Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

RedPed said:
Beyond Skyline (2017)

Available on Netflix. Disappointing sequel to the panned sci-fi flick Skyline, (which wasn't the worst film I've seen) and featuring a host of unknowns and D-list stars that you've seen in other films but haven't got a clue who they are....that is apart from Antonio Fargas (Huggy Bear from Starsky & Hutch) and Iko Uwais (The Raid).

The sequel follows on from the first film and after introducing us to the new characters, picks up from where the last film ended; in the alien ship with the last two survivors: Jarrod who at this stage is now just a brain in an alien shell and his pregnant girlfriend.

Now, after initially having had some hope for the sequel, it wasn't long before I was reduced to groans with the oh so predictable sequences and unoriginal plot. The story is bad and so purely executed that you end up just wanting the aliens to simply wipe everybody out and put you out of your misery. The best thing about this film are some of the aliens and their tech, which are usually improved in sequels anyway.

But seriously, I can't convey just how ridiculous the plot is. You really have to sacrifice any semblance of realism and logic to go along with this film, a real mish-mash of tropes shamelessly hacked together in the name of film-making. Lazy writing resulting in a convoluted, contrived story with elements conveniently brought together just at the right time to move things along with the minimum of effort. Lacking the simplicity and character depth of the first film but ramped up in the effects and action departments, it still somehow falls flat. It leaves more questions than it answers, has you scratching your head at times but apart from a decent 10-minute smackdown during the final climax, it's a pretty dull affair.

The film makes no attempt to develop any of the characters like in the first film and instead chooses to focus on the action which to be fair to it, is pretty relentless though it won't leave you on the edge of your seat. Put Alien, Predator, Independence Day & War of the Worlds in a large bowl, dilute with plenty of water, mix for an hour and 45 mins and you get Beyond Skyline. A very frustrating and underwhelming affair, which with a bit more love and care could have been quite decent. You may just want to skip to the end for the blooper reel, which is quite funny though.


I'm giving this a 4/10.

PS. After waiting so long to watch Shin Godzilla, being subjected to all that political mumbo-jumbo and that awful expressionless monster during the first twenty minutes was more than I could take. I may give it another go though....maybe.
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This was a film I stopped watching half way through. That is extremely rare for me, I normally watch everything even if it's terrible but I really struggled with this steaming turd of a film.
 
I do quite like the atmospheric style of Drive but yeah Refn declaring himself a master after fecking one alright film can feck right the feck off.
 
I never got the wankfest over Drive. It’s a good film, but it’s no masterpiece. And if, like me, you find the ubiquitous creepy staring and endless dramatic pauses more amusingly naff than artistically evocative, the whole thing kinda loses its punch.

Plus his “I’ll only give you 5 minutes” rule is a hugely impractical and needless handicap for a professional getaway driver.

But I suppose some 80s synth and a neat retro jacket = high art to this nostalgia junkie generation, so, whatever I guess.
 
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R.N7 said:
They're different kinds of douchebags. At least Von Trier has actually made a decent film at some point.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/01/nicolas-winding-refn-neon-demon-interview
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There, he found a young man on the asphalt, bleeding nightmarishly; another man was hunched over him, trying to staunch the blood. With no one else in sight, Refn attempted to help. It was no good. The man died. Soon the LAPD arrived. He had never seen anyone die before.

He told me this story a few weeks later, still in LA. I asked if he had felt emotional. “No,” he said. Nothing? “Strangely nothing.” The next morning? “Nuh-uh.” He sipped juice through a straw. “But later,” he said, “I was happy. Because I got a fecking great idea for a scene.”"
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I hope he breaks his foot in a stunt gone wrong.
 
Mockney said:
I never got the wankfest over Drive. It’s a good film, but it’s no masterpiece. And if, like me, you find the ubiquitous creepy staring and endless dramatic pauses more amusingly naff than artistically evocative, the whole thing kinda loses its punch.

Plus his “I’ll only give you 5 minutes” rule is a hugely impractical and needless handicap for a professional getaway driver.

But I suppose some 80s synth and a neat retro jacket = high art to this nostalgia junkie generation, so, whatever I guess.
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i found it to be just another 6 or 7/10 movie to add to the list of a billion other 6 or 7/10 movies. i half remember a few unintentionally creepy moments and i'm too out of it to make a judgement of them right now.
 
People will come full circle with Drive and start liking it again, it's mainly hated due to the fact lots of other people like it. Of course Refn being a giant toss pot clearly doesn't help. The biggest downside I found with the film was that it gave a whole group of people the excuse to use the phase - ''style over substance'' without having to explain what that actually means and why they are using it.

Archie Leach said:
I hope he breaks his foot in a stunt gone wrong.
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Jesus! That Refn quote is awful.
 
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Drive will fade into obscurity along with the tumblr aestheticians who consider it a masterpiece. I can't see it receiving a critical reevaluation in years time, it'll be considered a poor pastiche that tugged at the heartstrings of a particular empty generation for a short while.
 
A Quiet Place (6/10):
Good idea, decent tension, had couple of good jumps.
Crap monster, sillyish ending.
Acting was reasonable enough.
Decent.
 
Ekkie Thump said:
A Quiet Place (6/10):
Good idea, decent tension, had couple of good jumps.
Crap monster, sillyish ending.
Acting was reasonable enough.
Decent.
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was the water in their baby cellar intentional? How did the lid come off the baby box? How did the monster get down there? Why was she teaching the boy maths? Was he planning to go to college or something?
 
There is nothing special about Drive. The only thing I still remember is that there was a lot of staring at eachother.
 
