Johnny Jewel — née John Padgett — is the staggeringly productive force behind that glistening, nocturnal, electro-noir synth pop you heard in Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive." Almost four years later, he brings his signature genre-bending style back to the screen for his pal Ryan Gosling's dark fairytale "Lost River." But in between, he juggled running his own label, Italians Do It Better, while playing in several of its bands including Glass Candy and Chromatics, doing for-hire TV work and squirreling money away for his own super-secret side projects. His "Lost River" journey began around 2008 when he supplied tracks for "Bronson" director Refn, who brought Jewel on for the acclaimed "Drive," starring and produced by Gosling. By now, Jewel and Gosling have learned to talk each other in a kind of creative frenzy, a simpatico mind meld that makes for a unique director/composer pairing. "When you're creating a world, there's a.
- 4/20/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Ryan Gosling's directorial debut Lost River hits limited theaters and Digital HD on April 10 and it has already been announced it will be arriving on DVD and Blu-ray on May 5, but today we're going to talk about the film's score, which is now available to be listened to in its entirety directly below. amz asin="B00TJ8VOY0" size="small"Johnny Jewel provides the score while his electronic, synth group the Chromatics have a couple tracks, as does Glass Candy, with stars Saoirse Ronan, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn and Matt Smith providing some vocals. And if you were getting a Nicolas Winding Refn vibe from the trailers, you're going to get even more from the music as the first two tracks alone -- "Tell Me" and "Yes" -- could have probably found their way easily into either Drive or Only God Forgives. It's available for purchase right now on iTunes.
- 3/31/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
If you haven’t watched the trailer to Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut called Lost River, correct that now. While early buzz has been mixed, I’m excited to see the film. I think it is also cool that Johnny Jewel scored the film, considering he was going to be the original composer for Refn’s Drive (See Symmetry: Themes for an Imaginary Film where some of Jewel’s ideas and possibly leftout compositions lay). Lost River looks dreamy, hypnotic and a nightmare of Americana.
From the Press Release
Performer/producer/visual artist and composer Johnny Jewel scores Warner Bros.’ thriller Lost River, opening in theaters April 10, 2015.
Directed and written by Ryan Gosling, Lost River is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger starring Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes, and Ben Mendelsohn. The multi-talented Jewel provides a grainy analog synth score...
From the Press Release
Performer/producer/visual artist and composer Johnny Jewel scores Warner Bros.’ thriller Lost River, opening in theaters April 10, 2015.
Directed and written by Ryan Gosling, Lost River is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger starring Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes, and Ben Mendelsohn. The multi-talented Jewel provides a grainy analog synth score...
- 3/31/2015
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
Performer/producer/visual artist and composer Johnny Jewel scores Warner Bros.’ thriller Lost River, opening in theaters April 10, 2015.
Directed and written by Ryan Gosling, Lost River is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger starring Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes, and Ben Mendelsohn. The multi-talented Jewel provides a grainy analog synth score that is both emotive and haunting, setting the tone for film’s dreamlike setting.
The Lost River soundtrack is available March 30th, 2015 on Jewel’s Italians Do It Better record label and will feature original tracks from the Chromatics, Desire, and Glass Candy.
In the virtually abandoned city of Lost River, a single mother of two (Hendricks) is led into a macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her family together.
Gosling had approached Johnny Jewel to score his directorial debut “Lost River” while...
Directed and written by Ryan Gosling, Lost River is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger starring Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes, and Ben Mendelsohn. The multi-talented Jewel provides a grainy analog synth score that is both emotive and haunting, setting the tone for film’s dreamlike setting.
The Lost River soundtrack is available March 30th, 2015 on Jewel’s Italians Do It Better record label and will feature original tracks from the Chromatics, Desire, and Glass Candy.
In the virtually abandoned city of Lost River, a single mother of two (Hendricks) is led into a macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her family together.
Gosling had approached Johnny Jewel to score his directorial debut “Lost River” while...
