A pandemic and the closure of cinemas didn’t stop Cannes Film Festival-winning Nicolas Winding Refn from creating, the Drive filmmaker hunkering down with his family to make the new noir Netflix series Copenhagen Cowboy which drops on Thursday, January 5.
The six-episode series follows Mui, a lone wolf protagonist much like the crime crusaders in Refn’s repertoire, i.e. Ryan Gosling’s Driver in Drive and Julian in Only God Forgives, and Mads Mikkelsen’s Tony in the director’s Pusher franchise. Known to possess a gift, Mui is bought as a “lucky coin” to help cure a much older woman’s fertility problems.
You can listen to our conversation below:
Angela Bundalovic stars as Miu in ‘Copenhagen Cowboy’, courtesy of Netflix.
“As Mui sees, she’s all evil and she needs to clean house,” explains Refn as the protag is thrusted into a gangster underworld that spans Copenhagen...
The six-episode series follows Mui, a lone wolf protagonist much like the crime crusaders in Refn’s repertoire, i.e. Ryan Gosling’s Driver in Drive and Julian in Only God Forgives, and Mads Mikkelsen’s Tony in the director’s Pusher franchise. Known to possess a gift, Mui is bought as a “lucky coin” to help cure a much older woman’s fertility problems.
You can listen to our conversation below:
Angela Bundalovic stars as Miu in ‘Copenhagen Cowboy’, courtesy of Netflix.
“As Mui sees, she’s all evil and she needs to clean house,” explains Refn as the protag is thrusted into a gangster underworld that spans Copenhagen...
- 12/28/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Are you ready for a taste of ... Netflix Winding Refn?
Yes, filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn has returned to his native Denmark for his newest project, "Copenhagen Cowboy." His second venture into the world of streaming after the 2019 crime drama "Too Old to Die Young" but his first with Netflix, "Copenhagen Cowboy" is a six-part tale centered on a mostly-silent, enigmatic lead prone to shocking outbursts of violence as they undertake a dangerous odyssey across a neon-soaked criminal underworld. It is, in other words, a Nicolas Winding Refn creation through and through.
In this case, however, "Copenhagen Cowboy" was actually cooked up during the pandemic lockdowns by Refn, his wife Liv Corfixen (who's also a producer on the series), and their daughter Lola Corfixen, the latter of whom co-stars as the character Rakel. Speaking at a press conference at the 2022 Venice Film Festival (via Deadline), where the show made its debut,...
Yes, filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn has returned to his native Denmark for his newest project, "Copenhagen Cowboy." His second venture into the world of streaming after the 2019 crime drama "Too Old to Die Young" but his first with Netflix, "Copenhagen Cowboy" is a six-part tale centered on a mostly-silent, enigmatic lead prone to shocking outbursts of violence as they undertake a dangerous odyssey across a neon-soaked criminal underworld. It is, in other words, a Nicolas Winding Refn creation through and through.
In this case, however, "Copenhagen Cowboy" was actually cooked up during the pandemic lockdowns by Refn, his wife Liv Corfixen (who's also a producer on the series), and their daughter Lola Corfixen, the latter of whom co-stars as the character Rakel. Speaking at a press conference at the 2022 Venice Film Festival (via Deadline), where the show made its debut,...
- 11/23/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Nicolas Winding Refn is bringing his signature stylized violence to Netflix. The “Drive” director’s upcoming miniseries “Copenhagen Cowboy” is set to release January 5. In addition, a trailer for the series dropped on Wednesday, and you can watch it below.
The six-episode series stars Angela Bundalovic as Miu, an enigmatic young woman who has devoted her life to serving a shadowy criminal organization. Returning to her hometown of Copenhagen, Miu goes on a surreal, supernatural odyssey through the seedy underbelly of the city, in an attempt to track down and defeat her archenemy Rakel (Lola Corfixen). Based on the trailer, Miu’s journey carries all the hallmarks of Winding Refn’s filmmaking, with neon lighting, a synthwave soundtrack, and tons of bloodshed.
“I don’t know who you are, or know what you’re capable of, but people around you die,” a character narrates about Miu in the trailer. “Either that,...
The six-episode series stars Angela Bundalovic as Miu, an enigmatic young woman who has devoted her life to serving a shadowy criminal organization. Returning to her hometown of Copenhagen, Miu goes on a surreal, supernatural odyssey through the seedy underbelly of the city, in an attempt to track down and defeat her archenemy Rakel (Lola Corfixen). Based on the trailer, Miu’s journey carries all the hallmarks of Winding Refn’s filmmaking, with neon lighting, a synthwave soundtrack, and tons of bloodshed.
“I don’t know who you are, or know what you’re capable of, but people around you die,” a character narrates about Miu in the trailer. “Either that,...
- 11/23/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
After providing a brief look at Nicolas Winding Refn’s upcoming six-episode series Copenhagen Cowboy in September, Netflix today has dropped the first full official trailer (check it out above). The streamer has also set the global launch for January 5, 2023.
The neon-drenched noir series follows enigmatic young heroine, Miu (Angela Bundalovic). After a lifetime of servitude and on the verge of a new beginning, she traverses the ominous landscape of Copenhagen’s criminal netherworld. Searching for justice and enacting vengeance, she encounters her nemesis, Rakel (Lola Corfixen), as they embark on an odyssey through the natural and the supernatural. The past ultimately transforms and defines their future, as the two women discover they are not alone, they are many.
Also starring are Zlatko Buric, Andreas Lykke Jørgensen, Jason Hendil-Forssell, LiIi Zhang and Dragana Milutinovic.
