Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

[pauldyson1uk]

The Seventh Day

A renowned exorcist who teams up with a rookie priest for his first day of training. As they plunge deeper into hell on earth, the lines between good and evil blur, and their own demons emerge
I was hoping for something half decent, Guy Pearce i normally OK , but No it was just another crappy possession film

3/10

 

[Wibble]

Nomadland (2020) :

Ehhh I don't know really. This seems like a documentation of how nomads live their lives rather than being an actual movie. I can get why some will relate to this, but otherwise it was just super uninteresting and boring. Some scenes had good drama, but otherall mostly nothing happens in it. If I had watched some of these scenes on their own I would have liked them more, but as a whole, not really.

McDormand's acting is great, and the cinematography was beautiful, but these aren't enough to enjoy it for me. At the end I felt it's one of those movies that are done to be registered on the shelves and claim ton of rewards but not made to be actually watched. Maybe I don't get it, I don't know.

I won't rate it.

I really enjoyed it but it is very slow and I think I was lucky enough to watch it on a rare evening when I was in the mood for such a film.

 

[Wibble]

The Big Lebowski I watched this when it first went to video/DVD but failed to finish it. We finally tried again last night. My wife went to bed half way through but I battled on through. She made the right choice. I am a Cohen Brothers fan but this was bordeline unwatchable. Unlikable characters being unfunny with a seriously pointless script. 2+ hrs I'm never getting back. 2/10

 

[dumbo]

Gerald's Game
A neat setup and some creepy set pieces are mostly ruined by clumsy, incessant dialogue and loud metaphors that repeatedly hammer in very obvious themes.

It goes like: Trauma hinted at > trauma explained > trauma illustrated with flashback > flashback illustration verbally explained > detailing of theme > visual metaphor representing theme > metaphor verbally explained > spooky bit > repeat all.

I know Stephen King doesn't do subtle but this adaptation was crying out for a dollop of Kubrickian opaqueness.

It's annoying because there is a seed of something good here. It's also annoying that this spoonfeeding style has become so dominant in film and TV.

 

[OleBoiii]

The Big Lebowski I watched this when it first went to video/DVD but failed to finish it. We finally tried again last night. My wife went to bed half way through but I battled on through. She made the right choice. I am a Cohen Brothers fan but this was bordeline unwatchable. Unlikable characters being unfunny with a seriously pointless script. 2+ hrs I'm never getting back. 2/10

Oh aren't you in for a treat now...

Since I'm a martyr: hey guys, stop hitting him! I've tried to finish The Big Lebowski on two or three occasions. I've been unsuccessful so far

 

[George Owen]

The Big Lebowski I watched this when it first went to video/DVD but failed to finish it. We finally tried again last night. My wife went to bed half way through but I battled on through. She made the right choice. I am a Cohen Brothers fan but this was bordeline unwatchable. Unlikable characters being unfunny with a seriously pointless script. 2+ hrs I'm never getting back. 2/10

OK Boomer

 

[Wibble]

OK Boomer

Just missed being a boomer. I've loved just about everything they did before this film and most things since.

 

[Grinner]

The Big Lebowski I watched this when it first went to video/DVD but failed to finish it. We finally tried again last night. My wife went to bed half way through but I battled on through. She made the right choice. I am a Cohen Brothers fan but this was bordeline unwatchable. Unlikable characters being unfunny with a seriously pointless script. 2+ hrs I'm never getting back. 2/10

oh my, that you got absolutely nothing from it disturbs me. What's the 2 for?

 

[Cheimoon]

Just missed being a boomer. I've loved just about everything they did before this film and most things since.

It's funny: I love or like most of the Coen brothers' comedies, but it's their serious film I often find hard to watch, especially the most recent ones. It's the lack of narrative fulfillment that bothers me the most. With No Country For Old Man, Inside Llewyn David, and A Serious Man (especially that one!), I got away feeling cheated upon: I watched all that for... nothing? Maybe it's superficial of me to want some narrative closure, and I'm missing the actual purpose of the film; but I've reflected on all three afterwards, and I just couldn't see what that purpose was, that was better served without a 'proper' ending.

 

[Wibble]

oh my, that you got absolutely nothing from it disturbs me. What's the 2 for?

I thought about a 0 rating but the cinematography is nice at times and I like most of the actors even though I didn't like them in this. John Goodman especially.

 

[pauldyson1uk]

What Lies Below

A 16 year-old girl returns home from camp and learns that her mother has a new boyfriend, one she intends to marry; a man whose charm, intelligence and beauty make him look like he's not human at all.
Was not expect much and thats what you got , not much.
It could have been so much better.

