Screen Rant » drive

First Look at ‘Drive’ Helmer Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Only God Forgives’

Sandy Schaefer — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 15:26:45 +0000

It’s no secret that we here at Screen Rant are big fans of director Nicolas Winding Refn and actor Ryan Gosling’s first collaboration, last year’s Drive (our overall favorite movie of 2011). Hence, we had to report about the start of production – among other things – on the pair’s next collaboration, titled Only God Forgives.

Shooting on Only God Forgives is currently getting underway overseas in Thailand, with Refn working from his own original screenplay. Deadline reported earlier this week that the Weinstein Company-backed Radius-TWC was negotiating to acquire U.S. distribution rights to the film, as a deal with FilmDistrict failed to pan out last year. The former has (in all likelihood) secured rights to the project, at this point.

Here is a synopsis for Only God Forgives, followed by the first image of ...

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Five 2011 Films the Oscars Snubbed

John Hanlon — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:13:51 +0000

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has a problem. Each year, it neglects or fails to appreciate some of the best films of the year. While it makes a lot of great decisions, often it overlooks certain genres or stories that don’t appeal to them.

This year was no different. (Check out the 2012 Oscar Nominees.)

With that in mind, here are the five major films that the Academy undervalued in 2011. Although many of the films on this list received a few Oscar nominations, overall the Academy did not give them the credit they are due. Instead of a nod or two, these films deserved much greater recognition and appreciation from the Academy.

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SR Oscars 2012 Live Chat

Anthony Ocasio — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:41:13 +0000

Tonight, the who’s who of Hollywood are gathered at the illustrious Kodak Theatre for the 84th Academy Awards.

With Martin Scorsese’s Hugo and Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist leading the way with the most Oscar nominations for 2012, this year’s Oscars could very well become a battle of theatrical homages. That being said, Hugo and The Artist are going to have to overcome the competition that Tate Taylor’s The Help has been bringing to this year’s award shows.

Of course, no matter who takes home the coveted Oscar this year, all eyes are on Billy Crystal as he makes his long-awaited return as host of Hollywood’s most prestigious awards show.

Screen Rant will be here live to discuss the 84th Academy Awards as they happen and we’re inviting you to chat with us at 8:00pm EST.

[If you would ...

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Screen Rant Goes to the 2012 BAFTAS (Winners List)

Niall Browne — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:10:19 +0000

Sunday the 12th of February 2012 saw the BAFTA Awards held in London. Screen Rant corespondent Niall Browne was on the Red Carpet to bring you coverage of the event, and fill you in on some behind the scenes action:

My BAFTA journey started with a train ride into central London, on a bitterly frosty morning. After meeting with a selection of members of the press, I was ushered onto the red carpet, having to walk the full length of the crimson material, past a selection of appreciative and adoring fans – yes, admittedly they weren’t there for a group of film bloggers – but were patiently waiting, hoping to catch a glimpse of some acting legends. I got to the press pen, took my position and waited.

Now picture this: the time was approximately 3pm, it ...

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‘Drive’ Director Talks ‘Drive 2,’ ‘Logan’s Run,’ & Not Directing ‘Doctor Who’

Ben Moore — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:10:35 +0000

Despite being ~~criminally~~ snubbed this year with regard to Oscar nominations, Drive was easily one of the most critically-acclaimed and talked about films of 2011 (it was, in fact, Screen Rant’s favorite film).

Oscar nominations or no, there’s little doubt that director Nicolas Winding Refn will go onto bigger and better things as a result. In a recent interview, he talked about the success of Drive, the chances of him making Drive 2 (hint: they’re a whole lot better than zero), remaking Logan’s Run, and being passed over to direct an episode of Doctor Who.

On the success of Drive, courtesy of Short List, Nicolas Refn said:

“I’m just so sick of talking ...

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The Oscars: 84th Academy Award Nominations

Sandy Schaefer — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:34:03 +0000

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, The Hunger Games) jointly announced the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards this morning, on Tuesday January 24th. The actual 2012 Oscar ceremony will take place next month, on February 26th at the Kodak theater – with Billy Crystal serving as host, for the ninth time in his career.

In the aftermath of the 2012 Golden Globes ceremony, Hollywood “in-crowd” types like George Clooney and Meryl Streep are favored to take home the gold for acting, while multiple Globe-winning films such as The Artist and The Descendants are considered heavyweight contenders for the coveted Best Picture Oscar.

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo led the way with eleven nominations, stacking up many a nod in the technical categories, ...

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SR Underground Ep. 21: ’2012 Golden Globes’

Ben Kendrick — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:45:19 +0000

The Screen Rant editorial team is back with episode twenty one of the Screen Rant Underground.

Join host Ben Kendrick as well as fellow SR editors Rob Keyes, Anthony Ocasio, and Kofi Outlaw as we chat about Steven Soderbergh’s male stripper movie Magic Mike, Captain America in The Avengers, as well as discuss the winners and losers from the 2012 Golden Globes.

