Baby Driver: The Fault in Our Cars

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Baby Driver: The Fault in Our Cars

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Colonel Whitey posted:

Good news:

https://twitter.com/edgarwright/status/846551961897881600

I'm a little bummed that I'm not getting an Edgar Wright movie as a birthday present but it's hard to complain about getting it a month and a half early.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2017 05:49

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# ¿ May 3, 2024 09:24

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

precision posted:

I feel like TWE would have been better if Pegg and Frost had their casting swapped round.

Nah, that would have felt too much like Shawn or Hot Fuzz, I like the twist of Nick Frost being the responsible one and Simon Pegg being the fuckup, they both do very well in their roles.

TWE is probably my least favorite Wright movie, but that's like picking between my children. He's my favorite director, Scott Pilgrim is my favorite movie, and the others both make the top 25 easily. World's End played better on a second viewing for me (like all of his movies), but it's still not as good as the others.

I'm trying not to hype myself up too much for this movie, despite the fact that I couldn't have thought up a more appealing movie if I tried.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2017 04:06

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

The soundtrack is up and available for pre-order on vinyl on Amazon, Amoeba, and other, more lovely hipster-y (hello, UO) shopping sites. I'm sure someone has probably already made a playlist of all of the songs on Spotify or Apple Music, but I'm definitely picking up a copy for my record collection.

Also, I went and read some of the universally glowing reviews and spoiled myself on one of the most Edgar Wright cameos possible: Paul Williams shows up to play a gunrunner.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2017 04:19

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Junior Jr. posted:

So the protagonist, Baby, listens to music to get into his getaway car vibes...and looking back to this Mint Royale video, the getaway driver (played by Noel Fielding) uses CDs instead of a watch to count how long a bank robbery's taking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfrcZsKcVxU

I feel like there's some connection here, I can't be the only one.

I can't tell how sincere you're being, but I'm pretty sure Wright has said that his directing this video gave him the idea for Baby Driver.

# ¿ Jun 7, 2017 10:08

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Movie is so loving dope. The soundtrack is killer (I wish there was like, just a touch more hip-hop, but there's a really nice variety overall), the acting is great, and the movie is directed as if Edgar Wright were directing the last motion picture ever so he had to go balls to the loving wall. I'm definitely gonna get out to see it again.

I really really wish that more directors would use editing and music like Edgar Wright. It's hard to watch something like Baby Driver which is filled with so much life and rhythm and energy and then go back to watch an average blockbuster.

Cameos, notes and Edgar Wright Directing Tricks I noticed:

*The words of Harlem Shuffle being grafitti'd on the wall as Baby was dancing to them was very fun
*I knew Paul Williams was gonna show up and he was wonderful giving that monologue about how great pigs are, but seeing the ATL twins out of nowhere blew me away. Clearly Wright likes Spring Breakers as much as I do.
*I'm sure if I went back I could get a better grip, but I'm pretty sure Baby flipping through the channels towards the beginning was our Patented Edgar Wright Gives The Story Away In The First Act moment.
*The lighting in the final battle between Baby and Buddy was spot on; Jon Hamm was lit in red, mirroring Darling's talk earlier about him seeing red.
*God Sky Ferreira has a beautiful voice. I really wish the soundtrack had a full recording of her singing Easy; the one on there now is only a minute or two long.
*I loved how Edgar Wright framed the violence (or rather, didn't frame the violence) early on in the movie to mirror Baby's ignoring of the actual consequences of what he was doing.
*I can't believe how Bats died. I genuinely didn't know what was going to happen going into it other than that Jon Hamm would be the final villain, but for some reason I expected Bats to secretly be nice and Doc to be a cold bastard, rather than how it turned out.
*Also well used: stereo sound. What you hear mirrors what the characters hear, so when Baby only has one bud in, you only get the music out of one side (the same side as he's listening to, of course).

I'm sure there's more I missed in there. Wright stuffs his movies to the gills with little hints, references and funny little jokes, I'm gonna really enjoy what other people see in the movie that I completely missed. So go loving see it you losers. Make this movie the surprise hit of the summer so we can get more Edgar Wright action movies.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2017 08:43

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Venuz Patrol posted:

the sound effect work for this movie was unreal. im surprised nobody had the bright idea to sync up gunfire to the soundtrack like wright did, since the result was bloody amazing

this was the peak of the movie by a long shot. i honestly wanted the movie to just drop the plot at the point and switch to a blues brothers style insane city-long chase, but i guess jon hamm wasn't having any of that

I was super duper disappointed that we didn't get a full chase to Radar Love or Nowhere to Run. The commercials/trailers lied to me!!

edit: also someone tell me where I can learn to drive like Baby that poo poo all looks dope and Ansel Elgort said in some interview that he does it all the time now that he knows how.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2017 06:30

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

thexerox123 posted:

FWIW it's only rated 14A here in Canada.

