It’s that time of the year again where the football is done and dusted and us movie geeks need something to talk about. The top ten lists have probably been done to death so I thought we should try a new format.
For those familiar with movie podcasts one of the most popular is one called The Rewatchables and it is hosted by Bill Simmons (not to be mistaken by the gay fitness instructor) and he invites friends and guests (Quentin Tarantino, Judd Apatow, among others) to talk about their favourite movies. Don’t be afraid this is not a pretentious show where they dissect films from directors like Pedro Almodovar or Ingmar Bergman, but more culturally significant films like Caddyshack, Fletch and Teen Wolf. Yes, they dissect other more critically acclaimed films but this show is for lovers of all types of films and it focuses on what the average person might be discussing around the dinner table.
So anyway they have a very particular format where they dive into a set list of questions and from there they break the film up into certain elements and generate discussion from there. The list of questions can change from week to week, and has evolved over the time the show has been running but I thought we apply, not quite the exact same format but one thats very similar.
To kick it off I thought I would choose a film that I enjoyed and then go through each topic.
Drive (2011)
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writers: Hossein Amini
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman
Most Rewatchable Scene:
Can’t go past the opening scene of the getaway drive through the streets of LA ending up at the Staples Centre. Broke every rule in the book for getaway films and produced one of the most tense and exciting scenes in the process.
Best Quote:
Driver: “You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I’m yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you’re on your own. Do you understand?”
Best Performance:
This film is a vehicle for Ryan Goslings talent and he doesn’t disappoint. A very underrated actor of his generation.
Best Supporting Actor:
This film has a great ensemble cast that are all on top of their game. Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks and Oscar Isaac would all be worthy candidates but I’m going to go with Ron Perlman.
Overacting Award:
Difficult to find somebody that is out of their depth here the cast is so good. If I were to point out somebody I guess I would go with Christina Hendricks. She was fine in her role but her role wasn’t all that significant and if she wasn’t in it you wouldn’t be all that disappointed.
The Best Shot in the Film:
The car chase scene at the end where Driver chases Nino (Ron Perlman) and kills him on the beach. The best shot for me is when Driver is parked on the cliff top looking down on the beach where Nino laying in his mangled car.
Apex Mountain (The highlight of their career):
The Pusher films were very good and One God Forgives had its moments, but this is clearly Winding Refn’s greatest moment so far.
Who Won the Movie:
Nicolas Winding Refn crafted a modern classic genre piece that defied convention and despite the basic storyline will remain a reference point for noir films for decades to come.