The series originally debuted at the Venice Film Festival. When it was first announced, Winding Refn, the filmmaker behind the Pusher trilogy, Drive and The Neon Demon, said, “With Copenhagen Cowboy, I am returning to my past to shape my future by creating a series, an expansion of my constantly evolving alter-egos, now in the form of my young heroine, Miu.”...
The neon-drenched noir series follows enigmatic young heroine, Miu (Angela Bundalovic). After a lifetime of servitude and on the verge of a new beginning, she traverses the ominous landscape of Copenhagen’s criminal netherworld. Searching for justice and enacting vengeance, she encounters her nemesis, Rakel (Lola Corfixen), as they embark on an odyssey through the natural and the supernatural. The past ultimately transforms and defines their future, as the two women discover they are not alone, they are many.
Also starring are Zlatko Buric, Andreas Lykke Jørgensen, Jason Hendil-Forssell, LiIi Zhang and Dragana Milutinovic.
The series originally debuted at the Venice Film Festival. When it was first announced, Winding Refn, the filmmaker behind the Pusher trilogy, Drive and The Neon Demon, said, “With Copenhagen Cowboy, I am returning to my past to shape my future by creating a series, an expansion of my constantly evolving alter-egos, now in the form of my young heroine, Miu.”...
- 11/23/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicolas Winding Refn‘s upcoming Netflix series “Copenhagen Cowboy” premieres today at the Venice Film Festival, his first project in three years. It’s also his first project in his native Denmark in fifteen years. So, what should fans of the provocateur expect from this homecoming? After all, the series stars Refn’s daughter, Lola Corfixen, while his wife, Liv Corfixen, also produces.
Continue reading ‘Copenhagen Cowboy’: Nicolas Winding Refn Says Netflix Series Is A “Female Evolution” Of Male Characters From His Earlier Work at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Copenhagen Cowboy’: Nicolas Winding Refn Says Netflix Series Is A “Female Evolution” Of Male Characters From His Earlier Work at The Playlist.
- 9/9/2022
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Nicolas Winding Refn says that the characters in his upcoming Netflix series Copenhagen Cowboy, are a “female evolution” of characters from previous projects such as Valhalla Rising, Drive and Only God Forgives.
Speaking at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival today, the Danish helmer said, “I’ve done films in the past with a certain type of character that was first played by Mads Mikkelsen in Valhalla Rising on one hand and then Ryan Gosling played him as a driver in Drive and then Vithaya [Pansringarm] played him as a lieutenant in Only God Forgives.
“So, I was working with Robert Wade and Neal Purvis, or Purvis and Wade as they are called, on a larger female evolution of that character and then suddenly one night, I was like, ‘maybe I should try to do a version of it as female and not just one but many.’ So, I said,...
Speaking at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival today, the Danish helmer said, “I’ve done films in the past with a certain type of character that was first played by Mads Mikkelsen in Valhalla Rising on one hand and then Ryan Gosling played him as a driver in Drive and then Vithaya [Pansringarm] played him as a lieutenant in Only God Forgives.
“So, I was working with Robert Wade and Neal Purvis, or Purvis and Wade as they are called, on a larger female evolution of that character and then suddenly one night, I was like, ‘maybe I should try to do a version of it as female and not just one but many.’ So, I said,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicolas Winding Refn has brought his neon-soaked, egotistical self back to his native Denmark for the first time in over a decade. The man behind "Drive" has not directed a project there since 2009's "Valhalla Rising," and it has been even longer since he made something in Danish. Now, we have "Copenhagen Cowboy," his latest venture into the world of episodic television after his Miles Teller starring Prime Video miniseries "Too Old to Die Young."
Refn cooked up "Copenhagen Cowboy" with his wife Liv Corfixen while his family were trapped at home during lockdown. This is a family affair, also starring their daughters Lola and Lizzielou Corfixen, and Refn could not be more pleased about that, telling Variety:
"It became a wonderful creative process where I was no longer living in two separate worlds as a creator by day and a family man by night. It's a new chapter in...
Refn cooked up "Copenhagen Cowboy" with his wife Liv Corfixen while his family were trapped at home during lockdown. This is a family affair, also starring their daughters Lola and Lizzielou Corfixen, and Refn could not be more pleased about that, telling Variety:
"It became a wonderful creative process where I was no longer living in two separate worlds as a creator by day and a family man by night. It's a new chapter in...
- 9/4/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
It took a pandemic and a lockdown for “Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn to make a directorial comeback in Denmark, where he had delivered the “Pusher” trilogy early in his career.
“Sometimes the strangest things come in mysterious ways, and this is one of those,” Refn says of “Copenhagen Cowboy,” his Netflix original series, slated to world premiere Sept. 9 at the Venice Film Festival.
Since “Drive,” Winding Refn has directed the Bangkok-set thriller “Only God Forgives,” with “Drive” star Ryan Gosling; “The Neon Demon,” with Elle Fanning playing an aspiring model in Los Angeles.; and the Amazon Prime Video series “Too Old to Die Young,” starring Miles Teller as a grieving cop in crime-ridden Southern California. He was preparing another project set abroad when the pandemic hit.
“We were stuck as a family back in Denmark and I came up with this idea,” he says, noting his wife, Liv Corfixen,...
“Sometimes the strangest things come in mysterious ways, and this is one of those,” Refn says of “Copenhagen Cowboy,” his Netflix original series, slated to world premiere Sept. 9 at the Venice Film Festival.
Since “Drive,” Winding Refn has directed the Bangkok-set thriller “Only God Forgives,” with “Drive” star Ryan Gosling; “The Neon Demon,” with Elle Fanning playing an aspiring model in Los Angeles.; and the Amazon Prime Video series “Too Old to Die Young,” starring Miles Teller as a grieving cop in crime-ridden Southern California. He was preparing another project set abroad when the pandemic hit.
