Today's Review: Baby Driver

Hoewel zijn vorige Amerikaanse avontuur niet afliep zoals de Brit Edgar Wright zich had voorgesteld, weerhield dat hem er niet van het nogmaals te proberen in Hollywood. De regie over Ant-Man mocht hij verloren hebben, die over zijn eigen carrière allerminst. Waar Marvel hem teveel in haar eigen hokje probeerde op te sluiten, gaf studio Sony hem de vrije hand. Voor Baby Driver sloot hij geen compromissen qua stijlvoering, waardoor de film voor liefhebbers van zijn werk vertrouwd, maar naar Amerikaanse maatstaven juist onorthodox aanvoelt. Deze tegendraadse 'heist movie' is een heerlijke mix van spetterende muziek, kleurrijke personages en wervelende actie, waarin we snel de handtekening van Wright herkennen, maar die niet als een herhalingsoefening voelt.

De chauffeur uit de titel luistert inderdaad naar de schuilnaam Baby en vormt de spil in een gewiekste bende overvallers. Dankzij diens briljante stuurmanskunsten komen de criminelen telkens weg met hun buit. Toch houdt Baby zich op de achtergrond, want hij moet niets hebben van het geweld waarvan zijn collegae zich bedienen. Hij probeert slechts zijn schuld aan bendeleider Doc af te betalen. Bovendien geldt hij als excentriekeling tussen de rovers, allen toch al niet echt normaal. Baby is een apart joch, met zijn koptelefoon steevast op, elke move die hij maakt zorgvuldig georkestreerd door de song die hij op dat moment afspeelt. Noem het auditief autisme, voortvloeiend uit een pijnlijk verleden. De bende tolereert zijn karaktertrekjes, maar staat minder verdraagzaam tegenover zijn zelfverklaarde vertrek uit de criminaliteit als zijn schuld afbetaald is. Vervolgens moet Baby racen als nooit tevoren om aan de misdaad te ontsnappen en met zijn kersverse vriendin, serveerster Debora, een nieuw leven te beginnen.

Een film als Baby Driver staat of valt met het optreden van haar hoofdpersoon en gelukkig is Wrights nieuwste verzekerd van het benodigde jonge talent. Ansel Elgort kruipt met verve in de huid van de titelpersoon, aanvankelijk een ogenschijnlijk arrogante knul die met zijn eigenaardige gevoel voor ritme een beetje op de zenuwen werkt. Al snel verdwijnen zulke twijfels als regen op heet asfalt als we hem beter leren kennen. Het is simpelweg een sympathieke jongen in een slechte situatie, met het nodige trauma achter de rug om te verklaren hoe hij in dit misdadige milieu is beland. Het helpt ook dat Elgort uitstekende chemie kent met Debora's wonderschone Lily James. Of eigenlijk met iedereen, want Wright strikte opnieuw een wereldcast. Met Kevin Spacey als de vileine maar charmante Doc, Jamie Foxx als de sociopathische Bats en Jon Hamm als de arrogante Buddy is het makkelijk om ook voor de schurken te pleiten, zelfs als de kogels om de oren fluiten. Geen Simon Pegg of Nick Frost dit keer, maar zo'n fijn ensemble maakt dat gemis zelfs voor de verstokte Wright fans helemaal goed.

Diezelfde liefhebbers kunnen zich verheugen over het feit dat Wrights belangrijkste vaste personage wel ruimschoots aanwezig is in Baby Driver: de montage. Wright heeft zich altijd een waar virtuoos getoond waar het 't knippen en plakken van shots betreft, maar voor deze film neemt hij dat stempel heel letterlijk. Dit keer laat hij zich leiden door een bonte tracklist aan songs, bekend en minder bekend, waarop hij hele scènes heeft gebaseerd. Neem bijvoorbeeld het haast eindeloze shot waarmee de film opent, weergaloos gevormd door het op Baby's headset spelende Bellbottoms. Dat is nog maar het begin van een film die grotendeels haar soundtrack volgt, maar onder Wrights montage-meesterschap tot een grandioos geheel van muziek en enerverende auto-actie gesmeed wordt. De muzikaal begaafde Elgort danst vol overgave mee als door gehoorbeschadiging geplaagde crimi-coureur die zich evenzeer laat leiden door zijn muziek als de film die zijn naam draagt. Wright schiep met Baby Driver een enorme uitdaging voor zichzelf en zijn cast, maar het is te merken dat iedereen het ritme volledig aanvoelde.

Wright had voor zichzelf blijkbaar iets goed te maken na door Marvel bijna ingekapseld te zijn in andermans manier van werken. Wat dat betreft is Baby een puike metafoor voor Wright zelf. Wright swingt achter de camera zoals Baby achter het stuur. Toch voelt Baby Driver op sommige fronten als een breuk met 's mans eerdere werk. Het is geen volbloed-komedie, zoals praktisch al zijn vorige films. Hoewel er genoeg te lachen valt, zorgen de trubbels rond de getroebleerde hoofdpersoon toch voor zwaardere thematiek. Ook is de film bruter dan we van Wright gewend zijn: was de regisseur nooit vies van een beetje bloed, de kogelregens die deze film afsluiten zijn van een minder zorgeloos kaliber en geven de film toch een zeker 'Amerikaans karakter'. Toch gaat het te ver om te zeggen dat de koppige Brit zich heeft geconformeerd naar Amerika, want Baby Driver is onmiskenbaar een product van zijn eigen creatieve geest, een hoogst originele film zoals die in Hollywood te weinig gemaakt worden.

