Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

George Owen

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Tenet
Overly complicated and mess of a narrative which can be boiled down to: a group of people must use time travel to stop some baddies getting their hands on a device that can cause the end of the world. Some impressive action scenes aside, there wasn't much to enjoy here. Doesn't help that half the time, I couldn't make out what anyone was saying 3/10
I feel sorry for those feckers who went to see this piece of crap at the cinema.

All those guys running backwards :lol:... what a silly movie.

Took me 3 days to finish it.
 

el3mel

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Tenet :

I finally got to watch this. There's a lot to like here, but it gave me a serious headache. I replayed many scenes ton of times before moving forward to understand what's going on. Can't imagine watching this in cinema in one shot. Would have understood jack shit starting from the very first scene that explains the inversion part. This alone I replayed 3 times to fully understand the idea. The entire interrogation scene midway in the movie took me half an hour or so till I got it and kept watching. Watching this in one shot is impossible. However, I ended up giving up to at the end of the movie to be honest. I was barely managing to follow the plot and understanding it up till the last 30 minutes. The entire fighting scene, well, it was ridiculously convoluted. I honestly didn't understand anything from what was happening, bar a thing or two at best.

I found Interstellar and Inception to actually be simpler to follow from beginning to end than Tenet, believe it or not.

However, it's not a bad movie when you think about it. The inversion idea itself is very good. Some scenes were great with very good dialogue, some action scenes at the start were surprisingly fun. and there's some great acting in it. The plot "seems" to be coherent from how much I understood, but if there's a problem in the plot beside it being convoluted, it's that for the majority of it, it was simply uninteresting to be honest. It only got interesting about 1 hour later or so, before that I wasn't caring what's going to happen next.

Decent I'll say. Don't regret spending time on this even with the headache it gave me, because there're many good aspects in it, but I feel Nolan is starting to focus more on making his movies as convoluted as possible just to keep the trend going rather than making a movie with an interesting story to follow.

7/10
 

Mockney

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The Irishman watched this last night wasn’t very impressed by it, for all the stars in it was expecting better, kept waiting for something big to happen but it lead to nothing. Also the actors all looked very old probably because they are old now but even more so than you expected.

3 an a half hours long too so a bit disappointing really..

4/10
For all the initial praise it’s pretty much been forgotten culturally, and will probably be remembered largely as “that really long movie where everyone looks really old and weird”
 

Dirty Schwein

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I feel sorry for those feckers who went to see this piece of crap at the cinema.

All those guys running backwards :lol:... what a silly movie.

Took me 3 days to finish it.
I watched it in one sitting but it felt like 3 days. I watched an explainer video afterwards, made me hate it even more. It's just a basic heist film that's overly convoluted.

The time travel and inverted stuff was a gimmick that just was not interesting.

I don't mind complicated movies but you should be able to take something away from them in the first sitting. This gave me nothing.

This is a case where a studio suit needed to step in, take Nolan aside and say "hold up brother, we have thoughts"
 

Organic Potatoes

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For all the initial praise it’s pretty much been forgotten culturally, and will probably be remembered largely as “that really long movie where everyone looks really old and weird”
‘The 3 hour long excuse to give Bobby De Niro a chance to be a mobster one last time, featuring the most hilarious gangster beat down ever’
 

Rooney in Paris

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For all the initial praise it’s pretty much been forgotten culturally, and will probably be remembered largely as “that really long movie where everyone looks really old and weird”
That's assuming it will be remembered at all. It's not one for the ages, but that doesn't make it a bad film either.
 

Sylar

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I feel sorry for those feckers who went to see this piece of crap at the cinema.

All those guys running backwards :lol:... what a silly movie.

Took me 3 days to finish it.
I saw it in the cinema, the music was too loud to here a lot of the dialogue

Was so strange especially without subtitles
 

pauldyson1uk

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Valkyrie

A dramatization of the July 20, 1944 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Adolf Hitler during World War II.
First time I have seen this, thought it was very good, easy to watch, one of Tom Cruise's better films, acting was very good all round.

7.5/10
 

Sky1981

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Valkyrie

A dramatization of the July 20, 1944 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Adolf Hitler during World War II.
First time I have seen this, thought it was very good, easy to watch, one of Tom Cruise's better films, acting was very good all round.

7.5/10
It's good. But off course It's always weird seeing a german official speaking english.
 

Grinner

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Valkyrie

A dramatization of the July 20, 1944 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Adolf Hitler during World War II.
First time I have seen this, thought it was very good, easy to watch, one of Tom Cruise's better films, acting was very good all round.

7.5/10

Does he run in this one?
 

Vidyoyo

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Instant Swamp

A lighthearted romp about quirky outsider characters, including a woman who quits her job as a high-flying magazine editor and another fixated by the prophecies foretold by an Egyptian-themed arcade machine – certainly a fun two-hours.

