While filming, Sandra Hüller asked the director several times if her character killed her husband or not, and the director refused to answer. So I think the point of this was to see someone give an impassioned plea of innocence while probably being guilty, to see how an actor whose character was guilty would portray the role like a sociopath who believes in their own lies. I thought it was really good.
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
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It left me a little bit cold unfortunately. It’s so impressively done and the first 20 minutes were fascinating but ultimately it was just too restrained for me. Once the concept was established and the point had come across, I was left with the feeling that the premise could have sustained an art installation or a short film, rather than a feature-length movie that typically requires some semblance of a story or a couple of nuanced characters to get invested in.
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Cocaine Bear
Bear takes shit loads of cocaine, goes mental, kills a bunch of people. Someone makes a joke about a woman having a dusty beaver and Ray Liotta turns up to save the young Han Solo.
It's serviceable, and it has a handful of funny moments. It's by no means a black comedy at the level of someone like Martin McDonagh. I mean, it's about a fecking bear that takes a bunch of cocaine and goes mental, after all. But it'll do when there's nothing else to watch.
For a tongue in cheek comedy/horror, most of the characters are surprisingly well rounded - even the ones that are only in it for a couple of minutes. There's an interesting dynamic between their interactions with one another that often in these films gets replaced with just blank expressions. But it completely fails as a movie because it has lots of scenes with Isiah Whitlock Jr in it, and despite him saying "shit" at least twice he never once says "sheeeeeeeeeeeeeiiit". Ruined the whole experience for me.
Bear takes shit loads of cocaine, goes mental, kills a bunch of people. Someone makes a joke about a woman having a dusty beaver and Ray Liotta turns up to save the young Han Solo.
It's serviceable, and it has a handful of funny moments. It's by no means a black comedy at the level of someone like Martin McDonagh. I mean, it's about a fecking bear that takes a bunch of cocaine and goes mental, after all. But it'll do when there's nothing else to watch.
For a tongue in cheek comedy/horror, most of the characters are surprisingly well rounded - even the ones that are only in it for a couple of minutes. There's an interesting dynamic between their interactions with one another that often in these films gets replaced with just blank expressions. But it completely fails as a movie because it has lots of scenes with Isiah Whitlock Jr in it, and despite him saying "shit" at least twice he never once says "sheeeeeeeeeeeeeiiit". Ruined the whole experience for me.
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Yes I agree, she's great in both. I'd edge more towards AoaF as that gripped me a little bit more but she's made a huge breakthrough this last six months with British movie fans.
I guess I see where you're coming from but I feel that it not being an installation or a short film was a key component of me being so shocked/uncomfortable with it. The sound design part absolutely has art installation vibes, but I felt being immersed in the mundanity of their daily lives, their little trips to the river, their lunch by the pool, the conversations in the house, the daily routine basically, was a big part of what the film was trying to achieve, and by reducing it to the format you mention, the impact wouldn't have been the same. However, I see this from the position of someone who was deeply troubled by it, if it left you cold I see why you wouldnt agree.
Yeah her performance in Anatomy was stronger, and was also really the only interesting thing in that film. I didn't know about her before this year even though I see she was in Toni Erdmann which has been on my to-watch list for ages, and in a Netflix film "Munich the edge of war", that I'll probably never watch.
TONI ERDMANN is great and she is terrific in that. That was the movie which made her known to international audiences
Yet to see Emma Sissorhands, so I’m prepared to be convinced otherwise , but Huller was astonishing in ANATOMY OF A FALL and I could not believe she did not win the Oscar.
Yeah I have to see Toni Erdmann, it's been on the list for a while.
As much as I liked her performance in Anatomy, Emma Stone's performance in Poor Things was ridiculously good and worthy of an Oscar. You could make a case for anyone being nominated really (I loved Lily Gladstone's performance in Killers of the flower moon too).
The Last Year of Darkness
Documentary about the last year of a gay club in Chengdu. Tbh I was surprised at tame and similar the club was to most western places. Drag shows and bad house music. Maybe this is seen as extreme in China or the documentary didn’t chose not to show other elements.
Still it features a range of characters from a cool Russian DJ to a upper class classic music player who struggles with mental health. There is also a incredible intense scene on a rooftop which I have to assume was real.
Overall very solid work with some interesting shots.
7/10
Documentary about the last year of a gay club in Chengdu. Tbh I was surprised at tame and similar the club was to most western places. Drag shows and bad house music. Maybe this is seen as extreme in China or the documentary didn’t chose not to show other elements.
