Surprisingly, he gives a great performance in 'Brother', which is a great film by the way.
Altough I agree that he was awful in The Great Gatsby.
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran are here to talk about a frustrating 2 points dropped at Crystal Palace. They then discuss the regeneration of Old Trafford. Finally, Nik is joined by special guest Michael Statham from the Football Oranje podcast - who gives us a more in depth look at our EL opposition FC Twente, and then runs through the (many) Dutch connections currently at United.
Surprisingly, he gives a great performance in 'Brother', which is a great film by the way.
Altough I agree that he was awful in The Great Gatsby.
Great is a bit of exaggeration both for his performance there and for the movie, but I agree that he was much better than usual.
The Imposter
A little embarrassed that I had this film for a good few months and only now watched it. It was absolutely brilliant and I was engrossed for its entirety. Would recommend this to anyone looking for a very engaging docu-film. 9/10
A little embarrassed that I had this film for a good few months and only now watched it. It was absolutely brilliant and I was engrossed for its entirety. Would recommend this to anyone looking for a very engaging docu-film. 9/10
Three films today, all various shades of shit.
Gatsby
Not too shit. It was actually okay, it had some very good stuff in it, but about as much against it. Tobey McGuire was God-awful, I thought some of the music was very clumsily put into the film (I have no problem with having a modern approach and having music by Jay-Z and so on, but as long as it's not just flung in there and there's actually work done to make it fit in, for example during the preparation of the tea party where Gatsby is going to see Daisy, Crazy in Love is rearranged and it sounds quite good, but some other stuff is just lazily put in there) and during the first half hour Luhrman has a problem with giving a shot more than 5 seconds on screen apparently, and switches from one image to another with an almost epilectic rhythm which makes for quite tiring viewing. However, most of the cast is good (Edgerton and Mulligan for example are great in their roles) and DiCaprio just keeps on impressing me film after film. He's superb as Jay Gatsby. The cinematography is also very good looking, and I can't say I was bored even though it was a long film... Just a shame there were a few important elements that annoyed me, I think I could've enjoyed it much more.
Hangover Part 3
Part 2 was shit because they'd taken the same film as 1, transposed it to Bangkok and just slightly changed the situations (the baby had become a monkey, genius alert!!). This one was shit as well, but for other reasons. First of all, there was no hangover. Second of all, even though they tried to change the story around a bit, they forgot the major part: it's a comedy, and it's meant to be funny. Which it wasn't. Which is a bit annoying. Anyway, there were a couple of funny parts of course, over 100 minutes there's bound to be, but it was rather dull altogether and it's good they're going to stop making these. I really enjoyed the first Hangover, but 2 and 3 were really lazy and poor films.
Only God Forgives
This was a different type of shit altogether. I really like Refn, I really like Gosling, so no one can say I'm bias, but my God this was an absolutely unbearable film to watch. Not because of the gratuitous violence on display, I don't really mind that (except that it contributed to a shit film), but because it was just so incredibly boring. Nothing seemed to happen, Gosling looked like a retard ("never go full retard"), and the whole thing just felt like an arty film project gone wrong. I hope this is just a faux pas by Refn and he can get back to his best, but it was really really crap. Never have 90 minutes in a movie theater seemed so long to me.
Gatsby
Not too shit. It was actually okay, it had some very good stuff in it, but about as much against it. Tobey McGuire was God-awful, I thought some of the music was very clumsily put into the film (I have no problem with having a modern approach and having music by Jay-Z and so on, but as long as it's not just flung in there and there's actually work done to make it fit in, for example during the preparation of the tea party where Gatsby is going to see Daisy, Crazy in Love is rearranged and it sounds quite good, but some other stuff is just lazily put in there) and during the first half hour Luhrman has a problem with giving a shot more than 5 seconds on screen apparently, and switches from one image to another with an almost epilectic rhythm which makes for quite tiring viewing. However, most of the cast is good (Edgerton and Mulligan for example are great in their roles) and DiCaprio just keeps on impressing me film after film. He's superb as Jay Gatsby. The cinematography is also very good looking, and I can't say I was bored even though it was a long film... Just a shame there were a few important elements that annoyed me, I think I could've enjoyed it much more.
