Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

After.Life

Liam Neeson puts in a good performance, Christina Ricci is as she is, but the film ambles along and not enough happens. I don't mean just in terms of thrills and twists, I mean character development. There isn't a lot of depth to the key protagonists and crucially for me that makes it hard to sympathise with any travails that might befall them - not that much does. Biggest problem the film has is that because it remains obstinately ambiguous over its central premise it leaves us feeling short changed. The dot in the title seems unnecessary. 5/10

After reading Smashed's spoiler have changed my mind. The van is behind her at the start of the film and is therefore fairly conclusive evidence that he is a psychotic serial killer as opposed to a benign mortician with supernatural powers. So the film doesn't leave us hanging, I still think they could have made it a little less ambiguous, Jack's mother certainly lays down a red herring.
 
Cain said:
After.Life

Liam Neeson puts in a good performance, Christina Ricci is as she is, but the film ambles along and not enough happens. I don't mean just in terms of action, I mean character development. There isn't a lot of depth to the key protagonists and crucially for me that makes it hard to sympathise with any travails that might befall them - not that much does. Biggest problem the film has is that because it remains obstinately ambiguous over its central premise it leaves us feeling short changed. The dot in the title seems unnecessary. 6/10
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:lol:
 
Inception

Saw it today at the movies, had a bit of everything, action, the floating scenes were surreal, it had suspense, some scenes made you chuckle, Leo held it the feck down with his acting, fecking amazing, the final scene still has me tripping balls though


anyways 10/10
 
Lust, Caution
Ang Lee’s WW2 Espionage thriller centers around a group of drama students who plot to assassinate Mr Yee, a high ranking official of the Japanase puppet government which controlled Shanghai during the war. There plan is for the attractive female student Chai Chi to seduce and win the trust of the incredibly careful Mr Yee so that they may find an opportunity to kill him. The story spans over the course of 5 years as Chai Chi and the rest of the students face the dangers of their task and risk capture.

I really liked it, and not just for the ultra-steamy sex scenes in the unrated version! But it’s a slow moving absorbing film about the lengths that Chai Chi has to go through and how it changes her. 8/10

One, Two, Three!
Screwball comedy starring James Cagney as ‘Mac’; an executive of the West Berlin branch of the Coca Coca Company. He is tasked with looking after his bosses 17 year old socialite daughter as she visits Berlin for two weeks, but when she falls in love and marries a Russian communist it’s up to Mac to find a way of covering it all up. If anyone has seen Bringing Up Baby or His Girl Friday you know what to expect – It’s a fast moving, witty satirical piece and thoroughly enjoyable. 7.5/10

Drunken Angel
The birth of a relationship that would span 16 films as Kurosawa first casts Toshiro Mifune as Matsunaga; a young hoodlum with TB who forms a fiery friendship with the constantly drunk and hot tempered Doctor Sanada. The movie is set in post WW2 japan, it’s a bleak film noir which looks at the corruption and disease prevalent at the time, and the moral choices of Matsunaga. By the end of the film a young female patient of Doctor Sanada comes to him, fully cured from TB she offers hope of better things to come. 8/10
 
Registered Sex Offender (RSO)Independent film about the trials and tribulations of a recently released sex offender integrating back into normal society, the twist...it's a comedy. I only watched it because of the tagline A story that will touch you...inappropriately but the film is quite good although just because it's an indie film don't expect it to have a clever message or anything, it has quite a few dick jokes etc but the ride is an enjoyable one and if you like inappropriate humour then this should keep you entertained.

My Own Private Idaho Switched this off after 35 minutes. Not sure if I just wasn't in the mood but I really couldn't get in to it. Seemed to me to just be pushing the fact they're gay/bisexual to the audience as some kind of shock that will pave over the fact that nothing is really going on.

Now You Know Written and directed by Jeff Anderson who most of you will be most familiar with as Randall from Clerks this is quite clearly influenced by Kevin Smith, who actually has a small cameo. The story concerns a couple who return to their native New Jersey to sort out their recently cancelled wedding. Jeremy the groom to be meets up with his deadbeat friends (Anderson and Trevor Fehrman (Elias in Clerks II) and ponders love, life, transvestites and whether he can win back Kerri (Rashida Jones). Worth a watch if you're a fan of Kevin Smith stuff and has some very funny moments.
 