The Bird People in China

I didn’t exactly ‘love’ it but admire Takeshi Miike’s desire to take on serious subject matter for once. It’s very slow and pretty damn mellow, especially the second-half. At times it feels almost ethnographic as it's basically all set in rural China. The pastoral vistas set the scene for what is, ultimately, a thoughtful consideration about the simple qualities of rural agrarian life vs. the hustle and bustle of modern Japan.
 

OleBoiii

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Eyes Wide Shut

Kubrick movies are always enjoyable and this is no exception. I'm surprised that the rating is so poor(by Kubrick standards) on IMDB. My only critique would be the pacing. You could easily have cut 40 minutes and achieved the same, imo.
 

VorZakone

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Eyes Wide Shut

Kubrick movies are always enjoyable and this is no exception. I'm surprised that the rating is so poor(by Kubrick standards) on IMDB. My only critique would be the pacing. You could easily have cut 40 minutes and achieved the same, imo.
Hollywood will never make a movie like this again. Unfortunately.

It's unique. I don't think I've seen any other movie with the same vibe as Eyes Wide Shut.
 

Deery

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Eyes Wide Shut

Kubrick movies are always enjoyable and this is no exception. I'm surprised that the rating is so poor(by Kubrick standards) on IMDB. My only critique would be the pacing. You could easily have cut 40 minutes and achieved the same, imo.
What was it even about, apart from a rich orgy didn’t get it at all..
 

berbatrick

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The man who fell to earth:
Sad story, great lead performance. 9/10.

Eyes wide shut:
Thanks @OleBoiii for reminding me, I started it with exactly 3 hours remaining before it expired from streaming.
Creepy. Not sure what to make of it. I'd heard a podcast describe it as an "Epstein" movie, and certainly that angle stood out more than the psychological/marriage/emasculating stuff. I liked how Tom Cruise was so out of his depth from first scene to last. Nicole Kidman's dialogue delivery was weird. 7/10.
 

2cents

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The Dig

Nice understated movie about a group of peoples’ involvement in what begins as a minor, parochial digging project in Suffolk which gradually takes on national significance against the backdrop of 1939. Top performances all round as you’d expect with this cast. The Lily James love triangle bit felt a bit abrupt however, stealing time from Ralph Fiennes.

7 or 8/10.
 

Cheimoon

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The Dig

Nice understated movie about a group of peoples’ involvement in what begins as a minor, parochial digging project in Suffolk which gradually takes on national significance against the backdrop of 1939. Top performances all round as you’d expect with this cast. The Lily James love triangle bit felt a bit abrupt however, stealing time from Ralph Fiennes.

7 or 8/10.
Watched this one yesterday as well. I felt the same way. At some point when you saw the romance angle developing, I was wondering what it had to do with the story, and I basically still wonder now. I guess it served to spice up the narrative, but it makes little sense.

(It's also completely made up. I wiki'd this (link): while the movie is based on a historical dig and all the main characters are real, Peggy was actually a qualified archaeologist, Rory is completely invented, and there were was little friction between the different teams until quite late in the process. Also, Basil did fully excavate three different mounds first, and then the Ipswich Museum got him to come back a year later for a second round where he did the main mound. So it's a historical film where essentially all the dramatic elements are made up. Oh well.)
 
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Grinner

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Son

When a young boy contracts a mysterious illness, his mother must decide how far she will go to protect him from terrifying forces in her past.
It was OK, had its moments, but very slow in parts.

5/10

You never gave me your thoughts on Shatner at 37,000 Feet
 

Wibble

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Eyes Wide Shut

Kubrick movies are always enjoyable and this is no exception. I'm surprised that the rating is so poor(by Kubrick standards) on IMDB. My only critique would be the pacing. You could easily have cut 40 minutes and achieved the same, imo.
I'd have cut 159 minutes.

2.5 hours of my life I'm never getting back.
 

OleBoiii

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Hollywood will never make a movie like this again. Unfortunately.

It's unique. I don't think I've seen any other movie with the same vibe as Eyes Wide Shut.
I'd have cut 159 minutes.

2.5 hours of my life I'm never getting back.
Fight! Fight! Fight!

_________________________________________________________

What was it even about, apart from a rich orgy didn’t get it at all..
There are many interpretations, but it's generally about the challenges of monogamous relationships. Feminism and the difference in power between the extremely wealthy and the rest of us are also themes that are touched upon.

This is a good video:

 

el3mel

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The Way Back (2020) :

I honestly found this to be a great movie. While yes I can see why people will say the story is cliched and not original, it's written very well and it got me fully engaged with the protagonist and the Basketball team to the point of cheering for them at one point. Being kinda short (it's only 1:42 hour movie) also helps keeping the pacing tight while feeling it's packed with events, and not overstaying its welcome. Ben Affleck is a great actor.