Screen Rant Underground is available in the iTunes Music Store (where you can subscribe as well as download individual episodes) but if you’re not near your home computer, check out our twenty-first episode in the player below.

Also, Screen Rant Underground is an EXPLICIT podcast. We don’t go out of our way to say controversial things or use explicit language but it does happen – so use discretion when playing the podcast at work and around young, ...

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2012 Golden Globe Awards: Winners List

Anthony Ocasio — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:31:09 +0000

A relatively subdued Ricky Gervais took the stage as host of the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards. In his second year as host, it appears that all of last year’s controversy surrounding Gervais’ hosting must have impacted the funnyman, as all of his jabs appeared a little too nice compared to what was said last year.

For much of the evening, Michael Hazanavicius’ black-and-white silent film homage, The Artist, swept the Golden Globes in the comedy category, coming out on top overall with three wins for Best Original Score, Best Actor and Best Picture. Over on the drama side, Alexander Payne’s The Descendants took home the most awards in the drama category with a Best Actor win for George Clooney and Best Picture.

Other notable wins in the film category were Meryl ...

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Screen Rant’s Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2011

Sandy Schaefer — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:06:52 +0000

There’s a fine (and sometimes non-existent) line between what constitutes a great movie and a “favorite.” We all have films we absolutely love and re-watch over and over, imperfect though they may be; conversely, we may really admire and respect the quality of a widely-recognized “classic,” but it’s not the sort of flick we feel the need to see more than once or twice.

We’ve settled on a list of 10 movies released in 2011 that the Screen Rant staff not only admired, but flat-out enjoyed. Bear in mind, this isn’t synonymous with a “best of” list for films that hit theaters over the past year. These are simply the ones that we deemed our favorites.

Read on for our top 10 choices, along with 5 honorable mentions that almost made the cut. As always, let ...

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2012 Golden Globe Nominations Announced

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:58:07 +0000

Much-ballyhooed (in a good and bad way) comedian Ricky Gervais will be back to host the Annual Golden Globes Ceremony for a third time in 2012, when the 69th annual iteration of the event takes place.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has officially announced its nominations for the 2012 Golden Globes show – and, just like any year, there are many obvious selections, a few surprises, and more than a handful of choices that are bound to rub moviegoers of all shades the wrong (or, in some cases, the right) way.

Filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius’ black-and-white silent film homage, The Artist, led the way with six Globe nods total; co-writer/helmer Alexander Payne’s The Descendants and director Tate Taylor’s The Help were close behind. That heavily-praised dramedy and popular literary adaptation (respectively) managed to snag five nominations each, putting them one ahead ...

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When Are Movie Trailers Considered False Advertising?

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:15:37 +0000

Like young singles hoping to land a date by the end of the night, a movie trailer hopes to stand out from the crowd and make you take notice – make you want to approach it and learn more about it, ultimately leaving you with a sense of curiosity, wanting more. It wants you to call back, plan a date to come see it, invest your time, attention – and yes, your money – to get the full show.

But what happens when the deed is done, and in the aftermath you see that what you got isn’t at all what you thought it was? The makeup and dressings of marketing were used to cover up the reality – and that reality is something you’d never be interested in, ...

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Weekend Box Office Wrap Up: September 25th, 2011

Niall Browne — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:46:57 +0000

The Lion King topped the box office for a second weekend – beating out the likes of Brad Pitt and Taylor Lautner for the privilege. The 3D re-release of the classic Disney ‘toon banked another $22.1 million and upped its gross to over $61.6 million.

Not bad for a film that was first released seventeen years ago.

Brad Pitt used his star power to open Moneyball to $20.6 million. The baseball drama’s launch was the highest opening (non-adjusted) for a baseball themed film, and about average for a Pitt starrer. The well reviewed Moneyball (read our review here) which co-stars Jonah Hill, was written by heavy-hitters Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian. It went through a troubled production, with director Steven Soderbergh being dropped from the film and replaced by ...

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SR Underground Ep. 5: ‘Drive’

Ben Kendrick — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:53:36 +0000

The Screen Rant editorial team is back with episode five of the Screen Rant Underground.

Join host Ben Kendrick as well as fellow SR editors Rob Keyes, Anthony Ocasio, and special guest/Screen Rant founder, Vic Holtreman as we discuss this week’s most popular Movie/TV news and review Nicolas Winding Refn’s indie getaway driver drama, Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and Bryan Cranston.

Screen Rant Underground is available in the iTunes Music Store but if you’re not near your home computer, check out our fifth episode in the player below. As mentioned in previous posts, we’re still in the early stages of developing the show – so cut us a little slack as we get this thing off the ground.

Also, Screen Rant Underground is an EXPLICIT podcast. We don’t go out of our way to say controversial things or ...

Click to continue reading SR Underground Ep. 5: ‘Drive’

Weekend Box Office Wrap Up: September 18th, 2011

Niall Browne — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:17:13 +0000

‘Hakuna Matata’ for Disney as the studio is crowned box office king over the weekend. The re-release of the seventeen year-old The Lion King grossed $30.1 million, a great figure for a film that has long been available on video and DVD.