Hangover Part 3
Part 2 was shit because they'd taken the same film as 1, transposed it to Bangkok and just slightly changed the situations (the baby had become a monkey, genius alert!!). This one was shit as well, but for other reasons. First of all, there was no hangover. Second of all, even though they tried to change the story around a bit, they forgot the major part: it's a comedy, and it's meant to be funny. Which it wasn't. Which is a bit annoying. Anyway, there were a couple of funny parts of course, over 100 minutes there's bound to be, but it was rather dull altogether and it's good they're going to stop making these. I really enjoyed the first Hangover, but 2 and 3 were really lazy and poor films.
Only God Forgives
This was a different type of shit altogether. I really like Refn, I really like Gosling, so no one can say I'm bias, but my God this was an absolutely unbearable film to watch. Not because of the gratuitous violence on display, I don't really mind that (except that it contributed to a shit film), but because it was just so incredibly boring. Nothing seemed to happen, Gosling looked like a retard ("never go full retard"), and the whole thing just felt like an arty film project gone wrong. I hope this is just a faux pas by Refn and he can get back to his best, but it was really really crap. Never have 90 minutes in a movie theater seemed so long to me.
I thought the first half of the film was pretty intelligent and funny, but the concept kind of run out of steam half way through and the second part was just gooey boring romance and spoiled the film a bit for me. But there's some clever stuff in there nonetheless.
One of my favourite films! The whole cast is brilliant and it's incredibly well written, a lot of hilarious parts and it's pretty thought provoking.
Been meaning to watch 13 Assassins for ages and I've finally put it on.
The Hangover 3
Rarely funny and they don't even get drunk - wait for the DVD
4/10
Rarely funny and they don't even get drunk - wait for the DVD
4/10
Gatsby was ok. I don't really like the directors style in any of his films but the gripes were things hes always done so there's not really much to moan about if you didn't like his style anyway.
Star Trek: Into Darkness - While the plot and eventual twist were a bit obvious, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Quinto, Pine, and Cumberbatch were all good. Alice Eve was fantastic as well. Could it have been better? Yes, but it was an entertaining film that didn't disappoint even if it wasn't as good as the previous JJ Abrams Star Trek. 7/10
Hangover 3 - A friend wanted to see it so we all went. The plot was completely different from the first two movies, which kinda changes it from being the Hangover. Mr Chow takes a more central role in the movie and there's no bachelor party involved. There were a few laughs but much of it was tedious. It wasn't close to the original and wasn't as good as the second iteration either. 3/10.
LA Confidential - I've been meaning to see this movie for a long time but never got around to it. Last night I saw it was on my OnDemand so started it. Spacey, Crowe, and Pearce were all great. It was well-written and intriguing. I was half reading the Caf in the first part of the movie but was drawn in completely. This is what Gangster Squad probably should have been. I'll watch it again sometime, hopefully soon. 9/10
Hangover 3 - A friend wanted to see it so we all went. The plot was completely different from the first two movies, which kinda changes it from being the Hangover. Mr Chow takes a more central role in the movie and there's no bachelor party involved. There were a few laughs but much of it was tedious. It wasn't close to the original and wasn't as good as the second iteration either. 3/10.
LA Confidential - I've been meaning to see this movie for a long time but never got around to it. Last night I saw it was on my OnDemand so started it. Spacey, Crowe, and Pearce were all great. It was well-written and intriguing. I was half reading the Caf in the first part of the movie but was drawn in completely. This is what Gangster Squad probably should have been. I'll watch it again sometime, hopefully soon. 9/10
Not enough people in the world have seen L.A Confidential for my liking... It's an incredible film.
One of my all-time favourite films. I'm going to order it on blu ray now.
