Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Oz - The Great and Powerful - I think that's what its called anyway. Thought it was okay and fairly entertaining family fun. Nothing to get too excited over, but it's a nice little trip into that world... though it could probably do with being a bit shorter.

Oh, I imagine if you dislike James Franco (like my friend who I went to see it with does) then you won't have a good time with it... he's in super smarmy mode for the majority of the film (as that's his character... a twat).

It's also got a fair few attractive women in it, so that's always a bonus.
 
The Hobbit

Maybe I'm being a bit unappreciative here but I was a little dissappointed by large tracts of this film. I remember enjoying the book far more than the film, which was not necessarily the case with the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The story was all there, with only possibly a few omissions, which made the film, predictably, quite long. That wasn't the problem. The major problem for me was the CGI. Too much of the CGI work just didn't look real enough. Orks that moved like they were dinosaurs chasing Raquel Welsh. Dogs with little or no facial reality, horses whose locomotion just wasn't realistically done.

Maybe I was expecting too much, but the film was spoilt for me due to this.

All that said, the sense of humour was there. The acting wasn't anything sparkling, but good enough. The scenery was stunning, as you'd expect, and the story line followed the story line.

Good enough, but no "must see".

6 and a half cocks inserted.
 
I was very disappointed in The Hobbit but my expectations were already set fairly low after all the issues with it ahead of it's release. Felt like an insult to fans of the book & prior films, nothing less than a money grab

Saw Stephen Chow's Journey to the West Conquering The Demons who is famous for Shaolin Soccer & Kung Fu Hustle. Darker & more gruesome than his typical films, largely inferior work, IMO, 6/10. Shame, I was looking forward to his return.
 
I had incredibly low expectations for Oz The Great & Powerful (or Terrible, as the guy who comes and tells you to look away if you're an epilptic or a giant pussy at the beginning of IMAX screenings insisted on repeatedly calling it) and perhaps because of this, I actually quite enjoyed it.

In fact up to about an hour in, I really enjoyed it. It was almost at Pixar levels of jovial, easy, something-for-everyone family entertainment guff, with several very nice little nods to the original/mythos/blah.

Sadly they completely feck up the second half of the film. Almost wholesale. It suddenly drops about 40 leagues under the sea in terms of quality, saved only by Rachel Weisz's furious hamming and an inadvertently hilarious accidental Chinese racist face James Franco pulls.

This happens almost from the second they reach...whatever bit of Oz it is that has all the midgets in it, but isn't the Emerald City, which coincides with a transformation they were hoping would be the central selling point of the film, but which they completely misshandle.

The first half being very well drawn and paced means that by about 80 minutes in everyone starts to panic that there isn't enough time to get to the big hollywood CGI showdown fighty bit, so from the point we reach the good bubble midget City, or whatever it is, character development, or even some passable character introduction is completely out of the window. Which is possibly a good thing, because all the tinkers, tailors, midgets and....more midgets, all seem achingly boring and 1D anyway, but we need them for the final bit, so we're thrown some dull exposition stock characters, complete with Magical Negro...TWO in fact. One of whom is a midget.

The major problem with this film though is the Wicked Witch.

I'm not blaming Kunis for this either. I'm a fan of Kunis. Not for any acting reasons obviously, that would be insane, but she plays a perfectly good bum in leather trousers for the first hour of this film, and does seem to be genuinely trying to give her best stage school performance as The Mask for the second half. It's not her fault they took the daft & bizarre choice to keep her normal, far too distinctive voice either. She just sounds like that.

No, the trouble is that someone, somewhere, at some point during the writing and pre-production process decided that if this film was going to sell, it needed more Wicked Witch in it. The Wicked Witch had to be guaranteed to be in at least half of the film, otherwise the idiots that pay his wages (us) wouldn't stand for them not mining all the comercial merchandising possible out of this property.

And so thus it is that a film that had built up quite well to the midway point, beginning to flesh out a plausible origin for all the main iconic protagonists, suddenly veers wildly into plot desperation and rams in a completely OTT and implausibly hurried transformation scene where Mila Kunis turns from sweet natured naive girl, to cackling green racially insensitive nosed Witch in the time it takes to unconvincingly fall behind a table.

It's a shame because Kunis was playing the sweet natured, naive bum in leather trousers quite well, and I could've believed the transformation had it happened, as it quite clearly should've happened, at the very end of the film. Especially since They were going to make a cocking sequel anyway.!!

Remember how some people got annoyed that they spent the whole of the Dark Knight building up how Aaron Eckhart became Two-Face and then killed him as soon as he did? We this is the complete opposite of that. It's not a good trade off.

I can't believe I've just gone on a rant about a Wizard of Oz story.

Anyway, I'd give it a 6.5 maybe even a 7, but at least one of those points is for the main character being called Oscar.
 
