The time has finally come: Nicolas Winding Refn‘s Drive will be released this Thursday. I have been excited about this film for months as I was lucky enough to see it at the Vienna Film Festival back in November. It was a Saturday Night 12 pm showing and yet the massive Gartenbau Cinema was sold out completely. Drive had premiered in Cannes, the Refn received the palme d´or as best director and the film was received outstandingly well by audiences and critics alike. So word was out that this was a must see.
Everybody had a beer, everybody was excited and as soon as the film started all hearts stopped in awe. Ryan Gosling is Driver. The nameless Protagonist works in a garage and as a stuntmen during the days, and becomes a getaway driver at nights. He seems introvert and calm, but starts opening up a a littel when he meets and falls in love with his neighbour, Irene (Carey Mulligan). When Irenes husband returns the films starts picking up it´s pace, just to slow down again in all the right moments. Things go wrong, Driver is in trouble, we suddenly see whats inside him, as he fights for his life and Irenes safety.
Refn tells this story in an action manner, but treats it´s protagonists with much more empathy and respect than these films usually do. It pays attention to detail, evokes emotions atypical for this genre and tops the cake with great music.
If you like action thrillers you´re hopefully already checking playing times in a nearby cinema. If this isn´t your typical choice, let me try to convince you again: Drive is much more than an action thriller. It´s a character study, an amazingly empathetic film that finds the perfect balance between action and conversation, fast cuts and slow motion and has an amazing cast. Go see it on the big screen!
All trailers and more Ryan Gosling Films after the Jump!
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by Lia | Movies
Films entertain and take us to another world. They move and sometimes motivate to rethink, review and possibly even adjust the way we look at the world. Starting next Tuesday I will present new films, films on current topics or films for a certain mood each week. But I wanted to start by introducing myself first. I would have described myself differently yesterday than I would today, so I decided to use films that changed me instead of static verbs.
Whenever I walk into a cinema I get really calm and as soon as the film starts I forget about the world surrounding me and are all-alone with the flickering images. Some films really got a hold of me and released me back into my world with a truly new perspective. I remember all four situations very clearly and like to think back, but all films I do not want to watch again. Out of fear of ruining the memory, respect for the momentum back then and the presumption that the catharsis cannot be reproduced. Strictly subjective the selection might leave you with an impression of who I am and certainly hint at what you can expect on Tuesdays on iHeartBerlin.
See this week’s selection after the jump.
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by Lia | Movies
Since it’s Christmas Eve today, we’ll have a particularily precious fashion film for you today in our Cinéma de Mode: The Lake – directed by director Pierre Debusschere for Nowness starring French actress Isild Le Besco. Enjoy the magical and beautiful fashion short after the jump. Merry Christmas!
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by Frank | Fashion
Just recently I stumbled across the wonderful video that Katja made for our last Designer Scouts event back in July and I realized that I hadn’t shared it with you here yet. So I’ll take this as an opportunity to start a new series on the blog: Cinéma de Mode. What started as a little screening event in our Designer Scouts Showroom at Achteinhalb will now continue as a blog series showing you the best fashion films on the web. So if you happen to know some good fashion films, especially when they have some connection to Berlin, just submit your suggestions to our eMail address on the contact page or post it on our Facebook wall.
After the jump you can enjoy the beautifully summery fashion film The Gardener by Katja Hentschel.
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by Frank | Fashion
When I’m observing tourists in the city I always wonder what they are really looking for. Because Berlin is not really known for its monuments or avenues or sights. Even clubs, theaters or gallerys are not the real essence of the city. What makes this city so unique is the people who live here. As declamatory this may sound. And Berlin is not just made of the hipster crowd consisting of young, lost and indestructible single girls and boys (even if this blog sometimes gives this impression). Berlin is full of normal people who live their life like everybody else. Yes, it’s true that in Berlin there are a lot of hungry artists and foreigners and even some rich bitches. Berlin has all the varieties and the similarities of a big city. Berlin has the extreme and the normal meeting at every street corner without even noticing each other. And Berlin has Gisi. So if you posses a little bit of German skills you should not miss to meet Gisi just after the jump.
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by Claudio | People, Stories