It's really not that violent, Bats' death aside. And it's very chaste where even the most sexual relationship is Darling and Buddy making out like 17 year olds (I'm aware that more is implied but it's not much more than that).

# ¿ Jun 29, 2017 23:55

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Spergatory posted:

His siblings both have normal names so he was clearly intended as the dump child. He was not supposed to become famous.

I mean, it's not as if the name "Ansel" on it's own is completely unbelievable. Ansel Adams (i assume is who he's named after) is a name that people don't scoff at, but if you're naming a kid you have to look at how the name plays as a whole. If you have a last name like Elgort maybe the slightly flashier names will make him sound goofy.

Then again, sometimes you get a last name like Cumberbatch and there's no helping it sounding like a parody of a British name. That's when you lean into it.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2017 23:43

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Izzhov posted:

Buddy was also killing off members for stupid reasons. He killed that jerk from the beginning, and was going to kill off Bats since his wife told him to.

at least he was smart enough to wait until after the heists themselves.

# ¿ Jul 10, 2017 01:58

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

BOAT SHOWBOAT posted:

Spiderman might make it struggle, though.

Spider-Man was out this weekend though. Baby Driver is actually great counter programming for Spider-Man, since it gets all the grown-ups who think they're too old for Spider-Man (or the people who are stuck at the theater while their friends and family are watching Spider-Man again).

# ¿ Jul 10, 2017 05:26

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Krispy Kareem posted:

I suspect that's a way to keep the talent isolated and under his control.

Did they use code names? I can't remember if they had code names.

Yeah, we got the real names for Bats, Darling, Buddy, and Baby (Leon, Monica, Jason, and Miles)I'm sure there's some deeper, Wrightian meaning to those names (beyond the obvious Miles Davis reference) but I dunno what it is.

# ¿ Jul 10, 2017 23:00

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Spergatory posted:

Does Edgar Wright realize that in a little over a decade he's going to have to deal with a bunch of angry teenagers who blame him for their idiot parents naming them "Baby" not realizing that they would eventually grow into non-babies?

any person serious enough about this movie will name their kid Miles and just call them Baby.

Though I do kinda wish his name actually had been Baby. After Jon Hamm says "what are you stupid, you know we don't use our real names" it would make perfect sense for Baby, who really doesn't belong in that world, to have a name that just naturally sounds like a code name.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2017 01:59

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

LORD OF BOOTY posted:

I feel like a loving idiot. I thought Buddy was Jon Bernthal and kept doing a double take when people were talking about Jon Hamm in here. Turns out Bernthal played someone completely different.

Also I really have no idea how to feel about Ansel Elgort. His physicality and mannerisms are great in this (his drumming along and lipsyncing to Bellbottoms was adorable) but whenever he opens his mouth he nearly sinks the movie outright.

Berenthal and Hamm are literally the first non-Baby faces you see and they have very similar haircuts. I get it.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2017 19:26

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

SpiritOfSanDimas posted:

I thought it was cool that it was set in Atlanta, because despite there being loads of movies shot in Atlanta they are almost never set there, and the British actress's accent was pretty good

Wasn't enough traffic to be realistic though

I watched most of the movie for a third time today and while I'm certainly no expert on accents, I always feel like the first scene in the diner ends with the two of them both slipping into their british accents after Baby sings the little bit of the Trex song. He obviously sings the song in a british accent (because T. Rex is british af) and then never quite gets back to Southern. That's the only part I notice it slip, though.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2017 07:08

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Coffee And Pie posted:

Ansel Elgort isn't British?

Whaaaaaaa

Holy gently caress I think I just assumed he was British because of his goofy name

# ¿ Jul 21, 2017 14:36

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

precision posted:

It still makes me a bit sad that Scott Pilgrim didn't make a ton more money. I used to like the comic and I loved Plumtree, though it was pretty weird that Scott Pilgrim the movie did not include Scott Pilgrim the song considering it was a big hit (by Canadian 90s indie rock standards)

Uh, it did include the song. It's only in there for a few seconds right at the very beginning of the movie but it's there, as well as another song by Plumtree. Plus it's on the soundtrack, along with the song that inspired Ramona's name, I Heard Ramona Sing, which is also in the movie.

Spergatory posted:

-Any problems I had with the character agency of Debora were washed away when I realized that Debora very clearly wants and chooses to go for one thing in this movie: Baby. No, for real. She goes after him. 90% of their first interaction is her flirting like crazy and him just being all and flustered that a real person is talking to him. Every time he goes into that Diner, she basically orbits him, invades his personal space, cutely asks him probing questions and tries to get him to open up. She is the pursuer, and he is the object of desire. This is especially clear when you realize the only obstacle to them being together is Baby's life of crime and feelings of unworthiness. Her comment at the end of their date suggests to me that she kind of suspects something untoward is going on with him but she doesn't care because she took one look at him at the beginning of the movie and thought "I'm fixin' to climb that boy like a tree."

