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Baby Driver (dir. Edgar Wright) |OT| All You Need Is One Killer Track

Dysun

Member
Haven't kept up with Edgar Wright's films since Hot Fuzz, but this was great. Really enjoyed all the performances, and I'll be keeping an eye out for Elgort now
 
I had a really good time with this, although it wasn't what I was expecting. I think my major complaints are the ending being way, way too down pat
fuck me at the testimonies... come on now
and the mid-movie character building scenes being a bit overly long for a film with such broad caricatures as main characters. The latter isn't an insult, it's just that I think the fat could have been trimmed a bit considering how snappy and quick the character building was. All in all, a really good romp, if a little too neat.

I'm not head-over-heels for it like many are, but it's still a super refreshing thing to see in a theater. Hamm was incredible in it, one of my favorite characters this year.
 
I had a really good time with this, although it wasn't what I was expecting. I think my major complaints are the ending being way, way too down pat
fuck me at the testimonies... come on now
and the mid-movie character building scenes being a bit overly long for a film with such broad caricatures as main characters. The latter isn't an insult, it's just that I think the fat could have been trimmed a bit considering how snappy and quick the character building was. All in all, a really good romp, if a little too neat.

I'm not head-over-heels for it like many are, but it's still a super refreshing thing to see in a theater. Hamm was incredible in it, one of my favorite characters this year.
what even was the point of him going to jail at the end really now I think about it.. it added nothing
 
I had a really good time with this, although it wasn't what I was expecting. I think my major complaints are the ending being way, way too down pat
fuck me at the testimonies... come on now
and the mid-movie character building scenes being a bit overly long for a film with such broad caricatures as main characters. The latter isn't an insult, it's just that I think the fat could have been trimmed a bit considering how snappy and quick the character building was. All in all, a really good romp, if a little too neat.

I'm not head-over-heels for it like many are, but it's still a super refreshing thing to see in a theater. Hamm was incredible in it, one of my favorite characters this year.
I've never seen you be head-over-heels for anything though, you're very measured about everything :p
what even was the point of him going to jail at the end really now I think about it.. it added nothing
The whole film's progression is about how there are consequences for this rather than stay as escapist fantasy so that made total sense for me.
 
I've never seen you be head-over-heels for anything though, you're very measured about everything :p

Hey, I was pretty into Arrival!

The whole film's progression is about how there are consequences for this rather than stay as escapist fantasy so that made total sense for me.

Yeah, but that's the problem:
five years of prison sure flew by uneventfully and his perfect life was still waiting for him at the end of it all; I'm not saying that's inherently bad on paper, but I just think the sequence was maybe a bit too cute and fast.

For a movie I think pulls a very similar ending off well, I'd turn to Ocean's 11. It's still light and comedic, but Danny at least comes out of prison looking a little haggard, and as they drive off, goons follow them. Still funny, still light, but at least with a slight undertone of consequences following Danny.
 
My mate saw it tonight and hated it. I am surprised because I thought it would be right up his ally. Still unsure if I'll see it in theaters.
 

Glass

Member
My interpretation was that wasn't him getting out at the end , that was his idealised dream of it happening - the dream he'll now hold onto whilst inside. It'll happen, but I don't think that was a jump cut 5 years forward.
 
My interpretation was that wasn't him getting out at the end , that was his idealised dream of it happening - the dream he'll now hold onto whilst inside. It'll happen, but I don't think that was a jump cut 5 years forward.

Yeah, this is how I saw it too.

Man, the second half of this movie is just fucking amazing. It's pretty much an instant classic.

Although, its not a perfect movie, imo. I was not into Baby and his Gf, and wasn't that invested in their relationship. It's also a bit too cutesy at times, but that is an Edgar thing. And I did find the first half nowhere near as good as the second. But, overall, this movie is going to be a legendary action movie.

Also, the music is slightly tired and cliched. It's a lot of old people music with an obsession with baby boomer music. Ansel would probably be blasting Asap Rocky. Yeah, just a bit disappointed with the soundtrack. At one point he is listening to Run the Jewels but its just background.
 

Zampano

Member
Saw last night and really enjoyed it. For me it felt like GTA the movie in a lot of ways. Not just the driving and (surprising) amount of violence, but the use of music throughout. Top stuff.
 

Auctopus

Member
Saw last night and really enjoyed it. For me it felt like GTA the movie in a lot of ways. Not just the driving and (surprising) amount of violence, but the use of music throughout. Top stuff.

