Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Paddington 2
This will be a future classic.

Absolutely a delight from start to finish for young and old alike.

The pg rating is mainly around some Menacing scenes in prison but anyone over 6 should be fine with it.

The revelation for me was Hugh Grant. Never been a fan of his onscreen performances until now but a career as a fabulous character actor awaits after this film.

Amazing cast, fun and intelligent. Only complaint was with the cinema air conditioning...got a bit of grit in my eye towards the end or something ;-)

A joy that will withstand repeated viewing.
 
Taipei Story - It's a shame Edward Yang didn't make more films. This was another smashing work of Antonionian late-stage capitalism blues. The blu-ray treatment looked absolutely gorgeous, have you seen it @Peyroteo ?

Meantime - Thatcher era kitchen sink. Even for a Mike Leigh film, this was relentlessly bleak. I really liked the characters and performances of Tim Roth and Phil Daniels, the latter being a sort of prototype for Johnny in Naked.

She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum - A soothing and picturesque elegy that made good use of vignettes in the flashback scenes in order to evoke a nostalgic daguerreotype effect.

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buchansleftleg said:
Death of Stalin

I saw this yesterday and it is still creeping me out a bit. please take note this is NOT a comedy, it is a horrific and awful depiction of the actions of monsters, and draws upon the farcical nature of their behaviour. If you go expecting belly laughs you will be mistaken.

The humour is of the darkest possible hue and has some truly nasty moments, most of which centre around Beria, played by Simon Russell Beale in what should surely be an Oscar winning performance.

It has its lighter moments, many of which come from Stalin's son and the Yorkshire General Zhukov, but these are soon followed by the next horrific event.

The film artificially condenses the timelines a little, but the fact remains that these are all factually based, even the ice hockey team!

It's a remarkable achievement as a film as it actually manages to combine the 2 aspects without it jarring, paying the necessary respect to the horrors involved in the story. Just imagine if they tried to actually make "Springtime for Hitler" but include aspects of the holocaust. The closest film i can think of would be "Life is sweet" which had a light-hearted approach to a terrible story.

This film however does not go for sweetness at all, it comments on the eternal backstabbing nature of the politics of fear and leaves the coppery taste of blood in your mouth.
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Funnily enough in spite of the horrific actions perpetrated throughout the whole thing I did find it hilarious at a lot of points...albeit in a very jarring and unsettling sort of way. Although yeah...it's the darkest sort of comedy you're probably going to get. Like The Thick of It ramped up 100 times in that regard.
 
R.N7 said:
Taipei Story - It's a shame Edward Yang didn't make more films. This was another smashing work of Antonionian late-stage capitalism blues. The blu-ray treatment looked absolutely gorgeous, have you seen it @Peyroteo ?
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Not yet, it's been on my to watch list for ages though. I'll definitely check it out in the future, anything by Edward Yang is worth watching.
 
Just watched Leatherface (2017), it wasn't as bad as people were saying it was going to be. Good watch but the hardcore fans are always against these types of prequel movies as it ruins some of the mystery/interpretation they've made of the characters. Good casting of Leatherface, the movie itself was only 1hr 27 minutes long which is short for these slasher movies (I think). The movie was built up with rather slow tension but delivered the story nicely, no weird jump scares either which is a nice change and surprisingly not that gory for slasher movie standards.

7/10
 
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R.N7 said:
Mahjong is probably the next Yang film in line for me.
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Also haven't see that one yet :(

I haven't been watching many movies recently to be honest, it's weird but I always go through these periods a few times every year where I just don't feel like watching movies for a few weeks.
 
Peyroteo said:
Also haven't see that one yet :(

I haven't been watching many movies recently to be honest, it's weird but I always go through these periods a few times every year where I just don't feel like watching movies for a few weeks.
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I go through phases like that too, I've had a good run now for a couple of months.
 
The Ascent(1977)

Soviet WW2 film directed by Larisa Shepitko(Shepitko last film before dying in a car crash, aged 40). Dubbed as one of the greatest war films/films of all time, it pretty much lives up to that title.

The basic plot is two soviet soldiers go looking for food after their unit becomes over tired, this leads into questions of morals, death and self sacrifice, so get ready for some commie/Russian idealism.....oh and Jesus. The film has a constant feel of dread and at times emotionally gut wrenching, the only tiny moments of euphoria are desperate ones, so like most great soviet films you'll feel completely miserably by the end.


Considering it's shot in black and white and almost entirely filmed in snowy fields, the cinematography(Vladimir Chukhnov and Pavel Lebeshev)is unbelievably beautiful(Good luck finding a HD version)one of many stand out scenes being a sleigh ride(Possible nod to Stalker)although the most impactful scenes are piercing close up shots.

The performances are brilliant with the highlights being the two main characters(Vladimir Gostyukhina and Boris Plotnikov)as while as a surprise appearance of Anatoly Solonitsyn(The writer from Stalker)playing a nazi shitbag.

So yeah if you've got 2 hours spare it's a must watch.

10/10
 
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Sweet Square said:
The Ascent(1977)

Soviet WW2 film directed by Larisa Shepitko(Shepitko last film before dying in a car crash, aged 40). Dubbed as one of the greatest war films/films of all time, it pretty much lives up to that title.

