Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Bohemian Rhapsody
No idea why this movie is getting so much flam. It's awesome and Rami Malek deserves an Oscar for it. Made me rediscover my love for Queen.
 
Just watched and loved Wild Strawberries. Might make my way through all the Bergman films that have been sitting on my laptop.
 
The Witch In The Window
When Simon brings his twelve year-old son, Finn, to rural Vermont to help flip an old farmhouse, they encounter the malicious spirit of Lydia, a previous owner. And now with every repair they make - she's getting stronger. Really enjoyed this. The film focuses on the characters and develops them really well so when the scary moments come about, they really do creep you out. The cinematography, pacing and composition were on point and it's only about 80 minutes so felt like a breeze. You have to give some passes due to the low budget but the story is compelling and you'll soon look past it's budgetary issues 7.5/10
 
The Deer Hunter (1978): 7

Good movie, but not the epic I expected. There wasn't actually much going on, I think the wedding party almost took a third of the fecking movie! Anyway, the Russian Roulette scenes were impactful and probably what I'll remember most from the movie.
 
Mirai
Japanese animated film about a young boy who when his sister is born, becomes jealous. When he gets angry and storms off into his garden, he finds members of his family there from both the past and future. Their adventures help him overcome his jealousy. Nice watch with some really charming moments. 7.5/10
 
Just back from Bohemian Rhapsody; absolutely loved it, so much so that I don’t even care about the historical inaccuracies. Seriously thinking of going to see it again at the cinema, which I never do for anything :D
 
The House with a Clock in Its Walls. 4/10

It's a children's movie, with Cate Blanchet and Jack Black.
I went to watch it in my son's birthday, with several children, and they did not like it.
Neither scared nor made them laugh too much.
 
In the Crosswind - Visually striking Estonian Holocaust drama. Released a year after Ida, it shared a few similar traits as that one but was a more idiosyncratic and quite sentimental work. It was beautifully shot, consisting mostly of tableaux vivants filmed with long tracking shots. In a way it was kinda like a cross between a Malick romantic war drama and a Greenaway art installation. It contained some really powerful scenes yet at the same time it was a hard ask to get swept into the sentimental romance of two people that were rarely present on the screen. Quite close to being a fantastic film but tripped at the finish line a little.

Red Road - Like a British Dardenne film but with added nuance, sensuousness and more trenchant visuals. This is beginning to sound a lot like my review for Fish Tank come to think of it but ah well, guess the message is that Arnold rocks and those Belgian dullards suck.
 
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dumbo said:
Incredibles 2. By far the most impressive superhero film to come out under the Disney banner. The action choreography, framing and design of this film is really amazing, and the characters and story are really strong.

Idealogically too this film is way ahead. Whereas the Iron Man and co universe lazily throws around faintly fascist iconography and indulges in cheaply populist tech-authoritarian fantasy, Brad Bird is the real deal. We believe that he believes in a clear distinction between society's supers and the rest of us plebs, and we can see how he thinks we should deal with such a state of dependency because he vividly tells us through clear, concise storytelling.

Although he rejects the Randian label (despite the many clear similarities to her faux-philosophy), his approch to the dissemination of his philo-political view of the world unmistakingly follows the Rand/Hubbard model.

If we are to liken the bulk of the Marvel stuff to a Tommy Robinson youtube interview (as I like to do) then The Incredibles 2 is Riefenstahl's Olympia films. Brilliantly constructed poison. Not for impressionable types though - which seems to be everyone these days. 10/10 Don't watch!
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You got all that from Incredibles 2?

I enjoyed it but it wasn't as good as the original despite the feminist vibe.
 
Smallfoot

Very disappointing animation, which although it has its moments, ultimately fails to deliver in the satisfaction department. The premise is intriguing, loosely similar to the Monsters Inc themes and, if handled with a bit more care could have been a very great movie. But unfortunately we're dished up an underwhelming affair that won't have you rolling around laughing in the aisles any time soon.

Now there's also one thing I hate in my movies....spontaneous bursting into song. And we're not 10 minutes into this film before you realise it's going to be one of those animated moves. Still to be fair to it, the rap song by the Stonekeeper was pretty cool and catchy, probably the highlight of the movie for me. I think the last time I enjoyed a musical film was probably the remake of Annie and Sing (if you can call it a musical?).