Still it features a range of characters from a cool Russian DJ to a upper class classic music player who struggles with mental health. There is also a incredible intense scene on a rooftop which I have to assume was real.
Overall very solid work with some interesting shots.
7/10
Dead Man's Shoes is up on Youtube in case anyone wanted to watch:
Watched Zone of Interest last night. Can see why it won an Oscar for the sound. The careful mixing of what appear to be screams and yelling in the background, making them almost subliminal, was very clever. The sounds of heavy machinery, the flashes of the flames in the background, all very suggestive without being explicit. Hardly a film that will elicit a "that was brilliant" response at the end but definitely worth a watch and needed to be made. Watched it with my mate, who thought it went nowhere, but I argued that was the point. All about the banality of evil and the industrial scale of murder.
I think you’re both right. That is the point, and it’s also a valid criticism. Could the film’s affecting formality have been realized within a more gripping story? I think a (better) film like Son of Saul suggests that is indeed possible.
Watched Napoleon last night and couldn't help but ask myself for whom this movie was for exactly? It's too inaccurate/rushed to please fans of the historical context, whilst at the same time it doesn't spend enough meaningful time with Josephine either as to where I could see it as some kind of drama based on their relationship. Some of the battle scenes are nice though and the most pleasing part of the movie for me.
6/10
6/10
My mate animated this….. and I’ve still not watched it. Really need to get around to it.
Oh, cool!
How was this animated actually? It looks like it would be stop-motion, but it's also too smooth for that. But I'll find out from the making off also: they actually included it on Netflix.
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Well Tim’s a stop motion animator, one of the best in the business; did The Corpse Bride, Chicken Run(s) and loads more.Oh, cool!
How was this animated actually? It's looks like it would be stop-motion, but it's also too smooth for that. But I'll find out from the making off also: they actually included it on Netflix.
Unsure what tech stuff would have ‘smoothed it out’, haven’t seen it, so can’t even guess.
The Zone of Interest was great. Very upsetting movie. Sandra Hüller is brilliant in it.
This movie must have a hell of a second half, because we tried watching it (the whole family), and one by one people peeled off until it was just me, and the movie was only have done. Turned it off and had no interest in seeing the rest of it.
I felt like that for a while also. I thought the part about his son took too long (yes, he'll die, can we get there a bit quicker please?) and I was kinda bored for a while in the middle as well. But somehow I liked it at the end, and thought it was quite good looking back. Maybe it's more a respect 4/5 than an appreciation 4/5, but somehow, that's how I felt when I wrote it.
Cool!
And a good reminder for me to watch that Making Of.I imagine anyone who lost a child would find it unbearably powerful, but yeah, we were supremely bored. I didn’t like the voice acting either.I felt like that for a while also. I thought the part about his son took too long (yes, he'll die, can we get there a bit quicker please?) and I was kinda bored for a while in the middle as well. But somehow I liked it at the end, and thought it was quite good looking back. Maybe it's more a respect 4/5 than an appreciation 4/5, but somehow, that's how I felt when I wrote it.
Cool!
Killing Them Softly
The greatest Obama era film. A Gangster film with a allegory all about the 2008 election and the recession. It’s all very on the noise which is great. Everything from a local community dependent on gambling to the most important question isn’t who did the hit but who everyone thinks did the hit(Reminded me of the banker Kareem Serageldin).
The cast is incredible with the likes Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini and Ben Mendelsohn. There’s even a cameo from playwright Sam Shepard.
The directing from Andrew Dominik is brilliant along with Greig Fraser cineam cinematography. The film isn’t exactly pretty but has great uses of dark colours and slow mo actions scenes.
The ending is perfect and only gets better with time.
10/10
The greatest Obama era film. A Gangster film with a allegory all about the 2008 election and the recession. It’s all very on the noise which is great. Everything from a local community dependent on gambling to the most important question isn’t who did the hit but who everyone thinks did the hit(Reminded me of the banker Kareem Serageldin).
The cast is incredible with the likes Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini and Ben Mendelsohn. There’s even a cameo from playwright Sam Shepard.
The directing from Andrew Dominik is brilliant along with Greig Fraser cineam cinematography. The film isn’t exactly pretty but has great uses of dark colours and slow mo actions scenes.
The ending is perfect and only gets better with time.
10/10
Zone of interest:
Not surprised to learn that Under The Skin had the same director.
The wife was terrifying, the man was an empty space.