I definitely felt GTAV vibes but to be fair, GTAV is inspired by lots of movies.
 

Zampano

Member
I definitely felt GTAV vibes but to be fair, GTAV is inspired by lots of movies.

Yeah it was more that feeling I get from GTA when I'm driving along and then the perfect song comes on for whatever I'm doing haha. Also the Euphoria physics on a couple of deaths!
 
Loved it.

Something I don't like about Baby though. Not sure if it's his face, or acting. Not sure.

Thought the car chases could have been better after that 1st one too.
 
Taste is subjective, but quality isn't nearly the same thing. To be clear: I'm not trying to change anyones mind. Its cool that people have their own opinions and takes on art, and I appreciate hearing thoughts and opinions contrary to my own.

I just think its unfair to call anything so meticulously put together "bad."

it can be meticulous and still be bad. Not saying this is bad but its not a great movie
 
What happened to JD (the Asian guy with the "Hat" tattoo)? Are we to assume that Bats killed him because he left his shotgun behind in one of the getaway cars during the second heist? And that Doc didn't really care?

how did you miss this? They showed
him in the trunk with a bullet in his head. This was not long after Baby showed up with the coffees and one seat was empty (2nd heist)
 
The only problem I had with the movie was the editing. Syncing the cuts with the music didn't work for me.

Also, the car chases needed longer shots. It was all just short cuts. The parking garage chase was very poor.
 
What happened to JD (the Asian guy with the "Hat" tattoo)? Are we to assume that Bats killed him because he left his shotgun behind in one of the getaway cars during the second heist? And that Doc didn't really care?

Some think that
buddy killed him instead for the way he looked at his wife. Ack, I can't remember her name right now.
 
Loved it.

Something I don't like about Baby though. Not sure if it's his face, or acting. Not sure.

Thought the car chases could have been better after that 1st one too.

Yeah, they got him and Deborah cuz they have this 50s Diner Americana look. Deborah even works at one of the vintage type diners. I didn't really appreciate that part.

The movie is really steeped in old Americana, which is getting a bit old. I guess you can tell its made by a white British guy since it doesn't seem to nod to youth culture at all.

Just listening to the same music that people have been putting in movies for decades up decades like no new good music or fashion has come out since then.

Its also really weird how none of his British movies have minorities but he throws in some tokens in his American movies. Cynical. Like actually doesn't care about it at all, but understands in America people won't accept the racist only white nature of his movies, but he can get away with it in Britain since no one cares there, so he does.
 

Bo-Locks

Member
One of the best openings to a film I've seen in the cinema since Casino Royale.

I really enjoyed this. Very fun film and exactly what I wanted from an Edgar Wright flick.
 

jmood88

Member
One of the other things I disliked was how often Edgar Wright felt like he needed to explain Baby's backstory. At first, it seemed like he wanted Baby to be mysterious, but then we have the flashbacks, Doc explaining exactly what his affectations is about (while going over what we saw in the flashback), then Baby talking about the same information that we saw in the flashback with Debora. And speaking of Doc, he felt like Basil Exposition at times.
 

Theecliff

Banned
mark kermode's review has gone up on youtube:

https://youtu.be/_xzDvPWXRWo

he absolutely adored it.

echoes some sentiments i have for the film - completely playful and at times effortless cinema. i probably don't love it as much as kermode did but it's definitely a really good film that i have a strong urge to go out and see again now that it's out for wide release.
 

Linkin112

Member
Some think that
buddy killed him instead for the way he looked at his wife. Ack, I can't remember her name right now.
Buddy never met JD in the film and JD never saw Darling. You're confusing him for Jon Bernthal's character. He's the one that people are saying may have been killed by Buddy, JD was killed by Bats and then disposed of by Baby
 

Fury451

Banned
what even was the point of him going to jail at the end really now I think about it.. it added nothing

to atone for the fact that he was basically blackmailed into making up his past mistake? Crime doesn't pay and all that, even though he really didn't want any part of it? Honestly that framework is the weakest part of the movie overall, I don't mind a happy ending I think it fits the town well, but the way it was executed was a little bit too convenient. Also I presume his stepfather has long since passed away, which is pretty depressing.
 
I'm torn on it. Maybe the music didn't click with me but I didn't feel energized or amped whenever any music played. I was expecting something different cause I didn't see much of the promo stuff.
 
Tickets booked for 7pm, AMC empire 25. Dolby Atmos theatre, is that why it was $25?

I remember when in Texas 2007-2008 i could go see midnight screenings at Cinemark DLB theatre for like $7

So whats up with the price hike?
 