The basic plot is two soviet soldiers go looking for food after their unit becomes over tired, this leads into questions of morals, death and self sacrifice, so get ready for some commie/Russian idealism.....oh and Jesus. The film has a constant feel of dread and at times emotionally gut wrenching, the only tiny moments of euphoria are desperate ones, so like most great soviet films you'll feel completely miserably by the end.


Considering it's shot in black and white and almost entirely filmed in snowy fields, the cinematography(Vladimir Chukhnov and Pavel Lebeshev)is unbelievably beautiful(Although good luck finding a HD version)one of many stand out scenes being a sleigh ride(Possible nod to Stalker)although the most impactful scenes are piercing close up shots.

The performances are brilliant with the highlights being the two main characters(Vladimir Gostyukhina and Boris Plotnikov)as while as a surprise appearance of Anatoly Solonitsyn(The writer from Stalker)playing a nazi shitbag.

So yeah if you've got 2 hours spare it's a must watch.

10/10
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Great film indeed.
 
Basic Instinct (1992): 7/10

Good 90s flick, I hadn't seen it yet. Sharon Stone, my goodness.
 
Oh yeah The Ascent is a good one, might be my favourite war film ahead of her husband's Come and See. Her other film Wings is less spectacular but is further proof of her talent as an artist.

Good Time.
Episodic adventure of a one man chaos vortex on an odyssey of dysfunctional love. Dank urban landscapes and blemished humanity. Crime drama as folktale, with it's narrative leaps of faith and discardment of reasoned character behaviours. Really liked it.
 
Columbus
Solid little drama. Loved the unrushed style, almost meditative. Loved the characters and the actors. :drool:

8/10
 
R.N7 said:
Great film indeed.
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It shame that it's so difficult to find a good looking version of her films, there's a Criterion Collection of both The Ascent and Wings but it's a standard dvd and I'm pretty it's only a USA region

dumbo said:
Oh yeah The Ascent is a good one, might be my favourite war film ahead of her husband's Come and See.
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Wow didn't know that. My top 3 war films are constantly changing(oddly enough all of them are soviet films)The Ascent, Come And See and Ivan's Childhood.

dumbo said:
Her other film Wings is less spectacular but is further proof of her talent as an artist.
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Yeah Wings is next on my list.
 
K-Shop
A kebab shop owner's son, Salah, turns vigilante after his father's death in an effort to clean up the relentless onslaught of boozed up thrill seekers waging war on his doorstep. Quite enjoyed this. Yes it's quite gory, and normally I'm not a fan of gore but if it's justified, which it is here, then it's fine. The acting by the main actor was good, very menacing. The film could have been better had it shaved off another 20 or so minutes because it does get a tad repetitive in the middle but overall I enjoyed it 7/10

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
A film of two halves. The setup was super boring and drawn out but once Sam L. Jackson comes into play, it gets much better. Can't remember the last time Tim Burton made an excellent movie, which sucks because growing up, he was one of my favourite directors 5.5/10

Arctic Blast
When a solar eclipse sends a colossal blast of super chilled air towards the earth, it then sets off a catastrophic chain of events that threatens to engulf the world in ice and begin a new Ice Age. Awful acting, awful dialogue, awful special effects, awful story and awful film. Should have added 'up the arse' to the title and made it a porno 1/10

The Sublet (was titled The Resident in some places)
A couple and their new born baby sublet an apartment and as the boyfriend spends a lot of time away at work, the woman starts to uncover the violent past of the apartment and her life starts to spiral out of control. Decent low budget indie horror. Paced quite well and has creepy atmosphere. The acting is hit and miss but the story was interesting enough to keep me hooked. It does include the two horror tropes that really annoy though: 1. The partner never believes anything is wrong, despite it being obvious as day that things are going south. 2. The lead character keeps doing stupid shit that you wouldnt dream of doing, especially when you're a new parent. Still, worth a shot if you're bored with 90 minutes to spare 6.5/10
 
Why is trainspotting rated so highly? I mean it’s a decent film but why is it seen such a top film and cult classic? Is it a case of ‘you had to be there in Edinburgh in mid 90s to get why it’s awesome’?

And how is the second part?
 
prath92 said:
Why is trainspotting rated so highly? I mean it’s a decent film but why is it seen such a top film and cult classic? Is it a case of ‘you had to be there in Edinburgh in mid 90s to get why it’s awesome’?

And how is the second part?
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I think helps if you grew up in that 90s UK era, and did copious amounts of drugs. Second is mostly lip-service to the first so wouldn't bother if it didn't float your boat.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
K-Shop
A kebab shop owner's son, Salah, turns vigilante after his father's death in an effort to clean up the relentless onslaught of boozed up thrill seekers waging war on his doorstep. Quite enjoyed this. Yes it's quite gory, and normally I'm not a fan of gore but if it's justified, which it is here, then it's fine. The acting by the main actor was good, very menacing. The film could have been better had it shaved off another 20 or so minutes because it does get a tad repetitive in the middle but overall I enjoyed it 7/10
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Watching this tonight. Was really hard to find a torrent, had to settle for a 700mb version.
 