“We were stuck as a family back in Denmark and I came up with this idea,” he says, noting his wife, Liv Corfixen,...
- 9/4/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Nicolas Winding Refn always has a lot to say, and he always says it well: at his press conference at the Cannes Film Festival with star Miles Teller for his new Amazon series “Too Old to Die Young” he made himself very clear about what’s ahead for the film industry.
“This is a 13-hour movie, and it’s streaming,” Refn said. “This is the future, which is streaming.”
His last theatrical release, 2016’s “The Neon Demon” was distributed by Amazon Studios. “Amazon said, ‘What do you want to do next?’ And I was like, ‘I want to do a TV series.’ The word around Hollywood was, ‘You gotta get into TV. You gotta get into TV.’ But I don’t really watch that much TV.”
Refn’s inspiration for “Too Old to Die Young,” and its riddle-like title, came to him while he was sitting in a car in Los Angeles.
“This is a 13-hour movie, and it’s streaming,” Refn said. “This is the future, which is streaming.”
His last theatrical release, 2016’s “The Neon Demon” was distributed by Amazon Studios. “Amazon said, ‘What do you want to do next?’ And I was like, ‘I want to do a TV series.’ The word around Hollywood was, ‘You gotta get into TV. You gotta get into TV.’ But I don’t really watch that much TV.”
Refn’s inspiration for “Too Old to Die Young,” and its riddle-like title, came to him while he was sitting in a car in Los Angeles.
- 5/18/2019
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Ryan Lambie Nov 1, 2016
Maverick director Nicolas Winding Refn talks to us about The Neon Demon, out this month on disc, and creativity in the digital age...
The breakthrough hit Drive aside, Nicolas Winding Refn's films seldom play nicely with their audience. Only God Forgives, the Danish director's follow-up to Drive and also starring Ryan Gosling, was a garish revenge fantasy set in Thailand but seemingly shot in the depths of hell; released in 2013, it received an openly hostile reception at Cannes.
See related Crazyhead episode 2 review: A Pine Fresh Scent Crazyhead episode 1 review: A Very Trippy Horse Buffy The Vampire Slayer: an episode roadmap for beginners Wolfblood: Buffy for the Cbbc generation
Likewise The Neon Demon, another fantastical horror-thriller which depicts Hollywood as a kind of colour-saturated purgatory. Young waif Jessie (Elle Fanning) shows up here with ambitions of becoming a top model; she achieves her ambition, but...
Maverick director Nicolas Winding Refn talks to us about The Neon Demon, out this month on disc, and creativity in the digital age...
The breakthrough hit Drive aside, Nicolas Winding Refn's films seldom play nicely with their audience. Only God Forgives, the Danish director's follow-up to Drive and also starring Ryan Gosling, was a garish revenge fantasy set in Thailand but seemingly shot in the depths of hell; released in 2013, it received an openly hostile reception at Cannes.
See related Crazyhead episode 2 review: A Pine Fresh Scent Crazyhead episode 1 review: A Very Trippy Horse Buffy The Vampire Slayer: an episode roadmap for beginners Wolfblood: Buffy for the Cbbc generation
Likewise The Neon Demon, another fantastical horror-thriller which depicts Hollywood as a kind of colour-saturated purgatory. Young waif Jessie (Elle Fanning) shows up here with ambitions of becoming a top model; she achieves her ambition, but...
- 10/25/2016
- Den of Geek
Two years ago, I interviewed director Liv Corfixen on her film My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, about her husband and the making of Only God Forgives. Refn was there as well, and one of the points that had come up in the film, and that both Corfixen and Refn elaborated on, was the difficulty of balancing work and family life. Refn liked to have his family with him when he was in production, but was saddened by how little time he had with them, and that the expectation of care always fell to his wife, with little regard for his own desire to look after his children. Raising Films, a UK-based advocacy group, has recently completed a study on the state of family...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/27/2016
- Screen Anarchy
The Neon Demon will eventually elicit some strong reaction from every viewer, and Nicolas Winding Refn has made clear that it shouldn’t be any other way. Our review was among the most negative we posted at Cannes, speaking for both its immediate grade and the force of its criticisms, and our own Brian Roan experienced something that, had it gone just a bit further, would be plastered across every one of the film’s TV spots and Blu-ray cases. Winding Refn seemed rather amused when I showed him the tweet on my phone, though his verbal response was terse: “I have two kids, so I know what it’s like.”
Despite the stated desire to provoke, there’s a clear humility when discussing The Neon Demon‘s development, and this writer-director — one who’s often held as a symbol of masculine-artist impulses run rampant — often admits that his film...
Despite the stated desire to provoke, there’s a clear humility when discussing The Neon Demon‘s development, and this writer-director — one who’s often held as a symbol of masculine-artist impulses run rampant — often admits that his film...
- 6/22/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The problem in trying to critically assess Nicolas Winding Refn’s putrid atrocity of a film The Neon Demon is that regardless how much outrage is thrown at it, Winding Refn invariably wins, since that’s exactly what he’s after. The director has set out to make the most repellently misogynistic film imaginable, yet he’s disguised it as a postmodern feminist satire. By shattering every possible taboo, the film is supposed to be an attack against the very thing it represents. Really, though, any semblance of commentary is simply a posture for Winding Refn to cover his ass. This isn’t a case of épater les bourgeois, nor is The Neon Demon qualitatively comparable to the works of Paul Verhoeven or Harmony Korine – it’s much, much too stupid for that.
Set in Los Angeles, that signifier city for all things superficial, The Neon Demon aspires to be...
Set in Los Angeles, that signifier city for all things superficial, The Neon Demon aspires to be...