Cocknys vs. Zombies
Awful. Has one or two funny bits but overall it's just as stupid as the title suggests. 2/10
The Thompsons
Only watched this as it was the sequel to The Hamiltons, which I watched a few days ago. The Hamiltons was average and this had worse reviews so I feared the worst. After watching it, I was pleasently surprised. It was really a decent film with some good character archs, well paced story, gory segments which were not overdone and some hot women
6.5/10
Awful. Has one or two funny bits but overall it's just as stupid as the title suggests. 2/10
The Thompsons
Only watched this as it was the sequel to The Hamiltons, which I watched a few days ago. The Hamiltons was average and this had worse reviews so I feared the worst. After watching it, I was pleasently surprised. It was really a decent film with some good character archs, well paced story, gory segments which were not overdone and some hot women
6.5/10The Great Gatsby - This is a decent film. The casting was good (bar Tobey Maguire) and it was fairly entertaining. But, that being said, it left me with the feeling that the director had attempted to be a little bit too faithful to the novel and it made the film feel very unnatural. The cinematography didn't really help either with all sorts of out-of-place close-ups and slow motion sequences. One thing I did like, was the music. Mixing the ostentatious hip hop music with the ostentatious character of Gatsby and the setting (the 20s) was a clever idea and it worked well for me. Hip hop embodies the American dream and I was kind of disappointed they didn't follow through with the theme throughout.
I did enjoy it although it could have been better - 7/10.
I did enjoy it although it could have been better - 7/10.
Agreed, I liked the music in the film myself aswell.
Especially Lana Del Rey, that song matched the film perfectly I thought.
Especially Lana Del Rey, that song matched the film perfectly I thought.
The music choices weren't in themselves terrible (though I personally don't think they suited the movie)... but what was terrible was how he had to clunkily/randomly somehow show a black person on the screen when certain hip-hop songs were played... as if to justify the choice or something.
The bit when they threw that old Jay Z song in with the black guys dancing about was embarrassing.
Faster
A nod to the old 70s/80s action/revenge films starring The Rock. I seem to be getting a man crush on The Rock as every film I see him in, I seem to enjoy. Not much in terms of plot but its a really enjoyable ride while it lasts. 7.5/10
Byzantium
Waaaay too long and takes AGES to get going. There is a decent film in there somewhere but this had the potential to be really good, but as it is, it is just ok... BUT you get to see Gemma Artertons boobs and bum so all good there 4.5/10
The Purge
I had such high expectations for this and was crushingly let down. The idea of the film is brilliant but once the action gets going, it just becomes a formulaic horror/slasher. Some of the decisions by the characters REALLY made me The film was shot quite well, acted decently by Ethan Hawke and Lena Heady and there were some suspenseful scenes, but overall, it was just a missed opportunity 5/10
A nod to the old 70s/80s action/revenge films starring The Rock. I seem to be getting a man crush on The Rock as every film I see him in, I seem to enjoy. Not much in terms of plot but its a really enjoyable ride while it lasts. 7.5/10
Byzantium
Waaaay too long and takes AGES to get going. There is a decent film in there somewhere but this had the potential to be really good, but as it is, it is just ok... BUT you get to see Gemma Artertons boobs and bum so all good there
4.5/10The Purge
I had such high expectations for this and was crushingly let down. The idea of the film is brilliant but once the action gets going, it just becomes a formulaic horror/slasher. Some of the decisions by the characters REALLY made me
The film was shot quite well, acted decently by Ethan Hawke and Lena Heady and there were some suspenseful scenes, but overall, it was just a missed opportunity 5/10Gemma Arterton's boobs and bum deserve a 10.
I think you're being incredibly harsh on the film here. Don't get me wrong, it had it's flaws in places, but some of your criticism I think is too much to be honest.
Firstly, Gatsby's kind of supposed to be OTT. His house is supposed to be too big and ridiculous, the parties are ridiculous and over the top full of excessive, drunk guests. I haven't seen a modern adaption of Sherlock, but I'm assuming when you say that it's quite restrained and that might work for that; but for me Gatsby has to be over the top in a way. The previous adaptions of it largely failed because they were simply boring; the parties weren't colourful and full of excessive drunks as much as this was. Perhaps it was too much, but it's better for it to be a tad too much instead of not enough.
I can understand why people didn't like the modern music but again I think it worked. The aim of it was to be used in the way jazz was seen back then; at that time it was the new, popular thing, but now it'd be fairly meaningless. The music allows us to kind of experience the parties in the way they would have back then, if that makes sense. I have to admit I didn't like guests dancing to the rhythm of the music, but apart from that I have little complaint with it.
