Yeah, the perspective shifts weren't distinct enough to justify the length, he kinda jumbled up the rashomon format which is a shame, it's an interesting time frame so I hope we see it more.
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
- Thread starter golden_blunder
- Start date
Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission
I don't know why I watched this as it's kinda obscure in the western markets (isn't the arty type that gets the praise in the festivals and such) but I enjoyed it, it's extremely pulpy and sentimental which is to be expected considering its nationalistic subject matter but I thought it was executed well.
Its about a bunch of academic Korean folk trying to create an complete dictionary of their language under the tyrannical and oppressive Japanese rule which is constantly at their throats as they're trying to phase out Korean and replace it with Japanese.
The main characters is a working class type of character who doesn't appreciate the efforts of the academics at first but well you probably know how the trope goes.
There seems to be a degree of reality seeped into this as I did some research and the climatic
Anyway it has good acting good execution and overall just a very decent movie, I reckon its a nice tribute to those folk who tried hard to see this project become realized back under the Japanese regime as well.
I recommended it if you're into that time frame.
I don't know why I watched this as it's kinda obscure in the western markets (isn't the arty type that gets the praise in the festivals and such) but I enjoyed it, it's extremely pulpy and sentimental which is to be expected considering its nationalistic subject matter but I thought it was executed well.
Its about a bunch of academic Korean folk trying to create an complete dictionary of their language under the tyrannical and oppressive Japanese rule which is constantly at their throats as they're trying to phase out Korean and replace it with Japanese.
The main characters is a working class type of character who doesn't appreciate the efforts of the academics at first but well you probably know how the trope goes.
There seems to be a degree of reality seeped into this as I did some research and the climatic
shooting at the end where several of them folk lose their lives is real whetherthe characters are as well o don't know but probably not
Anyway it has good acting good execution and overall just a very decent movie, I reckon its a nice tribute to those folk who tried hard to see this project become realized back under the Japanese regime as well.
I recommended it if you're into that time frame.
I agree about the writers, and the lack of depth to a lot of it, but i think you'd find if you watched them (not that I think anyone needs to - each to their own, etc) that your main criticism of them from the earlier post doesn't ring true. Because that kind of thing would put me off watching them too.
I found it rang true for the ones I've seen and there was nothing in the more recent ones I tried to watch to change my view. If you have a specific movie in mind (maybe Black Panther was an exception for example) but I think they very much still enforce that outlook from what I watched.
---
Let me ask you how does Infinity War (and its sequel) not reinforce the "only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun" myth? I pick that one because MCU fans love Thanos (as opposed to the very cardboard cutout villains in early Avengers, Thor, and Iron Man movies that I think are easy targets). He's some cosmically powerful Malthusian who collects these magical stones so he can destroy half the life in the universe to allegedly stop overpopulation or something. He can only be stopped by super-powered heroes traveling in time to use these super-powered magical artifacts.
I contrast this with another recent blockbuster, Michael Bey's Ambulance. While not without its flaws, Ambulance has one of the two main characters (Abdul-Mateen) who feels robbing a bank is his only option to pay for the medical bills because his wife has a difficult disease (I think cancer iirc) and their insurance is a completely unhelpful typically capitalistic bureaucratic mess. Ambulance highlights relevant institutional problems in today's America, shows a somewhat realistic motive for committing a crime, and presents an obvious institutional solution that would have prevented the entire crime spree.
How does Infinity War/Endgame highlight relevant social issues like this? How does Infinity War present an alternative solution to the "good guy with superpowers (gun) required to stop a bad guy with superpowers" myth?
Last edited:
Infinity War probably isn't the strongest counter example to your theory to be fair.
The good guys with a gun fail miserably and have their guns taken off them in the first? Its only when they band together and work with each other (vomit) that they overcome the mean dude with a gun. And the first thing they do after beating him is destroy the gun (the infinity stones).
And the mean dude with a gun isn't that mean, hes actually saving earth from getting eaten by a god growing in the planet. And an environmentalist probably, he just wants to chill on his farm really.
Thanks for this analysis. It's actually a bit more interesting than I thought. While I still have issues with that plot, it does sound different than I expected (I hadn't even tried to watch Endgame).
Dr Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
Decent popcorn blockbuster but not much else. I thought it would lean more into the horror genre but it didn't, however, seeing the Raimi signature campyness was funny. I just wished this would push the boundaries more but it played it quite safe, even during the few risks it took... Elizabeth Olsen is a babe 6.5/10
Decent popcorn blockbuster but not much else. I thought it would lean more into the horror genre but it didn't, however, seeing the Raimi signature campyness was funny. I just wished this would push the boundaries more but it played it quite safe, even during the few risks it took... Elizabeth Olsen is a babe 6.5/10
Its not by much. They definitely fit a fairly run of the mill hollywood blockbuster headspace. They just subvert the rules a bit often enough to give a passable counter argument. They're the most recognisable hollywood brand at the moment so i get why a lot of the criticism lands on their head but ... the criticism never fits that well in the context of their movies.
