Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

[noodlehair]

Gemini Man:

Will Smith gets chased around by Will Smith but Will Smith doesn't know why. Will Smith also doesn't know why he is Will Smith until Will Smith tells him but then Will Smith doesn't believe him. In the end the two Will Smith's team up to kill Will Smith, then go their seperate ways to both carry on living their lives as Will Smith.

4/10

 

[Cheimoon]

The Iliad is perhaps something similar in macrocosm, with memories, grudges, reflections and the will of the gods dictating the ebb and flow of battle, rather than individual warrior prowess. Is Jesus's "why hast thou forsaken me" before his ascension a variation? There is often a spiritual (supernatural even), revelatory implication to it, even in the shitty superhero films that employ it. I can't help thinking that Hamlet's soliloquy is doing something similar. Perhaps it's simply that deliberate plot pause for the inner monologue that Shakespeare does a lot.

Not sure if I would include the Iliad in your list. In my recollection, reflections on this sort of thing in ancient fiction tend to come in the form of dialogue or observation (so not really what you're looking for, I think) and affect single decisions rather than events on a larger scale. For example, in the Iliad (book 22), Hektor reminds Achilles of Patroklos by wearing the latter's armor, and that enrages Achilles. Similarly, in the Aeneid (book 12), Turnus wears Pallas's belt, reminding Aeneas of his ache and making him decide to kill Turnus. An earlier example of dialogue is in the Gilgamesh Epic (tablet 10), where Siduri asks Gilgames why he wants to go on his dangerous journey and he explains that it's because of this death of his friend Enkidu. (This is older than the Iliad, by the way.)

For ancient materials, I think there might be more in non-fiction, especially historical writings where the authors regularly bring up their protagonists' reflections. That's not exactly an inner monologue, but more like it - although often probably strategic rather than personal in nature.

Or am I taking you too literally now? Also, this makes me curious: why are you asking about this? Doing some research?

 

[SteveJ]

All the above absolutely ruins the central theme of one of my favourite books (Julian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the breakdown of the Bicameral Mind'). Damn.
According to Jaynes, characters in the Iliad were incapable of such inner reflection because human consciousness hadn't developed at that historical stage.

Jaynes asserts that in the Iliad and sections of the Old Testament no mention is made of any kind of cognitive processes such as introspection, and there is no apparent indication that the writers were self-aware. Jaynes suggests, the older portions of the Old Testament (such as the Book of Amos) have few or none of the features of some later books of the Old Testament (such as Ecclesiastes) as well as later works such as Homer's Odyssey, which show indications of a profoundly different kind of mentality—an early form of consciousness.

 

[dumbo]

For example, in the Iliad (book 22), Hektor reminds Achilles of Patroklos by wearing the latter's armor, and that enrages Achilles.

Thanks for the good input.

That was the feud and its surrounding events that I was drawn to, particularly the way in which Achilles' attitude is transformed. Thinking about it now though, perhaps the lack of clarity of thought and transcendence in the scene makes it something else. He acts on an irrational fury, and the dragging of Hector, followed by the journey of Priam, gives the whole thing an inglorious feel. It aint no Cane kick.

One of the best recent examples occurs during the final fight in the first Creed movie.

Also, this makes me curious: why are you asking about this? Doing some research?

I'd consider it a hack trope associated with silly hollywood action movies. So I was taken aback to see a version crop up in Sanshiro Sugata, a war time Japanese action film, shot by Akira Kurosawa no less. It just struck me that if it had travelled this far, then where was Kurosawa pulling it from, and was there more to the trope than I had given it credit for, having previously viewed it as a cheap and reductive depiction of a psyche. Sanshiro Sugata was Kurosawa's first film so I'd be surprised if he created the idea from scratch, although he could have. After all Bergman lifted Winter Light's to-camera letter reading scene straight from an original Kurosawa idea).

I know what the scene looks like on film, it's an overused staple of the action genre, but that in itself sort of makes it interesting. Why should it be such a standard? What is it actually saying, and does it have a predecessor prior to the moving image? Perhaps it's even a Modernist construction and explicitly Freudian, and therefore precludes whatever came before. Or is this - this right here - all a load of bollocks.

 

[VorZakone]

Homicide (1991)

It was enjoyable. I've always liked Mamet's style.

 

[Cheimoon]

I'd consider it a hack trope associated with silly hollywood action movies. So I was taken aback to see a version crop up in Sanshiro Sugata, a war time Japanese action film, shot by Akira Kurosawa no less. It just struck me that if it had travelled this far, then where was Kurosawa pulling it from, and was there more to the trope than I had given it credit for, having previously viewed it as a cheap and reductive depiction of a psyche. Sanshiro Sugata was Kurosawa's first film so I'd be surprised if he created the idea from scratch, although he could have. After all Bergman lifted Winter Light's to-camera letter reading scene straight from an original Kurosawa idea).