The casting for me was spot on. Maguire might have not been the best for Nick, but I didn't actually mind him and again I think some of the criticism of him here is too much. I don't see what was wrong with the casting for the other roles either. I thought Di Caprio was superb as Gatsby and that's coming from someone who's generally thought he wasn't as good as people said he was before. Mulligan was very good as Daisy and I think Edgerton arguably gave the standout performance as Tom; he brought across the character's horrible arrogance like most do; but he also managed to capture that brutish sense which was described in the novel that many others fail to.
I know plenty who have read the novel and have enjoyed the film like me. If you don't like it fair enough, but I thought some of this was a bit too harsh.
I shall be watching this film.
I'm Not There - Todd Haynes (2007)
Great film on Bob Dylan using like six different actors to portray different aspects of Dylan, including Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Dickie Gere and Cate Blanchett. Fantatstic cameo of Richie Havens as well. You'd have to be a massive Dylan fan and have seen Scorsese's No Direction Home and Pennebacker's Don't Look Back to fully appreciate this work of genius. Only the Dylan of Dickie Gere in the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid schtick and some parts with the little black kid Dylan didn't really work very well sometimes. Thought the Best Dylan was done by Cate Blanchett, and it was great seeing Ledger and Bale showcasing their talents in an indie flick and not whoring themselves out to the suits and Batman.
I just think if you're not very well versed on Dylan's career, especially the younger Dylan, this movie might be a bit much and difficult to fully grasp. Luckily I'm a massive Dylan groupie of his younger years so I thought this film was pretty epic. Very creative work.
9 cocks up
Great film on Bob Dylan using like six different actors to portray different aspects of Dylan, including Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Dickie Gere and Cate Blanchett. Fantatstic cameo of Richie Havens as well. You'd have to be a massive Dylan fan and have seen Scorsese's No Direction Home and Pennebacker's Don't Look Back to fully appreciate this work of genius. Only the Dylan of Dickie Gere in the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid schtick and some parts with the little black kid Dylan didn't really work very well sometimes. Thought the Best Dylan was done by Cate Blanchett, and it was great seeing Ledger and Bale showcasing their talents in an indie flick and not whoring themselves out to the suits and Batman.
I just think if you're not very well versed on Dylan's career, especially the younger Dylan, this movie might be a bit much and difficult to fully grasp. Luckily I'm a massive Dylan groupie of his younger years so I thought this film was pretty epic. Very creative work.
9 cocks up
Once upon a time in America - I'm prepared to be slated for this, but why was this film almost four hours of watching people look at each other listening to annoying noises being played in the background from the ringing telephone to that fecking whistle that kept being played. It was an interesting story and the parts when they were young was excellent, but by the last hour I was just wishing it was end soon. The fact I started watching it at midnight may not have helped matters. Also, am I being retarded in thinking the ending was stupid? Like how would he not have known that the guy didn't die and ended up being a big shot politician? I know there was no fox news in those days but newspapers were pretty common place.
Please someone tell me I got it all wrong and tell me that I am too much of a buffoon to appreciate Sergio's masterpiece!
Please someone tell me I got it all wrong and tell me that I am too much of a buffoon to appreciate Sergio's masterpiece!
Just watched it there. Wonderful stuff. Fantastic movie.
I thought it was great personally but I'm not one of those snobs who forces someone to like something and I can see why it would drag for some people.
Watching it in one viewing probably didn't help you though. I can't speak for others but I watched it in 2 two-hour parts which probably stopped me from feeling it dragged on at all.
As for the ending, I thought the guy had changed his name and identity, so that others had thought he had really died and that this new politician he became was someone else completely. It's been a while since I saw it but I thought he changed his identity.
I know she won all the praise for that role, but I couldn't help but be really aware that she was a woman parading as a man. I can't tell if it was a preconceived notion but it really didn't sit right with me.
Cheesy he had changed his identity but not his face. You probably have a point about watching it in two sittings though. That night I watched two episodes of the Sopranos and then 4 hours of this.
I've never understood the praise this received either (and I love Leone). I thought most of the acting by the kids was on a par with Harry Potter (ie awful ... even if a lot of them did go on to be fine actors) and I found that 'twist' at the end similarly ridiculous. Horses for courses I suppose.
I thought she was fantastic (tho' she must have watched Don't Look Back a thousand times).
