Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Hectic said:
Is it just me that thinks Ryan Gosling comes across a bit mentally retarded?

I saw Place beyond the Pines yesterday....why is he so fecking wooden?
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Irwinwastheking said:
He's a terrible actor and I struggle to think of anything that he's been really good in. A young Dennis Quaide.
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Bill.s.preston said:
I thought Gosling was quite good in Crazy Stupid Love and Lars and the Real Girl.
The only other film I've seen of his was Drive, which seems to be a bit of a marmite film.
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He's also good in Blue Valentine. Unfortunately it looks like off the back of Drive (a film I liked) people have tried to cast him as something like the new Steve Mcqueen (laconic and cool, with very little facial movement) as opposed to just asking him to act the character he is playing.

His role in Drive works for me because of the type of character he is supposed to be beneath the surface, since then(possibly before) unfortunately people seem to think he's ok getting by with the same performance and it simply does not work in fact Hectic is right it makes him look retarded. He really needs to go back to the drawing board with his career and start acting again.
 
Ryan is . . . cutting edge.

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Dark Skies

Was initially VERY excited for this but after reading many bad reviews, I was very sceptical. Maybe it's the horror fan inside me but I really enjoyed the film. Was paced well and didn't focus too much on the supernatural elements, but more on the effect this experience has on the family. Enjoyed it very much and would recommend to horror fans who don't want to simply consume torture porn... 8/10
 
The Grandmaster - or Wong Kar-Wai's Once Upon a Time in America, it's only half as long as that one but it felt like a longer film that been trimmed down and I hope they release the original 4 hour cut as it felt like some of the characters in it were a bit underdeveloped, like Chang Chen's character which was a good character but with a very fussy role in the film. Anyways, it's an absolutely gorgeous film with some stunning fighting scenes, as far as kung fu movies go, this is one of the best I've seen. It's not one of his best but it shows that WKW still has got a bit of kinetic energy left in him.
 
Watched Once and The Hurt Locker.

Once a decent enough low budget Irish movie. Pretty believable for me and I thought I liked it as much as I could like romantic movie about two musicians. Some of the soundtrack was awesome and some of the songs dragged on a bit. I though she was amazing singing and playing. 6/10

The Hurt Locker - I know opinions here are split over it, but all in all I thought it was a pretty good movie and was gritty as feck. A few turn my eyes away moments, but all in all well worth a watch, especially as I'm in the midst of an American War movie binge. 8/10
 
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

I went in to this film expecting it to be dreadful, but I thought it was OK.
The 2 leads Renner and Artherton and the main witch Janssen, were excellent, Artherton in tight leather pants was a nice bonus.

Yeah the film was not a classic, but there was plenty of blood and some funny one liners, the film was not trying to be anything that it was not.
The story was a decent one and I thought worked quite well.
There was one thing that got me, every time they came up against a witch or bounty hunter, they got there arses kicked all over the place.
The twist in the story was predicable and the ending was also very predictable.

If you want 90 mins of blood, a few good one liners and to throw some popcorn down your neck, while watching a film that will not tax your brain, this will do the job

6/10
 
Star Trek: Into Darkness Not as good as the last film (though this was magnified by having watched them back to back, but it's still a good, fun action romp that is fun for non-trekkies and (I can only assume?) satisfying for the fans as well.

Like the last one, it looks great, has the Abrams shine to it, and the sound design in particular is excellent. The cast all work well and have some fun with their roles (especially Bones) so it pretty much picks up where the last one left off in that regard. It's a far more straight-forward overall story (despite attempts to
convolute it) then the last film though, which in-turn probably makes it slightly less interesting, though it still has it's moments.

Finally Benedict Cumberbatch is great... and he's also great in this film too, which is nice. In fact, I wish he was in it more to be honest. I don't think enough time was spent building his character in the initial stages of the film. The word "Terrorist" is used to describe him fairly quickly, and whilst technically its accurate, I feel like they could have built up the "terror" aspect a bit more (as ultimately, he only made one terroist attack). But yeah, when he is on screen, he's easily the most interesting thing in the shot.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Hope that helps :)
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Thanks for the comments, Syrup in particular sounds like it's worth a watch.