News, news and news some more!

Nothing can stop this constant flow of news:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/155834/jessica_chastain_mogelijk_hoofdrolspeler_true_detective_seizoen_2

Fits right in with the current trend of highly respected and multiple award winning Hollywood actors to accept television roles, something which used to be "beneath their stature". The times have changed though. Television now is where all the critical acclaim goes, as it is also the place where the most interesting characters and stories, and thus the most challenging assignments for actors, are found. HBO sorta started the rise of contemporary quality television at the opening of this century, so it's not surprising to find the most high profile actors starring in their shows. Jessica Chastain would be a fine addition to the ranks of Steve Buscemi, Anna Paquin, Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, the latter pair preceding her on doing True Detective. As this is an anthology show, they're out as their story is about done (or so I've heard, as I have yet to see the show: too much good telly, too little time to spare), and there's room for a new story and fresh blood accordingly. Making it female-centered is not a bad idea to differentiate the next season from its predecessor; in my mind there's not so (good) many female detective shows as there ought to be anyway. As for the Brad Pitt rumour, I'm inclined to think that stays a rumour. Yes, TV is attracting bigger and bigger names ever more, but there's still a vast difference between solid actors and huge movie stars. The latter category is not something I soon expect to see exploring the wonders of working on television. For one thing they're too short on time, even for a 'ten episode a season' show like this, plus they would be downright inaffordable. Playing challenging parts aside, the money motive still rules supreme. Movie stars tend to do the same thing over and over again, as that is their niche, what the audience expects from them. But no doubt this routine too will witness a major paradigm shift one day (aren't we all bored by Tom Cruise's one-note career for example?). Just not this soon I reckon.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/155838/batman_vs_superman_krijgt_officiele_titel

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Such a long title, feeling the need to set up both Supes, Bats and the Justice League. The good thing about Batman vs. Superman was its catchiness, which was helped by its fairly short title. Just look at The Avengers: title says it all in two words (you could even do without 'the', in theory). Adding the Dawn of Justice bit might give audiences that are not as much in the know a clue as to what's in store for them in future years, though it also kinda spoils the fun for those who weren't yet aware of Warner's plans for their DC Cinematic Universe. As the new title indicates, the common Internet name for this project was successful enough not to really change it, merely to add to it. Except for the rather useless ditching of the 's' - the loose 'v' looks silly - it's still the same. It also reveals what many fans already anticipated, namely that the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader indeed will go head to head with each other. As is the common tactic in superhero stories, you can't get to fully appreciate your fellow vigilante without fighting them first. Do you think both characters will beat up Wonder Woman when they meet her in this film too? There always seems to be this sexist line of chivalry that is not to be crossed when it comes to the interaction between male and female superheroes, even when it's common knowledge the women are as strong, brave and intelligent as the men. As for the logo of this film, the Man of Steel logo has hardly changed as the film also serves as a sequel to last year's Superman reboot. However, the Batman logo needed a bit of a makeover to differentiate it from the Dark Knight movies' iconic look. The slick, pointy, sharp edged bat logo of the last decade is now replaced by a more rounded variation where the various appendages aren't as pronounced as usual. It kinda looks fat by comparison. Altogether, this logo kinda reminds me of one of those perverts in the park that flashes his genitals when he opens his raincoat, except this is a superhero revealing another superhero under his wings. There's an occasion to insert sexual innuendo here, but people have been doing that ever since these two heroes wearing their underpants over their leotards first hooked up in the comics. So I'll just leave it at that.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/155854/nieuwe_posters_sin_city_a_dame_to_kill_for

Character posters, who would have expected that? It's a traditional marketing recipe for films like these, one that the previous Sin City film also exploited to great avail. Considering the size of this film's cast, I doubt the studio will stick to only these five one-sheets. Nor should they, since these are rather awesome me thinks. They honour the source material by their comic book style and sensibilities and they make you want to check out what the rest of the cast looks like when 'SinCitied'. Of course we already know what they look like when it comes to the returning characters (four of those here, though one played by a new actor), but it's the newcomers we are most curious about. Or the sexy dames. You didn't think they wouldn't make a saucy poster of Jessica Alba again, did you? The previous poster showcasing her stage talents was soon elevated to the early 21st Century's equivalent of the infamous Raquel Welch poster from the Sixties. Of course the novelty has worn off by now, so I don't think this second attempt will turn out just as iconic in Alba's case. Maybe the titular 'dame to kill for' will outdo her in this regard? Expect Eva Green's Ava Lord to be featured on a similarly sizzling poster all too soon.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/155866/edgar_wright_stopt_als_regisseur_ant-man