- 5/20/2016
- by Giovanni Marchini Camia
- The Film Stage
If you saw the documentary My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, then you witnessed Refn's anxiety and anguish as his movie Only God Forgives debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013. The documentary by his wife Liv Corfixen tracked the movie's production and release, including its muted reception at Cannes, yet it also showed how quickly he bounced back the next morning, ready to move on to his next project. That project proved to be The Neon Demon, set to premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival on Friday. The horror thriller follows an aspiring model (Elle Fanning) who moves to Los Angeles and encounters a group of voracious women. The ladies are obsessed with beauty and very much desire the aspiring model's youth and vitality. Here's the latest...
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- 5/18/2016
- by Peter Martin
- Movies.com
The Neon Demon
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writers: Mary Laws, Nicolas Winding Refn
Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn, who has since attained cult status thanks to the success of 2011’s Drive (which snagged a Best Director award at Cannes), struck divisive chords with his 2013 follow-up Only God Forgives, which was booed at Cannes and resulted in a documentary about the experience the following year from Refn’s wife, Liv Corfixen (My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn). In a response to critiques of misogyny in his narratives, Refn returns with the Los Angeles set The Neon Demon, a femme centric horror film written by Mary Laws and co-financed by Wild Bunch and Gaumont (explaining its eligibility for our foreign films list). Starring a notable cast consisting of Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves and Refn favorite Christina Hendricks, the director describes it as a ‘horror film about vicious beauty,’ concerning...
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writers: Mary Laws, Nicolas Winding Refn
Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn, who has since attained cult status thanks to the success of 2011’s Drive (which snagged a Best Director award at Cannes), struck divisive chords with his 2013 follow-up Only God Forgives, which was booed at Cannes and resulted in a documentary about the experience the following year from Refn’s wife, Liv Corfixen (My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn). In a response to critiques of misogyny in his narratives, Refn returns with the Los Angeles set The Neon Demon, a femme centric horror film written by Mary Laws and co-financed by Wild Bunch and Gaumont (explaining its eligibility for our foreign films list). Starring a notable cast consisting of Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves and Refn favorite Christina Hendricks, the director describes it as a ‘horror film about vicious beauty,’ concerning...
- 1/13/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
"You know you have made great cinema when
half love it and half hate it."
Only God Forgives fittingly split opinion quite violently upon its release in 2013, but its production process was similarly turbulent during six months on location in Bangkok. Absorbing new documentary My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, filmed by the director's wife Liv Corfixen, captures both the logistical turmoil and artistic ingenuity behind the scenes by offering intimate access to the personal environment and headspace of the Danish auteur along with the movie's star Ryan Gosling.
Here are some of the things we learnt...
1. Directors should avoid Tarot card readings from fellow directors
Nicolas Winding Refn receives a tarot card reading from his idol and legendary Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, who issues a warning about the dangers of success. With the Danish director buoyed by the commercial performance of Drive, Jodorowsky advises that "this can change...
half love it and half hate it."
Only God Forgives fittingly split opinion quite violently upon its release in 2013, but its production process was similarly turbulent during six months on location in Bangkok. Absorbing new documentary My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, filmed by the director's wife Liv Corfixen, captures both the logistical turmoil and artistic ingenuity behind the scenes by offering intimate access to the personal environment and headspace of the Danish auteur along with the movie's star Ryan Gosling.
Here are some of the things we learnt...
1. Directors should avoid Tarot card readings from fellow directors
Nicolas Winding Refn receives a tarot card reading from his idol and legendary Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, who issues a warning about the dangers of success. With the Danish director buoyed by the commercial performance of Drive, Jodorowsky advises that "this can change...
- 4/5/2015
- Digital Spy
New details have emerged about the Nicolas Winding Refn-directed horror flick The Neon Demon, courtesy of Dazed & Confused and What Culture. We'll start with D&C, who last month spoke with Liv Corfixen, Refn's wife and My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn director. She says The Neon Demon is inspired by the tale of Countess Bathory, a 16th century serial killer who (as the story goes) would wash herself with the blood of virgins to maintain her youth....
- 3/17/2015
- by Jesse Giroux
- JoBlo.com
Given his track record, Nicolas Winding Refn honestly has my money as soon as he announces a new project. With gripping character study Bronson, stylish modern classic Drive (possibly my favorite movie of all-time) and the hypnotic Only God Forgives under his belt, the filmmaker is one of the most unique voices working in cinema today. And judging by new tidbits about his upcoming horror movie The Neon Demon, that’s not about to change anytime soon.
While being interviewed by Dazed and Confused last month about her documentary My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn, the filmmaker’s wife, Liv Corfixen, let slip some fascinating details about The Neon Demon‘s inspirations – including that the film is inspired by Countess Elizabeth Báthory, a notoriously cruel 16th-century countess who was rumored to bathe in the blood of local virgins. Báthory tortured these young girls and murdered them in hopes of...
While being interviewed by Dazed and Confused last month about her documentary My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn, the filmmaker’s wife, Liv Corfixen, let slip some fascinating details about The Neon Demon‘s inspirations – including that the film is inspired by Countess Elizabeth Báthory, a notoriously cruel 16th-century countess who was rumored to bathe in the blood of local virgins. Báthory tortured these young girls and murdered them in hopes of...
- 3/16/2015
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
The only official information we have on Nicolas Winding Refn's next film, The Neon Demon, is that it's a horror tale with a young female driven cast, written by Refn and Mary Laws. That's not much to go on, but now Dazed Digital and What Culture (via The Playlist) reveal some new information after speaking with Refn's wife and director of My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn, Liv Corfixen. First we learn the story was inspired by the tale of Countess Bathory, who inspired many a vampire myth with sadistic rituals that included bathing in the blood of virgins. The Los Angeles-set movie is said to be a bit like the survival thriller Alive (1993) meets Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999). Corfixen isn't entirely sure what it's about, at least thematically, adding, "I don't know yet. Maybe it's about spirituality but I'm not sure," while revealing he's been purchasing Christian movies of late.