500MPH Storm

You all know I like crappy disaster film, sometimes a film is so bad it makes it funny and watchable, well for me. Well not this pile of steaming shite.
The story is not only badly written it is dreadful.
Just another daft, world ending accident that is stopped by 1,well this 3 people who have managed to dodge death about 6 times.
It has so may plot holes in it, it would take longer than the film to list them all.

This was the plot summery on IMDB.
When an energy experiment goes haywire, a rash of massive hurricanes rips across North America. A high school science teacher must get his family to safety before the hurricanes merge, creating a "hypercane" with the power to wipe the US off the map.

For the love of god don't watch this, I do so that you don't have too :lol:


1/10
 
Oz.. yadda yadda yadda

Yawn fest, typical disney shits, kuniz's ass was the only thing i remember after the movie, oh and michelle williams started boring and ugly, but somehow I think she's captivating by the end of the movie
 
Life of Pi

Finally watched it. That was excellent, enjoyed through the whole film, I wasn't bored for one second, and the end was fantastic too. 9/10.
 
SteveJ said:
See No Evil: The Moors Murders (2006): '...tells the story of the Moors Murders, which were committed during the 1960s by Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, from the view of Hindley's sister Maureen Smith and her husband David.'

Maxine Peake (Myra Hindley) is really excellent, as are Joanne Froggatt (Maureen Smith) & Matthew McNulty (David Smith). Sean Harris plays Brady as both evil and pathetic; there's truth in that depiction, of course, but the portrayal is so overcooked that steam seems to rise from him. Brady, as Harris plays him, is at once both a weedy, sad little man and someone who's so obviously sinister one can't believe that Hindley & others didn't just laugh at him, let alone become so tragically enthralled.

A non-graphic drama made with the permission & cooperation of victims' families, this is a very good and insightful tv movie (available to view on Youtube).

8/10
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I used to drink with Dave Smith twenty odd years ago in Lincoln. His kids are all a bit fecked up for some reason. His daughter Jody was fit though.

I'm gonna have a look at that, out of pure interest in how the story he told me stacks up on film.
 
It's pretty good, sol.

BTW Your drawings are bloody superb, mate. :)
 
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Seen it a few times now, still a brilliant movie to finish a brilliant series. Only let down by of course that cnut Ron Weasley (Why JK ever thought it'd be a good idea to put him with Hermione I'll never know) and for the final film, Neville starting to act like it's Neville Longbottom and The Deathly Hallows - Part 2.
 
Paths of Glory (1957) - 8

Everyone talks about Kirk Douglas but I thought George Macready as the odious General Paul Mireau was brilliant. Probably one of my favourite "villains" on film. Loved it except but it's hard to ignore the fact that it was telling a French war story in the English language. The ending with the German singer felt quite strange for a Kubrick film.

Carrie (1976) - 5

I lost interest in the book very quickly and thought this was a lot worse. Shame.
 
Paris, Texas now available in the UK on blu-ray, and almost as good as the Criterion, might have to pick this marvellous piece of Cinema up..... noticed Dead Man Walking and Chinatown have UK releases too, but the Chinatown one supposed to be pretty bad.

I watched Trainspotting the other day, which is essentially the 90's summed up to perfection. Amazing film, aged supremely well, and I'm kind of hit and miss on whether I want this Porno sequel....
 
The Sessions A surprisingly funny and charming film about sex and the disabled. I won't give the plot away but the central performances were superb which make this film worth watching even if it wasn't superb as a film, which it is. Throughly recommended. 8.5/10

And Helen Hunt gets naked quite frequently.
 
Django

Brilliant I loved it, I did not think I would , westerns are not my thing but I like Tarantino.
Fox and Waltz maybe the best I have seen them and DiCaprio was excellent has Candie.
Not sure why but Jackson did not impress me in this and I think he is a cracking actor.
The fight scenes were brutal or should I say shooting scenes but in keeping with the film.
Best part of the film had to be with the homemade KKK hats, it was like something out of Blazing Saddles, very funny.

9/10 only missing a 10 only because I did not like Jackson in it.
 
Outside Satan - Bruno Dumont (2011)

Very much in the same vein of Dumont's film Humanite from a few years back which I enjoyed very much. Rural northern coastal France, detached characters who don't say much, unsavory acts committed by unsavory nameless small town characters. Weird geezer drifter shows up and hooks up with a just as weird local gal, and they don't talk very much, but crimes are carried out. Dumont's cineamatic language is hypnotic and very well done. Kind of gets you stoned just watching it. Bleak bleak bleak.

8 cocks up
 
Shelter (2009)

A thought provoking thriller with nuances of horror for good measure. Had me guessing the intentions of the antagonist until the final third, a feat that most hollywood films cannot replicate on 90% of their films. Not the greatest film but definitely worth a watch if only for the performances of Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, especially the latter. I have no idea why a film like this gets 0% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes but bullshit like Red Dawn hangs on 13% :mad:

6.5/10
 
Plechazunga said:
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall his Past Lives

Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes last year. By Apichatpong Weerasethakul, director of Blissfully Yours and the brilliant Tropical Malady and Sydromes and a Century.