Adventureland - Pretty much what I expected of a film of it's kind, it's not so hipster that I hated it, and it's not brilliantly unique either. It's really enjoyable, captures the time pretty well, which at this point isn't really that tough in films. I always enjoy Eisenberg, he's a solid lead actor, and Stewart is fine. The supporting cast pretty much steals it all though. 7/10

Miracle - Kurt Russell is a badass, when I first watched this like 5 years, I had never watched hockey nor knew much about it(i played for a bit as a kid though), and I loved it then, now that I follow NHL properly, I have to say it makes it even better, even knowing the outcome and everything, it's gripping and a lot of fun to watch, a perfect example of how a underdog sports movie should be done. 8/10
 
Zen said:
Adventureland - Pretty much what I expected of a film of it's kind, it's not so hipster that I hated it, and it's not brilliantly unique either. It's really enjoyable, captures the time pretty well, which at this point isn't really that tough in films. I always enjoy Eisenberg, he's a solid lead actor, and Stewart is fine. The supporting cast pretty much steals it all though. 7/10

Miracle - Kurt Russell is a badass, when I first watched this like 5 years, I had never watched hockey nor knew much about it(i played for a bit as a kid though), and I loved it then, now that I follow NHL properly, I have to say it makes it even better, even knowing the outcome and everything, it's gripping and a lot of fun to watch, a perfect example of how a underdog sports movie should be done. 8/10
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First person I've known to like him. Seems like a prick to me, a nerdy, cynical, overrated prick. Hated Adventureland too thoroughly dislikeable 'comedy' drama.
 
Well I don't know anything about him personally so I don't know about him being a prick and all that, I judge on films they are in, and I've seen Squid and the Whale, Zombieland and now this..that's 3 for 3 in my eyes, I've not really seen many say anything bad about him, just the usual crap with comparing him to Cera(who is a pretty awful actor), but yes they are both typecast with the same characters.
 
I think it's fair to say that for middle of the road films like Aventureland and Zombieland you need likeable actors to enjoy films more, his co stars like Woody Harrelson or to a lesser extent Ryan Reynolds. Then again you and the critics seemed to like both Adventureland and Eisdenberg so what do I know.
 
SmashedHombre said:
Yeah, I don't really get what was up with his mum. At first I thought maybe she was dead, but then when it turned out no one was dead and no one could speak to the dead, I didn't really know what she was all about. I guess she was just a bit mental, which is why the boy turned out to be pretty odd himself, and why he was a prime candidate for Neeson to take on as an 'apprentice'. There are maybe some clues in the film, but I didn't catch them if there were.
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i was wondering if the little boy was dead and she was in that state because of it - it was as though she almost thought she heard his voice but when she turned around there was no-one there - hence the almost weary recognition.
 
I've seen a few classic movies recently (The Big Sleep, Strangers on a Train, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, Rebecca). Good stuff.

Also some John Woo movies (The Killer, Hard Boiled, A Better Tommorow). Decent action...stylish, lots of shooting...
 
Novecento

315minutes.

Very long.

Not good. It had such a self-indulgent pacing to it. Das Boot, Gone with the Wind, Ben Hur, Once upon a time in America... all great epics because the length was just a by-product of the story that needed to be told, whereas this could of easily been trimmed an hour. It just seems to have a narrative which unfolds in random directions, jumping from one subplot to another...

But yeah, I'd give it a 5/10.. maybe if the film had some semblance of control about it I'd give it a 6/7 tops.
 
Sanjuro.

One of Kurosawa's most polished films and also one of the most entertaining. All of Kurosawa's cinematographic elements are here, and at a free flowing 96 mins long it serves as the perfect introduction to his films if you haven't seen any. Toshiro Mifune in the title role must be one of the coolest characters to ever appear on screen, and his sardonic comments directed at the often inept group of clanmen adds to the already tongue in cheek nature of the film pefectly.

Not as raw and original as Yojimbo, but arguably more fun.

7.5/10
 
I fancy a late night watching a move or two on Sky Movies, the following are my choices. If any of you know anything about them, please tell me if they're worth a watch or not;

Surrogates
Burn After Reading
Pineapple Express
The French Connection
Buffalo 66
 
Surrogates is one of the worst movies I have ever seen, watch Burn After Reading or Buffalo 66 or The French Connection, unless you are high in which case Pineapple Express is a good idea for ya
 
Uncle Junior said:
American History X - 10/10
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I wouldn't go that far, but I do think it's an excellent film.
It's a shame that Edward Furlong didn't go on to better things. He's still young enough to come back though, hopefully his drink/drug problems are behind him.
 
Wayne_Rooney said:
I fancy a late night watching a move or two on Sky Movies, the following are my choices. If any of you know anything about them, please tell me if they're worth a watch or not;

Surrogates
Burn After Reading
Pineapple Express
The French Connection
Buffalo 66
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Surrogates - shit movie
Burn after reading - ok, nothing more and a bit of an disappointment since it's a Cohen movie.
Pineapple Express - either you think it's funny or you hate it (I hated it)
The French Connection - very good
Buffalo 66 - really worth a watch, generally underrated I think.
 
