Only God Forgives | the m0vie blog

My 12 for ’13: Only God Forgives & Neon Nightmares…

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Darren

This is my annual countdown of the 12 movies that really stuck with me this year. It only counts the movies released in Ireland in 2013, so quite a few of this year’s Oscar contenders aren’t eligible, though some of last year’s are.

This is number 7…

Few films this year have stayed with me as vividly as the rich and disturbing visual and aural landscape of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives. It’s a decent into a neon hell, a world half-inhabited by the damned and stalked by demons. With Cliff Martinez’s pounding score still echoing through my head long after my last viewing, Only God Forgives is a haunting piece of cinema, a nightmare captured on digital.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Bangkok, Cliff Martinez, Drive, film, God Forgives, Ireland, Julian, Nicolas Winding Refn, Only God Forgives, Ryan Gosling, United States | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Only God Forgives

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Darren

Only God Forgives is a journey into hell. It’s an unpleasant, uncomfortable, terrifying, surreal, macabre, haunting, eerie and beautiful exploration of brutality and violence. Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest film isn’t anywhere near as accessible as Drive. It isn’t just bereft of sympathetic characters, it doesn’t even feature any characters who lend themselves to empathy or recognisability. Ryan Gosling’s Julian is so introverted and withdrawn that it’s often difficult to determine the difference between reality and his surreal dream sequences.

Then again, given Refn suggests the man is living in his own private hell, perhaps there’s not too much difference any way.

Wanna fight?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Bangkok, Drive, film, god, God Forgives, Julian, Kristin Scott Thomas, Movie, Nicolas Winding Refn, non-review review, Only God Forgives, Ryan Gosling, United States | 4 Comments »

Watch! Only God Forgives UK Trailer!

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Darren

Only God Forgives is just about my most anticipated movie of the year. Drive was my favourite film of 2011, so the re-teaming of director Nicholas Winding Refn and lead Ryan Gosling immediately piques my interest. Coupled with the power of the premise and the beauty of the clips we’ve seen so far, it’s very hard not to get too excited about the film. Luckily, it’s only a month away from release in the UK and Ireland. That’s not too long, and to tide us over, here’s the latest beautiful-looking UK trailer.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Bangkok, god, God Forgives, Kristin Scott Thomas, Nicolas Winding Refn, Only God Forgives, Ryan Gosling, United States | 3 Comments »

Watch! New Only God Forgives Trailer!

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Darren

Only God Forgives is probably my most anticipated movie of the year, even ranking ahead of various other geeky pleasures I look forward to savouring. Nicolas Winding Refn made quite an impression with Drive, and his follow-up looks just as rich and unsettling and stunningly produced. It really looks amazing, and I adore Refn’s neon aesthetic. It’s probably the best spiritual successor to the look that Michael Mann crafted for Miami Vice back in the eighties. Check out the latest trailer below.