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Nicolas Winding Refn - 17/7/2012 8:51:12 AM

TragicRomantic

Posts: 77
Joined: 7/7/2012
From: Elysium

3 films,3 homeruns( er film-wise!).
Really exciting character-focused director who strips cinema to its purest artform.
Such attention to detail,yet never feels manufactured.

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Post #: 1

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 17/7/2012 9:37:19 AM

Harry Tuttle

Posts: 7619
Joined: 12/11/2005
From: Sometime in the future.

Er, it's 8 films.

He'd already done 5 films before he made Bronson (6 if you include a TV movie).

I've not seen Bleeder or Fear X but the Pusher trilogy is brilliant.

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Post #: 2

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 20/7/2012 2:09:05 PM

Prophet_of_Doom

Posts: 728
Joined: 15/2/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: TragicRomantic

3 films,3 homeruns( er film-wise!).
Really exciting character-focused director who strips cinema to its purest artform.
Such attention to detail,yet never feels manufactured.

Love his work but would have to strongly disagree with your reasoning. Bronson was pure theatre. It wouldn't have been out of place on a stage. Which is the very antithesis of cinema at its purest. I also find his reliance on gratuitous violence more than a little gimmicky and almost childish - like the great writer knows what lines to leave out, the great director knows what moments to leave to the audience's imagination. That said, I love his work, but he's still learning his craft and he can only get better. Looking forward to the potential Drive 2.

(in reply to TragicRomantic)

Post #: 3

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 20/7/2012 5:21:02 PM

Spaldron

Posts: 10487
Joined: 6/10/2006
From: Chair

I've only seen his recent English language films (Bronson, Valhalla Rising, Drive) and they're all superb films of the highest order, especially Drive which is a masterpiece. Looking forward to Only God Forgives.

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Post #: 4

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 23/7/2012 4:10:14 PM

st3veebee

Posts: 2354
Joined: 3/9/2006
From: 9303 Lyon Drive

Have only seen 3 so here goes:

Bronson: Great soundtrack and stunning performance from Hardy. Great film 4/5

Valhalla Rising: Just didn't do it for me at all. Bored me stupid and I'm a big Maads fan. 2/5

Drive: His masterpiece. Gosling is the coolest character since Tyler Durden. That soundtrack.....

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Post #: 5

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 13/10/2012 1:35:56 PM

Coyleone

Posts: 494
Joined: 13/10/2008

He's amazing, and the most exciting director working today imo.

Pusher is a really great, gritty and realistic crime movie, and it's amazing to see his progress since making this. It's simple with an almost documentary style, and seeing him evolve from that to the uber stylized films such as Bronson and Drive is amazing (I haven't actually seen Bleeder or Fear X). His english language films are all amazingly edited and framed, every shot looks beautiful. His use of violence is incredibly effective, he just knows how and when to use it to generate a reaction, and it never feels out of place. His use of music is also brilliant in everything I've seen. Amazing talent that seems to just be getting better.

Bronson is a great character study with a powerhouse performance from Hardy. Valhalla Rising is great, it's slow paced and I can see it being pretty divisive, but I loved it, and again it looks beautiful in every shot and the use of violence and music to build up tension or atmosphere is only surpassed by Drive, which is a masterpiece and one of my favourite films ever. Only God Forgives is my most anticipated movie for quite a long time.

(in reply to st3veebee)

Post #: 6

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 15/10/2012 12:43:43 AM

ElephantBoy

Posts: 7401
Joined: 13/4/2006

Have seen:

Bleeder: very powerful and love the reference to Wild at Heart.

Bronson: Which was very much style of substence and I felt it only showed one side to the lead character, Hardy at times was a bit too hammy.

Drive: In my top three films of last year, it just gets better every time I see it. Gosling's is one of the best performances of last year too.

Want to see more of his work, think I will check out the Pusher series but leave the remake.

(in reply to Coyleone)

Post #: 7

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 21/3/2013 1:30:41 PM

Mr Gittes

Posts: 468
Joined: 3/2/2013

Have only seen Bronson and Drive. The former is one of the movies that instantly springs to mind whenever I hear the term "style over substance". However, I did think that Drive was a masterpiece and I'm looking forward to his next film.

I wouldn't call him a great director yet, because my personal rule is to wait until a director has made at least three great movies before giving them that title. You may think that's a stupid rule and sometimes I agree - for instance, I'm just itching to award Bryan Singer that title but so far in his career, The Usual Suspects and X2 are his only great movies in my opinion.

I know, I've not seen all of Refn's movies so he could be what I'd call a great director and I just haven't seen the other two gems yet but regardless I have little doubt that there are more great things to come.

(in reply to TragicRomantic)

Post #: 8

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 21/3/2013 4:16:54 PM

Prophet_of_Doom

Posts: 728
Joined: 15/2/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: Coyleone

He's amazing, and the most exciting director working today imo.

Pusher is a really great, gritty and realistic crime movie, and it's amazing to see his progress since making this. It's simple with an almost documentary style, and seeing him evolve from that to the uber stylized films such as Bronson and Drive is amazing (I haven't actually seen Bleeder or Fear X). His english language films are all amazingly edited and framed, every shot looks beautiful. His use of violence is incredibly effective, he just knows how and when to use it to generate a reaction, and it never feels out of place. His use of music is also brilliant in everything I've seen. Amazing talent that seems to just be getting better.

Bronson is a great character study with a powerhouse performance from Hardy. Valhalla Rising is great, it's slow paced and I can see it being pretty divisive, but I loved it, and again it looks beautiful in every shot and the use of violence and music to build up tension or atmosphere is only surpassed by Drive, which is a masterpiece and one of my favourite films ever. Only God Forgives is my most anticipated movie for quite a long time.