Wow, this is quite a downer... Ant-Man was practically Wright's pet project. He stood up for the character even when nobody else, the studio included, saw any potential in it. Apparently, the studio no longer stood up for him, citing the age-old 'creative differences' routine as the cause of the director's dismissal. Spokespersons for both parties have stated they parted amiably, but I have a hard time believing that. Wright invested nigh a decade of work in this film and actual shooting was already underway. Being sacked at that point in production would hurt anybody tremendously. I really hope studio and director can still make amends of some sort, as I love Wright's work and I would have very much liked to see his take on a Marvel character, any of them. If not Wright, then his writing partner Joe Cornish is probably the best way to go, as he has displayed a very similar style of directing in his feature debut, which is still the only movie directing credit on his resumé. It's not unheard of for Hollywood to hire new talent based on only a single previous directing job though, even one of very low budget by the standards of the majors.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/155869/gareth_edwards_regisseert_star_wars_spin-off_en_godzilla_2

Case in point: Gareth Edwards. He went from shooting a guerilla Sci-Fi/horror/action flick on a shoestring budget to directing a Star Wars film in only five years. Of course, it was his affinity with monsters that got him there via Godzilla, and he's also not done yet with the Big G. Not surprisingly, considering his reboot of the King of Monsters is smashing box office records everywhere as easily as a guy in a rubber suit smashes cardboard cityscapes in the original Japanese Gojira films. It's very gracious of studio Legendary to allow Edwards to do Star Wars first and their Godzilla sequel second, even though they're no doubt anxious to get underway, considering how well Godzilla is currently doing. Apparently, that mystic, near deified quality Star Wars once carried over all other Hollywood films still hasn't worn off completely. Few studios would dare interfere with the production schedules of the joined corporate powers of Disney and Lucasfilm, or the plans they harbour for their directors. I hope Edwards knows what he's getting himself into, as he's still rather new to the Hollywood game. It would be a damn shame to see him losing the Star Wars gig in a similar way Wright stepped down from doing Ant-Man. I'd hate to see J.J. Abrams take over that project as well.

Today's Mini-Review: The World's End

The World's End: ****/*****, or 8/10

The triumvirate of Wright, Pegg and Frost deliver their final aria (for now) with this conclusion of their 'Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy, a threesome of films connected only by their own presence in front and behind the camera, the cameo appearance of the famous ice cream brand and the great fun and delightful British humor throughout. Whereas the previous installments (Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007)) addressed the horror and cop drama genres respectively, The World's End tackles science fiction, the creepy secretive alien invasion sort to be precise (think Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It Came from Outer Space and Day of the Triffids). Thankfully, it does so to the same hilarious effect their predecessors did. While he played a police sergeant in Hot Fuzz, a token of societal responsibility and virtue, Simon Pegg this time gets to play a character the complete opposite named Gary King, devoid of responsibility and virtue, who prefers to focus his life on drinking, doing drugs and other assorted hedonistic endeavors. Once the centre of a close group of childhood friends that largely revolved around him, he never left childhood, while his friends (Nick Frost, Martin 'Bilbo' Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan) grew up and embarked on an ordinary, mundane lifestyle with all the perks (family life, decent jobs) and downsides (boredom) that came with the territory. When Gary reemerges in their life after an absence of a decade, they soon find themselves drawn to revisiting their high school town, against all of their better judgment, in a second attempt to complete the epic pub crawl once left unfinished, all the way from the First Post to the World's End. Twelve pubs, sixty pints total (at the least!), five former comrades who have grown apart mostly because of Gary's never ending irresponsibility, one long night in store for all of them... Especially when they discover – in an epic, instant classic gents' bathroom brawl – their old town has become the center of an alien invasion that has slowly but surely replaced the village denizens with robots. Can these “five musketeers” halt this impending Apocalypse, armed only with beer, mutual dislike and an old car with the silly moniker 'the Beast'?

More importantly, can Wright and co. deliver another comedy that is on an equal level with their duo of previous 'blood and ice cream' movies? The answer is an undeniable 'yes, they can'! The World's End is at least as witty, fast paced, catchy and thoroughly funny a film as its forebears, but also appropriately borders on melancholy as its creators make us realize they've grown up as actors/directors themselves, and this film in many ways is an end to their cinematically cohesive world they have caused us to come to love. Though there's bound to be more joined projects on their part somewhere in the future, in terms of subversive, all-English comedy poking fun at specific film genres, this is a definite conclusion and it feels as such throughout. It doesn't stop them, or us, from enjoying themselves as they continue to do what they did best so far once more, as The World's End is loaded with extremely snappy gags, great one-liners and excellent comedic timing from all involved. Wright again concretely illustrates the fact he has a cinematic style all his own, which is marked by fast dialogue, dynamic editing and visual and thematic parallelism, which underscores The World's End status as a part of a trilogy tonally if not narratively. And despite all the hilarity, there's room for a moral message that never gets overly preachy or in-your-face: you can walk a path between growing up and staying young without losing your identity to society's norms, if you stay loyal to your friends and family. But if you opt for downright immaturity, you might just find the world exploding in your face. In the case of The World's End, the latter is all the more enjoyable as the Cornetto trilogy comes to its grand close.