking it'd be a good husband & wife film. feck me was I wrong. Ludicrous, ridiculous, bizarre, stupid, contrived, wank.
 
Grinner said:
Angels & Demons 1/10

Do not fecking bother. I downloaded it thinking it'd be a good husband & wife film. feck me was I wrong. Ludicrous, ridiculous, bizarre, stupid, contrived, wank.
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To be fair to them, it was such a long story and a long book to turn it into a 2 hour movie. The book is still one of the best if not the best I ve ever read. It was too fast paced because they had to cover too much stuff.
 
EricaNo7 said:
Grosse Pointe Blank:

Great black comedy with a wonderful performance by John Cusack, along with an excellent soundtrack

9/10
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Like I said earlier... John Cusack is just fecking cool! Love him in High Fidelity to.
 
Hannah and Her Sisters

Mickey (Woody Allen) is the neurotic TV executive, who after a receiving some good news regarding a brain scan is desperately trying to find something to hold onto in life and give it meaning. Hannah (Mia Farrow) is his ex-wife, a woman who gives to much and needs to little, causing her Husband Elliot (Michael Caine) to fall in love with her sister Lee. On top of this you have Lee's conflict with her current boyfriend, and the third sister Holly's (Diane West) struggle to find love and her purpose in life.

The characters are brilliantly fleshed out and are each struggling with the decisions they are making in life; whether they are trying to find love, a job, or just figuring out what the point of it all is. I'm a big fan of Allans writing style, this script contains his musings on life and love which as always are thought provoking and witty.

8/10
 
RDCR07 said:
To be fair to them, it was such a long story and a long book to turn it into a 2 hour movie. The book is still one of the best if not the best I ve ever read. It was too fast paced because they had to cover too much stuff.
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Not trying to be rude but I think you need to read a bit more widely. It was, at best, a half decent trash novel suitable for reading by the pool while on holiday.
 
Wibble said:
Not trying to be rude but I think you need to read a bit more widely. It was, at best, a half decent trash novel suitable for reading by the pool while on holiday.
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I dont read just Dan Brown, I read a lot of other fiction authors too. I still think the way in which the book was written was really really good.
 
Wibble said:
It was his best which isn't saying much. Not much better than John Grisham though.
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John Grisham? Dont you get fed up with this law stories? I mean it starts off so well but ends up so bluntly, I stopped reading his novels.
 
The Dan Brown books are all the same... If you've read one, then trust your instincts, you find that you can tell who's the bad guy early as feck in the other books... prior to the twist, that we all know is coming.

Not to be a tosspot, but if Dan Brown's responsible for some of the best books you've read, then you've had bad luck choosing books. Unless, of course, one likes the Michael Bay of Books.

Respectfully.
 
RDCR07 said:
John Grisham? Dont you get fed up with this law stories? I mean it starts off so well but ends up so bluntly, I stopped reading his novels.
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I can't stand him. Outline for a film plot with a few added words. Dire
 
Ponyo (2008) - 10/10

By Hayao Miyazaki, of Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle (and many others) fame. 10/10. Even if you bleed Wu Tang lyrics, never go outside without street cred blazing full force in your world-weary eyes, you'll secretly appreciate this refreshing allegory masquerading as not-so innocent children's fantasy.
 
Eriku said:
The Dan Brown books are all the same... If you've read one, then trust your instincts, you find that you can tell who's the bad guy early as feck in the other books... prior to the twist, that we all know is coming.

Not to be a tosspot, but if Dan Brown's responsible for some of the best books you've read, then you've had bad luck choosing books. Unless, of course, one likes the Michael Bay of Books.

Respectfully.
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I ve never said some of the best books I ve ever read. I was only talking about Angels and Demons. I must have read around 100 books by now and I was referring to only that one book.
 
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