Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Vidyoyo

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Reposting this just to say Mircohabitat is back on Mubi.

Such a great film for the current time.
Dunno if this is directed at me but absolutely yes I'll double that opinion - really good film.

Are you still on MUBI because there's another S Korean film on there called Heart which echoes a lot of the same themes - https://mubi.com/films/heart-2019

It's not as good but I do recommend :)
 

Sweet Square

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Are you still on MUBI because there's another S Korean film on there called Heart which echoes a lot of the same themes - https://mubi.com/films/heart-2019

It's not as good but I do recommend :)
Thanks will give this a watch. Speaking of South Korean films, I watch The First Lap a few days ago, it was nice little romantic film. Imo these modern South Korean really get across the empty end of history feeling of developed economy in the 21st century. All the character are stuck but time still moves on, completely out of their control. I've really enjoyed watching them over the last month.
 

Vidyoyo

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Thanks will give this a watch. Speaking of South Korean films, I watch The First Lap a few days ago, it was nice little romantic film. Imo these modern South Korean really get across the empty end of history feeling of developed economy in the 21st century. All the character are stuck but time still moves on, completely out of their control. I've really enjoyed watching them over the last month.
Neat. It's on my list I think so I'll watch it tonight :)
 

AaronRedDevil

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Gucci was really good. It was a bit long, but it didn't feel like it dragged. Every one was brilliant in it. Even Leto. Lady Gaga should get an Oscar nomination for this one. 8/10.
 

Vidyoyo

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Nice. I'll be interested to know what you thought of it.
Watched it and liked it. Most interesting thing for me was the naivety of the two main characters, who come across as a fairly realistic young couple full of hope but no plan.

There's a nice little contrast early on when they visit the woman's parents who display some unhappiness at having to move every so often but do it just to keep up with the property market. Then they visit the dude's family who are very much salt of the earth types and come across as more likable, although clearly have some issues controlling their emotions (the dad).

Overall I thought it was a nice portrait of different types of people - particularly across generations - and gave a sense of everyone just sort of existing in their own peculiar ways.
 
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Ekkie Thump

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Blood Red Sky

Nope.

Terrorists take over a plane that has a reluctant vampire mum on it. Her protective instinct takes over. Started off pretty good. Was fun to root for the vampire. Then it all unravelled. The admittedly silly concept totally ran away from them in the second half. Just became more and more ridiculous. Shite logic, unbelievable reactions. Dross. Shame.

I don't know why I do this to myself. Pick a film that sounds daft and mindless and then act surprised when it turns out it is. Might try a film that sounds pretty good next time, just for a change.

3/10.
 

Cheimoon

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Predestination. A... drama? thriller? puzzle? about time travel paradoxes. It start with a couple of very stylish (but also very redundant shots), but that won't come back. The next minute, we get an action sequence, but that won't come back either. A couple of minutes later, people are talking - and now we're really in the film, cause that's what happens mostly: people chatting. (Now I know why Ethan Hawke was cast!) We get a long retrospective at someone's life, and then a lot more talking while puzzle pieces are falling into place - until you fully realize near the end what the paradoxes is about. Well, I say that, but a lot of it becomes pretty obvious earlier, while the film itself goes through a little sequence to explain itself in full a couple of minutes after everything had become obvious. A little lame.

No, I wasn't impressed. The actual paradox is interesting (and for me in its most interesting aspect wholly unexplained: if she/he is her/his own father and mother, how did that loop ever start?), but the film is pretty boring. Especially the long retrospective on the key person's life is a drag where I constantly wondered when it was going to be interesting or relevant to the plot. You can have some of that - it's a puzzle after all - but 30+ min is a bit long. In short, I think I would have preferred this as a short film, or maybe I should just have read Heinlein's original short story. (I read that it's based on '-all you zombies-'.)

My Perfect Romance. A romantic... uhm... well, it's not funny, there is no noticeable drama, so I'll go with abomination. A romantic abomination. There. We were going for some lazy feelgood thing, but should have turned off after 5 min, cause the warning signs were very obvious: based on a Harlequin story and poorly acted. Add a dumb, inconsistent story and poor characters, and the conclusion is that I feel basically like @Ekkie Thump just above: why didn't we pick a film that sounded good?

It's gotta be better than Red Notice though. It's a good bit shorter, so less time lost.
 