- 3/31/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It’s safe to say as Nicolas Winding Refn’s current muse, actor-turned-director Ryan Gosling, is also heavily influenced by his filmmaker friend. Take Gosling’s directorial debut “Lost River,” which is scored by dreamy analogue synth artist Johnny Jewel (who’s also in the bands Glass Candy, Chromatics Desire and Symmetry). Before scoring Gosling’s entire film, Jewel was probably best known for his musical contributions to Refn’s “Bronson” and “Drive.” So perhaps taking cues from his main bro (who has defended the actor’s film vigorously), Gosling tapped Jewel to write the entire score to his polarizing debut “Lost Rive,r” which some have compared to David Lynch, and yes, a little bit of Refn, too (here’s our review). In a press release from a few months back, Jewel said, "When Ryan e-mailed me the script my immediate feeling was that the whole film should be...
- 2/19/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Earlier this week brought the first trailer for Ryan Gosling’s much derided directorial debut “Lost River.” The striking dreamlike imagery of the trailer —photographed by “Enter The Void” and “Spring Breakers” Dp Benoit Debie— was cut to the equally gorgeous score from Johnny Jewel, and an excerpt from that soundtrack has arrived online. The Jewel and Gosling relationship stretches back to 2011’s “Drive," when Jewel scored the Nicolas Winding Refn film before the studio replaced it with a Cliff Martinez score. A pair of songs from Jewels’ bands did end up on the soundtrack to great effect —Chromatics’ ”Tick of the Clock“ and Desire’s ”Under Your Spell"— but it’s clear that he still had that itch to score a film and he’s scratched it pretty well with Gosling’s film. Our review from last year’s Cannes may have been ultimately disappointed by “the emptiness at [the] center” of Gosling’s film,...
- 2/5/2015
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut film, Lost River, will open April 10 for a theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles and will also be available same day via national digital release in the U.S.
This news comes the same day as the announcement of the film’s North American premiere being part of the SXSW Film Festival, running March 13 – 21 in Austin Texas.
The film, from Sierra Affinity, Phantasma Films and Bold Films, stars Christina Hendricks (TV’s “Mad Men”), Saoirse Ronan (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”), Iain De Caestecker (TV’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Matt Smith (TV’s “Doctor Who”), Reda Kateb (“Zero Dark Thirty”), Barbara Steele (TV’s “Dark Shadows”), with Eva Mendes (“The Place Beyond the Pines”), and Ben Mendelsohn (“The Dark Knight Rises”).
In addition to directing the film, Gosling also wrote the screenplay. The producers are Marc Platt (“Into the Woods”), Gosling,...
This news comes the same day as the announcement of the film’s North American premiere being part of the SXSW Film Festival, running March 13 – 21 in Austin Texas.
The film, from Sierra Affinity, Phantasma Films and Bold Films, stars Christina Hendricks (TV’s “Mad Men”), Saoirse Ronan (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”), Iain De Caestecker (TV’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Matt Smith (TV’s “Doctor Who”), Reda Kateb (“Zero Dark Thirty”), Barbara Steele (TV’s “Dark Shadows”), with Eva Mendes (“The Place Beyond the Pines”), and Ben Mendelsohn (“The Dark Knight Rises”).
In addition to directing the film, Gosling also wrote the screenplay. The producers are Marc Platt (“Into the Woods”), Gosling,...
- 2/4/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Just three years ago, Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” blindsided everyone with a film in which almost every individual aspect was familiar, but whose total tone seemed to come from a place where the best and bleakest bits of the '80s never stopped happening. The indie landscape now feels different because of it: low-light, high-rise, grease-slicked cities full of nameless loners and revving engines have sprawled across our screens and consciousnesses: see also the recent “Nightcrawler.” But how “Drive” looked was only part of what had us all rushing out to buy muscle cars and scorpion jackets: the soundtrack also played a huge role, encapsulating the alter-80s feel by featuring only current artists, but ones whose music owes a huge debt to the era of synth and groove. Alongside Cliff Martinez’s low-level, pulse-like score, the half-dozen tracks stood out, and are all still immediately memorable: Chromatics’ “Tick...
- 11/6/2014
- by Ben Brock
- The Playlist
Zane Lowe has defended his forthcoming BBC Radio 1 Drive soundtrack project.
The DJ has curated a new soundtrack for Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn's cult hit, bringing in Chvrches, The 1975, Baauer, Banks, Bastille, Bring Me the Horizon, Eric Prydz, Jon Hopkins, Laura Mvula, The Neighbourhood and Zcc (Simon Neil) to create new music.