4/10

 

[Drawfull]

Watched Atomic Blonde last night, one of those that's been lying there for ages but I had never got around to it.

I read a reference to the possibility of there being some sort of crossover with the John Wick universe, so thought I'd give it a go.

Firstly, it's not a patch on the Wicks. The fight choreography is pretty dull, and probably not gratuitous enough. Also, despite it being set in 80s Germany where stereotypically everybody smoked, I thought the fact that Theron smoked pretty much continuously throughout, as well as the pointless lesbian scene was them just trying to be edgy and elevate a pretty crap movie through stuff that some will find controversial.

Acting was adequate. Story was crap. Soundtrack was good.

5/10

 

[Wibble]

Ex Machina Started well with lots of interesting ideas about what it means to be human but in the end fizzled out with nothing interesting learned. 5/10

 

[Vidyoyo]

Ex Machina Started well with lots of interesting ideas about what it means to be human but in the end fizzled out with nothing interesting learned. 5/10

Sounds like modern tech

 

[Cheimoon]

Watched Atomic Blonde last night, one of those that's been lying there for ages but I had never got around to it.

I read a reference to the possibility of there being some sort of crossover with the John Wick universe, so thought I'd give it a go.

Firstly, it's not a patch on the Wicks. The fight choreography is pretty dull, and probably not gratuitous enough. Also, despite it being set in 80s Germany where stereotypically everybody smoked, I thought the fact that Theron smoked pretty much continuously throughout, as well as the pointless lesbian scene was them just trying to be edgy and elevate a pretty crap movie through stuff that some will find controversial.

Acting was adequate. Story was crap. Soundtrack was good.

5/10

Felt pretty much the same about it. One of those films that try to be cool and stylish, don't really manage anything else - and don't even end up being all that cool.

Ex Machina Started well with lots of interesting ideas about what it means to be human but in the end fizzled out with nothing interesting learned. 5/10

It's a common thread with a lot of those movies around philosophically interesting tech concepts, I find. It's good for a bit, while they slowly peel off layer after layer of the subject matter and really delve into it; but after a while, a narrative is needed, and most of those films then turn into fairly pointless action flics that don't do the action very well and undermine the premise by compromising on the concept for the sake of the narrative and action.

It's a very hard balance to strike, though, essentially pouring a documentary subject into an action film. Maybe it should rather make me appreciate the films that do get it right (like Gattaca) all the more.

 

[Vidyoyo]

It's a common thread with a lot of those movies around philosophically interesting tech concepts, I find. It's good for a bit, while they slowly peel off layer after layer of the subject matter and really delve into it; but after a while, a narrative is needed, and most of those films then turn into fairly pointless action flics that don't do the action very well and undermine the premise by compromising on the concept for the sake of the narrative and action.

It's a very hard balance to strike, though, essentially pouring a documentaire subject into an action film. Maybe it should rather make me appreciate the films that do get it right (like Gattaca) all the more.

Agreed. A few years back I set out to watch more science fiction films and was really struck by how bad they are at exploring philosophical ideas. As you say, it's because in many instances they're subservient to plot but it's also I think because the best films are fundamentally about people and taking the human side away detracts from how resonant they can be.

Her is one of the best modern movies about tech IMO because it's more about loneliness and how this relates to technology rather than the technology itself.

I think a similar thing about horror movies too - the best horrors aren't about supernatural ghouls and ghosts but rather how our everyday fears manifest in terrifying ways.

 

[pauldyson1uk]

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.
I loved it, right up there with Endgame has the best Superhero's film I have seen
4 hours flew by, I cant find a single fault with it.

10/10

 

[2cents]

Crazy Rich Asians

Not sure how I stumbled into watching this. Good-looking successful guy brings his academic girlfriend of relatively humble origins home to meet the family. They’re a lot wealthier than he’s let on, in fact they’re high society types. Although he plans to propose, his mother is unimpressed, and the girlfriend struggles to win the acceptance of blah blah blah.

We’ve all seen this stuff before. It’s just re-packaged here with a cast of actors of East Asian descent, and the setting moves from the Upper East Side or Kensington to Singapore.

All the actors and settings look great in fairness, but it’s dull stuff.

3/10

 

[RedPed]

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.
I loved it, right up there with Endgame has the best Superhero's film I have seen
4 hours flew by, I cant find a single fault with it.

10/10

Agreed. I gave it 9/10 because of the really irritating Barry Allen character. Nothing like the Theatrical release and up there with Infinity War, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel and Blade II as the best superhero movies for me. Snyder really nailed the storytelling with great character development, visuals and action sequences. Think I'll give it another spin.