Infinity War was one of their more expensive and complicated projects and they've tended to be a lot less adventurous with them. I presume fitting 20 characters into a movie is complicated enough without trying to rewrite the hollywood summer blockbuster script. But even that can make a reasonable argument for itself.
If i was going to make an argument for marvel villains are actually quite good and clever i'd probably recommend an episode or two of Falcon and the Winter Soldier (which is mostly boring and forgettable). Daniel Bruhl shows up for a couple of episodes and is great fun primarily, but also quite interesting and has some depth. I feel like that wouldn't be a terrible waste of time for you, whereas watching Endgame would be because your not entirely wrong about it either.
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021)
Available on Netflix, this is s feature-length one off from the Korean zombie mini series that I'd never noticed or heard of before. Where it sits within the timeline of that series, I have no idea but it's a great introduction to it nonetheless. I don't know how they do it but Korean cinema, like other similar Asian productions have this real knack of getting a run of the mill story and producing it into something that has that extra style and finesse over similar bodies of work. Hollywood could really learn a lesson or two from these guys.
This particular story focuses on Ashin, an ordinary girl who sees her whole family and tribe wiped out by the neighbouring factions. I wasn't sure who the key players were at this point, though the subtitles do help to make sense of the proceedings. I will probably have to watch it again but basically she is done dirty by the people who took her in causing her to seek bloody revenge on...pretty much everyone using a special plant she discovered as a child with the power to restore dead people back to life....hence the zombie-themed plot.
It's nothing special, but just delivered in a very engrossing manner with great acting as usual. The adult Ashin is pretty gorgeous as well just as an extra sidenote. The usual suspects are present with great cinematography, music and a story that holds its own without the need for too much dialogue. Not very graphic in the gore department but impressive zombies nonetheless, you'll probably get away with younger kids watching this without too many nightmares.
I'm giving this a 7/10.
Available on Netflix, this is s feature-length one off from the Korean zombie mini series that I'd never noticed or heard of before. Where it sits within the timeline of that series, I have no idea but it's a great introduction to it nonetheless. I don't know how they do it but Korean cinema, like other similar Asian productions have this real knack of getting a run of the mill story and producing it into something that has that extra style and finesse over similar bodies of work. Hollywood could really learn a lesson or two from these guys.
This particular story focuses on Ashin, an ordinary girl who sees her whole family and tribe wiped out by the neighbouring factions. I wasn't sure who the key players were at this point, though the subtitles do help to make sense of the proceedings. I will probably have to watch it again but basically she is done dirty by the people who took her in causing her to seek bloody revenge on...pretty much everyone using a special plant she discovered as a child with the power to restore dead people back to life....hence the zombie-themed plot.
It's nothing special, but just delivered in a very engrossing manner with great acting as usual. The adult Ashin is pretty gorgeous as well just as an extra sidenote. The usual suspects are present with great cinematography, music and a story that holds its own without the need for too much dialogue. Not very graphic in the gore department but impressive zombies nonetheless, you'll probably get away with younger kids watching this without too many nightmares.
I'm giving this a 7/10.
The Hurt Locker
Saw this upon release & was really impressed. This time it dragged on in a couple of spots, but the tension created was still there in abundance.
8/10
Saw this upon release & was really impressed. This time it dragged on in a couple of spots, but the tension created was still there in abundance.
8/10
Spawn (1997)
I remember watching this on release and remember thinking it was ok. Since then it was one of those films for which I always had a nostalgic reverence, imagining that it was better than it actually is. Gladly I've been able to put that to bed now having watched it again for the second time in over 20 years. If ever there was a movie that was just ripe for a big screen reboot, this has to be it. There is so much potential with this character and with advancements in film techniques and technology, I'm sure the end result would be pretty spectacular.
Not so with this 1997 version though, available to watch on Netflix (US only). It meanders from the utterly ridiculous to the not even close to sublime with effects that in places would make a first year graphics student blush with embarrassment. They must have blown the FX budget on Spawn himself, which is really cool in places but assigned the hell sequences to some sixth former as a science project, though I'd be doing the sixth former a disservice here.
With so much great source material to produce something raw and visceral, like they were able to do with the Blade character, instead they decided to take the safe kid-friendly option, resulting in a hammed-up cliched mess, complete with terrible acting and ridiculous plot. I will never understand why these all-powerful beings send less powerful and sometimes incompetent lackeys to do their dirty work, always giving them a ticking off and "must do better" rant when they invariably fail before sending them on their way again. Still, it worked for Thanos (almost), I guess.
