A24 A-to-Z: #3. "Spring Breakers" (2013)

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

Review: "The Neon Demon" Confrims Refn's Transition From Vulgar Auteur Into An Endurance Test

Scene from The Neon Demon

In 2011, director Nicolas Winding Refn saw himself in a lawsuit over his film Drive. It was claimed that it was misrepresented as a conventional action movie. To general audiences, it was a travesty of boredom. Five years and two movies later, it's hard to imagine what the audience appalled by atmospheric driving sequences would have to say about The Neon Demon: a film that's rich with provocative, sometimes disturbing, imagery that earned a healthy dose of boos at Cannes and for some reason is seen this past weekend in wide release. While a beautiful example of postmodern art, it's a film whose fans will be greatly isolated from the general consensus due to Refn's cryptic style that turns him from an auteur of masculine aggression simply into an endurance test. There's a lot to like about The Neon Demon. One just has to accept that it's buried underneath Refn's clear and distinct vision that is sometimes unpleasant or pretentious. 

The First "Neon Demon" Trailer is a Beautiful, Bloody Vision

Scene from The Neon Demon

Director Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the more interesting directors working today. While he has never sacrificed his style, the bright and popping imagery mixed with violence helped to make his 2011 film Drive a cult favorite. However, his follow-up Only God Forgives received a brutal lashing for being darker and more violent. Still, it reflected Refn's one gift as a filmmaker: he could turn the grotesque into art like nobody else. With his first film since then called The Neon Demon releasing its first trailer, it looks like it'll be more of the same deranged Refn charm. Thankfully, that's enough to get me in the door.

Review: "Only God Forgives" is an Unforgivable Mess

Left to right: Yayaying Rhata Phongam and Ryan Gosling

In 2011, director Nicolas Winding Refn gained an unprecedented amount of overnight success. With the help of Ryan Gosling, he created a beautiful, poetic look at Los Angeles in a genre-bending tale of violence known as Drive. While it bombed at the box office and failed to garner much respect at the Oscars, it did end up as one of the most iconic depictions of cool for the modern generation with an equally infectious Cliff Martinez score. With Refn's follow-up and the second collaboration with Gosling, is it possible for the duo to strike lightning twice, or is Drive one of those rare success stories?

Is "Only God Forgives" Too Violent for an Oscar Nomination?

Ryan Gosling

For people speculating the Oscars, it has been a rough summer. With exception to Fruitvale Station, there haven't been any definite selections. Maybe it is from the bloated output of franchise sequels and remakes. It could just be a lackluster year where Steven Spielberg correctly identified the collapse of blockbuster entertainment. Still, as July starts to wind down, we enter a more enticing season of original fare including The World's End, Elysium, and director Nicolas Winding Refn's follow-up to the iconic Drive known as Only God Forgives with Ryan Gosling. Opening this Friday, is this film able to break the trend of Gosling films getting ignored, or will this just be reprise of Drive?

Review: "Spring Breakers" has Poetic Beauty Partying All Over It

Left to right: Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens,
Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine

When director Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers opened in limited release, nobody expected it to break specialty box office records like the more acclaimed films The Master or Moonrise Kingdom. However, it was only the start of this film's surprise hit status. Starring three Disney starlets, a crazy performance by James Franco, and directed by the guy whose last film was called Trash Humpers, this doesn't seem like a film that deserved a place in this past weekend's Top 10 box office. However, despite polarizing the youthful demographics, the film has been a critical success. How can a film that is essentially extensive partying with nudity and drugs one of the best films of the year so far?