Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

I watched The Great Wall today. It wasnt as bad as people are saying, but then I didnt go in expecting a masterpiece. I expected some action nonsense and a non complex plot and standard dialogue which is what it delivered. Always cool seeing Pedro Pascal too. (with this and watching Logan recently, got some good Narcos memories)

Also saw Fences. Very good but you really need to be in the mood to watch this imo. If I had gone after work I think it would have annoyed me for no fault of its own. But with the day off I got tochill and watch this, and it was one of my fav performances from Denzel.
 
American Honey is such a good film that I'm not even going to mention Roberto Baggio. It's a beautiful, celebration of joy and pain and life.

Andrea Arnold is the antithesis of a Larry Clarke. She has respect and compassion for her young characters. Her focus on the lives of poor youths seems to come from a place of deep understanding and experience, thus her films have never felt exploitative to me. She has a remarkable ability to look beyond the diamond and show the beauty in the rough itself. Also an uncanny ability to appropriate pop music (often bad pop music) and use it to fittingly score the lifes of young people.

It's almot 3 hours long and I was dreading it, but the timing is spot on and the balance of the film is perfect. The time just flew by. The acting is brilliant from everyone, really note perfect stuff and further proof of Arnolds exceptional ability to herd actors.

Beguiling base metal to gold type stuff, best film from last year, should've been her 2nd and 3rd OSCARS, Golaco!
 
Rewatched Xavier Dolan's Mommy recently, really enjoyed it. Dolan is one of those directors who's got a way with pop music, it goes beyond just being a soundtrack in his films.
 
R.N7 said:
True, you have to wonder why he even chose to use it, his Spotify playlists must be pretty terrible.
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Have you seen his latest? It's not a great film, but there's a scene with this beauty, and it's actually brilliant.

 
I really enjoyed Trainspotting 2, it was really a film about the past and nostalgia, but it worked quite well, had a lot of powerful imagery in there, and there was obvious love for his characters from Boyle which you could really feel throughout the film. Soundtrack is great too. A must watch for those who liked the first one, and a decent viewing for others, I feel (my mum had never seen the first one but absolutely loved this one nonetheless).
 
Rooney in Paris said:
I really enjoyed Trainspotting 2, it was really a film about the past and nostalgia, but it worked quite well, had a lot of powerful imagery in there, and there was obvious love for his characters from Boyle which you could really feel throughout the film. Soundtrack is great too. A must watch for those who liked the first one, and a decent viewing for others, I feel (my mum had never seen the first one but absolutely loved this one nonetheless).
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I couldn't stand it. An insult to the original and a stark reminder that Boyle's had all his edges sanded off.

Logan - comfortably the best superhero film in a while, since Dark Knight I'd say. They took the kid gloves off, kept the story small but heartfelt. The complete antithesis of what Marvel has become and a welcome change. Good work to all involved and a fitting send off for Jackman (and Stewart I think).
 
Lion In many ways a great film. A great true life story told pretty damn well. If it were 15 minutes shorter by cutting out 30 mins of some of the overblown talky bits and adding 15 mins expanding the Australian part of the story (the brother with issues in particular) it would be a far better film. 7.5/10
 
Was impressed again by Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights. She takes the core of the novel and weaves in her trademark wild, ferrel beauty.

It lacks the really brutal obsession that's at the heart of the text and the transition between the young Heathcliff and the wounded monster is not entirely convincing - he remains a bit of a softy. But the scenes of the young Kathy and Heathcliff are quite stunning. The ethereal shots of caressing bodies and flowing hair contrasting with the wild moor winds on harsh slate buildings.

You can't improve upon perfection but you can squeeze out a little of it's magic and create an interesting adaptation and I reckon this film version stands as another successful interpretation of Emily Bronte, next to the work of Kate Bush and Kate Beaton.
 
...and Camille Paglia's words, perhaps.
 