Watched Charlie Wilson's War the other day and really enjoyed it. Very good script and extremely watchable film for one based on awful lot of political dialogue and not much in the way of action. Tom Hanks is as likeable as ever. 8/10
Gangster Squad - Cheesy and with jarred dialogue but still reasonably enjoyable.
The Place Beyond the Pines - I was shocked the way it was split into a trilogy of stories but I can't say it worked all that well. Bradley Cooper really struggled to hold my attention as the lead and the final act felt forced. The opening hour with Gosling and Mendes was enjoyable enough but all in all it was pretty mediocre.
The Place Beyond the Pines - I was shocked the way it was split into a trilogy of stories but I can't say it worked all that well. Bradley Cooper really struggled to hold my attention as the lead and the final act felt forced. The opening hour with Gosling and Mendes was enjoyable enough but all in all it was pretty mediocre.
Oh yes this was a good film, I saw it ages ago (well when it came out, circa 2006-2007 I guess?). Really enjoyed it at the time, quite witty and clever, and still very relevant nowadays. I'll try to re-watch it soon!
Well I do admit to enjoying the young scenes, but maybe that's because they moved a bit quicker and had a bit of humour thrown in.
Yeah I'm definitely in the minority on that one. I had a similar thought when she was playing Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator so maybe I just can't see past Cate Blanchett.
Watched Django Unchained last night, absolutely loved it, had everything, great acting, comedy, action, great music, Christophe Waltz stole the show
Watched The Raid a couple of nights ago. Enjoyed it, some of the fighting scenes were excellent, a really frantic and breathless action film. I'd probably give it an 8/10, definitely worth watching.
The Orphanage
Not what I was expecting.
I was disappointed that it did not scare me or even make me jump once, but that did not detract from the film, I thought it was excellent. A very good story , very well told and well acted.
The ending was very bitter sweet I thought but worked very well.
The copy I saw , the subtitles were very hit and miss but you did not lose anything, I would recommend this film.
8/10
Not what I was expecting.
I was disappointed that it did not scare me or even make me jump once, but that did not detract from the film, I thought it was excellent. A very good story , very well told and well acted.
The ending was very bitter sweet I thought but worked very well.
The copy I saw , the subtitles were very hit and miss but you did not lose anything, I would recommend this film.
8/10
To be fair, it's not really a horror film... it's got a few "scary moments" but really it's more of a thriller then anything.
Inside Man
I'm a big fan of this film. It's a decent story told in an interesting way and everyone involved puts in a decent performance. I think Spike Lee has shown with both this and the excellent 25th Hour that when he goes for a more conventional film away from racial angles and what not, he can create some interesting and exciting cinema.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Ridiculous film... that I found pretty hilarious. Great concept, likable "heroes", funny dialogue and death scenes, and a really hot blonde chick... what's not to like?!
Well Orphanage is a supernatural film, and I was actually terrified by it, much more so than any other film I've seen these last few years. It's the atmosphere that's created and that I was completely invested into that did the trick for me, I remember the medium part I was just shitting myself! 
Still good you enjoyed it despite the fright factor pauldy!
Tucker & Dale was a good surprise when I watched, though it was a bit spoiled by the trailer I'd seen beforehand, if you don't know anything about it when you put it on, it's even more satisfying I think. And yeah, the blonde girl is
Still good you enjoyed it despite the fright factor pauldy!
Tucker & Dale was a good surprise when I watched, though it was a bit spoiled by the trailer I'd seen beforehand, if you don't know anything about it when you put it on, it's even more satisfying I think. And yeah, the blonde girl is
Well Orphanage is a supernatural film, and I was actually terrified by it, much more so than any other film I've seen these last few years. It's the atmosphere that's created and that I was completely invested into that did the trick for me, I remember the medium part I was just shitting myself!
Still good you enjoyed it despite the fright factor pauldy!
Tucker & Dale was a good surprise when I watched, though it was a bit spoiled by the trailer I'd seen beforehand, if you don't know anything about it when you put it on, it's even more satisfying I think. And yeah, the blonde girl is
Yeah the medium part was creepy, but not scary.
I went into the film not reading anything about it and I did think it was a horror at first, so that bit did disappoint me, but that disappointment soon vanished.