The re-scored film will be shown on BBC Three on October 30 at 10pm.
Despite backing from director Refn and the makers of the 2011 film, fans have taken to social media to voice their objection to replacing the likes of Kavinsky, College, Electric Youth and Chromatics from the original soundtrack.
"I've read some messages from people who are either confused or angry about #R1Drive. Its important to say no-one is trying to improve here," Lowe wrote on his Twitter page, adding that "the experiment comes from a place of respect".
"It is a parallel experience...
The DJ has curated a new soundtrack for Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn's cult hit, bringing in Chvrches, The 1975, Baauer, Banks, Bastille, Bring Me the Horizon, Eric Prydz, Jon Hopkins, Laura Mvula, The Neighbourhood and Zcc (Simon Neil) to create new music.
The re-scored film will be shown on BBC Three on October 30 at 10pm.
Despite backing from director Refn and the makers of the 2011 film, fans have taken to social media to voice their objection to replacing the likes of Kavinsky, College, Electric Youth and Chromatics from the original soundtrack.
"I've read some messages from people who are either confused or angry about #R1Drive. Its important to say no-one is trying to improve here," Lowe wrote on his Twitter page, adding that "the experiment comes from a place of respect".
"It is a parallel experience...
- 10/22/2014
- Digital Spy
One of the most acclaimed elements of Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" was the score - a blend of original electronic numbers by composer Cliff Martinez along with a couple of key pop songs such as College & Electric Youth's "A Real Hero," The Chromatics' "Tick of the Clock" and Kavinsky and Lovefoxxx's "Nightcall".
For a film with minimal dialogue, the score played a very important part in generating that film's sense of tone. Now, in an intersting experiment, Radio 1 and BBC Three have announced plans to rescore the entire film for a one-time only broadcast in the UK next week.
Zane Lowe is curating the project which is being dubbed "Radio 1 Rescores: Drive," which suggests there may be more re-score broadcasts of this type on the way.
The new score will boast all original music from thirteen bands/artists including the likes of - The 1975, Baauer, Banks, Bastille,...
For a film with minimal dialogue, the score played a very important part in generating that film's sense of tone. Now, in an intersting experiment, Radio 1 and BBC Three have announced plans to rescore the entire film for a one-time only broadcast in the UK next week.
Zane Lowe is curating the project which is being dubbed "Radio 1 Rescores: Drive," which suggests there may be more re-score broadcasts of this type on the way.
The new score will boast all original music from thirteen bands/artists including the likes of - The 1975, Baauer, Banks, Bastille,...
- 10/21/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Part of the reason Nicolas Winding Refn‘s film Drive took on an unusual life was the film’s skillful use of music. Beyond the original electronic compositions from Cliff Martinez (The Knick, Only God Forgives), the heartbeat of the very quiet film was provided by pop and electronic songs from Kavinsky and Chromatics. Music was a more […]
The post ‘Drive’ Gets a New Soundtrack for UK Broadcast appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Drive’ Gets a New Soundtrack for UK Broadcast appeared first on /Film.
- 10/20/2014
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Zane Lowe is curating a new soundtrack for the Ryan Gosling film Drive.
The DJ is collating music from Chvrches, Foals and Sbtrkt, who are covering tracks from the 2011 cult hit by the likes of Kavinsky, College featuring Electric Youth and Chromatics.
The 1975, Baauer, Banks, Bastille, Bring Me the Horizon, Eric Prydz, Jon Hopkins, Laura Mvula, The Neighbourhood and Zcc (Simon Neil) will also feature on the new soundtrack.
Listen to Chvrches cover 'Get Away' for Radio 1 Rescores: Drive below:
The film, complete with reworked soundtrack, will be shown on October 30 at 10pm on BBC Three.
Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn spoke about the project, saying: "I consider it a great honour that my movie Drive inspired so many wonderful artists to come together and create one ultra-cool glam experience."
Watch a trailer for Radio 1 Rescores: Drive below:...
The DJ is collating music from Chvrches, Foals and Sbtrkt, who are covering tracks from the 2011 cult hit by the likes of Kavinsky, College featuring Electric Youth and Chromatics.