I know what the scene looks like on film, it's an overused staple of the action genre, but that in itself sort of makes it interesting. Why should it be such a standard? What is it actually saying, and does it have a predecessor prior to the moving image? Perhaps it's even a Modernist construction and explicitly Freudian, and therefore precludes whatever came before. Or is this - this right here - all a load of bollocks.

Hm, yeah, I see what you mean. I can think about it a bit further, but how are you defining this exactly? You said it's about warrior turning the tide of battle through reflection or memory. Does 'battle' have to entail a group or can it also be an individual fight? And I suppose you mean turning the tide means that it went poorly and then improves; not simply a decision point. (I.e., all my ancient example don't really apply.)

 

[Cheimoon]

All the above absolutely ruins the central theme of one of my favourite books (Julian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the breakdown of the Bicameral Mind'). Damn.
According to Jaynes, characters in the Iliad were incapable of such inner reflection because human consciousness hadn't developed at that historical stage.

Damn, that sounds like a serious load of crap! I would totally argue that sort of more limited expression is rather down to literary conventions and to psychology and literature not having developed that far yet. Also, evolution is slow; no way the human brain developed that sort of thing just a few millennia. It must absolutely be an intellectual thing. There's a great quote I love that goes something like 'people haven't gotten cleverer [in the last few millennia], they just have more to be clever about'.

Time for a new book Steve!

To try and be on topic just a little, I might add that I watched Hugo last weekend. Looks great, well done, pretty entertaining, but somehow I found myself disappointed towards the end. I think it's because the sorry kinds switches track and that didn't work for me. 7/10

Spoiler: Plot Spoiler

Its initial focus is purely on the kid, but halfway through it seems to figure that Méliès and the history of film are.more interesting and shifts its focus accordingly. I suppose you can call that s plot mechanism and I suppose you can call that interesting, but it didn't work for me.

 

[SteveJ]

Damn, that sounds like a serious load of crap!

Yeah, it has its supporters but most knowledgeable people think the same way as you, mate:

Richard Dawkins in The God Delusion wrote of The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind:

'It is one of those books that is either complete rubbish or a work of consummate genius; Nothing in between! Probably the former, but I'm hedging my bets.'

 

[Cheimoon]

It's good to be on the right side of history! (Not that I want to side with Dawkins on everything though!)

To me, it's a kind of colonialist attitude. Europeans used to see the people in their colonies as so much more primitive than them - less evolved, really. It's a similar attitude some people have about the past: it's not that they just hadn't figured something out yet back then, they were actually 'lesser' people. That position has actually become relatively rare these days (it was still pretty common some decades ago), so this sort of thesis seems like such a throwback.

 

[SteveJ]

Yeah, it's similar to the old-fashioned view that cave people merely grunted at each other while clubbing anyone in sight.

 

[Cheimoon]

 

[pauldyson1uk]

You Should Have Left

A former banker, his actress wife, and their spirited daughter book a vacation at an isolated modern home in the Welsh countryside where nothing is quite as it seems.
Not a huge fan of Kevin Bacon, but he was OK in this.
It was pretty preditable, but I enjoyed it, had some good suspense in it.
Very watchable.

6.5/10

 

[berbatrick]

A long shot here but I'm looking for the earliest instances of the fighting trope that sees the warrior turn the tide of battle through some form of internal reflection or memory, that conjures up an inner strength or motivation.

Does this count?

One of the most affecting stories in the Mahabharata is that of Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadra and Arjuna. Abhimanyu was still in his mother’s womb when he first heard his uncle Krishna telling Subhadra about the secret of the almost impenetrable military formation known as the Chakravyuha. But then Subhadra fell asleep while listening to Krishna’s story, and so the unborn child was able to hear only part of the secret. This was to prove tragic years later, during the great war of the Mahabharata, by which time Abhimanyu had grown up and become a young warrior. His memory of what he had heard about the Chakravyuha before he was born took him all the way into the formation, but he could not emerge out of it. Abhimanyu died fighting his way out.

 

[neverdie]

Does this count?

There are a lot of examples from ancient theology and drama but most are tragic. The protagonist doesn't draw on memory to help them overcome a situation which had appeared hopeless, but instead is revealed to be doomed by fate all along. Examples in Greek tragedy but also in historical narratives. Biblical example maybe includes Jesus telling Judas he will betray him.