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pauldyson1uk

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Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin

Margot, a young woman who was abandoned by her mother as a baby, travels to a secluded Amish community with a documentary film crew seeking answers about her mother and extended family.
The latest installment in the Paranormal series. The trailer looked alright, the film seemed to be creepy. I like the concept of the film, it had the bones of a very creepy film , but it just failed.
It was more of a found footage film than part of a franchise.

4/10
 

The Corinthian

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Doctor Sleep (Director's Cut) - I'm quite immersed into all things Stephen King from a young age. I watched The Shining as a young boy, and thought it was excellent, so I approached this with a little trepidation as it would have some big shoes to fill cinematically. The director's cut was 3 hours long, but I really enjoyed it. Mike Flanagan (the director) has previous for Stephen King adaptations (Gerald's Game) and not only is this a faithful representation of the source material, but it's also a lovely befitting homage to Kubrick's Shining. Without going into too much detail, the last hour of this movie hit all the right notes with it's Shining references. Overall, the director's cut can feel a bit long given how long it is, but I thought overall it was excellent. I'll give it 8/10 (although I'm slowly coming round to @Cheimoon 's way of thinking about ratings etc).
 

Vidyoyo

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Oh yeah, I watched Vanilla Sky for the first time the other day and it's quite messy but decent. The idea is very farfetched but it's interesting to see it rooted in a human message about making choices and not shying away from reality. Strange really how that's even more prescient point in 2021 than when the film was originally made in 2004. I'll have to go back and watch the original film it was based on (Abre los ojos) as I remember that being quite different.

Giving it a 3/5 but a high 3 for the type of movie it is. I remember it was hated on release but it's better than most Hollywood movies made today.
 

Mystry

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House Of Gucci - Trailer makes it look salacious and dramatic, it's actually kinda dull and too long. Everyone's hamming it up and overacting apart from Adam Driver. Don't think it knows whether to go full campy or not and you get a befuddled mess. Salma Hayek does rub mud on her boobs though.
 

Cheimoon

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Easy Rider. It's kinda hard to evaluate this film now. On the face of it, it isn't all that great anymore from a current-day perspective. The editing is weird in a jarring sort of way (especially the switching between scenes by quickly flipping back and forth between the previous and next scenes, and also the several very hard cuts, also to the music), the themes are outdated (counterculture isn't special anymore now - and it's not something that much interests me), the acting of most side characters is poor (by today's standards), and there isn't much story to speak off (although it's thick in symbolism).

When reading about it on Wikipedia and in reviews though (especially Roger Ebert's retrospective), it all takes on a different dimension. So this film is actually the start of several things, and was quite innovative at its time - read that review by Ebert for full details. Luckily, I had to watch the film in two sittings and read most of those texts in between, so I actually got to watch this with some understanding of its historical and cultural significance - and yes, then there is more to watch. It didn't remove the negatives I mentioned earlier, but at least I could contextualize them and appreciate what is special here.

I should also add that this was quite interesting to watch as a historical document. If you would make a similar kind of road movie now, the guys would be riding their bikes much faster on wide highways, the urban landscape would have been much more sculpted, and they wouldn't have passed through a lot of small town centres anymore. Oh, and probably no hippy commune either, of course.

So - not a movie that has aged very gracefully, but if you are interested in the historical and cultural context of all this, then there's plenty to see here.
 
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Cheimoon

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Next time maybe at least add a film title? I am also sad that you were trying to keep this IMDB plot summary from me:

"After losing his parents, a priest travels to China, where he inherits a mysterious ability that allows him to turn into a dinosaur. At first horrified by this new power, a hooker convinces him to use it to fight crime. And ninjas." :lol:

Oh, so it's called The VelociPastor.
 
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Cheimoon

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The Town. A heist film set by and with Ben Affleck set in, you guessed it, Boston. Another good film by him, alongside Gone Baby Gone and Argo. This one is a little formulaic; there aren't a lot of surprises. But it's just a very solid film all through, about a gang of bank robbers from a poor area of Boston led by Doug (Aflleck's character), who get the FBI after them after a specific robbery, while Doug starts dating the manager of the bank they robbed. Jeremy Renner as Doug's closest friend and another gang member is particularly strong here.
 

