Film The Redcafe Movie Club Thread

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

I was curious if anyone wanted to be a part of a movie club thread?

Like a book club, select one film a week to watch, then discuss it, likes, dislikes etc.

Anyone interested?

 

[The Corinthian]

I'm in if @Sweet Square is in and every other movie is a Marvel movie.

 

[FrankDrebin]

Cool.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

I'm in if @Sweet Square is in and every other movie is a Marvel movie.

Cool.

OK perfect!

If we can get a few more in, perhaps from the Framed thread?

 

[Gringo]

Tried this before on a forum and lasted two/three films before it died. We used a random film generator from google, spin the wheel 3 times, then voted for which one to watch. But that brought up some howlers. I think maybe perhaps a better way would be to agree on a platform, Prime or Netflix for example and then we select from there.

 

[Salt Bailly]

I'm in.

 

[iammemphis]

Id definitely try and do 2 or 3 a month, but i draw the line at black-and-white movies, unless they are an absolute classic.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

I'd be up for it as long as it's not @Amar__ choosing the films as he has shit taste

 

[Amar__]

I'd be up for it as long as it's not @Amar__ choosing the films as he has shit taste

Go watch Better Call Saul, it's better than any movie you have ever seen. Movies are overrated anyway.

 

[Sweet Square]

I'm in.

 

[SirtheIcarium]

I'm in

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

OK fantastic, build it and they will come as they say.

I will select a film and put it into a threadmark! Exciting.

 

[jungledrums]

Sounds cool, potentially keen

 

[Badunk]

I think I'll have to watch stuff I wouldn't normally watch, so I'm in.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

The Redcafe Movie Club Thread

Welcome to the first installment of Redcafe Movie Club fellow film buffs!

For those evenings where you just cannot decide what to pick and you spend 45 minutes browsing Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, this is the thread for you. Nothing better than receiving a film suggestion that you go on to love or a film you can repeatedly argue about with your friends.

I will select two films per month, on Friday's. You can watch the film in your own time and we can discuss the movie up to the release of the second film. I would suggest we limit the discussion timeframe up to the next film release so we can have some structure to the thread. I would also suggest we use the spoiler when discussing certain major plot points in case people haven't seen the film.

Once you have watched the movie, let me know by using the highly complex rating matrix below​

​

Rating:​

• - Massimo Taibbi
• - Angel Di Maria
• - Lee Sharpe
• - Roy Keane
• - Sir Bobby

Feel free to answer the four questions below in your review:​

• Liked.
• Disliked.
• Favourite scene.
• Who stole the show.

Competition:​

​

If you can correctly guess the next film to feature in the thread (via DM) you will win a huge cash prize!*​

​

*huge is subjective​

​

The Veto:​

​

In the extreme case that everyone has seen the film and has no appetite to watch it again, we can take a vote and an alternate feature will be selected.​

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

Right! Get your butterkist popcorn in the microwave (other brands are available), grab a cold one, dim the lights, kick back and enjoy this weeks featurette...............


.....................HIGH FIDELITY

Synopsis: Rob is a thirty-year-old record store owner who is trying to understand why he is always unlucky in relationships. He attempts to reconcile his relationship with Laura, who recently dumped him.
Release date: 21 July 2000 (United Kingdom)
Director: Stephen Frears
Music by: Howard Shore
Adapted from: High Fidelity
Screenplay: John Cusack, Steve Pink, D.V. DeVincentis, Scott Rosenberg
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Touchstone Pictures

 

[Amar__]

I can watch that, seems good. @Rooney in Paris it's basically a movie about you.

 

[Badunk]

How are we supposed to guess the next film, @Murder on Zidane's Floor? Are you going to be dropping hints or something?

 

[ThierryHenry]

In. And as someone who loves High Fidelity, can't wait to see the cynics of the caf tear it down.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

How are we supposed to guess the next film, @Murder on Zidane's Floor? Are you going to be dropping hints or something?

With a cash prize on the line, absolutely not!

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

In. And as someone who loves High Fidelity, can't wait to see the cynics of the caf tear it down.