Really enjoyed my time with it.

9/10.
 

surf

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Nomadland (currently streaming on HULU)

Based on the 2017 book of the same name by Jessica Bruder. It follows older Americans, mostly women, nearly all white, who cannot afford housing any more and so take to the road permanently and live in their vehicles. They consider themselves houseless but not homeless and move around the west, particularly Arizona and Nevada, sometimes in groups. The film is part documentary and includes some of the real nomads who are featured in the book. The film's main character, played by Frances McDormand, is fictional though. Although they are poor and have to take various low-paid grindingly hard temporary jobs to survive financially, they are insprirational in the way they face the challenges of their lives and embrace the freedom of being permanent itinerant campers.

It is an outstanding and offbeat film. McDormand, the director Chloe Zhao, and the photography are all excellent - it should be an Oscar contender in several categories.

9.5/10

The book is equally good too.
 

Wibble

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Nomadland (currently streaming on HULU)

Based on the 2017 book of the same name by Jessica Bruder. It follows older Americans, mostly women, nearly all white, who cannot afford housing any more and so take to the road permanently and live in their vehicles. They consider themselves houseless but not homeless and move around the west, particularly Arizona and Nevada, sometimes in groups. The film is part documentary and includes some of the real nomads who are featured in the book. The film's main character, played by Frances McDormand, is fictional though. Although they are poor and have to take various low-paid grindingly hard temporary jobs to survive financially, they are insprirational in the way they face the challenges of their lives and embrace the freedom of being permanent itinerant campers.

It is an outstanding and offbeat film. McDormand, the director Chloe Zhao, and the photography are all excellent - it should be an Oscar contender in several categories.

9.5/10

The book is equally good too.
I was planning to watch this next weekend - sounds good.
 

Dirty Schwein

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I know I'll get stick for this but with the exception of The Shining, I havent enjoyed any Kubrick films. Actually, Clockwork Orange was ok. But the rest... puke! Especially 2001: A Space Odyssey. Absolutely hated every blood second of it. I want my movies fun and easy to follow. Call me simple. I can take it. I have to use my brain enough during the day, I don't want to also decipher a movie... I just want easy entertainment. Maybe that's why my favourite films are Con Air, Insidious, The Raid, Hereditary and Toy Story :lol:

Relic
A daughter, mother and grandmother are haunted by a manifestation of dementia that consumes their family's home. This was a slow burn... like a slooooooow buuuuurn. Which doesnt help when it's the first night time movie I've watched in 2 months (due to newborn). I may have dozed off once or twice so maybe I missed a lot but I dont think I missed much... The final act ups the pace a bit by then it was too late and the payoff wasn't worth the long build up. I may have to watch this again 4/10

Skinwalker Ranch

Found footage reveals the fate of a special team sent in to investigate the unexplained disappearance of a Utah rancher's (Jon Gries) young son. Normally a fan of these types of films but this one didn't do anything for me. The mystery wasn't that interesting and the actors felt miscast. Need to find a film like this that matches Lake Mungo 3.5/10
 

Wibble

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I actually have not. Just put off by anything that has Kubrick attached to it. Maybe I'll give it a go at some point.
I too can't stand anything Kubrick made. For once Full Metal Jacket makes you actually care about the characters in the film.

Until the half way point when the film turns to shit. Palm trees in a British film studio only add to the totally rubbishness of the second half of the film.

The Shining was also shit. Some memorable scenes but as usual Kubrick missed the emotional heart of the plot.
 

OleBoiii

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I too can't stand anything Kubrick made.
Do you generally dislike films like these or is it just Kubrick that you can't stand? If it's the latter: do have any similar films that you like?
 
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caid

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I quite like Kubrick. I was going to say Full Metal Jacket but Dr. Strangelove is brilliant too. I didn't like Clockwork Orange or 2001 much either though and i can see why they'd turn people off him.

Some memorable scenes but as usual Kubrick missed the emotional heart of the plot.
I'd say he makes better scenes than movies. Some of his scenes are basically seared in my head forever and ill never forget but the wider film is always weaker.
 

Organic Potatoes

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I know I'll get stick for this but with the exception of The Shining, I havent enjoyed any Kubrick films. Actually, Clockwork Orange was ok. But the rest... puke! Especially 2001: A Space Odyssey. Absolutely hated every blood second of it. I want my movies fun and easy to follow. Call me simple. I can take it. I have to use my brain enough during the day, I don't want to also decipher a movie... I just want easy entertainment. Maybe that's why my favourite films are Con Air, Insidious, The Raid, Hereditary and Toy Story :lol:
I take it you haven’t seen Dr Strangelove?