Dante

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Venom: Let There Be Carnage

I quite enjoyed the first movie. It was mindless fun that didn't take itself serious. But the sequel is just stupid beyond belief. I thought it was really bad. 2/10
 

Wibble

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Belfast I was really looking forward to this film but it was a huge let down. The individual performances were good and even sometimes great although Judy Dench was terribly miscast. The main issue is that I suspect that anyone who actually lived through those years would call bullshit especially if you were catholic. A huge opportunity missed 0/10
 

Cheimoon

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Stan & Ollie. A very nice feelgood drama comedy (yes, all of it!) about Laurel (Steve Coogan) & Hardy (John C. Reilly). In the autumn of their career, they go on a theatre tour of England and Ireland, which has a rough start, but picks up afterwards - but some emotional tensions have yet to be resolved and will bubble up.

From what I've read, the film takes some historical liberties, as those tensions didn't really exist and the actual European tours that Laurel & Hardy did were great successes. But in the film, it all works like a charm - it's a lovely piece of work. Great acting as well, and a great representation of these two legends that makes you really appreciate the comedy and quality of their work. (I actually don't think I have ever seen a complete Laurel & Hardy film, or even a short film. I'll have to now!)

Some wonderful direction as well, a couple of great long shots (especially the opening shot), and a lot of patience to allow scenes to play out while shot from a single camera angle (sometimes a moving one; but no constant switching of cameras and perspectives). It's a little soppy and slow-paced I guess, but that didn't bother me - I really enjoyed it.
 

Sweet Square

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Watched it and liked it. Most interesting thing for me was the naivety of the two main characters, who come across as a fairly realistic young couple full of hope but no plan.

There's a nice little contrast early on when they visit the woman's parents who display some unhappiness at having to move every so often but do it just to keep up with the property market. Then they visit the dude's family who are very much salt of the earth types and come across as more likable, although clearly have some issues controlling their emotions (the dad).

Overall I thought it was a nice portrait of different types of people - particularly across generations - and gave a sense of everyone just sort of existing in their own peculiar ways.
Thanks for the reply. Haven't of thought about the property market bit until you mentioned it, adds another layer to the film. I did also liked the second family more(Although maybe because it seem close to home! ). I thought the talk near the end between the woman and the boyfriends mother was interesting, it got across just how awful marriage could be and how social forces/stigma are able to basically make people waste their lives together with people they don't really love anymore.

Completely agree with on your last point. The ending scene was a nice way to go out. So yeah I found it a enjoyable watch.
 

Hugh Jass

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The Power of The Dog

Very very slow. I had my phone out for half of it. Cumberbatch is brilliant in it and basically carries the film. 3.5/5 although i would much prefer to watch this than the marvel shite.
 

MoskvaRed

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The Power of The Dog

Very very slow. I had my phone out for half of it. Cumberbatch is brilliant in it and basically carries the film. 3.5/5 although i would much prefer to watch this than the marvel shite.
Did you watch it at the cinema or on Netflix? If the latter, I can understand your reaction as it is slow moving but, in the immersive experience of the cinema theatre, it did hold my attention. Sadly, as streaming seems to be dominant method of distribution, get ready for more explosion a minute “marvel shite”.
 

Hugh Jass

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Did you watch it at the cinema or on Netflix? If the latter, I can understand your reaction as it is slow moving but, in the immersive experience of the cinema theatre, it did hold my attention. Sadly, as streaming seems to be dominant method of distribution, get ready for more explosion a minute “marvel shite”.
Netflix.
 

KirkDuyt

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Red notice
It's a rubbish movie, but I knew that going in. Still, it was a bit too terrible even for my questionnable tastes.

Gal Gadot is pretty.

5.5/10
 

parkthebuslads

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Watchable, if unspectacular.

7/10 - Bonus point for
the robot attempted suicide scene, which after initially finding quite moving, it now seems unintentionally quite funny
 

berbatrick

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Conspiracy Theory (1997):
The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a deep state is a good guy with a deep state, and Julia Roberts.
Pretty decent and tense, kept me guessing (I thought it was going to have a Shutter Island type twist), but parts of the conspiracy plot were a bit stupid. 7/10.
 

Salt Bailly

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Watchable, if unspectacular.

7/10 - Bonus point for
the robot attempted suicide scene, which after initially finding quite moving, it now seems unintentionally quite funny
I enjoyed this too. A bit plodding at times but the ending made it all worthwhile. Definitely something hilarious about a despondent, blocky robot.
 

VorZakone

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Conspiracy Theory (1997):
The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a deep state is a good guy with a deep state, and Julia Roberts.
Pretty decent and tense, kept me guessing (I thought it was going to have a Shutter Island type twist), but parts of the conspiracy plot were a bit stupid. 7/10.
Love these 90s flicks. :drool:
 

Dante

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The Last Duel

It was watchable. But I think Ridley Scott could have done a better job of making the storyline interesting enough to last 2.5 hours.