I am looking forward to it!

 

[Badunk]

So, this film was released in the same year as the brilliant Black Books, and it's as if Dylan Moran saw it and decided that the best bits of the movie (the put downs from the record store employees to their customers) would make a great sitcom. He looks quite like John Cusack, too. Moran decided, though, that a record store owner who hates owning a record store would be a bit too obvious in terms of plagiarism, so decided to make it about a book store owner who hates owning a book store. He also decided that he would need a sidekick and that someone with Jack Black's body and hair (from the back) and Todd Louiso's meek nature and hair (from the front) would be ideal.

The premise of High Fidelity is that Cusack can't understand why his latest girlfriend has dumped him, and so he looks back on his top 5 rejections by previous girlfriends for clues. The premise of Black Books is that Moran can't understand why people don't just f*ck off and leave him alone. He doesn't look for clues because he is of the opinion that it's the fault of everyone else. Cusack doesn't realise that he is the problem, as he is an elitist bore who doesn't even attempt to change who he is for his latest squeeze. Unbeknownst to him, this is the raison d'etre for women who want to be in a relationship: if they are attracted to a man and don't wish to change him, they are just looking for a casual fling; if they are attracted to a man and he is resistant to change, they will simply move on and find one who is more malleable.

This film is the reason for me joining Movie Club. It is definitely not the type of thing I would normally watch and I want to broaden my horizons. However, any time I have tried this in my life - for example, going to a party where I know only a couple of people or adding Tories on twitter so that I can see both sides of a political debate - I discover that I'm better off in my own echo chamber because there's a good reason why I don't hang out with those people and I'm not a Tory.

I didn't like the film. I don't like any of the actors. I don't understand what Laura sees in this ballbag and his response to her dumping him is so immature that it should be sat next to Nadine Dorries on the front bench as she repeatedly calls Keir Starmer boring over and over. The best scene was the closing credits. All films about relationships are for women or for men who want to have sex with a woman who wants to watch them. I have no business watching this shit, so I'm off to watch Black Books instead.



It's a Taibi from me, Jeff, I'm afraid

Edit: Catherine Zeta Jones is hot.

 

[Sweet Square]

Opens with a Jack Black film


But seriously looking forward to giving this a watch next week.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

So, this film was released in the same year as the brilliant Black Books, and it's as if Dylan Moran saw it and decided that the best bits of the movie (the put downs from the record store employees to their customers) would make a great sitcom. He looks quite like John Cusack, too. Moran decided, though, that a record store owner who hates owning a record store would be a bit too obvious in terms of plagiarism, so decided to make it about a book store owner who hates owning a book store. He also decided that he would need a sidekick and that someone with Jack Black's body and hair (from the back) and Todd Louiso's meek nature and hair (from the front) would be ideal.

The premise of High Fidelity is that Cusack can't understand why his latest girlfriend has dumped him, and so he looks back on his top 5 rejections by previous girlfriends for clues. The premise of Black Books is that Moran can't understand why people don't just f*ck off and leave him alone. He doesn't look for clues because he is of the opinion that it's the fault of everyone else. Cusack doesn't realise that he is the problem, as he is an elitist bore who doesn't even attempt to change who he is for his latest squeeze. Unbeknownst to him, this is the raison d'etre for women who want to be in a relationship: if they are attracted to a man and don't wish to change him, they are just looking for a casual fling; if they are attracted to a man and he is resistant to change, they will simply move on and find one who is more malleable.

This film is the reason for me joining Movie Club. It is definitely not the type of thing I would normally watch and I want to broaden my horizons. However, any time I have tried this in my life - for example, going to a party where I know only a couple of people or adding Tories on twitter so that I can see both sides of a political debate - I discover that I'm better off in my own echo chamber because there's a good reason why I don't hang out with those people and I'm not a Tory.