The animation is of the standard you would expect nowadays but without any of the wow, stand out moments. Story is devoid of any real substance or depth and in all honesty, is pretty unoriginal and quite predictable. Nowhere near as good as Happy Feet, Ice Age or Monsters Inc. etc. Young kids will probably enjoy it. I think in summary, this was an opportunity missed. I'd be very surprised to see a sequel any time soon.

I'm giving this a 5/10.

Slaughterhouse Rulez

Another solid outing from Frost and Pegg in what must be the first horror film about fracking! This is what happens when you cross Harry Potter with St. Trinians and add a topical theme that is still causing some controversy right now in the UK. Featuring a mainly unfamiliar cast apart from Sheen, Pegg, Frost, Butterfield and a cameo from Margot Robbie, the material is delivered with great gusto and fun.

Set in an exclusive public school, all hell breaks loose when some dubious fracking on their grounds releases deadly creatures into their midst. The film only really gets going once all havoc breaks out but still a good watch nonetheless. The film manages to cover many ethical and moral themes and addresses some of the changing attitudes towards the environment, identity and social attitudes. Sheen as the school head does his best to keep his outdated school relevant, whilst at the same time selling his soul to the devil so to speak, to achieve this.

If you're expecting an all out horror, you will be sadly disappointed. If you're expecting a sharp, witty script such as in Paul, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz etc., again you will be disappointed. Probably due to the fact that Frost and Pegg are not the main vehicles that drive this film. It's a light-hearted, foul-mouthed, graphic in places, good old fashioned British romp! With a few references to films from the past, see if you can spot any of them. Good but not great.

I'm giving this a 6/10.
 
Roman J. Israel, Esq
Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action. Decent movie with a great performance by the ever dependable Denzel. The plot turns aren't what you'd expect and it's paced really well. Think the final act could have been tighter but it's a decent movie that seems to have gone under the radar. Didn't realize before but Carmen Ejogo is really quite hot for someone reaching middle age 7/10
 
Unfriended: Dark Web
A teen comes into possession of a new laptop and soon discovers that the previous owner is not only watching him, but will also do anything to get it back. I really enjoyed this. I don't mind these 'screenlife' movies, I just see it as another genre and it's fine if the device is used to tell the narrative in an appropriate way and that is the case here. The story was fine, the acting was surprisingly good and the twists worked well. Only two issues were; The girl playing the protagonists girlfriend was a horrible actress and her character was annoyingly stupid and the other issue was when you see the antagonist, there was a horribly cheap glitch effect... didn't need that. Still good fun if you watch on a laptop 7.5/10
 
dumbo said:
Incredibles 2. By far the most impressive superhero film to come out under the Disney banner. The action choreography, framing and design of this film is really amazing, and the characters and story are really strong.

Idealogically too this film is way ahead. Whereas the Iron Man and co universe lazily throws around faintly fascist iconography and indulges in cheaply populist tech-authoritarian fantasy, Brad Bird is the real deal. We believe that he believes in a clear distinction between society's supers and the rest of us plebs, and we can see how he thinks we should deal with such a state of dependency because he vividly tells us through clear, concise storytelling.

Although he rejects the Randian label (despite the many clear similarities to her faux-philosophy), his approch to the dissemination of his philo-political view of the world unmistakingly follows the Rand/Hubbard model.

If we are to liken the bulk of the Marvel stuff to a Tommy Robinson youtube interview (as I like to do) then The Incredibles 2 is Riefenstahl's Olympia films. Brilliantly constructed poison. Not for impressionable types though - which seems to be everyone these days. 10/10 Don't watch!
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Are you ok?
 
One of us.
2017 film about three different people that choose to leave their ultra orthodox Hasidic Jewish group in New York City.
One of them, a 32 yr old woman has 7 kids!
Interesting view into a group that for me was always a bit mysterious.
Kept thinking they were a bit like the Amish.
Nutters.
 
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Outlaw King is a pretty good lo-fi* medieval jaunt. It begins where Braveheart ends, following Robert the Bruce on his journey to the Scottish throne. The final battle scene at Loudoun is one of the most miserable and squalid brawls I've seen on film; No glory, no spectacle, just horrible muddied carnage, and I found that pretty unique and great.