The look of Spawn is great with some decent effects as mentioned before but the other characters are really unworthy of any emotional investment whatsoever. Leguizamo is the only other character of any substance as the killer clown staying just about on the right side of the line in the comic relief department. Probably decent in its day but completely ruined by the shockingly poor effects in places, most people will find it unlovable now. It really is screaming for a makeover.
I'm giving this a 4/10.
I remember watching this on release and remember thinking it was ok. Since then it was one of those films for which I always had a nostalgic reverence, imagining that it was better than it actually is. Gladly I've been able to put that to bed now having watched it again for the second time in over 20 years. If ever there was a movie that was just ripe for a big screen reboot, this has to be it. There is so much potential with this character and with advancements in film techniques and technology, I'm sure the end result would be pretty spectacular.
Not so with this 1997 version though, available to watch on Netflix (US only). It meanders from the utterly ridiculous to the not even close to sublime with effects that in places would make a first year graphics student blush with embarrassment. They must have blown the FX budget on Spawn himself, which is really cool in places but assigned the hell sequences to some sixth former as a science project, though I'd be doing the sixth former a disservice here.
With so much great source material to produce something raw and visceral, like they were able to do with the Blade character, instead they decided to take the safe kid-friendly option, resulting in a hammed-up cliched mess, complete with terrible acting and ridiculous plot. I will never understand why these all-powerful beings send less powerful and sometimes incompetent lackeys to do their dirty work, always giving them a ticking off and "must do better" rant when they invariably fail before sending them on their way again. Still, it worked for Thanos (almost), I guess.
The look of Spawn is great with some decent effects as mentioned before but the other characters are really unworthy of any emotional investment whatsoever. Leguizamo is the only other character of any substance as the killer clown staying just about on the right side of the line in the comic relief department. Probably decent in its day but completely ruined by the shockingly poor effects in places, most people will find it unlovable now. It really is screaming for a makeover.
I'm giving this a 4/10.
The Card Counter
Not quite sure what the feck I just watched. It either was quite poor or very good. I almost didn’t watch it due to Tiffany Haddish being in it, but she actually played a more reserved, measured character. Oscar Issacs was pretty brilliant it.
Either a 3/10 or a 7.5/10.
Not quite sure what the feck I just watched. It either was quite poor or very good. I almost didn’t watch it due to Tiffany Haddish being in it, but she actually played a more reserved, measured character. Oscar Issacs was pretty brilliant it.
Either a 3/10 or a 7.5/10.
I had low expectations, but it's easily one of the worst movies i've seen in a long long time (and i've seen a few Netlflix originals in recent months). I have no idea what they were thinking, and the casting itself is an absolute disaster.
Miami Vice 2006
Third time watching this and I’m coming around to the idea that it’s Mann best film. Really is unlike any other crime film.
10/10
Third time watching this and I’m coming around to the idea that it’s Mann best film. Really is unlike any other crime film.
10/10
Yeah I love this film. It's cool as feck.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Cage was decent and the concept had promise. However, the script was pedestrian and went for the safe boring option every time. It also could have been very funny and wasn't. A shame 3.5/10
Remember The Titans. A great story based on true events by reputation but it perhaps hasn't aged that well. Comes across as rather superficial overcoming racism by the numbers despite the good performances of the main cast. 6.5/10
Last edited:
Really? I’ve not seen it but the reviews weren’t great were they?
What’s unique ?
and you @CassiusClaymore
This thread is poorer for only having 3 @FrankDrebin posts in here.
Maybe he will grace this thread soon with some reviews that have no number rating like the pros do.
- He is the most prolific Framed player.
- He watches A LOT of movies, at least 3 or 4 in any language or era.
- Can name drop with ease.
- Bags 1's without even seeing movies.
- Knows a movie simply by intuition, but not the "I see dead people" kind though.
Maybe he will grace this thread soon with some reviews that have no number rating like the pros do.
Nobody The bloke Saul from Breaking Bad as an action hero. Nah.
Pretty much what @CassiusClaymore said. It’s cool as feck.
Imo the things that make Miami Vice stand out are firstly the way it’s filmed, it doesn’t look like any other movie. Mann used digital instead which for whatever reason gives the film both a standard definition and a high definition look at the same time. The depth field(I think that’s the right term)gives some shots a never ending feel.
Also Mann isn’t interested in creating a typical crime thriller like he has done many times before and better than anyone else. Unlike his other films, Miami Vice plot is wafer thin and doesn’t make much sense, there’s isn’t any character development instead everyone is playing a stereotype, the dialogue is sparse and at times incomprehensible(Colin Farrel doesn’t so much talk but mumbles and grunts his way through the film). But what most people get wrong is to think the above isn’t a deliberate artistic choice made by Mann, with the goal of achieving a purpose.
With Miami Vice it’s about streamlining the cop thriller genre of then past 20 years down to its purest essentials, to the point where style becomes substance. Which is a very wanky way of saying it’s vibes.
