Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Idxomer

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What is Passing about though?
It's about 2 women of mixed race in the 1920s, and one of them is passing as white.

They are both struggling with their identity and reality in a different manner. The film is about their relationship and their obsession or anxiety with the other's life.
 

MoskvaRed

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The Power of the Dog Beautifully shot, slow burning drama set in 1920’s Montana and built around an award-worthy performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. 9/10
 

Mike Smalling

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The Shadow in My Eye
Well crafted period movie about the accidental RAF bombing of the French School in Copenhagen in 1945. Given that you know what will happen, the movie obviously becomes much more about the characters and side stories leading up to the main event. I think the movie succeeded in setting the scene of late-war Denmark and establishing interesting characters, so you eventually care about each of their fates when the main plotline unfolds. Given the subject matter, the story obviously involves a lot of children, and that means child actors, which can always be hit and miss. By and large, I think they all did a pretty good job though. I also think the movie was very well shot and edited, and the bombing sequence itself was quite suspenseful.

Very solid. 8/10.
 

Dirty Schwein

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Ron's Gone Wrong
An introvert boy find solace in a buddy robot who's malfunctioning ways lead to his creators trying to destroy him. Simple story about friendship, loneliness and our relationship to A.I. I thought it was decent if not too memorable although it did have me laughing a couple of times 6.5/10
 

Ekkie Thump

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The Tomorrow War
Fecking woeful. Excruciating. No redeeming feature. 1/10.
 

Wibble

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I won't, sorry. A 7/10 for a highly ambitious, artistic film that doesn't work as well as it could have, is completely different from a 7/10 for a nicely done romantic comedy. And so on. Plus I can never decide. I put a bit more effort in my descriptions and opinions instead.
I might be alone but I first look for a score out of 10 and rarely read a review without one.
 

Rooney in Paris

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I might be alone but I first look for a score out of 10 and rarely read a review without one.
Your loss, I usually skip reviews with scores as I know they come from people who don't respect the Art.

I'm kidding, but I personally ignore the scores, exactly for the reasons @Cheimoon has listed, and would rather read what people are saying about a film. I'll be able to assess whether it's likely to be a 3 or a 9 for me, or basically just whether I feel like it's a film I'll enjoy.
 

jderbyshire

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Vacation Friends (Disney+)

Not the funniest comedy ever but very enjoyable due to the likable lead actors (John Cena and that guy from Bad Trip)

You can tell it was shot during the pandemic because there's a lot of scenes where people are unnaturally apart from each other. I noticed it watching the lastest Curb Your Enthusiasm too.

6/10
 

Wibble

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Your loss, I usually skip reviews with scores as I know they come from people who don't respect the Art.

I'm kidding, but I personally ignore the scores, exactly for the reasons @Cheimoon has listed, and would rather read what people are saying about a film. I'll be able to assess whether it's likely to be a 3 or a 9 for me, or basically just uwhether I feel like it's a film I'll enjoy.
To be more accurate I look for a score first but I also read reviews of people with similar tastes and those like you and Cheimoon who watch interesting stuff.
 

caid

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To be more accurate I look for a score first but I also read reviews of people with similar tastes and those like you and Cheimoon who watch interesting stuff.
I just find it hard to rate some movies. Dune felt like half a movie so i dont really know how to rate that. I'd normally throw a score on the end but its usually a bit of a throwaway 'that sounds about right' kind of thing
 

pauldyson1uk

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I always give any film I watch and post a review a score.
That score might not be the same as anybody else and frequently it is not.
I read other reviews, see what they say the score they give, watch and then give my opinions.
My taste in films is pretty wide and varied, many times films I like others dont,
Quite a few have said that they dont really care about any score given and when on imdb I take no notice of the score, prefere to make my own mind up.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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It's about 2 women of mixed race in the 1920s, and one of them is passing as white.

They are both struggling with their identity and reality in a different manner. The film is about their relationship and their obsession or anxiety with the other's life.
If you write a review and rate it highly people will watch it. It’s a review thread.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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I just find it hard to rate some movies. Dune felt like half a movie so i dont really know how to rate that. I'd normally throw a score on the end but its usually a bit of a throwaway 'that sounds about right' kind of thing
Dune felt manipulative. It’s half a movie. To leave that as a whole movie without the second half being green lit is garbage. It’s all set up. And it’s brilliant. It’s 9/10 based on an acceptance that something comes next. It’s a very flawed 6/10 if nothing followed it to complete the story.
 

caid

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Dune felt manipulative. It’s half a movie. To leave that as a whole movie without the second half being green lit is garbage. It’s all set up. And it’s brilliant. It’s 9/10 based on an acceptance that something comes next. It’s a very flawed 6/10 if nothing followed it to complete the story.
I'm kind of ok with it, i agree it has a pretty wide range of scores that'll be dictated by the next movies (and them existing). They were fairly open about that leading up to it so it felt fair enough. Seems its been greenlit now, so thats good news.
I just enjoyed what was there a lot and it all felt pretty necessary to tell the story, they could have shaved 20 mins off towards the end but i dont think it would have helped it feel less long or helped them squeeze more in to give a more complete storyline. I found what was there a bit exhausting nearly and was glad to see the end by the time it arrived, which didn't help with judging it and throwing a score on after i get home.
I really cant find fault with it on its own merits, its about as good an introduction and set up as you could ask for. The 9/10 kind of score feels fair regardless of what happens with the follow ups.
 