*I just checked the budget before posting and all I can think about now is where the feck did all the money go? Pilgimage from 2017 had a 24th of the budget and it looked better.
 
dumbo said:
Outlaw King is a pretty good lo-fi* medieval jaunt. It begins where Braveheart ends, following Robert the Bruce on his journey to the Scottish throne. The final battle scene at Loudoun is one of the most miserable and squalid brawls I've seen on film; No glory, no spectacle, just horrible muddied carnage, and I found that pretty unique and great.

*I just checked the budget before posting and all I can think about now is where the feck did all the money go? Pilgimage from 2017 had a 24th of the budget and it looked better.
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I watched this yesterday - thought it was a good movie, and agree with your take on that last battle scene. I really enjoyed it, though I do love medieval history.

I felt the movie rushed the audience a little though, moving from place to place very fast. It would have been better off being a longer movie IMO and even though it was already 2 hours I'd have happily sat there for another.
 
Reason 101 why Ennio Morricone is the greatest film composter of all time

Ennio Morricone Calls Quentin Tarantino a ‘Cretin’ Whose Movies Are ‘Trash’
https://www.indiewire.com/2018/11/ennio-morricone-quentin-tarantino-cretin-1202019650/

“The man is a cretin,” Morricone said. “He just steals from others and puts it together again. There is nothing original about that. And he is not a director either. So not comparable to real Hollywood greats like John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock or Billy Wilder. They were great. Tarantino is just cooking up old stuff.” He goes on to admit he isn’t a fan of Tarantino’s films, calling them “trash”; Tarantino was present when Morricone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2016.
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VorZakone said:
Holy hell, are those real quotes? :lol:
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Yep and there's more

Tarantino “is absolutely chaotic. He talks without thinking, he does everything at the last minute. He has no idea,” said Morricone, adding: “He calls up out of the blue and wants a complete score in just a few days. That’s not possible. It makes me so mad. I’m not going to put up with this. And I told him so last time.”
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all of this is from a interview he did with the german version of playboy magazine. I guess it really is worth reading for the articles after all.
 
Wibble said:
You got all that from Incredibles 2?

I enjoyed it but it wasn't as good as the original despite the feminist vibe.
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Elastagirl's slurring voice almost ruined the film for me.
Was enjoyable though, especially jack-jack's scenes.
 
Statement from Morricone

It has come to my attention that Playboy Germany has come out with an article in which I have called Tarantino a cretin and consider his films garbage. This is totally false. I have not given an interview to Playboy Germany and even more, I have never called Tarantino a cretin and certainly do not consider his films garbage. I have given a mandate to my lawyer in Italy to take civil and penal action.

I consider Tarantino a great director. I am very fond of my collaboration with him and the relationship we have developed during the time we have spent together. He is courageous and has an enormous personality. I credit Tarantino for being one of the people responsible for getting me an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgments of my career, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to compose music for his film.

In London, during a press conference in front of Tarantino, i clearly stated that I consider Quentin one of the greatest directors of this time.

Ennio Morricone
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Constantine (2005)
Supernatural detective John Constantine helps a policewoman prove her sister's death was not a suicide, but something more. Starts off decent, but blows its' load too early. The film just divulges into convolution as the narrative progresses with random characters popping in and out of the movie. Still, didn't hate it and wish there was a new Constantine live action movie as he's one of my favourite DC characters 5.5/10

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)
The spectre of a dead child rapist haunts the children of the parents who murdered him, stalking and killing them in their dreams. Pointless remake. The best bits were the stuff ripped straight out of the original movie, with all the bits made specifically for this remake being utter dross. The casting of Freddy also didn't work, mainly because he's meant to be this campy villain, and they've tried to make him serious and creepy, which didn't work as the film was so generic and flat. The only thing I liked:

I liked how they went down the road of Freddy being someone the parents killed without going through the justice system and he was in fact innocent but in the end, they backtracked on that plot thread and just went ahead and made him a paedo... so that was disappointing.

Skip this and just watch the original 4/10
 
cesc's_mullet said:
I watched this yesterday - thought it was a good movie, and agree with your take on that last battle scene. I really enjoyed it, though I do love medieval history.