The 1975, Baauer, Banks, Bastille, Bring Me the Horizon, Eric Prydz, Jon Hopkins, Laura Mvula, The Neighbourhood and Zcc (Simon Neil) will also feature on the new soundtrack.
Listen to Chvrches cover 'Get Away' for Radio 1 Rescores: Drive below:
The film, complete with reworked soundtrack, will be shown on October 30 at 10pm on BBC Three.
Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn spoke about the project, saying: "I consider it a great honour that my movie Drive inspired so many wonderful artists to come together and create one ultra-cool glam experience."
Watch a trailer for Radio 1 Rescores: Drive below:...
- 10/20/2014
- Digital Spy
Quite simply, the soundtrack to Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" is one of the best of the past few years. Seamlessly blending Cliff Martinez's distinct, throbbing score with retro-future jams by Kavinsky, College, Chromatics, and Desire, the entire sonic palette helped inform the neon mood of the Ryan Gosling starring film. But what happens when you drape the movie with a bunch of random new music? Well, you're about to find out. BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe has undertaken the task of rescoring "Drive," with Chvrches, Foals, Sbtrkt, Jon Hopkins, Laura Mvula, the 1975, Baauer, Banks, Bastille, Bring Me The Horizon, Eric Prydz, the Neighbourhood, and Zcc (aka Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro) all tapped to provide new exclusive music. A 30-second trailer—with Lowe talking all over it—does preview a bit of what it will sound like, and, unsurprisingly, results may vary. Refn carefully crafted his film with...
- 10/20/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
“Only God Forgives” may have had a divisive reception, but it doesn’t lessen the impact that 2011’s “Drive” —Nicolas Winding Refn’s first collaboration with Ryan Gosling—continues to have on the pop culture landscape even today. With last week’s release of “Grand Theft Auto V”—which banked $800 million its first day, thank you very much—a fan video placing Refn’s film in the context of the blockbuster video game franchise has arrived online along with details about an easter egg that fans of the film should enjoy. Over the weekend a video cutting the opening heist scene from “Drive” into gameplay footage from“Grand Theft Auto IV” and “GTA V” arrived online (via Kotaku). While the effect isn’t exactly seamless—for all of video games’ technological advancements, they still can’t compete with Newton Thomas Sigel’s cinematography and the Arri Alexa (and it’s...
- 9/24/2013
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
He has played the drums on albums by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Captain Beefheart. He once drummed for 72 hours without stopping. He has worked on almost a dozen Steven Soderbergh films. Cliff Martinez is… the most interesting film composer in the world.No, seriously. You can keep your Howard Shores and your Hans Zimmers. We bet they would have given Nicolas Winding Refn's “Drive” a thudding, portentous action-movie soundtrack; it took Martinez to see that what it somehow needed was a sickly sheen of 80s electronica, both in new pieces written by him and provided the likes of Chromatics, Kavinsky, Desire and more. It was a decision brilliant enough to get him a gig on Refn's “Only GodForgives,” which Martinez added his own throbbing score alongside selections of Thai pop.Now Martinez has opened up about his next project, the score for a French action movie—described as “Die Hard” meets “Taken,...
- 7/24/2013
- by Ben Brock
- The Playlist
If you're a fan of "Drive," you may be familiar with the bands who delivered some of the neon-slicked tunes — Chromatics ("Tick Of The Clock") and Desire ("Under Your Spell") — but you might not know the name behind them: Johnny Jewel. He co-wrote those two songs, produced some of the other key tracks and was pretty much instrumental in providing the sound (along with Cliff Martinez's score) that became part of they key textures of the film, and it looks like Ryan Gosling really appreciated his work as well. Speaking with Noisey, he revealed that he's currently writing music for "How To Catch A Monster," the actor's directorial debut starring Christina Hendricks, Ben Mendelsohn, Eva Mendes, Saoirse Ronan and "Doctor Who" star Matt Smith. "It’s more doo-wop, disintegrated rockabilly mixed in with industrial sounds. So we’ve been listening to a lot of Alan Vega and the Shangri-La’s,...