It's weird how he his filmography contains three stonewall classics (Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator) and then a bunch of mediocrity with very little else bridging the gap.

6/10
 

Cheimoon

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Firedrake the Silver Dragon. An animated film about dragons that live in hiding in the modern world, but are starting to get squeezed out by expanding cities. A legend speaks of a safe place for dragons, so one of them (a silver dragon) goes looking for it, accompanied by some weird creature and a human that pretends to be a dragon rider - but they are pursued by a mechanical dragon that wants to eat the silver dragon. The story sounds rather messy, and the sequence of scenery and events seems rather random. But the humor and action are fun and engaging and my kids loved it.

To All The Boys I've Loved Before. Part 3. A teenage high school romcom. We watched Part 1 on the basis of a strong trailer, and it was pretty good. That's why we watched Part 2 as well, which was kind nothing-y. Not good, not annoying, not much of anything. That should have warned us for Part 3, but we watched it anyway, and it was really poor. For the first two thirds of the film, basically nothing happens. Then finally the issue it's been building up to materializes - only to cause almost no drama and to be resolved again within about 10 min. In the meantime, the actors go through various events and conversations that are of very little consequence or interest. A waste of time.
 

Dirty Schwein

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Doctor Sleep (Director's Cut) - I'm quite immersed into all things Stephen King from a young age. I watched The Shining as a young boy, and thought it was excellent, so I approached this with a little trepidation as it would have some big shoes to fill cinematically. The director's cut was 3 hours long, but I really enjoyed it. Mike Flanagan (the director) has previous for Stephen King adaptations (Gerald's Game) and not only is this a faithful representation of the source material, but it's also a lovely befitting homage to Kubrick's Shining. Without going into too much detail, the last hour of this movie hit all the right notes with it's Shining references. Overall, the director's cut can feel a bit long given how long it is, but I thought overall it was excellent. I'll give it 8/10 (although I'm slowly coming round to @Cheimoon 's way of thinking about ratings etc).
I saw the original cut in the cinema and thought it was ok, is this different enough to warrant a watch?

Last Night In Soho
Ignore the giant plot holes and this is a fantastic film. Looked spectacular and stylish, paced really well (which is expected from and Edgar Wright film) and a banging score. I thought the lead actress needed to speak a bit louder. The only downside is the script. Too many plot holes and a bit lazy here and there, but that didn't spoil the visual treat 7.5/10

Halloween Kills

I thought the 2018 reboot was actually decent so was looking forward to this. I wasn't expecting this to be amazing but at least fun. What we got is probably one of the worst films I've seen this year, and I use the word "film" very loosely. It's essentially a series of random killing scenes stitched together with scenes of people screaming "evil dies tonight". Pathetic excuse of a cash grab. The only things I liked were some memorable shots of Michael Myers, which are perfect promo material 2/10
 
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I saw the original cut in the cinema and thought it was ok, is this different enough to warrant a watch?

Last Night In Soho
Ignore the giant plot holes and this is a fantastic film. Looked spectacular and stylish, paced really well (which is expected from and Edgar Wright film) and a banging score. I thought the lead actress needed to speak a bit louder. The only downside is the script. Too many plot holes and a bit lazy here and there, but that didn't spoil the visual treat 7.5/10

Halloween Kills

I thought the 2018 reboot was actually decent so was looking forward to this. I wasn't expecting this to be amazing but at least fun. What we got is probably one of the worst films I've seen this year, and I use the word "film" very loosely. It's essentially a series of random killing scenes stitched together with scenes of people screaming "evil dies tonight". Pathetic excuse of a cash grab. The only things I liked were some memorable shots of Michael Myers, which are perfect promo material 2/10
Was just about to post about Last Night in Soho.

Watched it this week (in Stockholm :) ) and thought really good too .. liked the 'feel' of it and the music. Few shock-jumps too.

('giant plot holes'?)
 

Dirty Schwein

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Was just about to post about Last Night in Soho.

Watched it this week (in Stockholm :) ) and thought really good too .. liked the 'feel' of it and the music. Few shock-jumps too.

('giant plot holes'?)
Well maybe plot contrivances rather than holes but one glaring example:

When she has the big confrontation with the police from the past... why the hell does he say what he does? Surely just telling her that he's an old copper instead of being a bloody creep would have ended the film a lot earlier. I hate it when characters say and do things to service the plot. Things like this really bug me...