I felt the movie rushed the audience a little though, moving from place to place very fast. It would have been better off being a longer movie IMO and even though it was already 2 hours I'd have happily sat there for another.
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It was originally about half an hour longer when it premiered at Toronto, but apparently bored everyone who watched it, leading to director cutting it down.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Constantine (2005)
Supernatural detective John Constantine helps a policewoman prove her sister's death was not a suicide, but something more. Starts off decent, but blows its' load too early. The film just divulges into convolution as the narrative progresses with random characters popping in and out of the movie. Still, didn't hate it and wish there was a new Constantine live action movie as he's one of my favourite DC characters 5.5/10
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So much this. I don't know how the manage to keep screwing up this amazing character. The TV show was woeful. You'd think any adaptation would write itself. In saying that, I agree - the movie isn't terrible (I do like Gabriel and they broadly kept John's world weary cynicism intact) but it could've been so much more.
 
#Screamers
When an internet company decides to investigate a series of 'Screamer' videos, they are confronted with havoc and hell they could never expect. Very long setup, or at least it felt long but that's expected with found footage films. I didn't mind this as the actors all felt very natural and the mystery was interesting enough. The film shits the bed in the final act though as it's just silly jump scares that don't work and all use this silly scream sound that quickly becomes funny rather than scary as they use it too much and too close together. Shame as it had potential. On a side note, the main actress was smoking hot in an achievable way :lol: 4.5/10
 
Dirty Schwein said:
The film shits the bed in the final act though as it's just silly jump scares that don't work and all use this silly scream sound that quickly becomes funny rather than scary as they use it too much and too close together.
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The same as The Woman in Black film. Felt like I was on a particularly unscary ghost train ride.
 
Overlord

Intriguing horror set in Nazi-occupied France where the locals in a small village are being used by the Germans for experiments to create enhanced soldiers. Bit like the Unisols in the Universal Soldier franchise. Director Julius Avery does a decent job with this JJ Abrams produced flick in creating an atmospheric, fast-paced chiller with a few jump-in-your-seat scares to keep that adrenalin flowing.

Once you can put aside the glaring plot holes though, you soon get caught up in the tension and peril that builds at a nice pace. I thought this was going to be a zombie fest but anyone expecting brain dead corpses to be running around a military facility having their brains blown out is in for a major disappointment. Not really sure why this is being touted as a zombie apocalypse type of movie? In fact the undead hardly get any screen time in this movie. The film is graphic in places though and only just warrants it's 18 certification...but only just.

The film avoids dwelling on the usual Nazi caricatures, who again rarely feature and instead focuses on the small group of soldiers who discover the sinister plot whilst undertaking their important mission. The opening sequence is visually impressive and you get a real sense of what it must have been like to be a soldier in the thrusts of war. The cinematography creates that immersive experience that puts the viewer right in the centre of the mayhem. I thought it was great.

I didn't realise that one of the main leads was Kurt Russell's son who does a decent job, along with the mainly unfamiliar cast. Avery certainly makes the most of the budget with the set, makeup and VFX and the soundtrack is perfect in building the suspense. It's a decent movie but not great. I enjoyed Hunter Killer more.

I'm giving this a 7/10.
 
Sanche7 said:
Mandy (2018) : watch this one when you are high, its made to be watched when high.
Loved the use of colors and the lighting.
Nick Cage with a role that suits him to a tee. It's a weird arse movie, but I enjoyed it
7/10
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Dirty Schwein said:
Mission Impossible: Fallout
You know what you're getting with this franchise. All out action, great stunts and a decent enough plot. Delivered on all fronts. Had a really good time and the 2.5 hours flew by 7.5/10

Mandy
Mandy is set in the primal wilderness of 1983 where Red Miller, a broken and haunted man hunts an unhinged religious sect who slaughtered the love of his life. Bat shit crazy movie with Nic Cage uncaged. Perfect role for him. The visual style was mesmerizing and the music composition was fantastic. This felt like a love child from a threesome between David Lynch, H.P. Lovecraft and Nicholas Winding Refn. Very trippy, you'll feel like your on acid. Could have been paced a little better though as the setup does take it's sweet time. Nonetheless, really enjoyable revenge flick 8/10
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Watching this shite now, only 30 minutes left and I’m still waiting for some action, absolute crap so far.


Grinner said:
Based on recommendations in here I watched Spy last night. Me and the wife were laughing quite a lot and I enjoyed it overall. It's nice to have a good adult comedy for once that isn't really juvenile. There were some silly bits but overall it was a good laugh. That fat cow is pretty talented.