Jesus being tempted by Satan almost works except for the introspection, and is also mediated by fate explicitly rather than suggesting it or drawing from it. In its modern form it definitely exists prior to the 17th century as Don Quixote is parodying much of these same proto-romantic introspective fopperies of knight errantry and chivalry in general.

The Cyclops episode in The Odyssey has a lot of similar traits. The hero overcomes apparently insurmountable odds by recourse to something that doesn't seem to exist prior to the problem, which is ingenuity in this case.

What Dumbo seems to be looking for is the origins of the David/Goliath trope in modern art and cinema. It's basically the Hulk's superpower combined with a Rocky type underdog situation. It'll be hard to find a version of this which exists outside the concept of genius which is modern (sort of) in its origins. A good example being this scene from Shine.


It's the same trope except physical strength has been negated for something else. You can include examples of great speeches from unexpected characters (apparent losers or underdogs) as well.

 

[dumbo]

Does this count?

That's almost like a brilliant inversion of the idea. Is that an Upanishad?

I think the premonition is slightly different but they possibly both share a deterministic quality.

 

[Cheimoon]

Gosford Park

Knives Out meets Downton Abbey: a murder mystery set in the Downton-type environment. (In fact, it's written by the same guy, and Downton Abbey was originally meant to be a spin-off series.) A bit quick and dense, so a little hard to follow sometimes; but it all works out in the end and it's pretty funny. Some good shots, too, and lots of great actors and performances. 8/10

 

[Dirty Schwein]

You Should Have Left

A former banker, his actress wife, and their spirited daughter book a vacation at an isolated modern home in the Welsh countryside where nothing is quite as it seems.
Not a huge fan of Kevin Bacon, but he was OK in this.
It was pretty preditable, but I enjoyed it, had some good suspense in it.
Very watchable.

6.5/10

Where did you see this?

 

[Dante]

Has anyone watched The King of Staten Island? There seem to be constant ads for it during matches. It looks shit.

 

[pauldyson1uk]

Where did you see this?

I downloaded it

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Ponyo
A young boy and a fish (who turns into a human) strike a friendship and must find a way to keep her in her human form. Studio Ghibli's version of The Mermaid. A little more geared towards children than the usual Ghibli movie but I liked it a lot. Great animation and tonnes of charm 6.5/10

Eurovision: The Story Of Fire Saga
Two friends from a small town in Iceland attempt to achieve their dreams of winning The Eurovision song contest. I find Will Farrell funny and am slightly in love with Rachel Macadams. I thought it had enough laughs to be worth the watch 6/10

 

[Irrational.]

Primal Fear (1996)

Currently showing on Netflix.

Brilliant, slow-burning gritty thriller starring Ed Norton. It's based around the murder of an archbishop and a bloodied altar boy (Norton) found running from the scene. He insists he didn't do it, and it's the job of a hotshot lawyer played by Richard Gere to prove it.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, and the performance from Norton was brilliant. Really enjoyed the nostalgic 90's vibe too.

8/10 rating from me.

If anyone has any similar film suggestions, they would be very much welcome.

 

[Dante]

Irresistible (2020)

I really like Jon Stewart. And I really like Steve Carrell. And I really liked the overall message of the movie.

Some funny moments, but more educational than entertaining.

 

[pauldyson1uk]

1BR

Sarah tries to start anew in LA, but her neighbours are not what they seem.
It's a psychological horror movie during which you'll be sympathizing with Sarah. She doesn't realize that she's living with a freaky group of people until it's too late!
Its OK, dont expect anything else.

4.5/10

 

[pauldyson1uk]

Funhouse

When 8 celebrities from around the globe are invited to compete in an online reality show, they soon realize that they are playing for their very lives, as those voted off suffer horrific consequences, broadcast live to the entire world.
Interesting film, the acting was OK, very much a poor mans Saw, think this would have worked better has an episode of Black Mirror, condensed down to 45mins, it would have been decent.
Have to admit the ending got me, was not expecting it, I should have .
Defiantly worth a watch

6/10

 

[Sylar]

Left Behind.
Watched this on netflix, and even with that, I feel like I deserve a refund. It started off with a good concept, then becomes shit.
Typical Nick cage movie of madness where hes a pilot. But its actually shit. Not so bad that its like the Knowing where you can laugh. But just shit.

Blackhat.
Enjoyed this. Has Thor in it, and was fun to watch. Its not great in terms of it being a smart action movie. Its just an action movie where you can turn your brain off and enjoy. One of the scenes has a kill scene which just made me laugh (near the end) but laugh cos it was awesome and unexpected rather than lame.

 

[Bilbo]

Artemis Fowl

I've left it a good 24 hours after watching this to comment, mainly to see whether my initial massive disappointment would die down and I'd see things differently. It hasn't, and I dont.