This for real. The scene in the laundromat is Lily James giving off her best "i want you to take me right this very second" vibes. The two of them really have a crazy amount of chemistry, especially during that dinner scene.

DC Murderverse fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Jul 25, 2017

# ¿ Jul 25, 2017 06:45

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Colonel Whitey posted:

I'm sure people have picked up on this already but I realized today that Baby Driver continues the theme of arrested development that ties all of Wright's work together. What's interesting is how this idea plays out somewhat differently in each film.

Shaun of the Dead: Shaun is stuck between adolescence and adulthood. He is torn between being a responsible "boring" adult (personified by Pete) and having "fun" like he used to (personified by Ed). He cannot move forward until he is literally forced to by a zombie horde and finds a way to be an adult while still having fun. Liz has figured this out and wants him to come with her but he is comforted by the familiar and childishly scared of change or compromise. We'll see this comfort of the familiar come up again later.

Hot Fuzz: Frank is in a destructive cycle of trying to recreate happy moments from his past that were important to his dead wife. He is trying to force the world to change to fit his obsession (see The World's End for this taken to its extreme). He is unable to move past this and pays the price of being attacked by a swan and imprisoned. Instead of being focused on a protagonist's arrested development we see it manifest in the antagonist. What makes him the antagonist is the fact that his love for another (his son) does not result in any change, it only furthers his psychosis. There is also the push-pull of childish innocence vs. responsible adulthood embodied in Danny vs. Nicolas, and by the end they both absorb a bit of each other.

The World's End: This one is the most obvious expression of the idea. A big deal is made of Gary King being stuck in high school while the rest of his mates turned into "boring" adults (see also: Pete in SotD). He isn't wrong about them per se, but much like the Dude says to Walter, he's just an rear end in a top hat. However he is totally immobilized due to his alcoholism and brings down destruction on the world. Instead of changing to fit the world like Shaun, he forces the world to change to fit him like Frank. And like Frank his love for Andy is not enough to bring him back from the brink. Instead he draws Andy back into the abyss.

Scott Pilgrim: We have a protagonist who is stuck in a mental state of video game references, general apathy, and an inability to commit to anything or even pay attention to his surroundings. He really has no history except his one evil ex that he is totally stuck on wallowing in self-pity over. Like Wright's other protagonists he is in stasis until he is forced to reconcile his selfishness with his caring about another person. He is unable to move past this until he 1. learns to actually love Ramona as a whole person, history and all, instead of just as a manic pixie dream girl and 2. learns to respect himself enough to not obsess over what was ostensibly his first and only setback in life and stop being a navel gazing dickwad. It isn't a fairy tale ending necessarily but it's a reset to a place where a happy ending is at least possible.

Baby Driver: The protagonist is stuck in a moment in time - sitting in a car with earphones in while violence happens all around him. He is recreating his life's great trauma over and over again until - guess what - he cares about someone else. Like Scott Pilgrim he must now reconcile his stasis with this newfound sense of purpose but is only able to break out of his stasis when both of them are put in mortal danger, like Shaun. This one's a bit different because he's not necessarily in his situation of his own volition but you get the sense he still gets some comfort from it until poo poo starts to go haywire. Had he not met Deborah he may have chosen to go on working for Doc forever, maybe not happily, but in a familiar scenario he could easily repeat until he inevitably bites it.

I also remembered/noticed during my third viewing of Baby Driver, that I don't think a single person has sex during an Edgar Wright movie. Scott Pilgrim comes closest, but also Ramona specifically says "I'm not having sex with you" after underwear-make-out-time. Baby never gets in the apartment, and the Pegg character in all three of the Cornetto movies is either out of a relationship or on the outs in one.

Even with the secondary characters in his movies, the closest you get is Darling and Buddy making out like teenagers and Wallace sharing his bed with numerous men (leading up to the "what a spectacular rear end in a top hat joke"), and I guess the theater director and his Juliet in Hot Fuzz.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2017 05:20

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Spergatory posted:

iPod sales went up 929% on eBay after the release of Baby Driver.

Apple is a bunch of damned fools if they don't cash in on this nostalgia and release a limited edition Baby Driver iPod or some poo poo.

this was one of my favorite things to point out to people who were older than me: iPods have been around so long that an adult main character in a movie had a flashback to childhood where he was listening to an iPod.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2017 05:11

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# ¿ May 3, 2024 09:24

DC Murderverse: Nov 10, 2016; "Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!"

Spergatory posted:

Even notorious bomb Scott Pilgrim is close to breaking even now thanks to DVD/Blu-Ray sales!

no doubt helped by the fact that I had to buy a second copy because I wore the first one out.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2017 20:08

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Baby Driver: The Fault in Our Cars