Cheimoon

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To be more accurate I look for a score first but I also read reviews of people with similar tastes and those like you and Cheimoon who watch interesting stuff.
Thanks. :) I wish I watched more of the interesting stuff though, it's been a lot of standard fare for a while now.

Anyway, I think I tried scoring some films when I started posting reviews, but I found it too hard. I appreciate other people's scores though, especially if it's a very short review. I mean, 'Pretty OK, I had fun' implies something rather different if it comes with an 6/10 or an 8/10. But as I said, I prefer a bit more commentary myself.
Do you want me to tell you about Red Notice? It's great, 10/10
You know, when I saw the basic description, I thought I might be a good 'I feel lame, let's put something cheap on' movie. Then I saw the trailer, and it looked a bit too crappy. Then the reviews on here destroyed it, and I was going to forget about it. But now everyone keeps piling on and it's becoming a joke - I kinda want to see it again! Can I blame you if I do watching it and then hate having spent time on it?
 

Rooney in Paris

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Thanks. :) I wish I watched more of the interesting stuff though, it's been a lot of standard fare for a while now.

Anyway, I think I tried scoring some films when I started posting reviews, but I found it too hard. I appreciate other people's scores though, especially if it's a very short review. I mean, 'Pretty OK, I had fun' implies something rather different if it comes with an 6/10 or an 8/10. But as I said, I prefer a bit more commentary myself.

You know, when I saw the basic description, I thought I might be a good 'I feel lame, let's put something cheap on' movie. Then I saw the trailer, and it looked a bit too crappy. Then the reviews on here destroyed it, and I was going to forget about it. But now everyone keeps piling on and it's becoming a joke - I kinda want to see it again! Can I blame you if I do watching it and then hate having spent time on it?
It's awful, don't watch it. Seriously, it's like injecting AIDS into your eyes.
 

Dirty Schwein

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Hustlers
A group of strippers band together to hustle wealthy men from Wall Street of their money. Some decent performances and the story was ok when you consider it's based off of true events but I kept expecting some big ending with a major twist but it just kept going round in circles and then ends 4/10
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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You know, when I saw the basic description, I thought I might be a good 'I feel lame, let's put something cheap on' movie. Then I saw the trailer, and it looked a bit too crappy. Then the reviews on here destroyed it, and I was going to forget about it. But now everyone keeps piling on and it's becoming a joke - I kinda want to see it again! Can I blame you if I do watching it and then hate having spent time on it?
I’ve seen Red Notice and The Tomorrow War 3 times apiece. Once alone. Then I’ve told everyone not to watch it. Subsequently watched them again with people I told not to watch it.

Everyone agreed they were terrible.

We are living in the upside down and I’m making it worse.
 

Rooney in Paris

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I’ve seen Red Notice and The Tomorrow War 3 times apiece. Once alone. Then I’ve told everyone not to watch it. Subsequently watched them again with people I told not to watch it.

Everyone agreed they were terrible.

We are living in the upside down and I’m making it worse.
What is wrong with you
 

Wibble

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You know, when I saw the basic description, I thought I might be a good 'I feel lame, let's put something cheap on' movie.
I watched it on that basis. Oh how very wrong I was. In some ways it is worse than the reviews in that it isn't so bad that you turn it off or that it makes you angry. More that it is so bland and irrelevant that you can't remember what happened in that 1.5 hrs that you are never getting back.
 
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Ekkie Thump

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No Sudden Move:
Tedious. Generic 50's crime drama with a star cast and a soporific script. Anaemic, one paced, banal. Badly shot. Seemed like it might've made for a good film if made by a competent director. Turned out it was made by Soderbergh. Shocked me that.

4/10

I am not on a roll.
 

Cheimoon

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I’ve seen Red Notice and The Tomorrow War 3 times apiece. Once alone. Then I’ve told everyone not to watch it. Subsequently watched them again with people I told not to watch it.

Everyone agreed they were terrible.