Blair Witch
Against popular opinion, I'm a fan of the original Blair Witch Project. I saw it at the cinema when it first came out and found it to be a breath of fresh air to the horror genre. Haven't revisited it but I assume it hasn't passed the test of time. This felt like a modern day remake of that. I don't mind this but it was a wasted opportunity. It had the same BIG flaws of the original (where nothing happens for the first hour and too many cheap jump scares) but the final act in this was far more creepy than the original. I just wish they would have done a little more, and make it stand out instead of feeling like a remake with the same problems. Had the final 25 minutes not delivered, this would have been one of the worst films ever made, but as it stands, that end scene really pulled it back 6.5/10

Under The Shadow
A mother and daughter are haunted by an evil spirit whilst the man of the house is out on military duty. This felt very familiar to The Babadook but that's not a bad thing. Had a political and feminist subtext which wasn't rammed down our throats and although it did have a few jump scares, they did feel earned. Slow paced horror drama film worth watching 8/10

Rezort
In a resort of zombies, civilians can visit and shoot them for fun, until they suddenly break free and hell breaks loose. What a pile of wank. Awful acting and laughable dialogue. Worst film I have seen this year so far 1/10

Body
3 Girls break into a house to have a party and a good time, until someone returns home and they accidentally kill him. The film was ok. Nothing more and nothing less. The decision making of the characters however really pulled me out of it. Can't have this stupid horror trope, not in this day and age 5/10

Logan
Really enjoyed this. Self-contained narrative about morality and death. Loved that they finally made an R rated Wolverine film because it really needed it. The violence was brutal but never felt out of place, the narrative was touching and overall, it's one of the best superhero films in a long time. Need more of this and less Doctor Strange. Few plot holes aside, there wasn't much wrong with this film. Don't want to say too much as it deserves not to be spoilt, so go out and watch it 9/10

The Lego Batman Movie
Was really looking forward to this but it was a let down. The trailers were funny, the Sky internet partnerships were funny, Batman in the Lego Movie was funny but here it just felt like a total mess. Yes, it had a bunch of funny moments and a few laugh out loud set pieces but overall it was unmemorable 5/10
 
The Forgotten (2004)

Been meaning to watch this for a while and finally caught up with it on Netflix. A so so sci-fi thriller starring the brilliant Julianne Moore as a mother who has memories of a son that nobody, not even her husband believes existed. Beginning to question reality around her until she comes across some hard evidence that confirms things entirely aren't what they seem, she stumbles into a larger conspiracy of epic proportions and significance. Can't believe this film is 13 years old and I've only just watched it now. The story is compelling enough to keep you engaged and has some of the usual cliches that have been played out in so many films of this type. In fact it wouldn't look out of place in the X-Files back catalog. The film however, has one of the best jump-in-your-seat moments I've experienced in a long time and although it gathers momentum quite nicely, I must say the ending is a serious WTF moment, which ultimately leaves you a little dissatisfied, bemused and with more questions than answers. The film was only around 90 minutes, so I think they really could have done better with how they wrapped it up. There are films of this type that have been done a lot better (I enjoyed Dark Skies more), but Julianne Moore is one of the redeeming factors of this film, worthy of at least one viewing. The ending shaved off a few marks for me.

I'm giving this a 6.5/10.
 
Blissfully Yours - Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2002)

Thai film with all the production value of a home movie that moves at a languid pace in a inconsequential romance. This is the third Weerasethakul film I've seen and I just don't get it. He's such a Cannes darling and I don't think there is a more decorated film maker than he for top prizes at the best film festivals, but I can't help coming away with the feeling of the emperor has no clothes. There's always seems to be something subliminally, mildly interesting, but more than that I just don't get. Always such a chore to get through his movies, and not really worth it.

6 cocks up

On a higher note, I got to personally meet Frenchy actor Denis Lavant this weekend at the local film festival. I'm a bit of a groupie of his so I was pretty star struck. He was totally as I imagined; a small, weird looking geezer, realllly French, a consummate actor, passionate, humble, totally unpretentious, very comical and a sincere, talkative nice guy. Too bad my French is so shit. But my Frenchy girlfriend had a lovely chat with him while I stood there like a bumbling dumbass, smiling and nodding, hanging on his every word. I must've looked like an idiot.
 
VorZakone said:
What are the Caf's favorite war movies? I've seen the following as far as I can recall:
- Saving Private Ryan
- We Were Soldiers
- Windtalkers
- Platoon
- Hacksaw Ridge
- The Thin Red Line
- Black Hawk Down, technically not about a war but a military conflict.