- 3/16/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Filming starts this month on Nicolas Winding Refn's "The Neon Demon," with Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote, Keanu Reeves and Abbey Lee starring in the film. But there hasn't been much in the way of plot details. We do know that the script was co-written by Mary Laws, and that the film is set in Los Angeles, but outside of that things get fuzzy. However, things are becoming slightly more focused. Last month, Dazed And Confused caught up with Liv Corfixen, Refn's wife and the director of "My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn," who revealed that the film is inspired by the tale of Countess Báthory, the serial killing sixteenth century countess who apparently bathed in the blood of virgins to stay young (the last detail is apocryphal, but makes for a good yarn). Moreover, the movie will apparently be like a mix of the...
- 3/16/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Love it or loathe it, Nicolas Winding Refn's "Only God Forgives" was a distinctive and completely polarizing piece of work. As the filmmaker himself admits, it found him consciously destroying everything that made "Drive" a success. He wanted to ensure he didn't get stuck repeating himself. But it resulted in an anxiety filled shoot for the director, captured on camera by his wife Liv Corfixen, who turned it into the documentary "My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn." It's an up close look at Refn's process on the movie from the kind of perspective you don't often get. And over the weekend, the pair hit New York City to talk about the film. The Close-Up podcast captured that conversation, and as always, Refn makes an enjoyable raconteur. He reveals that he's a "big admirer of reality television," which made it easy for him to be filmed by Corfixen, and...
- 3/4/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
I quite enjoyed My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn, the behind-the-scenes look at the making of Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives, shot by his wife Liv Corfixen. Here's a snippet from my review: Corfixen's intimate documentary presents the story with such compassion and caring for its subject and yet you can see where she struggles to be the one Refn can count on for strength and reassurance as she too is also searching for an identity and purpose. Not to mention taking care of the couple's two young children all day long. The film is playing in limited theaters right now and On Demand, and recently the couple sat down for an interview at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York (via The Playlist) and the interview actually lasts 24 minutes longer than the brief, 58-minute movie itself. Now I haven't had a chance to listen to this whole thing,...
- 3/4/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Two new documentaries opened this weekend on VOD and in limited theatrical release, but aside from being non-fiction they share absolutely nothing in common. Well, nothing obvious anyway, but through sheer will power and the finessing of a few adjectives I feel confident saying that these two wildly different films are both focused on exploring the human heart. The Widowmaker is obvious as it’s quite literally a look at a specific type of heart attack that has killed millions of people even though it’s quite possibly a preventable incident. The doc explores a quick and inexpensive test called a Coronary Calcium Scan and its two decade-long fight to be recognized as a crucial tool in the fight against heart disease. My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn is a bit looser fit as it eschews the literal heart in favor of the metaphorical one we attribute with controlling our loves and passions. The...
- 3/1/2015
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
This is a reprint of our interview from the 2014 Fantastic Fest. When it comes to documentaries that chart the making of a particular film, some of the very best have come from those closest to the filmmakers. The most towering achievement in this regard is probably "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," an intense making-of documentary that follows Francis Ford Coppola and the bonkers production of "Apocalypse Now," which was co-authored by Coppola's wife, Eleanor. Following in Eleanor's footsteps is Liv Corfixen, the wife of "Drive" filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, who took to cataloguing the production of Refn's polarizing, Bangkok-set thriller "Only God Forgives," with "My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn." We had the chance to sit down with Refn and Corfixen at the recent Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. The documentary is an intimate portrait of frustration and familial unrest (since they had to move the family...
- 2/27/2015
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
Filmmaker Liv Corfixen brings us a documentary about her director husband. Here's Ryan's review of My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn.
When Only God Forgives made its debut at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, it’s fair to say the reaction was somewhat mixed. Some hooted and derided the film. A few got up and left. Many, on the other hand, championed director Nicolas Winding Refn’s follow up to his critically-acclaimed Drive, also starring Ryan Gosling.
The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, for example, prized the film, and for this writer, it was a disturbing counterpoint to the more commercial Drive - if that film was a sun-drenched dream in which Ryan Gosling played an archetypal male hero, then Only God Forgives is the nightmare: a view of machismo gone horribly awry.
If some critics were appalled by the film, Refn had misgivings of his own. The director’s self-doubt...
When Only God Forgives made its debut at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, it’s fair to say the reaction was somewhat mixed. Some hooted and derided the film. A few got up and left. Many, on the other hand, championed director Nicolas Winding Refn’s follow up to his critically-acclaimed Drive, also starring Ryan Gosling.
The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, for example, prized the film, and for this writer, it was a disturbing counterpoint to the more commercial Drive - if that film was a sun-drenched dream in which Ryan Gosling played an archetypal male hero, then Only God Forgives is the nightmare: a view of machismo gone horribly awry.
If some critics were appalled by the film, Refn had misgivings of his own. The director’s self-doubt...
- 2/27/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Liv Corfixen chronicles the making of her husband's critically skewered 2013 "Drive" followup "Only God Forgives," an under-appreciated film that I suspect and hope (perhaps in vain) will blossom over time. If you haven't seen "Only God Forgives," it's like if David Lynch took quaaludes and directed a spaghetti Western in Thailand. A sort of extended making-of doc, "My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn" is a fascinating portrait of the artist and his anxieties, closing in on Refn's masochistic need to deliver greatness by reproducing the international success of "Drive," his 2011 Cannes smash that won him Best Director and $75 million at the box office. "I've spent three years making this film and I don't know what it's about," Refn opines in one of the opening sections in which Corfixen gives us a glimpse at their shared world, with their two adorable blond children along for the ride in Bangkok, where "Only God.