The first three shots of this film are possibly the most beautiful I've ever seen. And the last sequence is terrific, pretty much as good as anything he's done.

Aside from that, it was quite disappointing. There was nothing really new, everything seemed to be regurgitated from his other films. And whereas before he's always had an interest in pop culture, this time it veered towards kitsch and cute.

That said, the guy's a phenomenal talent, and this film's still better than most I've seen this year.
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Bill.s.preston said:
I've seen/read a couple of reviews that said it was beautiful but dull. Is that fair, or did the reviewers fail to understand the film?
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Plechazunga said:
I think that's pretty fair.
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I watched this today, It was certainly odd and not particularly beautiful. There were a couple of shots near the end, specifically the stars/cave sequence that were very well done. So, overall it wasn't my cup of tea, but The Cave, the Catfish scene and the Monkey Ghosts were personal highlights.


I'd avoid this one unless you're in a particularly arty/film buffy mood.
 
Just watched Bones Brigade. Great documentary about the biggest skateboarding team basically ever, and they were only in their early teens when it started. If you've ever had even the slightest interest in skateboarding then you should watch this. Brilliant.
 
What do caftards think of O Lucky Man?

I don't think it translates to the modern era so well, but if you know about the time it was made then you can get it. Quite an ambitious effort and the sight of Capt. Mainwaring in blackface is one of the most jarring things in cinema...as it was intended.

I really enjoyed it and will need to watch it a few more times I think to see everything.
 
Serpico

Not seen this before, and although I did enjoy it, excellent true life story , acting was good, Al Pacino was very good. I found it boring it parts.
I can see why it would of been a big film when it came out, but it has not dated very well.
If you like Pacino and I do, then you have to watch this.

7/10
 
I think that's quite a common opinion on Serpico Pauldy, I certainly share it. Dog Day is far better. It's Pacino's best performance for me.
 
Before the Devil knows Your Dead.

2 Brothers plan to rob there parents jewelry store, but thing go very badly wrong.
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke , both very good has the 2 brothers, but star of the film for me was Albert Finney has the father.

6.5/10

Bug

One of the strangest film I have seen, plot is daft acting is OK.
A nutty war vet , thinks he is infested with bugs and drags his new girlfriend into his delusion.

3/10
 
I thought Bug was great, one of Michael Shannon's best performances in my opinion. On a related note I just saw Killer Joe and really enjoyed it. I loved the unrelentingly depraved characters and their despicable behaviour. The son in particular was wonderfully pathetic. I smiled all the way through this twisted farce.
 
Watched that Hunger Games the other night. Thought it was good for what it was which is a movie that had to be suitable for fans of the books. My daughter was one of those so I was glad it wasn't a Battle Royal type movie. Good story and the main actress is a fox.

For the kids probably a 8.5/10 for the grown ups maybe a 7/10. It's good to have a movie that the lot of us can watch without me wanting to claw out my eyes.
 
There Will Be Blood - Finally, after what seems like far too long, I got round to seeing this. I thought it was pretty fantastic... A great character study of a lonely, psychotic man... expertly shot by PTA. It's not much of a story, just the slow breakdown of an individual fueled by greed and self-importance... and yeah, I loved pretty much every minute of it.

People criticised DDL for over-acting in the film, but I would whole-heartidly disagree. For the first half of the film he is understated and controlled, all the while hinting that something is boiling below the surface... certainly not over-acting anything for my money. He, along with the terrific soundtrack, made me feel tense at times when I had no reason to be tense... and kept me glud to the idea that something isn't right, and he's going to lose his shit at any moment. This meant for me that, when he lost his shit at the end of the movie, it made sense for him to really lose his shit. The scene with his deaf son is amazing, I prefer it to the climax with the Paul Dano character (who is also excellent in this movie) though that is still a powerful scene in itself.

Casino - Rewatched it for the first time in years. Forgotten what an excellent film it is. Pesci and De Niro are superb - Dare I say that De Niro may weill be better here then he is in Goodfellas - and it's all managed as you'd expect from Scorcese.. The only thing that really bugs me about it is the soundtrack, which I'm not a fan of, other then that, it's just a fine variation of the archetypal mobster rise and fall.

And, as always when talking about Casino, the phrase "It's not as good as Goodfellas" has to be used, but then there arn't many films that are in my opinion.
 
Better than godfather? I may have to give this a watch.
 
Ah okay, I'm with you. Will still have to check it out, how will you rate the performance against scarface then?

Edit: just read through the conversation quickly, you think it's his best performance so that answers the question.
 
I'm not a huge fan of Scarface. It's a big, OTT show off performance. Most actors would love a part like that. It's the Jim Carrey of gangster roles. Dog Day is miles above it in what poncy wankers would call proper acting.
 
I'm sure most actors would, but it's a classic film, I personally love it. But I'm looking forward to watching this film you recommend.
 
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