Director: Edgar Wright
Writer: Edgar Wright
Released: June 2017
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Ansel Elgort, Lily James and Jon Hamm
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From the genius that is Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End and Scott Pilgrim vs the World), comes Baby Driver. A music-infused movie about a getaway driver named Baby, played by baby-faced actor Ansel Elgort (The Fault in our Stars).
Deborah (Lily James): “You’re name’s Baby? B-A-B-Y, Baby?”
Baby scores his own life by picking the appropriate music on his iPod for everything he does. He doesn’t do anything without music playing in his ears, stemming from a traumatic car crash as a child that left him with tinnitus.
Doc (Kevin Spacey): “Still got a hum in the drum, he plays his iPod to drown it out”
I’m thinking this might be converted into an all-singing, all-dancing musical or stage play one day.
In some ways, it’s a ‘runaway film‘. But this theme in the movie is soon hijacked by reality, how you can’t run forever and how you must face the music at some point. This realism is something I like about the film.
Whereas I usually fall asleep during action films, such as in various James Bond scenes, I didn’t in Baby Driver. I think because it was mixed with comedy a lot of the time, and it appears to be a tad more realistic, because the protagonists actually get hit in gun fights.
Bats (Jamie Foxx): “The moment you catch feelings is the moment you catch a bullet.”
I have studied Wright’s films ever since I started studying media at high school. Baby Driver exhibits classic Wright hallmarks, including extremely layered shots where you’ll pick something new up on every watch. There is nothing in this movie that is there by accident. Their costume, the music; everything is there for a reason.
My favourite Wright hallmark is the very long scene without a single edit, all perfectly choreographed, just like in Shaun of the Dead when Simon Pegg’s character walks to the corner shop and back.
Another one, is the compilation of short, sharp edits. Finally, Wright’s English humour running through the dialogue, making Baby Driver stand out from the more glossy Hollywood action films.
Baby (Ansel Elgort): Your tattoo says ‘hat’?
JD: Yeah, it used to say ‘hate’. But to increase my chances of employment I had the E removed.
Baby: How’s that working out for you?
JD: Who doesn’t like hats?
While I thoroughly enjoyed the first third of the film, it went a bit long and flabby in the middle. Toward the end it picks up again, until the very end, which seems rushed, causing my suspension of disbelief to be stretched.
JD: I left my shotgun behind.
Bats: Not groovy JD. Not groovy at all.
While this isn’t a favourite film of mine, it is certainly a one-in-a-million film, and a good date night movie. The characters are cool and are played by talented actors, with a love story and a ton of wicked car chases and gun fights.
Griff: Is [Baby] retarded?
Doc: Retarded means slow. Was he slow?
Griff: No.
Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10
Inspired by true events, this exciting and high-energy journey follows Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) as he discovers the world of counting cards and the game of blackjack in Vegas. The huge financial rewards and glamorous way of life that was supposed to be a means to an end for Ben, became an addictive and extremely risky and dangerous lifestyle choice.
This is a fast paced film of high-rollers and well-educated characters, some with intimidating power and control. A once conscientious student becomes wrapped up in the underworld of counting cards which jeopardises his future as a Harvard Medical student as blackjack team member, Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), turns on him.
The soundtrack to 21 is a mixture of popular artists such as Rihanna and MGMT, classic artists such as The Rolling Stones, plus some more of the middle-of-the-road artists like Peter Bjorn and John and Unkle. There are a few R&B songs that I don’t really like, but the best parts are used in the film effectively.
NZ Film Freak 