We are living in the upside down and I’m making it worse.
Well, in this case, given how everyone just tears into the film (no redeeming features anywhere in sight), I think anyone watching it despite having read the reviews has only themselves to blame.
I watched it on that basis. Oh how very wrong I was. In some ways it is worse than the reviews in that it isn't so bad that you turn it off or that it makes you angry. More that it is so bland and irrelevant that you can't remember what happened in that 1.5 hrs that you are never getting back.
There are quite a lot of films like that, aren't there. Red Notice might be a particularly unpleasant example, but I saw The Equalizer recently, and it's basically the same. You kinda follow through because it's there, but nothing sticks or stands out, and once it's over, you forget about it. You can say what you want about films like Free Guy or Thor Ragnarok, about how shallow or predictable or internally inconsistent they are - but I least they were funny and entertaining while I was watching them (for the most part, anyway; Free Guy rather drops off in the final third); the forgetfulness came after, not already during the film.
 

Hugh Jass

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No Sudden Move:
Tedious. Generic 50's crime drama with a star cast and a soporific script. Anaemic, one paced, banal. Badly shot. Seemed like it might've made for a good film if made by a competent director. Turned out it was made by Soderbergh. Shocked me that.

4/10

I am not on a roll.
This is on my list to rent but i might give it a pass.
 

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Has anyone seen Judas and the Black Messiah?
I had to log through it for the trailer edit, seemed really good.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Much better than the first but that's not saying much. Whilst it has a few good action scenes and a couple of funny lines, overall it felt very flat and uninspiring and I wasnt a fan of the 90s tone it went for. Most of the comedy didn't work and I hate how they portray the Venom character like a needy joke. Carnage on the other hand looked fantastic. The mid credit stinger makes me think they can go in an interesting direction with this but as a stand alone film, it's not great 5.5/10
 

Dirty Schwein

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The Night House
A widow discovers her late husband's dark past whilst experiencing supernatural occurrences in her house. Maybe my expectation was too high as I have been waiting for this for a long time but in the end, I didn't love it. Whilst I liked the slow build, psychological horror and subtle things going bump in the background of shots, as well as narrative twists and turns, the movie just didn't have enough going on in terms of horror to warrant a nearly 2 hours run time. The acting was really good and everything unravels well but it felt like the entire movie was just a long setup until the final act. Really needed to be paced a little better 6.5/10
 

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“Spencer”

Christmas at Sandringham in the early 90s. Windsors on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I was expecting a lot of this film based on reviews from the Venice film festival but frankly I was underwhelmed. It’s a mishmash of various styles including black comedy deriving from the ridiculously formal and anachronistic behaviour of the royal family and their staff, elements of genuine pathos in the scenes with Diana and her children, scenes of externalised mental disintegration like an old Polanski film and, at some level, tragedy. Kristen Steward is excellent but, in imitating Diana’s delivery, her dialogue is not always easy to understand. In conclusion, like a family Christmas, this film drags a bit.
No interest in seeing this film, but for someone who was famous for driving an Audi 80 Cabriolet, how come she's punting round in a 964 Cab in this film?



Pretty poor effort if they can't even get the car she was famous for right.

Mind you, a 964 Cab is a far more preferable stead than an Audi 80.

Apparently, most of the film is made up and twists the truth for no discernible benefit.

Why can't they just tell the true story, instead of making up bollocks, which idiots who have no idea, will believe?
 

Cheimoon

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No interest in seeing this film, but for someone who was famous for driving an Audi 80 Cabriolet, how come she's punting round in a 964 Cab in this film?



Pretty poor effort if they can't even get the car she was famous for right.

Mind you, a 964 Cab is a far more preferable stead than an Audi 80.

Apparently, most of the film is made up and twists the truth for no discernible benefit.

Why can't they just tell the true story, instead of making up bollocks, which idiots who have no idea, will believe?
From what I read, the idea was not to tell a true story, but tell a story that gives a good idea of the dynamics of Diana's interaction with the rest of the royal family. Which is fair enough, it's not a documentary, and this is extremely common in film. Whether it works is another thing. (The review I read concluded similarly to @MoskvaRed's final sentence. They also thought Steward works so hard to mimic Diana that her performance becomes a bit stale.)
 

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Drive My Car - An interesting little psychological thriller/drama from Japan that I watched at the Broadway last night. It's about an actor/writer who's putting on a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya and who has to overcome to some associated trauma stemming from his wife's recent death, who was also his sort of muse. Frankly it's a slow burner and at almost 3-hour feels maybe an hour longer than the official runtime. There's an antagonistic dual between him and another actor who - no spoilers - was implicated with his wife shortly before her death, which the director knows about but never discusses openly. Psychologically it seems to be about the relationship people have to the arts and how they can't separate acting from their real world interactions. The film is shot incredibly well and has two standout performances, the first from lead actor Hidetoshi Nishijima and the second by Tōko Miura, who plays a stoic woman with a difficult past and acts as the hired driver of the titular car; their relationship sort of drives the plot as they both befriend each other. It treads some similar territory to director Hamaguchi's previous film Asako I + II by being about the unknown qualities of other people. As one character says somewhere in the middle - you can stare deep into somebody's eyes but never truly know who they are. 4/5