Dirty Schwein said:
Dark Skies

Was initially VERY excited for this but after reading many bad reviews, I was very sceptical. Maybe it's the horror fan inside me but I really enjoyed the film. Was paced well and didn't focus too much on the supernatural elements, but more on the effect this experience has on the family. Enjoyed it very much and would recommend to horror fans who don't want to simply consume torture porn... 8/10
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Will also give this a watch, sounds good and I'm always looking for decent horror films which aren't torture porn so it sounds like it fits the bill!
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Will also give this a watch, sounds good and I'm always looking for decent horror films which aren't torture porn so it sounds like it fits the bill!
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Just so long as you can accept that the film borrows a lot from many other films in the genre, you will enjoy it more. A lot of the criticism around it is based on that point.
 
3 Iron - Kim Ki-Duk (2004)

This Korean film had great ratings but I thought it was cack. Kim veers slightly from his usual Asian-ish twisted psychological bollocks but all the golfing and hiding behind people was about as meaningful and deep as a golfing video of Duran Duran. I kept watching it hoping it'd get better but I ended up thinking this guy doesn't know what the feck he wants to say, or at least how to say it.

5 cocks up
 
Nobby style said:
3 Iron - Kim Ki-Duk (2004)

This Korean film had great ratings but I thought it was cack. Kim veers slightly from his usual Asian-ish twisted psychological bollocks but all the golfing and hiding behind people was about as meaningful and deep as a golfing video of Duran Duran. I kept watching it hoping it'd get better but I ended up thinking this guy doesn't know what the feck he wants to say, or at least how to say it.

5 cocks up
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I also remember feeling a bit disappointed and mislead after I watched this a couple of years ago.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Just so long as you can accept that the film borrows a lot from many other films in the genre, you will enjoy it more. A lot of the criticism around it is based on that point.
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Nah it might annoy me slightly but as long as it's a decent film I won't really mind, I'm not too harsh a critic when it comes to the genre, there's so much crap about that I'm satisfied if I can watch the film until the end without feeling the need to switch it off! And I take the occasional very good film, such as the Orphanage (seen it?), as a bonus rather than the norm!
 
Side Effects - 7/10

Pretty good film I enjoyed it, Rooney Mara looks stunning as well.
 
Annihilate Now! said:
Star Trek: Into Darkness Not as good as the last film (though this was magnified by having watched them back to back, but it's still a good, fun action romp that is fun for non-trekkies and (I can only assume?) satisfying for the fans as well.

Like the last one, it looks great, has the Abrams shine to it, and the sound design in particular is excellent. The cast all work well and have some fun with their roles (especially Bones) so it pretty much picks up where the last one left off in that regard. It's a far more straight-forward overall story (despite attempts to
convolute it) then the last film though, which in-turn probably makes it slightly less interesting, though it still has it's moments.

Finally Benedict Cumberbatch is great... and he's also great in this film too, which is nice. In fact, I wish he was in it more to be honest. I don't think enough time was spent building his character in the initial stages of the film. The word "Terrorist" is used to describe him fairly quickly, and whilst technically its accurate, I feel like they could have built up the "terror" aspect a bit more (as ultimately, he only made one terroist attack). But yeah, when he is on screen, he's easily the most interesting thing in the shot.
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Agree with pretty much all of this having just seen it, good film but unfortunately plot development plays second fiddle to action (it is an action Sci-fi so understandable).

Some of the plot twists defy logic or are overdone (the cameo is pointless in terms of plot), but overall a pretty good film.