- 2/27/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
A filmmaker's significant other not only has unbridled access to their personal life, but they also have a unique perspective on the filmmaker's personality and psyche; so, as we watch Liv Corfixen's My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, we learn that the title of the "behind-the-scenes" documentary by Refn's wife has a multitude of meanings. Though My Life Directed may seem like an everyday documentary about a filmmaker contending with the pressures following a critical and commercial success, that description surely does not do Corfixen's film the justice it deserves.
- 2/27/2015
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
This review was originally published during Fantastic Fest 2014.
My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn gives us just a peek into the mind of one of cinema’s most celebrated directors. Directed and shot by his wife Liv Corfixen, My Life… is a documentary that follows the Danish director during the making of his 2013 film Only God Forgives. While her film can be appreciated as simply a small portrait of the acclaimed director, it also taps into the fear and anxiety every artist feels during the creative process. A daring undertaking for someone who has never made a documentary before.
Even though we see Refn in the most mundane situations (waking-up, playing with his kids), he still comes across as cool and enigmatic, not unlike his on-screen heroes. Often we see him in a contemplative state. There’s always a long pause for reflection before he answers a question or responds in a cryptic manner.
My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn gives us just a peek into the mind of one of cinema’s most celebrated directors. Directed and shot by his wife Liv Corfixen, My Life… is a documentary that follows the Danish director during the making of his 2013 film Only God Forgives. While her film can be appreciated as simply a small portrait of the acclaimed director, it also taps into the fear and anxiety every artist feels during the creative process. A daring undertaking for someone who has never made a documentary before.
Even though we see Refn in the most mundane situations (waking-up, playing with his kids), he still comes across as cool and enigmatic, not unlike his on-screen heroes. Often we see him in a contemplative state. There’s always a long pause for reflection before he answers a question or responds in a cryptic manner.
- 2/27/2015
- by Michael Haffner
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Nicolas Winding Refn worked steadily before achieving any kind of mainstream appreciation, and even when he achieved just that, it felt like a minor score. His movies are sometimes damnably arty, but infused with a kicky, stylistic verve that can appeal to broad audiences. You could tell that Refn was steeped in the kind of films that art house audiences might not have been familiar with. His work willfully combines disparate influences to create a wholly intoxicating new concoction. They also share a kind of barely contained rage. "Drive," his first commercial hit, cemented him as a director to watch and made all of his bloody obsessions palpable (and won him a Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival). But as a public figure, Refn has remained goofy and affable. If something darker lurked inside, he never showed it. Which is what makes "My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn...
- 2/26/2015
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
★★★☆☆ Liv Corfixen's My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (2014) starts from the unfortunate position of being wide open to comparison with another behind-the-scenes peek, Eleanor Coppola's Heart of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991). Where that film followed the incredible disasters that befell Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) shoot, this documents the far less eventful making of Danish enfant terrible Refn's Only God Forgives (2013). While Corfixen's film - clocking in at just under an hour - is little more than a DVD extra, it's also an intimate look at her husband's struggle with artistic satisfaction and her own with a life indentured to his blossoming career.
- 2/26/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
This weekend, Olivia Wilde stars in "The Lazarus Effect," a horror movie about med students who figure out a way to resurrect people from the dead, Will Forte is "The Last Man on Earth" in the new Fox comedy premiering this Sunday night at 8 p.m. Et, and Kevin Spacey returns as the ruthless politician Frank Underwood in "House of Cards;" the entire third season arrives on Netflix when the clock strikes midnight Friday morning.
Also in theaters this weekend: "Focus" stars Will Smith as a veteran con man whose latest scheme is turned upside down when a femme fatale (Margot Robbie) from his past reemerges. Directed by David Cronenberg, "Maps to the Stars" stars Oscar-winner Julianne Moore and Robert Pattinson in a tale about a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another, and the relentless ghosts of their pasts. "'71" stars Jack O'Connell as a young and disoriented British soldier...
Also in theaters this weekend: "Focus" stars Will Smith as a veteran con man whose latest scheme is turned upside down when a femme fatale (Margot Robbie) from his past reemerges. Directed by David Cronenberg, "Maps to the Stars" stars Oscar-winner Julianne Moore and Robert Pattinson in a tale about a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another, and the relentless ghosts of their pasts. "'71" stars Jack O'Connell as a young and disoriented British soldier...
- 2/26/2015
- by Jonny Black
- Moviefone
“I’ve spent three years making this film, and I don’t really know what it’s about,” director Nicolas Winding Refn admits, head bowed as he sits on the edge of his bed, contemplating the agony and ecstasy of making Only God Forgives.
Coming off Drive, his most commercial and acclaimed work, it can’t have been easy for Refn to jump headlong into another project, despite knowing from the get-go that it wouldn’t even slightly resemble his last. The director’s musings and misery as he faces the possibility of disappointing a newly galvanized (and much expanded) fanbase serve as the meat and potatoes of My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, a brisk, 58-minute documentary made Hearts of Darkness-style by Refn’s wife, Liv Corfixen.
Whether Corfixen set out to make a home video or always intended to explore her husband’s painful creative process is unclear.
Coming off Drive, his most commercial and acclaimed work, it can’t have been easy for Refn to jump headlong into another project, despite knowing from the get-go that it wouldn’t even slightly resemble his last. The director’s musings and misery as he faces the possibility of disappointing a newly galvanized (and much expanded) fanbase serve as the meat and potatoes of My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, a brisk, 58-minute documentary made Hearts of Darkness-style by Refn’s wife, Liv Corfixen.