I didn't like the film. I don't like any of the actors. I don't understand what Laura sees in this ballbag and his response to her dumping him is so immature that it should be sat next to Nadine Dorries on the front bench as she repeatedly calls Keir Starmer boring over and over. The best scene was the closing credits. All films about relationships are for women or for men who want to have sex with a woman who wants to watch them. I have no business watching this shit, so I'm off to watch Black Books instead.



It's a Taibi from me, Jeff, I'm afraid

Edit: Catherine Zeta Jones is hot.

Great! Thanks for watching.

l actually felt the exact same way you did about the movie reading your review

I must admit I really enjoy antiheroes and unredeeming characters, especially when they're so self unaware of why their issues keep arising. Character portraits of unlikeable people is always more fun than goody two shoes.

For me the movie is a barbed critique at men, commitment, arrogance and nerd culture. The fact these guys as pointed out by Lewis, shit on anyone who knows less than them, which in their mind happens to be everyone, really symbolises how obsession over a subject can make you a kind of dick and a form of elitism breeds whenever people/groups discuss subjects.

The soundtrack is absolutely banging and sent me down a massive rabbit hole in my teens when I saw this film. Really opened up so much more music to me and for that I am eternally grateful. Realising that there is almost a limitless world of music to discover and you don't have to keep listening to the latest chart releases is such a relief.

I find the movie funny, rewatchable and sentimental. Perhaps I relate a bit to Rob Gordon but this is in my mind is a fun, relaxing, quirky film.

It's a Lee Sharpe from me -

Oh and CZJ hasn't been hotter imo.

Likes: Story, Soundtrack, Jack Black
Dislikes: Tim Robbins
Favourite Scene: Daydream scene.
Who Stole the Show: Jack Black.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

Opens with a Jack Black film


But seriously looking forward to giving this a watch next week.

If Rob Gordon was a football pundit.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

It's not a bad film, it's weirdly watchable even though everyone is quite unlikeable. I rewatched it like last year or a couple of years ago and for that reason I won't re-watch it cos it's not that good. But it's ok, there's some charming qualities about it (not that I can explain them... It's probably more linked to Stephen Frears' competent storytelling) and it's difficult to hate it. Well unless you're @Badunk apparently.

Also...

I can watch that, seems good. @Rooney in Paris it's basically a movie about you.

This makes no sense.

 

[Sweet Square]

Yeah it’s a ok movie. Black Books without the charm but oddly watchable.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

How are you choosing the films @Murder on Zidane's Floor ?

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

How are you choosing the films @Murder on Zidane's Floor ?

At complete random, using my own knowledge, tastes and boneheadedness.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

Yeah it’s a ok movie. Black Books without the charm but oddly watchable.

I must admit, I don't like Black Books that much and felt it was massively overrated. This, I can't really see the link between the two if I am honest. I see more of Clerks vibes from it rather than Black Books. I must admit I am surprised no one has mentioned the soundtrack and how many bangers are on there.

 

[Schmiznurf]

I'll happily join in depending on the film chosen.

 

[Sweet Square]

I must admit, I don't like Black Books that much and felt it was massively overrated.

I can't hate this.

This, I can't really see the link between the two if I am honest. I see more of Clerks vibes from it rather than Black Books. I must admit I am surprised no one has mentioned the soundtrack and how many bangers are on there.

Agree that it has a more Clerks vibe(The Black Books link is mostly that it's depressed shop owners who hate their customers)although Cusack owns his own record shop and has basically got a very easy life. The main character in Clerks still has to get on his day off and open shop for his boss, in small shitty town. Also from what I remember everyone in Clerks is awful in a very real way, no one is attempting to be insightful or even that self aware, it's mainly talking about the death star and how many is too many dick to blow.

Also while I like John Cusack as an actor, his character in this is awful in the most 90's way possible. The painfully self aware monologue that are about as deep as an ad buster magazine dropped in a puddle of piss, grew tiresome. The guy has basically read half a David Foster Wallace book and decide thats his world view. Both the scenes were Catherine Zeta-Jones is apparently awful because she dumped him for being a fecking bore and the one where he proposes to a woman by saying she isn't really attractive and is more like reliable bowl of porridge should have resulted in the character getting hit by a truck. Credit goes to Cusack for making it watchable.