I’ve yet to see another crime film do anything similar, its a Tarkovsky meditation piece but with shotguns and speedboats.
Interesting take. I need to try and catch it. Is it on anything at the moment? I know Mann usually displays some trademarks I enjoy. Unique cinematography. Heavy on vivid colours and a big fan of filming at night. His films always have that look (if you get me)
Also every time we interact in this thread you’re always banging on about that Burnley centre half.
Better than Heat?
Ah c’mon now. It’s ace.
I think the bolded paragraph is exactly why I didn't like it so much. I generally don't much like the Miami esthetic (the giltteriness, the beaches, etc.), and then there's nothing of substance. It's a hard watch for me.
Either way, I have Heat among my personal favorite films (no idea how long that list is or where Heat ranks, but it's included), and I see no world in which a Miami Vice film could have been better than Heat - just because of its basic premise.
I enjoyed it, and actually like seeing him in a very different role to what we used to seeing him in. Maybe not a Taken Franchise in the making, but it was good a action movie.
Very well put, I'm happy you're a member of the Church of Miami Vice and take your preaching seriously. It's an often completely misunderstood film in terms of what Mann set out to achieve, but it's really excellent. Mann is such a great director. I think I posted a few videos a couple of weeks ago that gave a nice overview of his work.
Also while the characters are definitely wafer thin in terms of what we know about them, the relations between characters, this theme of male bonding (which Mann likes a lot), and the elusiveness of relationships that are always on the edge of falling apart makes up for it. Which goes towards your "vibe" point, it's very much that.
I was surprised by Miami Vice being way better than i expected. I cant tolerate blackhat at all though, that thing made me cringe every 5 minutes.
Me and my brother were literally comparing Blade and Spawn yesterday. Only saw each once in release and liked them. Refuse to watch again because I don't want my memories of them ruined!
Get the feck out of here!
I was disappointed by this.
You got it @Dirty Schwein. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I just saw it and had to dive in. If you want to preserve your memory of Spawn, don't even go there! It's not a patch on Blade which is still a classic and still holds up to this very day.
Nobody
Cute in some places, forgettable in others. A good time killer but not much more. And that fecking song ruins the final act.
6.5/10
Cute in some places, forgettable in others. A good time killer but not much more. And that fecking song ruins the final act.
6.5/10
I always laugh at that dialogue from Dorff that I never forgot... "Everyone you ever fecking luuuved"
Take out the bus scene and its a 3/10.
Great sequence
I think its available to rent on Amazon and YouTube. Agree that Mann has a very unique look to his films(Dante Spinotti and Dion Beebe are incredible when with working with Mann).
My top 3 of Mann films - Collateral, Heat, and Miami Vice are depending on my mood, anyone of them can take the top spot although why I have Miami Vice at the top spot more often than not, is ultimately Vice is unlike his other works and any other of that genre. It’s a example of how cinema can be art without relying on other forms.
All hail King Mann! All Hail King Mann!
Mann just loves his dudes.
Agree with you, I've under sold the good amount of themes throughout the film that add to vibe. You can't just it from speedboats shots alone, if anything Vice is Mann most bleakest work considering how idealistic most of his other stuff is. The film has a kinda of end of history bent towards it, every character knows they are stuck in endless drug war, as you've said the relationships are always close to breaking point, characters have accepted they can't change anything including their own position in the war, everyone has a price(Including the Communist Cubans who for the right connections will let anyone into their country) and finally the film ends back at the beginning with dudes going back to work. If Heat is about robbing a bank so you can speed run your life due to the lost time in prison then Miami Vice is about surviving your job long enough so you can vibe with your beautiful drug lord girlfriend(who is the only one that likes your awful mullet and moustache)on the weekends.
Collateral was shot digitally as well; sometimes I think it‘s my favorite Mann film. Cruise is just such a natural at playing a Sociopath. Supposedly his gunplay when pulling from his holster is so good they use it in training videos, but that might just be one of those internet myths.
Watched a video on youtube of someone who does that kind of shooting competitively review it. She was very complimentary, minor quibbles here and there but that came off as more preference than a real criticism of technique.
Collateral is my favourite Cruise performance by some distance. Even his look with the grey hair and grey suit is spot. Collateral is the Mann film I've watched more than any other, imo because it takes place over one night it gives a oddly a easy to watch feel, even if it's a tense film.
Oh didn't know, it does it great in the film. Although I like how it's ultimately his downfall at the end of the movie, his commitment to his work and not changing means he ends up shooting the metal frames of the train door, where as Fox goes for blind luck and risk which leads kill to surviving.
Everything Everywhere All At Once - It's fecking mental. 10/10.
Did I review Everything, Everywhere all at once? I'd give it a 10/10 too if not. No idea what to say about it outside its very funny.