Wind River

Expected pure thriller, got more like a very powerful drama. In short, loved it.

The last scene where old Native American says he will pick his son after he "washes this shit off his face" in what seemed to be preparation for suicide cracked me up in otherwise pretty dark tone of the movie

8/10

Since I enjoyed the script will check 'Hell or High Water' next.
 
prath92 said:
Why is trainspotting rated so highly? I mean it’s a decent film but why is it seen such a top film and cult classic? Is it a case of ‘you had to be there in Edinburgh in mid 90s to get why it’s awesome’?

And how is the second part?
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It’s one of those solid but not brilliant movies people tend to watch, when they start getting into movies or just casually watch movies. Those get overrated all the time. I call it the Nolan-effect.
 
Boogie Nights good fun family caper! Lots of coke! Massive dong! 7.5/10

Chungking Express instant classic. Ephemeral Hong Kong delight. Makes me want to move to East Asia and fall in love. Preferably with Faye Wong. 9.5/10

It pretty, pretty, pretty good. Enjoyable watch, if a bit forgettable. 7/10
 
Buchan said:
I loved HOHW. I have 'Wind River' downloaded and ready to go this weekend. Sheridan's 'Sicario' is one of my favourite films of the 2010s, too. Some exquisite cinematography on display.
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Aye, Sicario is a gem of a movie, tense from start to finish. Since we're here, find out about this few days ago. A follow-up to Sicario, Sheridan behind the script, Del Toro and Brolin in it also. It is set up for next year.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052474/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_1
 
Sicario is overrated. Except for the action-oriented scenes the rest of the movie was a bit dull.
 
VorZakone said:
Sicario is overrated. Except for the action-oriented scenes the rest of the movie was a bit dull.
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Felt quite opposite. My only, small complaint from it would be action related, or one man crusade from Del Toro in last 20 minutes. It was just slightly over the top imo.

But all in all, found it gripping throughout. That convey scene all the way to the Mexican border is a piece of art in itself.
 
VorZakone said:
Sicario is overrated. Except for the action-oriented scenes the rest of the movie was a bit dull.
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The end is ridiculous and way over the top. A shame, the movie started really well and was shot beautifully.
 
Mayhem
A virus spreads through an office complex causing white collar workers to act out their worst impulses. Watched it off of the recommendation here and really had a blast. This is the film I was hoping The Belko Experiment to be. Steven Yeun is brilliant in it and the violence is super fun and lots of clever and stylish filmmaking techniques. Definitely worth a watch 8/10
 
Molly’s Game - 1/10
Aaron Sorkin should Never direct a film again. Shit show from start to finish. How do you feck up a film with Jessica Chastain as lead? Also, Michael Cera :lol:
 
Borat

Sex-and-Pamela-Anderson-obsessed Mr Kazakh goes to Washington. And New York and LA and the south. Hilariously spot-on series of cliches about American life (guns, religion, daytime TV, rodeos, etc) by Sacha Baron Cohen. 9/10
 
Justice League or I couldn't take Yorgos Lanthimos on a comedown Sunday - equally as ugly and bad as all the other DC films, yes including Wonder Woman, and yet the one I disliked the least. Don't really know why. It isn't funny, the villain is shit, the CGI is out of control. Maybe I was just in a good mood.
 
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie

What's to say about this piece of ...garbage. Hilariously bad at times but unfortunately only rarely. Very unlikable characters all around, acting is bad but not funny bad. Story makes no sense and there are no explanations anywhere to be found in the movie. Many will be disgusted by their appearances. Sean Astin's brother is in it and he's not very good. Reminds me of the kid from Troll 2 (which is a great movie). I guess one positive to take from this is that the dwarves that were playing the Garbage Pail Kids were also supplementing their voices and not just used as props. Apart from two of them which are voiced by Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh voices) who regretted his work after seeing the final product so much that he went out and protested its release.

Honestly it's probably in everyone's top 5 for the worst movie ever that has seen it.

1/10. They get the 1 because I enjoyed my girlfriend's reaction to the kids and also Cumming's Greaser Greg voice was over the top and fun to replicate.


TimeCop

Not as good as Bloodsport. Maybe the time traveling movie with the most plot-holes? I mean they use some kind of Back to the Future rip off machine to time travel (not explained how they do it) but when they arrive in set time they arrive outside the machine? But when they come back they come back inside the machine? The missions also don't make much sense because when they send the cops back the superiors basically never know what they were doing and they never have any proof to pursue anything.

Doesn't age particularly well with regards to the plot. The whole plot revolves around the villain becoming a president and he's not anymore evil than Trump so it's not like something huge at stake. Also when JCvD explained what was going on to his boss the reply was "big deal it has happened before".

Also what's with his wive not recognizing him on sight 10 years into the future? "Who are you?" "It's me Max" "Oh". He looks the same except he's got longer hair!

6/10 Ok overall. Not a huge fan of JCvD, he's fine. If you're a fan you'll love it but as I said it's not as good as Bloodsport.
 
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