I still need to watch Apocalypse Now. For some reason I didn't really thought much of Full Metal Jacket.
I'm planning to watch Casualties Of War (1989).
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Born on the Fourth of July. Tom Cruise and Willem Dafoe's
wheelchair fight
is worth the admission fee alone.
 
Jasper Jones Great coming of age/Aussie racism in the 60's/whodunit with a superb cast. Well worth a watch but perhaps they spent a bit too much on character development and too little on moving the plot along at a decent pace. They also didn't quite nail the ending. Slightly tighter direction would have made this even better.7.5/10
 
Nobby style said:
Blissfully Yours - Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2002)

Thai film with all the production value of a home movie that moves at a languid pace in a inconsequential romance. This is the third Weerasethakul film I've seen and I just don't get it. He's such a Cannes darling and I don't think there is a more decorated film maker than he for top prizes at the best film festivals, but I can't help coming away with the feeling of the emperor has no clothes. There's always seems to be something subliminally, mildly interesting, but more than that I just don't get. Always such a chore to get through his movies, and not really worth it.

6 cocks up

On a higher note, I got to personally meet Frenchy actor Denis Lavant this weekend at the local film festival. I'm a bit of a groupie of his so I was pretty star struck. He was totally as I imagined; a small, weird looking geezer, realllly French, a consummate actor, passionate, humble, totally unpretentious, very comical and a sincere, talkative nice guy. Too bad my French is so shit. But my Frenchy girlfriend had a lovely chat with him while I stood there like a bumbling dumbass, smiling and nodding, hanging on his every word. I must've looked like an idiot.
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I've struggled a bit with Weerasethakul's films as well, very unique and soothing but there doesn't really seem to be much more to them, not to warrant all the praise at least.

You should have done something unpredictable, like eaten a bunch of flowers. I bet he'd have enjoyed that.
 
World on a Wire - This was exactly what I needed at the moment, an intellectually stimulating and stylish cyberpunk movie/TV serial on virtual reality, the perfect antidote for season 1 of Westworld. Lovely camera work, great use of mirrors, nice aesthetics though the heavy early 1970's style kinda placed it firmly in time. Fassbinder should have done more genre films.

Btw, I probably won't be able to listen to this song anymore without thinking about the film.

 
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Kong: Skull Island - I saw this tonight and if you are looking for a blockbuster action packed film this is the film for you. Pretty much from the go it is non stop, great visuals and sound effects. Decent story that sets up the rest of the film and also future films in the franchise. So if you want something thats not a masterpiece and just want to watch a film for what it is. I would reccommend this film, 7.5/10
 
Outcast
Hayden Christiansen and Nic Cage star in this film where they play the two great white hope characters who force chinese people to speak English and kill a bad guy. Nic Cage was crazy Cage, but not in the film enough. Hayden's stunt double was David De Gea... look!

Hayden-Christensen-Outcast.jpg
[\spoiler]

Overall, it was an honest mess 3/10
 
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Tense and claustrophobic drama on Netflix starring Tilda Swinton. Swinton plays the mother of a child with whom she had always had a strained and troubled relationship. As the child gets older, his behaviour becomes more unpredictable and extreme, culminating in a series of events that are to forever shatter the lives of everyone around him. While certainly not a fan of the 'flashback' type movie, I can understand why the story needed to be told in this way rather than using the more conventional linear, chronological approach. While on the whole this method worked, at times it was a bit confusing and scatty to say the least. However, that being said, the film was brilliantly shot with a sense of foreboding building from the outset. Some nice imagery with the obvious symbolisms of the tomato festival, red paint and arrows hinting at what is to come and the focusing on facial expressions that helps to portray the tension building between mother and son and his shocking climax. The main characters Eva and Kevin (mother and son) are brilliantly portrayed by Swinton and the various Kevins of different ages. Swinton manages to convey with brilliant effect, the hopelessness, sadness and angst of a mother shunned and ostracised by her community, consigned to a self-imposed isolated and mediocre existence and tormented by self scrutiny of a failed parent and mother of a deranged son. You do really feel for this poor woman, you really do! Where this film falls down in my opinion though is ironically in the title as nobody actually talked about Kevin. The husband was of no use whatsoever and it was a bit baffling that he, or anyone else for that matter didn't find Kevin's behaviour alarming enough to want to do something about it. Why this wasn't explored more along with his wider interaction with the outside world was a bit baffling. But I guess the irony is intended there. Still a decent movie that almost hits the mark but just coming up a little short. But I won't be forgetting this film in a while.