Whether Corfixen set out to make a home video or always intended to explore her husband’s painful creative process is unclear.
- 2/26/2015
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Written and directed by Liv Corfixen
USA, 2014
The Life of Nicolas Winding Refn Directed by Me might have been a more appropriate title for Liv Corfixen’s first documentary, which provides a behind-the-scenes insight into the making of her husband’s latest film Only God Forgives. Following on from his remarkable critical and commercial success with Drive, Refn is under pressure to produce more of the same and in doing so satisfy both his financial backers and his artistic ambitions. It is also the first time that Corfixen and the couple’s two daughters have joined Refn for an extended shoot abroad, creating a completely new environment in which he must balance his personal and professional lives.
Regardless of what the title suggests, My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn has little to do with Corfixen or the impact Refn’s film is having on her.
Written and directed by Liv Corfixen
USA, 2014
The Life of Nicolas Winding Refn Directed by Me might have been a more appropriate title for Liv Corfixen’s first documentary, which provides a behind-the-scenes insight into the making of her husband’s latest film Only God Forgives. Following on from his remarkable critical and commercial success with Drive, Refn is under pressure to produce more of the same and in doing so satisfy both his financial backers and his artistic ambitions. It is also the first time that Corfixen and the couple’s two daughters have joined Refn for an extended shoot abroad, creating a completely new environment in which he must balance his personal and professional lives.
Regardless of what the title suggests, My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn has little to do with Corfixen or the impact Refn’s film is having on her.
- 2/26/2015
- by Rob Dickie
- SoundOnSight
Note to filmmakers: If you capture the legendary Alejandro Jodorowsky in conversation with another filmmaker and he turns to the camera to ask you a question, be sure to lead with that. Wisely, that's what first-time filmmaker Liv Corfixen does with her new documentary, My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn. Jodorowsky is speaking with Nicolas Winding Refn, who appears to be seeking the older man's counsel. The veteran director dispenses a nub of wisdom, and then turns his attention to Corfixen, blithely ignoring conventionality. There is no "fourth wall" in modern documentaries -- reality shows have broken our collective spirit, and we know that cameras are everywhere -- yet Jodorowsky's forthright inquiry sets the tone for the movie as a whole: it's awkward, unplanned,...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/25/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Portrait of an Artist: Corfixen’s Familial Doc an Interesting Conversation Piece
There everyone was, in high anticipation at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, with Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives about to be unleashed in competition. Two years prior, he had unveiled Drive in the same place, where it took home Best Director for Refn and a wave of international critical praise by the time it had released theatrically later that same year. Reuniting once more with star Ryan Gosling, stakes were impossibly high and Refn seemed determined to do anything but repeat himself, resulting in his decision to tackle an idea he’d had for something decidedly un-commercial. A wave of boos from the fickle Cannes audience greeted Refn, followed by an incredibly divisive response upon its continued release. During the making of the film and right through the premiere, Refn’s wife, actress Liv Corfixen, was filming...
There everyone was, in high anticipation at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, with Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives about to be unleashed in competition. Two years prior, he had unveiled Drive in the same place, where it took home Best Director for Refn and a wave of international critical praise by the time it had released theatrically later that same year. Reuniting once more with star Ryan Gosling, stakes were impossibly high and Refn seemed determined to do anything but repeat himself, resulting in his decision to tackle an idea he’d had for something decidedly un-commercial. A wave of boos from the fickle Cannes audience greeted Refn, followed by an incredibly divisive response upon its continued release. During the making of the film and right through the premiere, Refn’s wife, actress Liv Corfixen, was filming...
- 2/25/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Despite some consummately intimate footage, behind-the-scenes doc My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn proves frustrating because writer-director Liv Corfixen works harder to coddle Drive director Refn, her husband and subject, than she does to get inside his head. While the title of Corfixen's hour-long film suggests marital strife, she lovingly boosts her husband by applauding his creative struggles during the filming of his beguiling artsploitation gem Only God Forgives. Corfixen's fly-on-the-wall style is compelling, but it finds her too often circumspect, as when Refn asks Corfixen if she thinks Only God Forgives is better than Drive. She pauses before replying, "[Only God Forgives] isn't as commercial. Don't you reali...
- 2/25/2015
- Village Voice
"It would be boring if we all just made safe films." So says Nicolas Winding Refn following the premiere of Only God Forgives at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. The quote comes from the brisk, 58-minute documentary My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn, shot by Refn's wife Liv Corfixen during production of Only God Forgives, largely during the couple's time in Bangkok with glimpses back home in Denmark during post production and finally at the film's premiere on the Croisette in Cannes. It's a fascinating look at a filmmaker I've personally come to anticipate his every next feature, though I'm not afraid to admit Only God Forgives was a bit of a let down, as it seems it was for Refn... or was itc The most fascinating aspect of this doc is to lay witness to Refn's inner turmoil. From the beginning he's stuck in his own head, looking at...
- 2/23/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
At a loss for what to watch this week? From new DVDs and Blu-rays, to what's streaming on Netflix, we've got you covered.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
"Beyond the Lights"
Writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood's triumphant return is a labor of love worth your love. This romantic drama stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Noni, a self-destructive pop singer who's tired of the limelight and all it entails. An off-duty cop named Kaz (Nate Parker) steps in to save Noni from making a terrible decision, and naturally, they fall for each other hard and fast. Mbatha-Raw and Parker have great chemistry. Plus, Minnie Driver is excellent as Noni's stage mom.