The Last Emperor
Pretty good biopic on the last emperor of China. Not sure how it ran away with like a million wins/nominations at the Oscars but I enjoyed it. 7.5/10

The Conformist
Be-fecking-autiful cinematrography. The plot revolves around a fascist flunky who receives orders from his superiors to assassinate an old college professor during his honeymoon. It's told non-linear making use of various flashbacks, definitely the best I've seen from Bertolucci. 8/10

Millers Crossing
Gabriel Byrne plays Tom Reagen, the right hand man and long time confidant of gangster boss Leo. The relative peace that Leo enforces is challenged by a rival gang and Tom finds himself embroiled in a deep plot of lies and manipulation just to stay alive. It's a great little modern-noir, one of the Coen Brothers earlier films and one of their best IMO. 8.5/10

The Navigator
Buster Keaten comedy about a rich man and woman who find themselves alone on a ship, wasn't to impressed although it had a few nice gags and shots that were probably good for their time. 6/10
 
Cemetry Junction Decent British comedy. Well worth a watch but not as funny nor meaningful/emotional as it could and should have been.7/10

Inception Well scripted, well acted, well directed. The complex plot was told very well and I enjoyed it (chitty chatting tards in the row behind aside) yet I came out a little underwhelmed. I think that yet again the film (and filmaker) was a bit too pleased with his own cleverness at the expense of the product. A great DVD/download for a Fridy evening but I'd save my money at the cinema. 8/10
 
THE INFIDEL Written by David Baddiel and staring Omid Djalili

Basic plotline: Omid is an anti-semitic Muslim who discovers that his birth parents are Jewish.

I imagine that Baddiel has a book of jokes under his bed, most of which concern the Jewish faith. It probably occured to him that gentiles absolutely eat this kind of thing up, and if he could find an appropriate vehicle for them then he'd have a hit on his hands. The Infidel is that vehicle. I suppose it's fairly original to address the antipathy between followers of Islam and Judaism, especially as subject matter for a comedy, unfortunately that's where the innovation ends.

It's a harmless movie and I managed to get through the entire thing but I can't remember laughing out loud once, nor did I have that pleasant sensation of enjoying witty dialogue. Omid is a naturally likable actor (even if he was a part of the abortion that was "Sex In The City II") but he can do very little about a lifeless, unconvincing script that feels like a drama school project at times. Without giving anything away you would struggle to find a movie with an ending that feels more contrived.

Oh well at least it was better than "Dinner with Schmucks".

5/10
 
The Bad Sleep Well
Kurosawa drama based around the corrupt dealings of two large business corporations. Toshiro Mifune plays Nishi, a man intent on taking revenge on the men responsible for his Fathers death. I love the opening to this film; the reporters put names to the faces of the big players using a clever third party perspective technique. Great plot and Mifune is his usual badass self. 8/10

Nostalghia
More cinema poetry from Tarkovsky, some stunning images in it. The film is primarily about a mans longing for his homeland, but it touches on themes of religion, language, spirituality and more. The ‘candle carrying’ scene had some unexplainable quality about it that had me hooked, and the final image is breathtaking to.8.5/10
 
La Horde - It’s a zombie film that’s not entirely new or original, in saying that its fecking awesome. Some great deaths, some amazing hand-to-hand combat with zombies and one of the best handle-bar moustaches ive seen in a while. Well worth a watch.
 
Ikiru - A touching, very thought provoking film...perfectly restrained...thought some of the things at the wake could have been left out though. My eyes became a bit watery everytime he sung that song.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans - Enjoyable silent film with some memorable cinematography.

Also seen Paths of Glory, very neat war film.
 
Well in DouLou, Millers Crossing is a great film.

I watched Hurt Locker last night. I thought it was well done and conveyed its point well, though it felt more like a collection of short stories than a film, which limited my enjoyment of it a little, though that is not so much a criticism as just a question of taste. Certainly it was nowhere near Blackhawk Down which I maintain is the best war movie out there, certainly the best of all the post-Nam wars.
 
Hausu - I watched this in a very drunken state, which might have had an effect on my opinion of it but I thought it was amazing...had basically no clue what was going on. It was like one of them surreal commercials they make, but in a full length movie form...really weird and bizarre stuff. The sheer randomness of some of the things in it the made burst out laughing on a few occasions.

I've really gone and seen it all now in terms of weirdness.
 
Offret
The last of Tarkovsky :(

It’s a study of spirituality and sacrifice, although it was probably my least favorite overall it’s still a beautiful film. The shot at the end of the burning house was epic. 8/10

Smiles of a Summer Night
Not what you’d expect from Bergman! A romantic comedy that’s fairly light, it pokes fun at the pompous upperclass and has a slightly farcical plot based around lust, love and adultery. 7.5/10
 
The Best Man Really enjoyable political drama/satire that still feels far too relevant almost 50 years later 7/10
 
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