Mauddib

Banned
Hmm not sure how I feel about this movie. It definitely felt a bit out of touch, and that I think can be attributed to Wright whose past work has been focused on England. It was overly romanticizing a period in America - an angle that I think most American screen writers and directors aren't interested in depicting any more for a host of reasons. It's played out, and it harkens back to ideals of Americana that I think only white people think about.

Which brings me to the most pressing issue I had with the film - almost every single minority character in this movie is a terrible person, a matter worsened by a smug young white protagonist at the centre of it all.

Don't get me wrong, stylistically it's exceptional. The music, the action, some of the best choreography and cinematography I've seen with a very talented cast.

Yet, the film is so hollow. It's a fun time, well until it drags on way too much.

Will it have staying power? I really don't think so. There's just not enough in the film beyond the stylistic choices employed that make it captivating.

Would love to hear how others viewed the clunky Americana fetishization.
 

Sanjuro

Member
Tickets booked for 7pm, AMC empire 25. Dolby Atmos theatre, is that why it was $25?

I remember when in Texas 2007-2008 i could go see midnight screenings at Cinemark DLB theatre for like $7

So whats up with the price hike?

Do they serve food there? Two tickets was $58 for me! No Atmos.
 

PBY

Banned
Hmm not sure how I feel about this movie. It definitely felt a bit out of touch, and that I think can be attributed to Wright whose past work has been focused on England. It was overly romanticizing a period in America - an angle that I think most American screen writers and directors aren't interested in depicting any more for a host of reasons. It's played out, and it harkens back to ideals of Americana that I think only white people think about.

Which brings me to the most pressing issue I had with the film - almost every single minority character in this movie is a terrible person, a matter worsened by a smug young white protagonist at the centre of it all.

Don't get me wrong, stylistically it's exceptional. The music, the action, some of the best choreography and cinematography I've seen with a very talented cast.

Yet, the film is so hollow. It's a fun time, well until it drags on way too much.

Will it have staying power? I really don't think so. There's just not enough in the film beyond the stylistic choices employed that make it captivating.

Would love to hear how others viewed the clunky Americana fetishization.

Definitely noticed it, definitely felt weird and out of place to me. It didn't add anything to the film, and it wasn't subversive enough to make an impact.

The police weren't really examined either, outside of basic action movie tropes - felt they could have played on the role of the police and related themes, but that is beyond the movie's scope.
 

kswiston

Member
Which brings me to the most pressing issue I had with the film - almost every single minority character in this movie is a terrible person, a matter worsened by a smug young white protagonist at the centre of it all.


This is an odd criticism for a film that has all of two non-criminal characters with more than a half dozen spoken (signed?) lines. One of them is black, and the other is Baby's girlfriend.
 
This is an odd criticism for a film that has all of two non-criminal characters with more than a half dozen spoken lines. One of them is black, and the other is Baby's girlfriend.

That and the white folks were also terrible people.

I don't think that people are going to react well. to this but...
Baby having the opportunity to go up to her apartment and likely sleep with her but declining rang super hollow and actually hurt the romance. That seemed like a completely bizarre decline and almost came off political.
 

Sanjuro

Member
That and the white folks were also terrible people.

I don't think that people are going to react well. to this but...
Baby having the opportunity to go up to her apartment and likely sleep with her but declining rang super hollow and actually hurt the romance. That seemed like a completely bizarre decline and almost came off political.

Oh, well I don't know.
 

jmood88

Member
Hmm not sure how I feel about this movie. It definitely felt a bit out of touch, and that I think can be attributed to Wright whose past work has been focused on England. It was overly romanticizing a period in America - an angle that I think most American screen writers and directors aren't interested in depicting any more for a host of reasons. It's played out, and it harkens back to ideals of Americana that I think only white people think about.

Which brings me to the most pressing issue I had with the film - almost every single minority character in this movie is a terrible person, a matter worsened by a smug young white protagonist at the centre of it all.

Don't get me wrong, stylistically it's exceptional. The music, the action, some of the best choreography and cinematography I've seen with a very talented cast.

Yet, the film is so hollow. It's a fun time, well until it drags on way too much.

Will it have staying power? I really don't think so. There's just not enough in the film beyond the stylistic choices employed that make it captivating.

Would love to hear how others viewed the clunky Americana fetishization.
I haven't thought much about it but it was definitely a little weird to me while I was watching (in regard to the Americana stuff).
 
Edgar Wright can do no wrong, seriously this movie blew me away.