 

[Drawfull]

Agreed. I gave it 9/10 because of the really irritating Barry Allen character. Nothing like the Theatrical release and up there with Infinity War, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel and Blade II as the best superhero movies for me. Snyder really nailed the storytelling with great character development, visuals and action sequences. Think I'll give it another spin.

Where are you all watching this?

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.
I loved it, right up there with Endgame has the best Superhero's film I have seen
4 hours flew by, I cant find a single fault with it.

10/10

How about Cyborgs defense system, which didn't help him when all those enemies were attacking him, but decides to turn on when Superman was giving him an x-ray?

Where are you all watching this?

It's on Sky Cinema/Now TV in the UK.

 

[Drawfull]

How about Cyborgs defense system, which didn't help him when all those enemies were attacking him, but decides to turn on when Superman was giving him an x-ray?


It's on Sky Cinema/Now TV in the UK.

Ah. Not in Spain yet as far as I can see with the stuff I sub to.

 

[utdalltheway]

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 wiwki'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.)

I finally saw this last night. Yeah some of the drama was made up but the main story and the main characters were real. For me the film was fascinating, but then again I love this archaeology stuff.

Spoiler

The one main character that was fictional was Mrs Pretty's cousin, the young lad that had an affair with the Piggott girl. I checked later too online and found that the life spans of the Pretty family isn’t the greatest. The Dad, the mom (played by Carey Mulligan and her son; none of them lived past 60. Shitty genes. Sad.

 

[caid]

Justice League - that felt as long as you'd expect. It was watchable but not very good, half the cast cant act. Flash and Cyborg were passable, some action scenes were kind of good in a zach snyder kind of way. It wasn't as embarrassingly bad as the original release is about the best thing you can say about it. It'd scrape a 6/10 for me

 

[Cheimoon]

The Age of Innocence (1993 Scorcese version). I'm not sure how to rate it. The acting and sets were amazing, and some good shots as well. The story is pretty good on the whole (period piece drama about implicit curelty among the New York elite of the late 19th century), but something didn't click for me. For one thing, I thought the voiceover was often redundant and explained too much, which was part of the movie being rather slow to get going. I also thought the movie was too long, see the spoiler. It also doesn't help that I don't really enjoy seeing the way-up-there elite and its snobbish ways. Anyway, all in all, a good movie, but to me it's not as good as the review suggest.

Spoiler: Ending

For me, the perfect ending was either the zoomout at the farewell dinner for the countess of after the confession that May forced the countess's hand by telling her she was pregnant. I actually expected it both times. The bit about the kids and the Paris scene felt like too much closure to me. As beautiful as the final shots were (lighthouse and park bench), the movie would have been better in tune with itself if it had ended on a sour note.

Flushed Away. This week's Friday evening pizza movie with the kids. Aardman's only non-clay animation. It's a fairly typical Aardman movie, full of nonsense and scenes tumbling over each other. Pretty funny and.lots of references for the adults to enjoy as well. Some of their clay films are better though; this was relatively standard fare in comparison.

 

[Norman Brownbutter]

Ah. Not in Spain yet as far as I can see with the stuff I sub to.

I googled it for you. Says its on HBO. With HBOMAX coming to Spain by the end of the year apparently.

 

[Cheimoon]

I finally saw this last night. Yeah some of the drama was made up but the main story and the main characters were real. For me the film was fascinating, but then again I love this archaeology stuff.

Spoiler

The one main character that was fictional was Mrs Pretty's cousin, the young lad that had an affair with the Piggott girl. I checked later too online and found that the life spans of the Pretty family isn’t the greatest. The Dad, the mom (played by Carey Mulligan and her son; none of them lived past 60. Shitty genes. Sad.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie and o.love history and archaeology; I was just surprised how much they changed or invented; it didn't feel that way. In the end though, it's a movie that needs to have a dramatic angle that can stand on its own; it's not a documentary. And it's not a Big or controversial subject that particularly requires historical accuracy or sensitivity. So I'm really expressing surprise here rather than criticism.

Spoiler

You're right that little was outright invented, but they changed lots of stuff. For example, the main excavator had a much better relationship with his colleagues than is portrayed, and it was in fact the museum that made him go back to excavate the big one, after he had spent the first digging season unearthing some minor ones. Also, the woman archaeologist was actually a seasoned archaeologist with a degree, not just brought in because she was light weight. According to Wikipedia, anyway.