Of course the number was helped with the higher 3D ticket price, but this is a major coup for Disney and it shows that people are willing to pay good money for 3D conversions of older movies – something that will please James Cameron and George Lucas, who have Titanic and Star Wars on the way. The Lion King has already grossed an impressive $797 million since it was first released in 1994, and an international rollout should see the animated film cross the billion dollar mark around the ...

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‘Drive’ Ending Explained

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:05:16 +0000

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT DRIVE!

If you’re reading this, then you’ve already had the chance to watch Nicolas Winding Refn’s pulpy crime-drama Drive, and hopefully enjoyed it as much as we did (be sure to read our Drive review).

Though Drive seems like a standard action/thriller (albeit with some art house style and flare), a lot of movie goers have walked away with questions about the movie’s final moments, which leave a fair amount of ambiguity hanging over the fate of “Driver,” the character played by Ryan Gosling.

In the past with our Shutter Island and Inception Ending Explanations, we here at Screen Rant have had to rely on our prowess as movie aficionados in order to form some logical ...

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Interview: Ryan Gosling On ‘Drive’ and ‘Logan’s Run’

Roth Cornet — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:01:53 +0000

Earlier this week we brought you the first portion of our conversation with actor Ryan Gosling regarding his urban fable Drive. Today we provide the details on the remainder of our interview with the actor.

During the course of our roundtable discussion, Gosling answered questions about his surprising decision to cast Albert Brooks as a raw and brutal criminal, the benefits of working on a small budget film, his relationship with director Nicolas Winding Refn and the upcoming remake of Logan’s Run.

Gosling, as we mentioned in our earlier piece, is not the sort of actor who blindly stepped into a career that did not suit him. Rather, he has taken an active role in crafting his films and often chooses projects that are smaller in scale and offer greater creative ...

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‘Drive’ Review

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:30:01 +0000

Screen Rant’s Kofi Outlaw Reviews Drive

The word “auteur” gets thrown around somewhat frivolously these days – but in the case of Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, the term is a fitting one. Some movie fans have already come to revere Refn’s talent for taking intense violence and elevating it to the level of high art (see: the Pusher trilogy, Bronson, Valhalla Rising), while other moviegoers are not yet aware of the director’s talent.

Drive, Refn’s adaptation of the pulp crime novel by author James Sallis, arrives to the screen as a film that is well-acted, visually captivating, intensely thrilling, and gruesomely violent. That may seem like an odd mix of parts to have under the hood – but to Refn’s credit, Drive run as smoothly and beautifully as a high-octane ...

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Interview: Ryan Gosling On ‘Drive’ Part One – Throwing Kitchen Knives

Roth Cornet — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 23:15:37 +0000

Ryan Gosling is the kind of actor that harkens back to a different time. A former mouseketeer turned romantic lead, Gosling could have seamlessly slipped into one easy-to-digest role after another in a series of formulaic movies — but he chose something different. Rather than taking the well trod path, the actor has not only pursued, but also actively developed, films that challenge the audience to engage with characters and circumstances that may bring us partially (or in some cases well) beyond our comfort zones.

Blue Valentine, Half Nelson and Gosling’s latest offering Drive, each stand out in a sea of standard escapist fair – as films that are akin to some of the patient, character-driven movies that defined earlier generations in Hollywood. We had the opportunity to sit down with Gosling recently during roundtable interviews at the ...

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‘Drive’ Director Nicolas Winding Refn Talks Film Violence, Ryan Gosling, & ‘Logan’s Run’

Rob Frappier — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:07:47 +0000

With movies like Bronson and Valhalla Rising, Nicolas Winding Refn has proven himself to be one of the leading auteurs working in film today. In his latest film Drive, the Danish-born director continues to explore themes of masculinity and the nature of violence, pushing the limits of genre filmmaking and perhaps, finally launching him into mainstream recognition.

During a press tour in support of Drive (a first for the director), I had the opportunity to talk with Refn about his unique style, his close working relationship with actor Ryan Gosling, and his future projects, including the remake of Logan’s Run.

Fans of Refn’s work will note that the director often uses graphic violence in his films – and Drive is no exception (as demonstrated in the red band trailer for the film). In our interview, ...

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‘Drive’ International Trailer & Clip Promise A Slick & Intense Noir Tale [Updated]

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:34:21 +0000

[Check out a clip from Drive.]

September tends to be one of the weaker months of the year, as far as the quality of film releases goes. There’s generally at least one diamond in the rough, though, and this year that looks to be Nicolas Winding Refn’s pulpy crime flick, Drive.

Drive earned Refn a Best Director Award earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival and continued to generate positive buzz a few months later, when it was screened at Comic-Con 2011. Early footage released from the film likewise indicates that this could be a must-see for movie lovers of all shades.

Today we have an international trailer for Drive, a neo-Noir tale about a man (Ryan Gosling) who works as a Hollywood stunt performer by day, and an efficient getaway ...

Click to continue reading ‘Drive’ International Trailer & Clip Promise A Slick & Intense Noir Tale [Updated]