Friday The 13th (2009)
A group of young adults discover a boarded up Camp Crystal Lake, where they soon encounter Jason Voorhees and his deadly intentions. The remake is as bad as the original. Don't get the hype around this series... just a cheap Halloween knock-off 3/10

Stephanie
A young girl is alone in a house with a monster outside when a man and woman turn up claiming to be her parents. Was excited when I saw the Blumhouse logo at the start but was really disappointed by this movie. The first half is super boring, just a girl walking around a house talking to herself. Then the parents come in and it gets better but still, not scary and quite boring. What's annoying is the synopsis completely ruins the plot of the movie, gives it all away (I did my own synopsis here) so stay away from IMDb if you want to watch this movie. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read what it was about beforehand 4/10
 
Grinner said:
was the water in their baby cellar intentional? How did the lid come off the baby box? How did the monster get down there? Why was she teaching the boy maths? Was he planning to go to college or something?
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I've no reasonable answer to any of those questions. The film's a series of conceits you have to ignore, any sort of reflection and the movie falls to bits. How crap was humanity that it could be seemingly totally destroyed by a blind idiot that runs towards the source of any sudden noise? Who decides pregnancy's a good idea when death stalks every moment and silence is key? There's definitely some crazily dumb stuff going on.
 
I'd also like to know why they didn't just put a bit of carpet down on the creaky floors. They found the time to pour miles of sand trails.
 
Performance (1970)

I can't believe I've not seen this up to now. What a film and how good was James Fox? How did he end up getting typecast as a toff after this menacing performance? Memo from Turner was brilliant too although I couldn't stop thinking that Mick looked like Trigger from Only Fools and Horses.
 
Dark Beacon
An abandoned paramour tracks her lover down to a distant lighthouse. When she finds her beyond hope she must find a way to save a child from the malignant spirit of her deceased father and the madness of her mother. Boring, no depth, yawned throughout, bad acting, bad writing. Shite 1/10
 
The Conjuring

Simply can't get enough of this movie, IMO one of the best horrors ever made, and significantly better than Insidious (which also is brilliant, but The Conjuring is a notch above).

9/10

What say thee, @Dirty Schwein and @pauldyson1uk , you guys in the Insidious or Conjuring camp?
 
Grinner said:
was the water in their baby cellar intentional? How did the lid come off the baby box? How did the monster get down there? Why was she teaching the boy maths? Was he planning to go to college or something?
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The monster broke a pipe upstairs, which flooded the basement. I think the maths thing was about keeping on keeping on. You have to hope there’s a better future for the kids or you’ll go mad
 
SwansonsTache said:
The Conjuring

Simply can't get enough of this movie, IMO one of the best horrors ever made, and significantly better than Insidious (which also is brilliant, but The Conjuring is a notch above).

9/10

What say thee, @Dirty Schwein and @pauldyson1uk , you guys in the Insidious or Conjuring camp?
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I love them both, amazing movies but I'm camp insidious. It felt fresher and there was a scare that made me jump more then any film I've ever seen before or since.
 
Avengers infinity war

Same old same old so it feels a bit tiring at this point. Every character has to be funny, the set pieces are ok, it's somewhat fun but way too long.
 
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What Insidious scene was that? (I haven't seen the film).
 
SteveJ said:
What Insidious scene was that? (I haven't seen the film).
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Can't remember the specific scene, which means I'll rewatch it tonight.

You should see both Insidious and Conjuring, you love ghosts and spirits, don't you?
 
Ah, f*ck. Now I'm too scared to watch it. :lol:
 
Sinister is pretty good too but the Paranormal Activity series really messed with my head! For me, probably the best of the lot!
 
RedPed said:
Sinister is pretty good too but the Paranormal Activity series really messed with my head! For me, probably the best of the lot!
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Paranormal Activity series doesn't measure up to The Conjuring and Insidious.
 
Finders Keepers
A divorced mother of one is thrown into turmoil when her young daughter becomes obsessed with an evil doll left behind by the previous occupants of their new home. Decent story/concept and quite a creepy doll but the pacing was off and not really scary, which was the point. The writing at times felt super flat also but I've definitely seen worse 4.5/10
 
SwansonsTache said:
The Conjuring

Simply can't get enough of this movie, IMO one of the best horrors ever made, and significantly better than Insidious (which also is brilliant, but The Conjuring is a notch above).

9/10

What say thee, @Dirty Schwein and @pauldyson1uk , you guys in the Insidious or Conjuring camp?
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I'm pretty ambivalent when it comes to most modern horror movies but The Conjuring scared the feck out of me :lol:

I'm pretty good watching stuff like that that does jump scares but it really got me when I watched it. I had to take a short break before returning to watch it at one point. Didn't help of course that I watched it home alone at midnight with all the lights off.

I've never had a movie freak me out like that since I watched Saw as a kid and them people got abducted by the people with the masks on.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Finders Keepers
A divorced mother of one is thrown into turmoil when her young daughter becomes obsessed with an evil doll left behind by the previous occupants of their new home. Decent story/concept and quite a creepy doll but the pacing was off and not really scary, which was the point. The writing at times felt super flat also but I've definitely seen worse 4.5/10
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I doubt you'll take offence, but this is by no means a good stick to measure anything by :lol:
 
I thought the original Insidious was miles better than the first Conjuring. Both had good jump scares but I thought Insidious had the better of them. I think I was on tenterhooks from the second the violins shrieked for the title screen right through to the end.

Both sequels weren't nearly as good but at least the Conjuring had the legend Simon Delaney in it!
 
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