- 7/24/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Turbo
Directed by: David Soren
Starring: (voices of) Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Giamatti
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Release Date: July 19, 2013
Trailer Score: 8/10
Thoughts by Tsr: As enjoyable as these 80 seconds are, the single best thing about this teaser is how it calls to mind Drive (this led me to watch it as my first film of 2013, in fact). No, there isn’t any head stomping or anything of the sort to be found here. It’s simply the use of “Tick Of The Clock” by Chromatics, and it immediately put me in a good headspace for this teaser. It’s not often that an animated feature from DreamWorks affords an opportunity to talk about something like Drive, so obviously I wasn’t going to let that go to waste, but let’s go ahead and focus squarely on Turbo.
Despite not showing a whole lot, this is a perfectly enjoyable and effective teaser.
Directed by: David Soren
Starring: (voices of) Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Giamatti
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Release Date: July 19, 2013
Trailer Score: 8/10
Thoughts by Tsr: As enjoyable as these 80 seconds are, the single best thing about this teaser is how it calls to mind Drive (this led me to watch it as my first film of 2013, in fact). No, there isn’t any head stomping or anything of the sort to be found here. It’s simply the use of “Tick Of The Clock” by Chromatics, and it immediately put me in a good headspace for this teaser. It’s not often that an animated feature from DreamWorks affords an opportunity to talk about something like Drive, so obviously I wasn’t going to let that go to waste, but let’s go ahead and focus squarely on Turbo.
Despite not showing a whole lot, this is a perfectly enjoyable and effective teaser.
- 1/3/2013
- by Shane T. Nier
- The Scorecard Review
2013 looks to be a particularly exciting year for feature animation, with new efforts from almost all the major animation houses, some hotly anticipated sequels (hello, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”), features from some of our favorite filmmakers (Chris Sanders, Hayao Miyazaki) and even a brand new Disney princess movie (“Frozen,” which from everything we’ve heard is going to be ah-mah-zing). One of the bigger question marks for the 2013 slate, though, has been “Turbo,” DreamWorks Animation’s story of a speed-racing snail. Well, we’ve now gotten a brief glimpse of the movie thanks to a teaser and new poster (both courtesy of Collider) and we’ve got to say, it could be pretty fun. The teaser starts off with the Chromatics’ “Tick of the Clock,” the same music that memorably opened “Drive” (because a lot of ten-year-olds loved that movie), with some generic animation of F1 racecars...
- 12/21/2012
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
The first few seconds of DreamWorks Animation’s teaser trailer for this upcoming summer’s Turbo might lead you to believe the studio is ripping off Pixar’s hugely successful Cars, but stick with the video and you’ll find the star of the film isn’t actually an automobile or racecar driver: It’s a snail.
The movie, set for release on July 19th, 2013, tells the story of an underdog snail (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) who gains super-speed abilities and dreams of winning the Indy 500. While the teaser doesn’t show us much, it does give a throwback to a decidedly less-kid-friendly film: last year’s Drive. Turbo‘s trailer features the Chromatics’ Tick of the Clock, and you’ll instantly be brought back to the violent tale which starred Ryan Gosling.
Also lending their voices to the project are Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzmán, Bill Hader, Richard Jenkins,...
The movie, set for release on July 19th, 2013, tells the story of an underdog snail (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) who gains super-speed abilities and dreams of winning the Indy 500. While the teaser doesn’t show us much, it does give a throwback to a decidedly less-kid-friendly film: last year’s Drive. Turbo‘s trailer features the Chromatics’ Tick of the Clock, and you’ll instantly be brought back to the violent tale which starred Ryan Gosling.
Also lending their voices to the project are Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzmán, Bill Hader, Richard Jenkins,...
- 12/20/2012
- by Nicolien Buholzer
- We Got This Covered
Nicolas Winding Refn sure did the Chromatics a favor when he included "Tick of the Clock" in Drive. A snippet from the song serves as the outro to the RopeofSilicon Podcast and is now featured in the first trailer for the upcoming Dreamworks Animation feature Turbo. Voiced by Ryan Reynolds, Turbo is a snail who dreams of being the greatest racer in the world, just like his hero, 5-time Indianapolis 500 champ, Guy Gagne. His obsession with speed and all things fast has made him an oddity and outsider in the slow and cautious snail community, and a constant embarrassment to his careful older brother, Chet. Turbo desperately wishes he could escape the slow-paced life he's living. As luck would have it, he gets that chance one fateful day after a freak accident when he suddenly finds himself vested with the power of incredible speed. Turbo embarks on an extraordinary...