Baby having the opportunity to go up to her apartment and likely sleep with her but declining rang super hollow and actually hurt the romance. That seemed like a completely bizarre decline and almost came off political.

I mean, he did have a complex when it came to her because he considered himself a bad person. To the point where he even said: "You are too good for me". It's not deep but then again neither is going straight to the fucking.
 

CrayToes

Member
Its also really weird how none of his British movies have minorities but he throws in some tokens in his American movies. Cynical. Like actually doesn't care about it at all, but understands in America people won't accept the racist only white nature of his movies, but he can get away with it in Britain since no one cares there, so he does.

What the fuck am I reading?
 

Sean C

Member
The movie is really steeped in old Americana, which is getting a bit old. I guess you can tell its made by a white British guy since it doesn't seem to nod to youth culture at all.

Just listening to the same music that people have been putting in movies for decades up decades like no new good music or fashion has come out since then.
There are plenty of young people who like older stuff. Beyond which, the movie is highly stylized; there's nothing particularly British about that.

to atone for the fact that he was basically blackmailed into making up his past mistake? Crime doesn't pay and all that, even though he really didn't want any part of it? Honestly that framework is the weakest part of the movie overall, I don't mind a happy ending I think it fits the town well, but the way it was executed was a little bit too convenient. Also I presume his stepfather has long since passed away, which is pretty depressing.
He still committed a bunch of crimes, whether they were his idea or not.

Hmm not sure how I feel about this movie. It definitely felt a bit out of touch, and that I think can be attributed to Wright whose past work has been focused on England. It was overly romanticizing a period in America - an angle that I think most American screen writers and directors aren't interested in depicting any more for a host of reasons. It's played out, and it harkens back to ideals of Americana that I think only white people think about.
That's a huge amount of weight to place on a handful of fantasy shots done in retro 50s movie style.
 

Zeta Oni

Member
I enjoyed it, went it blind so I wasn't surprised when it went against my expectations but it was still a fun ride with some memorable characters.

My interpretation was that wasn't him getting out at the end , that was his idealised dream of it happening - the dream he'll now hold onto whilst inside. It'll happen, but I don't think that was a jump cut 5 years forward.

I don't think so, or at least it would be pretty confusing if that was the case.

I could understand your reasoning if the scene had stayed black and white throughout the ending shots, but it doesn't, and that's the key thing here imo.

Previous to that scene we only get one other use of B&W and that's a scene that's happening in the main characters head, a fantasy. Now note that anything that was an actual memory rather than a fantasy, the use of B&W is absent and replaced with a hazy effect (as if trying to visualize what its like to recall an old memory from childhood). The switch from B&W to color is seemingly representing the change from a fantasy he was experiencing everyday (since he was in prison) becoming reality.
 
to atone for the fact that he was basically blackmailed into making up his past mistake? Crime doesn't pay and all that, even though he really didn't want any part of it? Honestly that framework is the weakest part of the movie overall, I don't mind a happy ending I think it fits the town well, but the way it was executed was a little bit too convenient. Also I presume his stepfather has long since passed away, which is pretty depressing.
i just can't imagine edgar Wright would be concerned with inserting some trite "crime doesn't pay" message in a movie as over the top as this .. I think he was doing his Wild at Heart homage but placed at the end of the movie it feels clunky

He and the girl are making their getaway at the end but he gives himself up to go to jail .. gets released and they continue on as before.. feels pointless.. whole ending just dragged

I did like the stunt casting of sky ferreira
 
i just can't imagine edgar Wright would be concerned with inserting some trite "crime doesn't pay" message in a movie as over the top as this .. I think he was doing his Wild at Heart homage but placed at the end of the movie it feels clunky

He and the girl are making their getaway at the end but he gives himself up to go to jail .. gets released and they continue on as before.. feels pointless.. whole ending just dragged

I'll tell you why it worked for me,
rather than being a message or a story point I felt like it was a really good way to play with audio. Jail was life without music, it was 5 years with nothing but the ringing in his ears. He gets his music back when he gets his girl back. Again nothing that smart or that crazy but it felt fitting to me.
 

William

Member
That and the white folks were also terrible people.

I don't think that people are going to react well. to this but...
Baby having the opportunity to go up to her apartment and likely sleep with her but declining rang super hollow and actually hurt the romance. That seemed like a completely bizarre decline and almost came off political.


Their date got interrupted by Doc blackmailing him back into a life of crime he thought he was free from and threatening her life. Not sure he was in a romantic mood after that.
 
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