Agree with that the soundtrack great but it's not the soundtrack of a music snob. Almost all the music they like is insanely popular, the characters even mention this throughout the film but thats as far as it goes. So you end up with a record store that sells unknown indie singer Bob Dylan but not mainstream star Stevie Wonder. It's very odd. Still it has that late 90's watchable factor, similar to Clerks.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

I can't hate this.


Agree that it has a more Clerks vibe(The Black Books link is mostly that it's depressed shop owners who hate their customers)although Cusack owns his own record shop and has basically got a very easy life. The main character in Clerks still has to get on his day off and open shop for his boss, in small shitty town. Also from what I remember everyone in Clerks is awful in a very real way, no one is attempting to be insightful or even that self aware, it's mainly talking about the death star and how many is too many dick to blow.

Also while I like John Cusack as an actor, his character in this is awful in the most 90's way possible. The painfully self aware monologue that are about as deep as an ad buster magazine dropped in a puddle of piss, grew tiresome. The guy has basically read half a David Foster Wallace book and decide thats his world view. Both the scenes were Catherine Zeta-Jones is apparently awful because she dumped him for being a fecking bore and the one where he proposes to a woman by saying she isn't really attractive and is more like reliable bowl of porridge should have resulted in the character getting hit by a truck. Credit goes to Cusack for making it watchable.

Agree with that the soundtrack great but it's not the soundtrack of a music snob. Almost all the music they like is insanely popular, the characters even mention this throughout the film but thats as far as it goes. So you end up with a record store that sells unknown indie singer Bob Dylan but not mainstream star Stevie Wonder. It's very odd. Still it has that late 90's watchable factor, similar to Clerks.

Rob Gordon is a knob head, you're meant to dislike him. That's the point.

I'm confused by you're reading because everything you say is true, he's stuck in time, emotionally stunted but that's why, I at least, think it's funny to see someone with zero self awareness be inept and stepping on rakes while bemoaning the visible rakes.

You're bemoaning a bad, shallow, dislikeable character for being bad (which is the authors intention)

 

[Sweet Square]

Rob Gordon is a knob head, you're meant to dislike him. That's the point.

I'm confused by you're reading because everything you say is true, he's stuck in time, emotionally stunted but that's why, I at least, think it's funny to see someone with zero self awareness be inept and stepping on rakes while bemoaning the visible rakes.

You're bemoaning a bad, shallow, dislikeable character for being bad (which is the authors intention)

Rob Gordon is a bit boring for me. Maybe it’s the lack of extremes but if I’m going to watch a character I dislike, I want it to be for something.

Harvey Keitel character in Bad Lieutenant is the biggest piece of shit on the planet, it’s a horrible watch but it has to be in order serve a bigger point - catholic redemption/self sacrifice. Or in the 2012 film The Comedy, Tim Heidecker plays this upper class failed son who is detached from most human connections. It isn’t funny and it’s pretty unpleasant but it’s attempting to push the audience.

I came away from High Fidelity thinking well John Cusack character was annoying. It needed bit more for me.

I didn’t use Uncut Gems as an example because Howard is actually a great man, who didn’t do anything wrong. His only fault was being really cool and winning at gambling.

 

[Badunk]

@Murder on Zidane's Floor you're late. What's next?

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

@Murder on Zidane's Floor you're late. What's next?

Sorry, was under the weather yesterday. Will do today!

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

Right! Apologies for the delay, been dealing with some personal stuff but enough about that - back to it!

Get your butterkist popcorn in the microwave (other brands are available), grab a cold one, dim the lights, kick back and enjoy this week's featurette...............


.....................CACHÉ

Synopsis: The peace of a Parisian family is shattered when they find a series of surveillance tapes containing recordings of the exterior of their home, on their front porch.