First things first, I know that this movie isnt made for me. This is adapted from a young adult series of books that i read and greatly enjoyed probably 20 years ago. I shouldn't care really, but I'd been anticipating a movie adaption for quite some time, and when Branagh took this on I had some hope.

Its dreadful. Really dreadful. I hated it. If I was the author of these (Eion Colfer) I'd be out for blood. Why adapt a book if you are going to change everything that made those books what they are? On the page, Artemis is an antisocial, cynical, child genius and also (crucially) the villain of the piece. In this he's a surfing, happy and pretty dull character, a normal kid who we are supposed to see as a troubled and tortured genius merely because they tell us he is at the beginning. None of it comes through in the movie.

Key plot points are changed. The story is rushed and incoherent. It's obviously been butchered in the editing room (I suspect Colin Farrells part in this was shot after the event and stapled in. Key characters ruined and badly miscast. One is changed from a man to a woman I assume simply because they could get Judi Dench. A humorous side character becomes the narrator of the piece simply because it makes no sense otherwise (another reshoot no doubt).

Two other characters drafted in from later books, one clearly because the suits thought they needed more kids, the other because they felt they needed a Voldemort type recurring villain. Artemis's butler (a great character in the books) completely butchered. An invented macguffin added to avoid having to paint Artemis as what he was, a thief.

Theres so much box ticking here. I think that's what made me so mad. They bottled it. This could have been a unique kids franchise if they'd just respected the source material. Instead, to me at least, it becomes a perfect symbol of where Hollywood is at. Playing it safe, trying desperately to please everyone and, more importantly, offend no-one.

Non book readers will just see this as another bland kids film that they will instantly forget. There are still good stories out there, but studios are too scared to make them. What a waste.

2/10

 

[Fingeredmouse]

Artemis Fowl

I've left it a good 24 hours after watching this to comment, mainly to see whether my initial massive disappointment would die down and I'd see things differently. It hasn't, and I dont.

First things first, I know that this movie isnt made for me. This is adapted from a young adult series of books that i read and greatly enjoyed probably 20 years ago. I shouldn't care really, but I'd been anticipating a movie adaption for quite some time, and when Branagh took this on I had some hope.

Its dreadful. Really dreadful. I hated it. If I was the author of these (Eion Colfer) I'd be out for blood. Why adapt a book if you are going to change everything that made those books what they are? On the page, Artemis is an antisocial, cynical, child genius and also (crucially) the villain of the piece. In this he's a surfing, happy and pretty dull character, a normal kid who we are supposed to see as a troubled and tortured genius merely because they tell us he is at the beginning. None of it comes through in the movie.

Key plot points are changed. The story is rushed and incoherent. It's obviously been butchered in the editing room (I suspect Colin Farrells part in this was shot after the event and stapled in. Key characters ruined and badly miscast. One is changed from a man to a woman I assume simply because they could get Judi Dench. A humorous side character becomes the narrator of the piece simply because it makes no sense otherwise (another reshoot no doubt).

Two other characters drafted in from later books, one clearly because the suits thought they needed more kids, the other because they felt they needed a Voldemort type recurring villain. Artemis's butler (a great character in the books) completely butchered. An invented macguffin added to avoid having to paint Artemis as what he was, a thief.

Theres so much box ticking here. I think that's what made me so mad. They bottled it. This could have been a unique kids franchise if they'd just respected the source material. Instead, to me at least, it becomes a perfect symbol of where Hollywood is at. Playing it safe, trying desperately to please everyone and, more importantly, offend no-one.

Non book readers will just see this as another bland kids film that they will instantly forget. There are still good stories out there, but studios are too scared to make them. What a waste.

2/10

I love the fact you could've gone for 1 out of 10 but you gave it an extra point. It somehow emphasises the hate.

 

[Bilbo]

I love the fact you could've gone for 1 out of 10 but you gave it an extra point. It somehow emphasises the hate.

1 felt too harsh, despite it being a steaming turd.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

My Neighbors The Yamadas
A collection of skits about the ups and downs of life from various perspectives. Not your usual Ghibli movie, the animation made it feel like a feature length Red Bull commercial. It had its moments but felt too long and probably my least favourite film from the studio 4.5/10

 

[Redplane]

Eurovision: The Story Of Fire Saga

Two friends from a small town in Iceland attempt to achieve their dreams of winning The Eurovision song contest. I find Will Farrell funny and am slightly in love with Rachel Macadams. I thought it had enough laughs to be worth the watch 6/10

Completely agree with that review. Maybe a 7 even because the songs were actually very catchy. I kinda want the soundtrack - just for laughs. Who can forget such classics as Ja Ja Ding Dong and Volcano Man?