6.5/10.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Nah it might annoy me slightly but as long as it's a decent film I won't really mind, I'm not too harsh a critic when it comes to the genre, there's so much crap about that I'm satisfied if I can watch the film until the end without feeling the need to switch it off! And I take the occasional very good film, such as the Orphanage (seen it?), as a bonus rather than the norm!
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Such a good horror film. Absolutely loved it. I am the same, I'm so used to junk in the horror genre such as Texas Chainsaw 3D, which is a shame as the genre is my favourite by far because when it's done right, it's bloody (no pun intended) brilliant.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Nah it might annoy me slightly but as long as it's a decent film I won't really mind, I'm not too harsh a critic when it comes to the genre, there's so much crap about that I'm satisfied if I can watch the film until the end without feeling the need to switch it off! And I take the occasional very good film, such as the Orphanage (seen it?), as a bonus rather than the norm!
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Not seen this, I can remember the last time I saw a really good horror film.
Horror is my fav genre, but there is so much rubbish around.
 
Star Trek Into Darkness

Simply exhilarating at times. I like what J.J. Abrams has done with the new Star Trek movies and this sequel really turns up the awe factor. It does a good job of showing different sides to Starfleet than we've seen before. There's also a noticeably darker tone throughout but with plenty of funny moments as well. Plenty of laughs happened in the cinema.

Anyway, it was said the first movie was about Kirk being given the captaincy, and in this one he definitely earns it. The main characters have more emotionally charged scenes than I thought they would. While Benedict Cumberbatch was very convincing as the villain as well. Overall there's loads to see here. Like before it's another very entertaining sci-fi movie with plenty of appeal.

8/10
 
pauldyson1uk said:
Not seen this, I can remember the last time I saw a really good horror film.
Horror is my fav genre, but there is so much rubbish around.
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You should watch it, it's a Spanish horror film about ghosts (produced by Guillermo del Toro if I recall correctly). The atmosphere is brilliant and the story itself isn't stupid, it's really worth a watch, check it out. It came out at the same time as [Rec], another Spanish horror film, but not a ghost story this time, this one is from the zombie genre, which is very well done.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
You should watch it, it's a Spanish horror film about ghosts (produced by Guillermo del Toro if I recall correctly). The atmosphere is brilliant and the story itself isn't stupid, it's really worth a watch, check it out. It came out at the same time as [Rec], another Spanish horror film, but not a ghost story this time, this one is from the zombie genre, which is very well done.
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I have seen [rec] ,it was a decent film, zombies are not really my thing but love a good ghost story.
 
Watched Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. Saw it with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I liked it. And Gemma Artheton in the movie was just gorgeous. :drool: Liked the weapons as well. Nice combo everyone of them had. 6/10
 
Star Trek into Darkness. 6/10
Incredible first 3/4's. Cumberbatch needed to be in it more, but the final quarter is such a let down. What starts of as intelligent ideas with a theme of not being in control and relying on luck is a bad thing ends with atypical deus ex machina luck that's telegraphed throughout. The originality goes out the window and you just feel let down. It's such a shame as it is acted fantastically throughout. Everything about it is stunning and Cumbebatch's John Harrison had the chance to become a character to rival Ledgers Joker, Rickmans Gruber. But it just burns out.
 
Gambit said:
Star Trek into Darkness. 6/10
Incredible first 3/4's. Cumberbatch needed to be in it more, but the final quarter is such a let down. What starts of as intelligent ideas with a theme of not being in control and relying on luck is a bad thing ends with atypical deus ex machina luck that's telegraphed throughout. The originality goes out the window and you just feel let down. It's such a shame as it is acted fantastically throughout. Everything about it is stunning and Cumbebatch's John Harrison had the chance to become a character to rival Ledgers Joker, Rickmans Gruber. But it just burns out.
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Agree. Watched it yesterday and felt quite the same...this film lacks a bit of meat, something that would have made it a good follow-up to the first one.

It's definitely an entertaining film though. Just a niggle, for people able to teleport to any spot in the universe, they sure do a lot of running around in their own fkin ship.
 