Would it have been better if there was a little plot? The girl gathering the fruit in particular, those scenes were really menacing. As was a lot of the movie, despite zero plot or danger or violence on screen. So I guess the lack of plot worked (again, somewhat like under the skin...) because of the sound and the very unobtrusive way it was shot, just quietly looking into their lives from a slight distance.
8/10 points deducted because Rudolf Hoss did not quip directly to camera "it's rather Interesting, this camp Zone,
"
Not surprised to learn that Under The Skin had the same director.
The wife was terrifying, the man was an empty space.
Would it have been better if there was a little plot? The girl gathering the fruit in particular, those scenes were really menacing. As was a lot of the movie, despite zero plot or danger or violence on screen. So I guess the lack of plot worked (again, somewhat like under the skin...) because of the sound and the very unobtrusive way it was shot, just quietly looking into their lives from a slight distance.
8/10 points deducted because Rudolf Hoss did not quip directly to camera "it's rather Interesting, this camp Zone,
"Watched All of us Strangers yesterday. Stunning, just stunning. Absolutely devestating, left me almost speechless. Brilliant acting by all major players. I was team Cillian, but I actually think Andrew Scott had the best performance of the year and he wasn't even nominated. Anyway, best of the year material for me. 9/10
Having seen all the films I had in mind seeing from last year now, I think it was a pretty damn strong year for movies. Probably the best since early 2010s. My top 10 from last year would be something like
All of us Strangers
Oppenheimer
Monster
Past Lives
About Dry Grasses
John Wick: Chapter 4
The Holdovers
Anatomy of a Fall
Killers of a Flower Moon
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Having seen all the films I had in mind seeing from last year now, I think it was a pretty damn strong year for movies. Probably the best since early 2010s. My top 10 from last year would be something like
All of us Strangers
Oppenheimer
Monster
Past Lives
About Dry Grasses
John Wick: Chapter 4
The Holdovers
Anatomy of a Fall
Killers of a Flower Moon
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Dune 2 6/10
No idea why this is getting such high praise. It’s a bang average movie that pisses away all of the great work done in the first movie.
It is of course spectacular, looks incredible. The acting performances are great for the most part. It was kind of a good time in the theatre.
But the pacing is truly horrific. Some of the cuts are nonsensical. It lurches between absolutely nothing happening for ages, with scenes that shouldn’t have made the cut… and moments that matter being given mere moments on screen.
I can’t be the only one thinking it was a horrible mess? I’d really been looking forward to it. Maybe I’ll soften after expectation vs reality meshes together a bit, but I think it was achingly gorgeous, enjoyable, but a poor movie.
No idea why this is getting such high praise. It’s a bang average movie that pisses away all of the great work done in the first movie.
It is of course spectacular, looks incredible. The acting performances are great for the most part. It was kind of a good time in the theatre.
But the pacing is truly horrific. Some of the cuts are nonsensical. It lurches between absolutely nothing happening for ages, with scenes that shouldn’t have made the cut… and moments that matter being given mere moments on screen.
The final fight scene was one of the most beautifully shot I’ve seen, the lighting was incredible. But the actual fight was garbage.
The insane switcheroo with Paul was poorly handled. Like, Denerys in GoT poor. The ‘I hate you but I’ll show you how to be Fremen, oh look we’re shagging in a tent’, rang hollow. The idea that Thanos had been hanging about in the Desert, mining, at a time the Harkonnen had been hunting Fremen out of existence was dumb. Bautista being trapped in a room with an entrance blocked to suddenly being outside running to a ship. Walken having the tiniest role with no gravitas to set him up: For some reason we need to hear/see Skarsgards character rape/mutilate two women and discard them - despite the first movie showing us how evil and despicable he was, via the great hall scene. But The Emperor?… nah, no need to set him up or tell anyone the depth of his power. We all just get to assume he’s the most powerful person in the universe, by being a solid politician? Mad.
The insane switcheroo with Paul was poorly handled. Like, Denerys in GoT poor. The ‘I hate you but I’ll show you how to be Fremen, oh look we’re shagging in a tent’, rang hollow. The idea that Thanos had been hanging about in the Desert, mining, at a time the Harkonnen had been hunting Fremen out of existence was dumb. Bautista being trapped in a room with an entrance blocked to suddenly being outside running to a ship. Walken having the tiniest role with no gravitas to set him up: For some reason we need to hear/see Skarsgards character rape/mutilate two women and discard them - despite the first movie showing us how evil and despicable he was, via the great hall scene. But The Emperor?… nah, no need to set him up or tell anyone the depth of his power. We all just get to assume he’s the most powerful person in the universe, by being a solid politician? Mad.