 

[Cheimoon]

Barely Lethal

Fun. Can't really go any deeper than that, but I thought it was a simple high-school comedy with a twist. Well enough done. Where critics totally panned it, I'd give it 6.5/10.

As an aside, it's like Samuel L. Jackson just never says no to roles. Here he is again! He must enjoy doing random sh*t.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

The House At The End Of Time
A woman is jailed for 30 years after the authorities find her husband and son killed and her finger prints all over the murder weapon and their blood all over her. Once released, she returns to the house to figure out what actually happened. Spooky shit ensues.

I remember having this on my watch list on Netflix years ago but then it vanished. Finally found this on Shudder and watched it. It's a real slow burn but the few scary scenes did genuinely creep me out. The film does rely massively on a few twists, that are telegraphed and take away from their reveal. I'm not someone that usually guesses twists but these were so obvious.

I'd still recommend this though, good indie horror 6.5/10

 

[pierrethesnack]

Freaky Friday (2003)

My girlfriend likes these silly feelgood movies when she's slightly down, and I have to say there's something charming with these naive romcoms from the 90s/early 00s, if only for the fact that they are completely uncynical and sort of cute in terms of not even pretending to have anything important to say whatsoever.

6/10

Sauve qui peut (1980)

Thought I'd give Goddard a chance, and heard this one was one of his most accesible ones. Unfortunately I am not into postmodern/nihilist bullshit, so found it thoroughly unengaging. Very good cinematography though, and some of the weird eroticism was quite funny.

4/10

 

[Cheimoon]

Contagion

Late to the party, but figured I should see what all the hype is about after all. It's well done, but pretty lame as a film. There is little narrative or emotion investment; it just goes through all the motions. It does so very well and it's nice to see scientific accuracy (apart from the shortcut to get the vaccine), but it's hard to care: it's like a fictional documentary with the narrative arch of a movie. It's also a bit underwhelming now we've seen it all happen for real (minus the virus's mortality and the riots). 6/10 for me.

 

[sammsky1]

Unfriended: Dark Web (2018) on Netflix 8/10

One of the better movies I've seen in a while. The movie documents a journey from desktop apps to the deep bowels of the dark web. Whilst there, you are shown how vicious criminals hack digital security, privacy and cryptocurrency to achieve their purpose. The plot navigates through romance, humour, suspense, tension and is ultimately downright shocking with horror and terror. It's a movie that will stay with you for a while.

PS: I suggest watching it at your desktop or via a laptop, preferably an apple machine, for extra cinematic experience.
PPS: If you find it abit confusing at first and you're about to give up on it, DON'T! All becomes clear in 2nd half of movie
PPPS: reviews are either 1/10 or 9/10. Would be interesting to see how others find it. Don't read any more reviews as will likely give away storyline.

 

[CassiusClaymore]

Peanut Butter Falcon
A down syndrome kid escapes his care home in search of his wrestling hero. On the way, he meets a drifter played by Shia Lebeouf. I thought this was really heartwarming story and Shia put in a great performance. Would recommend 7.5/10

Yeah nice film. Some silly bits but the I enjoyed the cast and the setting. Couple of cameo's from Mick Foley and Jake Roberts too. Could've done without the needless melodrama at the cimax although I guess there had to be some pay off to that sub plot.

 

[RedPed]

Unfriended: Dark Web (2018) on Netflix 8/10

One of the better movies I've seen in a while. The movie documents a journey from desktop apps to the deep bowels of the dark web. Whilst there, you are shown how vicious criminals hack digital security, privacy and cryptocurrency to achieve their purpose. The plot navigates through romance, humour, suspense, tension and is ultimately downright shocking with horror and terror. It's a movie that will stay with you for a while.

PS: I suggest watching it at your desktop or via a laptop, preferably an apple machine, for extra cinematic experience.
PPS: If you find it abit confusing at first and you're about to give up on it but, DON'T! All becomes clear in 2nd half of movie
PPPS: reviews are either 1/10 or 9/10. Would be interesting to see how other find it. Don't read any more reviews as will most likely give away storyline.

Interest peaked...I'm in.

 

[GledTheRed]

Has anyone watched The King of Staten Island? There seem to be constant ads for it during matches. It looks shit.

Yes i have, it's shit.

 

[Tarrou]

Devil in a Blue Dress - 1995

Cracking little noir mystery thriller this with peak Denzel. Don Cheadle is fantastic in it too. 7.5/10

 

[sammsky1]

Interest peaked...I'm in.

Let me know what you think!