This is the only bit I'd disagree with. In both Drive and Valhalla I thought the violence was completely out of place and bordering on the cartoonish. I completely understood the reasoning behind it, but to me (and of course, it's all about personal preference) it felt almost college studentish. In the way that so many graduates seem to make a horror movie for their first film (cheap and easy I suspect with a guaranteed audience) and invariably the intention is to have as many ridiculous gross-out moments as possible for no other reason than they can. But just because you can, doesn't mean you should - and I think this is what Refn needs to learn. I can't remember the last time I have been so drawn into a film as Drive (and I was watching it, while working on a deadline at 3am!) but the moment 'that scene' took place, I was just taken completely out of the film and actually just wanted to rewind and see how they had done it. In the same way as when you're watching the famous leg-crossing scene in Basic Instinct, you're not drawn into Catherine Tramell's world, you just think "hey, can I see Sharon Stone's moo, moo?" before rewinding to check!

(in reply to Coyleone)

Post #: 9

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 21/3/2013 8:38:47 PM

ElephantBoy

Posts: 7401
Joined: 13/4/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mr Gittes

Have only seen Bronson and Drive. The former is one of the movies that instantly springs to mind whenever I hear the term "style over substance". However, I did think that Drive was a masterpiece and I'm looking forward to his next film.

I wouldn't call him a great director yet, because my personal rule is to wait until a director has made at least three great movies before giving them that title. You may think that's a stupid rule and sometimes I agree - for instance, I'm just itching to award Bryan Singer that title but so far in his career, The Usual Suspects and X2 are his only great movies in my opinion.

I know, I've not seen all of Refn's movies so he could be what I'd call a great director and I just haven't seen the other two gems yet but regardless I have little doubt that there are more great things to come.

Pretty spot on post and you make a good point about Singer because based on Suspects he really could have been someone, but his career since has been a very hit and miss.

I see Refn as a solid filmmaker, capable of very good things (as Drive proved), he has a decent style of his own, but needs to devolp the character and story sides of his films and make more films like Drive if he is going to be great.

(in reply to Mr Gittes)

Post #: 10

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 21/3/2013 8:42:00 PM

ElephantBoy

Posts: 7401
Joined: 13/4/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: Prophet_of_Doom

quote:

ORIGINAL: Coyleone

He's amazing, and the most exciting director working today imo.

Pusher is a really great, gritty and realistic crime movie, and it's amazing to see his progress since making this. It's simple with an almost documentary style, and seeing him evolve from that to the uber stylized films such as Bronson and Drive is amazing (I haven't actually seen Bleeder or Fear X). His english language films are all amazingly edited and framed, every shot looks beautiful. His use of violence is incredibly effective, he just knows how and when to use it to generate a reaction, and it never feels out of place. His use of music is also brilliant in everything I've seen. Amazing talent that seems to just be getting better.

Bronson is a great character study with a powerhouse performance from Hardy. Valhalla Rising is great, it's slow paced and I can see it being pretty divisive, but I loved it, and again it looks beautiful in every shot and the use of violence and music to build up tension or atmosphere is only surpassed by Drive, which is a masterpiece and one of my favourite films ever. Only God Forgives is my most anticipated movie for quite a long time.

This is the only bit I'd disagree with. In both Drive and Valhalla I thought the violence was completely out of place and bordering on the cartoonish. I completely understood the reasoning behind it, but to me (and of course, it's all about personal preference) it felt almost college studentish. In the way that so many graduates seem to make a horror movie for their first film (cheap and easy I suspect with a guaranteed audience) and invariably the intention is to have as many ridiculous gross-out moments as possible for no other reason than they can. But just because you can, doesn't mean you should - and I think this is what Refn needs to learn. I can't remember the last time I have been so drawn into a film as Drive (and I was watching it, while working on a deadline at 3am!) but the moment 'that scene' took place, I was just taken completely out of the film and actually just wanted to rewind and see how they had done it. In the same way as when you're watching the famous leg-crossing scene in Basic Instinct, you're not drawn into Catherine Tramell's world, you just think "hey, can I see Sharon Stone's moo, moo?" before rewinding to check!

I found the violence in Drive very shocking, which was the point, and felt it came out of nowhere because it was showing the Gosling character as like a machine who could suddenly turn when things got desprate.

(in reply to Prophet_of_Doom)

Post #: 11

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 26/3/2013 10:28:03 PM

Mister Coe

Posts: 663
Joined: 20/10/2012

Did I dream this or did he say he was really up for doing an episode of DOCTOR WHO but was rejected?

I truly, genuinely think I read this somewhere.

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Post #: 12

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 26/3/2013 10:43:59 PM

Prophet_of_Doom

Posts: 728
Joined: 15/2/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mister Coe

Did I dream this or did he say he was really up for doing an episode of DOCTOR WHO but was rejected?

I truly, genuinely think I read this somewhere.

No, I remember reading that too ... he's a bit of a Doctor Who nerd and asked if he could direct an episode.

It would be the only episode of Dr Who I'd ever watch.

(in reply to Mister Coe)

Post #: 13

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 13/5/2013 3:26:08 PM

ghost dog

Posts: 33
Joined: 1/10/2005

Only God Forgives is easily the film I am most excited about this year.

Cannot wait for it.

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Post #: 14

RE: Nicolas Winding Refn - 13/5/2013 8:44:45 PM

Mister Coe

Posts: 663
Joined: 20/10/2012