I can’t be the only one thinking it was a horrible mess? I’d really been looking forward to it. Maybe I’ll soften after expectation vs reality meshes together a bit, but I think it was achingly gorgeous, enjoyable, but a poor movie.
Maybe - but I thought the beginning was actually frustrating from that perspective. Especially ever since I've had my own children, I have found scenes about children dying increasingly hard to watch (in the emotional sense). For this part of the movie, I felt they stretched out the bonding and love way more than the plot really needed. It felt like they were trying to push that thing uphill as far as they could, just so it can fall further when the boy inevitably does die. (I mean, you know it's going to happen from the very start of that sequence.) So I felt being manipulated emotionally - which of course a plot always does and which is perhaps its very point (in fiction at least), but it shouldn't feel that way.
I'd never had any interest in watching this but now I'll add it to the watchlist. I thought it was a generic, bland gangster film, but I feel like I was misinformed!
Glad to see another glowing review for All of us strangers
It should get a lot of love! All 4 actors were incredible in it really. I wonder whether it wasn't released a bit late for awards consideration? Because otherwise, Scott absolutely should have been nominated for best actors, and the 3 others should have received nods for supporting actor/actress. I like your list mostly for last year
I haven't seen Monster or About Dry Grasses, and I wouldn't rate John Wick so high, but otherwise I agree with a lot of it. I also saw Aftersun in Feb 2023 and that was probably my favourite film of last year, and All of us strangers is a 2024 film for me!100% agree.
Yeah the trailer makes it look like a Guy Richie flick but it's really not. I've been a fan of Andrew Dominik for a long time as he tends to make films that years later are seen as great works. In terms of the economy within the movie it did remind me of a Michael Mann but with one big difference. Dominik criminals aren't professionals. There's no craft here but blunt force with high risk low rewards. People with born to lose tattooed on their chest!
That is never a good look.
Quick question: who is worse, Edgar Wright, or Guy Ritchie? Baby Driver or King Arthur Legend Of the Sword?
Thanks for this review. Like @Rooney in Paris , I never took the plunge on this movie as it didn't really speak to me via the trailers. I now will shoehorn it into the front of my movie-watching queue!
Edgar Wright is fine. Guy Ritchie will be the first to be beheaded.
I hadn't realised he was the director of Jesse James!! That's one of my favourite films, I really need to get around to this.
Look at our little Sweety Squary, such a film influencer bitch
Thats a really tough one. Shaun Of The Dead is imo one of the best zombie movies and I love the tv show Spaced but.......Baby Driver and Last Night in Soho are god awful. Last Night in Soho is a ''love letter'' to Italian giallo but tries to explain all the spooky horror stuff with facts! The sort of film which would convert me back to Catholicism. Guy Ritchie would be better on a night out(Wright is a massive nerd)but he is the reason why Vinnie Jones has a film career.
I forgot to mention it's only 90 minutes as well!
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Captain, my captain!
Shaun was a good comedy/horror mashup. I wish he would have stopped there. I feel Simon Pegg is like the English version of Adam Sandler: people love him but he’s only been funny once or twice in eons. And they both have an exceedingly annoying emotional support animal they refuse to travel without (Nick Frost, Rob Schneider). Edgar Wright’s style enrages me.
Blasphemy. The cornetto trilogy is the best trilogy ever made.
Hot Fuzz is fun, and I liked The World's End as well. They're all the same sort of humor though and don't offer much beyond that, so I wouldn't call them great, but all really good fun (which is all they aim to be, anyway). I do think Scott Pilgrim is a great film though. Baby Driver I was less impressed with. A lot of good finds in terms of visual and sound, but it left me kinda unimpressed overall. (I haven't seen Last Night in Soho yet.)
I do quite like Hot Fuzz. If it’s on tv I’ll always give it a watch. But Shaun is by far his best work.
In terms of comedy I think your right with the Sandler comparisons(Sandler is a far better serious actor). When people talk about Sandler as funny they really are thinking back to the 90’s era films. And aside from the mission impossible films I genuinely can’t remember the last time I saw Pegg in something good.
Imo his style works for comedy but elsewhere it struggles. Then added in the effect of diminishing returns over time. His style doesn’t hit in the same way as before. Although tbf 2004 to 2013 of mostly decent work is a good run.
When did this thread turn into such a circle jerk?
Controversial: none of the Cornetto trilogy are good films
Paul is the only good film pegg and the fat lad made together and let's be honest Seth Rogan made that movie
Paul is the only good film pegg and the fat lad made together and let's be honest Seth Rogan made that movie