Film District actually brought two films to comic con today during the same panel. Filmmakers and actors were present for a discussion of “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” and “Drive”. “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” is written by Guillermo del Toro and Directed by Troy Nixey, both were on hand along with Guy Pearce. “Drive” is directed by Nicolas Windin Refn and stars Ryan Gosling, Carrie Mulligan and Ron Perlman; the latter two were present for that film.
I really liked that idea of two films being represented on stage at the same time. Both filmmakers had seen each other’s film and talked quite a bit, not only their own work, but each others. In fact Eric Vespe from AICN was the moderator, cementing my theory that online film journalists are the only ones qualified to moderate these things, but Guillermo and Refn asked more questions to each other then anything else.
We were shown the insanely creepy “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” trailer. The film seems like it could be scary as hell but a lot of fun. I usually don’t spend a lot of time in the theaters watching horror flicks, but I think I might step outside my comfort zone for this one.
We were also treated to the “Drive” trailer. Simply put, the trailer is awesome. Gosling plays a very similar character to Jason Statham’s “Transporter” except that instead of simple transportation, Gosling drives…Period. The film has a great stable of actors that include not only Gosling and Mulligan but Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman and Christina Hendricks. Now, I have yet to see “Bronson” but I absolutely loved “Valhalla Rising”. “Drive” seems extremely macho and wicked fun. Refn discussed the romanticism of Los Angeles. As someone who doesn’t live in the states he was raised on what he had seen in the films about LA and that gave him the motivation to really use Los Angeles as another character in the film. He mentions it being both brutal and beautiful.
We were treated to an exclusive clip from the film that really shows off that beautiful/brutal theme in the film. The clip begins with Gosling and Mulligan entering an elevator with a strange man already inside. After the doors close Gosling begins to eye the stranger. When he discovers the man is armed he moves Mulligan behind him as to shield her from what was about to happen. But first, they have an extremely intimate make-out session in which I almost forgot about the armed stranger. Moments after their lips part, Gosling disarms the man, beats him to the ground and begins stomping on his head until it all but disintegrates. During his rage filled explosion, Mulligan exits the elevator. As Golsing slows and turns she is starring at him outside the elevator. The door close on Gosling then Lights Up.
From the films I’ve seen from both these visionary directors, they seem to have no boundries. Refn himself nailed it on the head by saying “The chief enemy of filmmaking is safety”. Neither of the films presented today seem safe. God bless these filmmakers.