I really like Peter Serafinowicz too. He's always good and a genuinely funny bloke.
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Watched this again the other day, hilarious.
 
Widows

It’s ok. Stylish, nicely shot and decent performances throughout. However, the plot is all over the place and the heist which is so central to the story is just a bit meh. The whole thing is surprisingly middle of the road. A 6/10 at best. The rave reviews it’s been getting are well over the top.

Is it just me or are critics much more likely to get carried away about movies with progressive/right on politics? Throw in a solid performance from an African American female lead and they collectively wet their knickers over a relatively run of the mill heist movie. It was no Heat, put it that way!
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Widows

It’s ok. Stylish, nicely shot and decent performances throughout. However, the plot is all over the place and the heist which is so central to the story is just a bit meh. The whole thing is surprisingly middle of the road. A 6/10 at best. The rave reviews it’s been getting are well over the top.

Is it just me or are critics much more likely to get carried away about movies with progressive/right on politics? Throw in a solid performance from an African American female lead and they collectively wet their knickers over a relatively run of the mill heist movie. It was no Heat, put it that way!
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Was tossing up between this and Old Man and the Gun for the weekend. Might go with the latter.

Just can’t bring myself to see First Man.
 
Archie Leach said:
Was tossing up between this and Old Man and the Gun for the weekend. Might go with the latter.

Just can’t bring myself to see First Man.
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Hadn’t heard of Old Man & The Gun before you mentioned it but, coincidentally, have been binging on a podcast produced by prisoners in San Quentin (Ear Hustle). It’s excellent. Loads of killer anecdotes, including a few guys who did a Forrest Tucker and escaped.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Widows

It’s ok. Stylish, nicely shot and decent performances throughout. However, the plot is all over the place and the heist which is so central to the story is just a bit meh. The whole thing is surprisingly middle of the road. A 6/10 at best. The rave reviews it’s been getting are well over the top.

Is it just me or are critics much more likely to get carried away about movies with progressive/right on politics? Throw in a solid performance from an African American female lead and they collectively wet their knickers over a relatively run of the mill heist movie. It was no Heat, put it that way!
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Pretty much what I felt about it. It seemed to want to make a statement on such a wide range of social issues that they all felt a bit underdeveloped. Certain characters and plots just seemed to disappear as the film goes along.

Definitely Steve McQueen's worst work IMO as the rest are great. This one is far more mainstream.
 
Stringer said:
Pretty much what I felt about it. It seemed to want to make a statement on a such a wide range of social issues that they all felt a bit underdeveloped.

Definitely Steve McQueen's worst work IMO as the rest are great. This one is far more mainstream.
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It’s only Steve McQueen that saves it from being complete shite IMO. It’s beautifully paced and artfully shot but you can’t help thinking he’s been trying to polish a turd. Apparently it’s a bit of a passion project of his, which is odd. Would make more sense if he’d been hired to make the most of a lame script.
 
dumbo said:
Outlaw King is a pretty good lo-fi* medieval jaunt. It begins where Braveheart ends, following Robert the Bruce on his journey to the Scottish throne. The final battle scene at Loudoun is one of the most miserable and squalid brawls I've seen on film; No glory, no spectacle, just horrible muddied carnage, and I found that pretty unique and great.

*I just checked the budget before posting and all I can think about now is where the feck did all the money go? Pilgimage from 2017 had a 24th of the budget and it looked better.
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I watched this at the weekend thinking I was starting a new series. I was an hour and a half in when I started to wonder what the feck is going on here?
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Is it just me or are critics much more likely to get carried away about movies with progressive/right on politics? Throw in a solid performance from an African American female lead and they collectively wet their knickers over a relatively run of the mill heist movie.
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Don’t. Become. That. Guy.
 
Mockney said:
Don’t. Become. That. Guy.
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I. Kind. Of. Already. Am.

My tipping point was the bang average Black Panther and absolutely piss poor Wonder Woman, both getting rave reviews.

It’s annoying when you fork out to watch objectively shit films because they tickled the progressive funny bone of a lefty critic. Bad movies are still bad movies, even if they’re well intentioned. Mark Kermode (probably my favourite critic) is a repeat offender.

Thinking about it, I would also add Moonlight to the list. I did quite enjoy the film but, fecking hell, it was nowhere near the triumph the critics seemed to want it to be. Gay black lad as the main character, though. Always going to be a winner.
 
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