I'm giving this a 7/10.
 
shabz said:
Kong: Skull Island - I saw this tonight and if you are looking for a blockbuster action packed film this is the film for you. Pretty much from the go it is non stop, great visuals and sound effects. Decent story that sets up the rest of the film and also future films in the franchise. So if you want something thats not a masterpiece and just want to watch a film for what it is. I would reccommend this film, 7.5/10
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Excellent news and thanks for no spoilers regarding the actual story (although its not hard to guess). Im looking forward to this just based on the action anyway.
Im just hoping this has more Kong than Godzilla movie had of Godzilla.
 
Sylar said:
Excellent news and thanks for no spoilers regarding the actual story (although its not hard to guess). Im looking forward to this just based on the action anyway.
Im just hoping this has more Kong than Godzilla movie had of Godzilla.
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Yeah, looks pretty awesome. Going to see this tomorrow as part of a triple header with Logan and the The Great Wall at Odeon.
 
Sylar said:
Excellent news and thanks for no spoilers regarding the actual story (although its not hard to guess). Im looking forward to this just based on the action anyway.
Im just hoping this has more Kong than Godzilla movie had of Godzilla.
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No worries. You will definitely not be disappointed on the action front, It's exactly what you would want a movie like this to be. I always felt Godzilla was trying to be too serious and missed a trick with the technology and effects at its disposal.
 
What you get when an influential, ego-maniacal midget plays a physical behemoth of an action figure for the second time - with no plot or character development - is Jack Reacharound 2: Never go back. In a somewhat emotive middle finger to logic, reason and taste, I actually enjoyed the first reacharound movie. It was perfect in a sort of 'slightly-hungover-lazy-dozing-on-the-couch-sunday-afternoon' kind of way. But the prophetically titled sequel - to quote Arnold Rimmer - is the entertainment equivalent of "dangling your wedding tackle in a lion's mouth, and flicking his love spuds with a wet towel": Suicidal. 0/10
 
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Fences - really really enjoyed it. The script is excellent and every single acting performance in this film is top notch - with Denzel and Viola putting in two towering performances that are just magnetic. I know a lot of people felt it was too stagey, but I didn't really feel it too much... yes it's dialogue heavy, and takes place largely in one place, but the film takes full advantage of it's sets, character placement and close-ups (things you don't really get in a theatre) to really enhance the experience and make it feel like a film.

LEGO Batman Movie - Enjoyed this too. Some really good laughs to be had here, and it does an excellent job of poking fun at both Batman and the whole idea of comic books/superheros in general. Its probably about 10/15 minutes too long, but other then that no real complaints.
 
Old Joy - I admired the approach...suggestive low-key dialogues, meditative pacing and soundtrack but it all felt a bit too slight in the end. I wanted more undertones dammit.
 
Annihilate Now! said:
LEGO Batman Movie - Enjoyed this too. Some really good laughs to be had here, and it does an excellent job of poking fun at both Batman and the whole idea of comic books/superheros in general. Its probably about 10/15 minutes too long, but other then that no real complaints.
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This. It started of so good and was overall funny for kids and adults on different levels but it was a bit long.
 
The Last House on the Left (1972)

I was pretty disappointed to be honest I was expecting a bit of a gore fest, there was some brutal bits in but I have seen worse.
The music and the bumbling coppers gave it more of a Carry On feel than a horror film.

4/10
 
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simonhch said:
What you get when an influential, ego-maniacal midget plays a physical behemoth of an action figure for the second time - with no plot or character development - is Jack Reacharound 2: Never go back. In a somewhat emotive middle finger to logic, reason and taste, I actually enjoyed the first reacharound movie. It was perfect in a sort of 'slightly-hungover-lazy-dozing-on-the-couch-sunday-afternoon' kind of way. But the prophetically titled sequel - to quote Arnold Rimmer - is the entertainment equivalent of "dangling your wedding tackle in a lion's mouth, and flicking his love spuds with a wet towel": Suicidal. 0/10
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You'd absolutely love The Mechanic - Resurrection.
 
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