 

[Sweet Square]

Just found this gem

 

[Tarrou]

Seen some decent movies this past week

Brigsby Bear 2017 - a guy is kidnapped as a child and kept in an underground bunker until his 20s. It's funny and original. Not perfect by any means and the characters are a bit underdeveloped, but an interesting take on a serious subject matter. 7.5/10

The Limey 1999 - a British career criminal heads to LA to figure out how his daughter died. It's watchable and has some fun moments but they did the 'yank doesn't get cockney rhyming lingo' joke about 47 fecking times. 6.5/10

A Soldier's Story 1984 - It's a sort of 'In the Heat of The Night' but about a different type of racism with a young Denzel in it. Overall it's a good film with a powerful message but the 'Uncle Tom' character was too cartoonish which did spoil it a little bit for me. 8/10

Fresh 1994 - it's a bit of a caper about a 12-year old kid trying to survive amongst gangsters in Brooklyn. It's a great movie with a lot to say. The actor who played the kid was fantastic, and I loved the plot. Some of the dialog felt over the top / unrealistic - but maybe I'm overthinking it. 8.5/10

 

[2cents]

Fresh 1994 - it's a bit of a caper about a 12-year old kid trying to survive amongst gangsters in Brooklyn. It's a great movie with a lot to say. The actor who played the kid was fantastic, and I loved the plot. Some of the dialog felt over the top / unrealistic - but maybe I'm overthinking it. 8.5/10

Absolutely love it, totally overlooked movie but just great.

 

[pierrethesnack]

The Big Lebowski I watched this when it first went to video/DVD but failed to finish it. We finally tried again last night. My wife went to bed half way through but I battled on through. She made the right choice. I am a Cohen Brothers fan but this was bordeline unwatchable. Unlikable characters being unfunny with a seriously pointless script. 2+ hrs I'm never getting back. 2/10

While I wouldn't rate it that low, I am glad I'm not the only one who doesn't find it that great. Good enough movie, but not their best at all.

 

[pierrethesnack]

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Quite cool and ambitious for the time in terms of practical effects with some nice acting. Maybe a bit choppy in terms of plot, but pretty good otherwise. 7/10

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)
Apparently it's horribly inaccurate, but I like Ingrid Bergman so who cares. 6,5/10

Time Bandits (1981)
Don't know why I didn't watch this sooner, pure gold from start to finish. Would love recommendations for underrated Terry Gilliam movies. 10/10

 

[Vidyoyo]

Fish Story (2009)
A fun-filled punky comedy about how an obscure Japanese rock band invented punk... and then stopped a comet colliding with the Earth. My favourite part comes aboard a ferry where we find a self-proclaimed ‘champion of justice’ dishing out ritual training to doomsday cult members. The story screws with our expectations a lot but its cathartic as hell seeing it all connect, and how a song about a fish suffering from solitude saved the world.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Yes Day
Parents try to prove to their kids that they are still fun parents by taking part in Yes Day, a day where they have to say yes to everything their kids want. Not badfor younger kids, my daughter laughed a bunch of times but essentially, it is a poor man's version of Instant Family 5/10

Saint Maud
Follows a pious nurse who becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient. Decent indie horror movie, which you would expect of anything distributed by A24. The lead performance was harrowing and some truly shocking scenes as this slow burn reaches its climax. The ending was was very powerful. I just wish there was a little more ambiguity overall though 7.5/10

 

[calodo2003]

Ava

Thought it might be in the vein of Red Sparrow (which was decent), especially when seeing the cast involved.

Can’t say strongly enough to avoid this lemon. Truly a stain on the resumes of Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Geena Davis, & Colin Farrell.

2/10 (at a stretch)

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Ah. Not in Spain yet as far as I can see with the stuff I sub to.

You live in Spain?!

 

[OleBoiii]

Coming 2 America

My wife and my mom forced me to watch it. Since I always pick the film I didn't have it in me to overrule them for the 100th time.

They regret it now, to say the least. Complete garbage of a film.

At least I will get to pick the films for a long time now

 

[The Corinthian]

Zack Snyder's Justice League - haven't seen the original, but this was enjoyable enough. 4 hours is way too long for a movie though. I'd give it a 6.5/10.

Red Dragon - loved the book, although the movie doesn't live up to that, it's still a top movie, with a fantastic cast. 7.5/10.

 

[Wibble]

The Father Fantastic central performances, in particular Anthony Hopkins is outstanding, but very depressing. If I ever get Alzheimer just fecking shoot me. 7/10

 

[calodo2003]

Coming 2 America

My wife and my mom forced me to watch it. Since I always pick the film I didn't have it in me to overrule them for the 100th time.

They regret it now, to say the least. Complete garbage of a film.

At least I will get to pick the films for a long time now

Yep. Truly terrible. Embarrassing money grab.