Castia said:
The Place Beyond the Pines - 7.5/10

It's an ambitious film that manages to put together a good story. Gosling and Cooper are great and it would have probably scored a 9 if the second half of the movie was upto the standards of the first.
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watched this last night and thought it was a big let down, quite poor, Gosling is definitely overrated and as said by someone above, acts like he's the new Steve McQueen with very little facial movements and a brooding demeanor but he can't pull it off because he's far too pretty whereas McQueen was rugged and manly (and could act). 4/10
 
Star Trek: Into The Darkness>

Pretty good film, until the last 35 mins or so, then it all goes to shit! Seriously stupid unnecessary shit!
Also, why does Dr Mccoy have to make stupid wisecracks every time he opens his mouth? It gets very grating!

Major, Major spoilers below because I can't explain why it all goes to shit without revealing plot details.

Ok: Have you seen Star Trek 2, The Wrath Of Khan?

If you have, you'll be very familiar with the end of this film. If you haven't then you might well enjoy it without prejudice. At the end of Star Trek 2, (from memory pedants!) After their tangle with Khan, the warp core is failing and somebody has to do a manual reset. Spock steps up to the plate and does job, but he sacrifices himself in order to do it. Luckily there's a clever plot device which enables him to be brought back to life for an awful 3rd movie called The Search For Spock. There's also a memorable scene where Kirk emotionally screams Khan's name.

In this film, after their tangle with Khan, the warp core is failing and somebody has to do a manual reset. This time it's Kirk and he sacrifices himself in order to do it. Luckily there's a telegraphed plot device which enables him to be brought back to life. Oh, and Spock emotionally screams Khan's name which almost made me lob my drink at the cinema screen!

See what they did there, they almost remade part of the second film but they added a character swapping twist. Aren't they clever!

It totally ruined the film for me, which I'd been enjoying up until that point.
 
Wu Xia

Brilliant martial arts film with a good plot and amazing performances, mainly from Donnie Yen, who seems to have great skills in martial arts choreography and acting. The film also is the return of Takeshi Kaneshiro and Yu Wang, which is nice. The film is shot really well, edited at a really nice pace and has some amazing action sequences. Thoroughly enjoyed this. 8.5/10
 
Red It's been out for a couple of years now, but I never got round to watching it until yesterday. It's like a very lighthearted, cleverer version of The Expendables, with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren all portraying a retired CIA brilliantly. But the film really wouldn't have been anywhere near as good as it was without the brilliant John Malkovich, who was utterly fantastic and showed how versatile he is as an actor. Really makes me look forward to the 2nd Red coming out this year.

8/10
 
Bill.s.preston said:
Star Trek: Into The Darkness>

Pretty good film, until the last 35 mins or so, then it all goes to shit! Seriously stupid unnecessary shit!
Also, why does Dr Mccoy have to make stupid wisecracks every time he opens his mouth? It gets very grating!

Major, Major spoilers below because I can't explain why it all goes to shit without revealing plot details.

Ok: Have you seen Star Trek 2, The Wrath Of Khan?

If you have, you'll be very familiar with the end of this film. If you haven't then you might well enjoy it without prejudice. At the end of Star Trek 2, (from memory pedants!) After their tangle with Khan, the warp core is failing and somebody has to do a manual reset. Spock steps up to the plate and does job, but he sacrifices himself in order to do it. Luckily there's a clever plot device which enables him to be brought back to life for an awful 3rd movie called The Search For Spock. There's also a memorable scene where Kirk emotionally screams Khan's name.

In this film, after their tangle with Khan, the warp core is failing and somebody has to do a manual reset. This time it's Kirk and he sacrifices himself in order to do it. Luckily there's a telegraphed plot device which enables him to be brought back to life. Oh, and Spock emotionally screams Khan's name which almost made me lob my drink at the cinema screen!

See what they did there, they almost remade part of the second film but they added a character swapping twist. Aren't they clever!

It totally ruined the film for me, which I'd been enjoying up until that point.
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I had no idea about the earlier movie's scene, but this one was surely just a little nod to it more than a major plot device. Nothing to get so emotional about at least.
 
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