The Playlist

Cannes Review: 'Only God Forgives' Stretches Refn's Neon-Noir Style Over Too Little Oedipal, Amoral Substance

  • By Jessica Kiang
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  • May 22, 2013 6:48 AM
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  • 85 Comments
Only God Forgives
With the weight of expectation behind it, Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Only God Forgives” was never going to be able to deliver the same neon blue jolt of surprise that thrilled through the 2011 Cannes crowd at the first screening of “Drive.” But the audience in attendance today was prepped and primed, and practically salivating, for something that looked a little like “Drive 2” -- reuniting Refn with star Ryan Gosling in a similarly taciturn role, and also with that reflective black and fizzing blue/red aesthetic that’s as heady and addictive as a drug to the director’s fans (of whom we number ourselves, of course).

Watch: New Red Band Trailer For 'Only God Forgives' Will Knock Your Teeth Out

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • April 3, 2013 7:22 PM
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  • 33 Comments
One of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year, at least around these parts, is Nicolas Winding Refn's epic reteam with his "Drive" costar Ryan Gosling, "Only God Forgives." And our anticipatory glee just shot through the roof with the release of a brand new red-band trailer for the movie over at Yahoo, which, after a couple of brief snippets, is the most anybody's seen of the movie so far. Thankfully, it looks very, very awesome.

Saoirse Ronan's Irish Accent Will Be Heard For 'Grand Budapest Hotel,' Talks Ryan Gosling's "Stylized" 'How To Catch A Monster' & More

  • By Charlie Schmidlin
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  • March 18, 2013 10:59 AM
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  • 6 Comments
This month's tentpole adaptation, “The Host,” stands to bring Saoirse Ronan to a new level of exposure, but for fans of the actress looking beyond Stephenie Meyer's creation, there's plenty of promising projects soon to come: she's nabbed lead roles in both Wes Anderson's latest, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, “How To Catch A Monster.” Recently, we got the opportunity to chat with her about each of them, as well as her upcoming role in director Kevin Macdonald's latest effort "How I Live Now."

Terrence Malick To Shoot 'Lawless' & 'Knight Of Cups' Back-To-Back In 2012, Both With Christian Bale

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • November 1, 2011 8:20 AM
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  • 36 Comments
Cate Blanchett Stars In Both Pics Too; 'Lawless' Co-Stars Ryan Gosling, Haley Bennett & Rooney Mara; 'Knight Of Cups' Co-Stars Isabel LucasHere's today's big breaking news: Terrence Malick is prepping to shoot two films in 2012, "Lawless" and "Knight Of Cups," with both pictures starring Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett.

Ryan Gosling Trades In A Car For A Motorcycle In First Official Look At 'The Place Beyond The Pines'

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • October 28, 2011 5:06 AM
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  • 1 Comment
We've seen him blonde and inked in the set photos from "The Place Beyond The Pines" but now comes the first official look at Ryan Gosling in the film. And yes, he does look as badass on a bike as he does behind the wheel.

Weekend Box Office: 'Real Steel' Takes Number One, Looks More Like Imitation Scrap

  • By Gabe Toro
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  • October 9, 2011 5:48 AM
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  • 3 Comments
There are only a handful of stars in Hollywood, and Dreamworks gambled on Hugh Jackman being one of them for “Real Steel.” While the picture is hitting number one with a $27 million tally, it’s clear they may have erred. Dreamworks and Disney were very aggressive in marketing this robot boxing movie, but they made three huge mistakes.

Review: 'The Ides Of March' Is A Gripping Return To Form For Director George Clooney

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • October 6, 2011 2:05 AM
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  • 2 Comments
The following is a reprint of our review from the Venice Film Festival

Ryan Gosling Calls Upcoming Project 'Only God Forgives' The "Strangest Thing" He’s Ever Read

  • By Jeff Otto
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  • September 26, 2011 10:40 AM
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  • 19 Comments
Says Director Ruben Fleischer Holds His Own Amongst the Massive Ensemble of 'Gangster Squad'

The Road To 'Drive': The Films Of Nicolas Winding Refn

  • By Erik McClanahan
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  • September 20, 2011 4:56 AM
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  • 13 Comments
After months of build-up, moviegoers finally got a look at "Drive," the much-acclaimed crime thriller by Nicolas Winding Refn, this weekend. With a C- Cinemascore (whatever that's worth), it's clearly a divisive picture, but there's been enough passion spent on the film, here and elsewhere, to suggest that plenty of discerning cinephiles have fallen for it in the way that several Playlist staffers have in recent weeks. And if you were one of them, Refn might have been a new face for you; the director has been active for fifteen years now, but only really started to come to attention of U.S. film fans in the last few years (or arguably, months), thanks to a pair of English-language pictures.

Who Could Be The Men In Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E’?

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • September 20, 2011 4:29 AM
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  • 14 Comments
'The Killing' Star Joel Kinnaman, Michael Fassbender & Ewan McGregor Among Names Being Considered By The DirectorSteven Soderbergh's latest picture "Contagion" is in its second week of release with a healthy tally thus far of over $45 million, and his next feature, the independent male stripper film "Magic Mike," is currently shooting. And now the director is already mapping out -- at least if he sticks to the current plan -- his penultimate film, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."

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