- 12/20/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Taken 2
Directed by: Olivier Megaton
Cast: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Rade Serbedzija, Famke Janssen
Running Time: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: October 5, 2012
Plot: A bodyguard (Neeson) is kidnapped along with his wife (Janssen) by men attempting to avenge their brethren who he previously killed.
Who’S It For? If the first Taken movie felt like a surge of ass-kicking action, well, here’s a disappointing second serving. Those who own Taken will likely appreciate this movie more, as it will at least remind those lucky few of what awaits at home.
Expectations: Late January moviegoers back in 2009 were hyped on Taken for the surprising ruthlessness it offered, along with the introduction to Neeson as a Jack Bauer-esque, super-American super badass. But now that we are more used to Neeson in these action roles, both good and bad, would another Taken movie be able to hit as hard, if at all?...
Directed by: Olivier Megaton
Cast: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Rade Serbedzija, Famke Janssen
Running Time: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: October 5, 2012
Plot: A bodyguard (Neeson) is kidnapped along with his wife (Janssen) by men attempting to avenge their brethren who he previously killed.
Who’S It For? If the first Taken movie felt like a surge of ass-kicking action, well, here’s a disappointing second serving. Those who own Taken will likely appreciate this movie more, as it will at least remind those lucky few of what awaits at home.
Expectations: Late January moviegoers back in 2009 were hyped on Taken for the surprising ruthlessness it offered, along with the introduction to Neeson as a Jack Bauer-esque, super-American super badass. But now that we are more used to Neeson in these action roles, both good and bad, would another Taken movie be able to hit as hard, if at all?...
- 10/7/2012
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
I walked into Taken 2 with very low expectations only to learn they should have been lower. This is the film we all thought the first would be, only to come away saying, That actually wasn't all that bad. What's worse is Taken 2 doesn't fail due to the contrived premise. By merely showing up we've accepted the idea that once again Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is going to have to save his family after they've been kidnapped. The idea was made plausible enough the first time, despite its ridiculous set up. But for as ridiculous as the last film was, with Mills able to track his daughter down in a city of millions of people, you haven't seen ridiculous until you've seen Taken 2. Grenades, steam signals and circles on maps are just the start of the hilarity. From the beginning our timeline is thrown off as we're seeing...
- 10/5/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Back in 2008 an unlikely action star was born in Liam Neeson, the stoic "very serious actor" (and occasional Jedi) who, with one film, transformed himself from a handsome character actor to a powerful leading man. Since "Taken" was released he has battled all manner of foe -- wolves, battleship aliens, terrorists, maybe a ghost, the rest of the cast of "The A-Team" -- and come out on top, snarling and probably smoking some kind of cigar. Well, this week he returns to the movie that made him the six-foot-tall punching machine we love him to be. In "Taken 2," which costars original cast members Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace, the whole family is in jeopardy after the relatives of the two dozen people Neeson mowed down in the first one come looking for revenge. Bloody, bloody revenge. Luckily, Neeson has a particular set of skills… (Warning: Spoilers Below) Pro: It's...
- 10/3/2012
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
Listen, we know that songs are never just used once, and popular tunes can be utilized across any number of films. And if we're going to get technical about this whole thing, Kavinsky & Lovefoxx's "Nightcall" actually featured on "The Lincoln Lawyer" soundtrack before it became massive with "Drive" (though music supervisor Eric Craig worked on both films). But it's undeniable that Nicolas Winding Refn's film was one of the big soundtrack stories of 2011, spawning a "Drive" tour with the bands this spring, and a vinyl reissue of the album this summer, so this move by whoever is working on "Taken 2" feels a bit lazy. As Bryan Mills works his way across Istanbul kicking ass, you will be hearing at some point "A Real Hero" by College & Electric Youth and "Tick Of The Clock" by Chromatics, two of the centerpiece songs from "Drive." Considering that "Taken 2" only has a.
- 9/22/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
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