Release date: 27 January 2006 (United Kingdom)
Director: Michael Haneke
Box office: $16.2 million
Production companies: France 3 Cinéma; Canal+; Bavaria Film; Wega Film
Language: French
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics, Les Films du Losange, Curzon Artificial Eye

 

[Badunk]

Ok, I watched this film this morning and I really enjoyed it. I found the film's use of long pauses really refreshing and they naturally added to the pacing of the story. At two hours long, you're not left looking at your watch and hoping that it's nearly over, which is a testament to the director I suppose.

Spoiler: Plot discussion

I viewed the film through the eyes of the class struggle: Georges' parents are obviously fairly liberal, especially for the time period, to have given Majid's family jobs on their country estate, and the fact that they were willing to adopt him after their disappearance is to be commended. However, the actions of Georges, even at such a young age, had such life-changing ramifications for Majid and the film, for me at least, was an example of a well off, middle class, liberal elite trying to hide his horrible past and persuading himself and those closest to him that he was really the victim in all this. The French were obviously cnuts in the 60s towards people who were part of their empire (Algerians, Vietnamese, etc) and Georges was a bad bastard towards Majid, but both the state and the individual believe that their thin veneer of respectability exonerates them from all their wrongdoings of the past.

To me, the film was all about chickens coming home to roost and the symbolism of Georges telling Majid to kill the cockerel wasn't lost on me (but maybe it wasn't intentional by the director). The fact that the film ends with Majid's son seemingly up to something nefarious with Georges' son solidifies my interpretation that the sins of the father will befall the son.

I had so much to say and I've maybe gone off on a tangent but I think it's one of those films where the lack of blatant explanations of every plot device means that it's very much open to interpretation and this is mine.

I'll give it a Sir Bobby and kudos to @Murder on Zidane's Floor for a good selection.

I loved the sections with no dialogue, for the reason I stated.

I suppose I disliked that a cockerel had to die.

Best scene was social services arriving to take Majid to the orphanage - again, a brilliant use of the absence of dialogue, shot from afar, showing the brutality of the state towards a child who had lost his parents and who would be traumatised for the rest of his life.

I think Georges was played brilliantly. He stole the show, even though I thoroughly disliked him.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

Ok, I watched this film this morning and I really enjoyed it. I found the film's use of long pauses really refreshing and they naturally added to the pacing of the story. At two hours long, you're not left looking at your watch and hoping that it's nearly over, which is a testament to the director I suppose.

I viewed the film through the eyes of the class struggle: Georges' parents are obviously fairly liberal, especially for the time period, to have given Majid's family jobs on their country estate, and the fact that they were willing to adopt him after their disappearance is to be commended. However, the actions of Georges, even at such a young age, had such life-changing ramifications for Majid and the film, for me at least, was an example of a well off, middle class, liberal elite trying to hide his horrible past and persuading himself and those closest to him that he was really the victim in all this. The French were obviously cnuts in the 60s towards people who were part of their empire (Algerians, Vietnamese, etc) and Georges was a bad bastard towards Majid, but both the state and the individual believe that their thin veneer of respectability exonerates them from all their wrongdoings of the past.

To me, the film was all about chickens coming home to roost and the symbolism of Georges telling Majid to kill the cockerel wasn't lost on me (but maybe it wasn't intentional by the director). The fact that the film ends with Majid's son seemingly up to something nefarious with Georges' son solidifies my interpretation that the sins of the father will befall the son.

I had so much to say and I've maybe gone off on a tangent but I think it's one of those films where the lack of blatant explanations of every plot device means that it's very much open to interpretation and this is mine.

I'll give it a Sir Bobby and kudos to @Murder on Zidane's Floor for a good selection.

I loved the sections with no dialogue, for the reason I stated.

I suppose I disliked that a cockerel had to die.

Best scene was social services arriving to take Majid to the orphanage - again, a brilliant use of the absence of dialogue, shot from afar, showing the brutality of the state towards a child who had lost his parents and who would be traumatised for the rest of his life.

I think Georges was played brilliantly. He stole the show, even though I thoroughly disliked him.

(Remember to spoiler parts of your review please).

 

[Schmiznurf]

It's not available on any streaming service I have sadly.