"Watership Down"
Martin Rosen's emotionally devastating animated film, based on the novel by Richard Adams, has gotten a spiffy Criterion restoration. There aren't a ton of bells and whistles on this Blu-ray, but those little bunnies have never looked so good.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
"Beyond the Lights"
Writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood's triumphant return is a labor of love worth your love. This romantic drama stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Noni, a self-destructive pop singer who's tired of the limelight and all it entails. An off-duty cop named Kaz (Nate Parker) steps in to save Noni from making a terrible decision, and naturally, they fall for each other hard and fast. Mbatha-Raw and Parker have great chemistry. Plus, Minnie Driver is excellent as Noni's stage mom.
"Watership Down"
Martin Rosen's emotionally devastating animated film, based on the novel by Richard Adams, has gotten a spiffy Criterion restoration. There aren't a ton of bells and whistles on this Blu-ray, but those little bunnies have never looked so good.
- 2/23/2015
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn is a unique insight into the life of one of the world’s most exciting filmmakers as he struggles to reconcile a fast growing international career with his role as a family man and father. Liv Corfixen documents, with uncompromising realism, her husband’s journey making Only God Forgives, the follow-up to the biggest film of his career to date, Drive. Corfixen’s camera follows Refn as he and his family decamps to Bangkok for the 6 month production of Only God Forgives, up to and including its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. It demonstrates the warm friendship between Refn and Ryan Gosling, gives the audience a glimpse of cult director Alejandro Jodorowsky's tarot readings for both Refn and Corfixen, and reveals first-hand that directing a large scale international film, while simultaneously keeping a wife, two kids, a cast of actors...
- 2/23/2015
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
As the cast slowly comes together for Nicolas Winding Refn’s next picture, The Neon Demon, a brand new trailer has been released for the documentary from his wife that focuses on his previous effort that split audiences right down the middle.
My Life Directed comes from Liv Corfixen and follows the intimate and emotional journey she took with her husband as he headed off to Bangkok to film Only God Forgives.
A mash of highs and emotional lows look to be on full display as Refn battles with himself and the test that weighs on his family and his filmmaking career. How did he handle working on the project that the world hoped would be just as huge a success as Drive was, and was the result a personal success for him to move on from a film that even he accept was both loved and loathed by many.
My Life Directed comes from Liv Corfixen and follows the intimate and emotional journey she took with her husband as he headed off to Bangkok to film Only God Forgives.
A mash of highs and emotional lows look to be on full display as Refn battles with himself and the test that weighs on his family and his filmmaking career. How did he handle working on the project that the world hoped would be just as huge a success as Drive was, and was the result a personal success for him to move on from a film that even he accept was both loved and loathed by many.
- 2/20/2015
- by Nicholas Staniforth
- Obsessed with Film
After Bronson, Valhalla Rising, Drive, and Only God Forgives, Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the most exciting directors working today. Refn burst onto the film scene in the late 1990s with the delightfully nasty Pusher trilogy, and has continued to produce some of the most thought-provoking and visually spectacular genre-benders of any modern auteur. From Tom Hardy’s career-defining titular Bronson to Mads Mikkelsen’s feral One Eye to Ryan Gosling’s icy cold Driver, Refn has time and again crafted nuanced portraits of deeply conflicted but undeniably charismatic antiheroes.
In My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn, Refn’s own deep conflict is swinging in the breeze as we witness him wrestle with the particularly challenging production of Only God Forgives. Directed and shot by his wife Liv Corfixen over the duration of the production and subsequent Cannes debut, My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn captures the...
In My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn, Refn’s own deep conflict is swinging in the breeze as we witness him wrestle with the particularly challenging production of Only God Forgives. Directed and shot by his wife Liv Corfixen over the duration of the production and subsequent Cannes debut, My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn captures the...
- 2/20/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Occasionally a making-of documentary comes along that transcends the format's more usual DVD-special-feature status. Eleanor Coppola's Hearts Of Darkness springs to mind, as does Les Blank's Burden Of Dreams. And now here's a new one to potentially join that select pantheon. Check out the trailer for Liv Corfixen's My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn, in which she documents her husband's fraught emotional journey bringing Only God Forgives to the screen.Much like Eleanor Coppola, it's clear that Corfixen's relationship to her subject gave her access to moments where any normal documentary crew would have told to push off for a while. Refn is generally a self-deprecating character in interviews anyway, but it's fascinating to see him quite this vulnerable. "I've been making this film for three years," he opines at one point, "and I have no idea what it's about."My LIfe Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn...
- 2/19/2015
- EmpireOnline
In a small amount of time, director Nicolas Winding Refn has made a name for himself as a unique auteur filmmaker, building up an impressive fanbase of cinephiles. Refn found himself in the spotlight after the success of Drive starring Ryan Gosling, and if you've ever wondered what it's like being a filmmaker working on your next project after such success, then you'll want to check out this documentary My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, directed and shot by Refn's wife Liv Corfixen. The film follows Refn as he works on Only God Forgives up through its debut at Cannes, and a trailer has surfaced. Watch! Here's the trailer for My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn from Radius-twc: My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn is directed and shot by the titular filmmaker's wife Liv Corfixen and captures private and intimate moments to which a traditional documentary crew simply wouldn’t have access.
- 2/18/2015
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Filmmaking is never easy. And if you're someone like Nicolas Winding Refn, coming off a hugely successful movie like Drive, your next film is going to have high expectations. The first trailer for My Life Directed shows just how hard it was on the great director in this intimate documentary about the making of Only God Forgives. Refn’s wife Liv Corfixen directs the behind-the-scenes action which looks like a revealing portrait of a director trying to balance his own...
- 2/18/2015
- by Graham McMorrow
- JoBlo.com
Radius-twc has unleashed the first trailer for the acclaimed documentary, My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The film shines a spotlight on the director’s unique process in a behind-the-scenes style expose and in particular, it pays close attention to the period during which Refn shot Only God Forgives in Bangkok.
In the trailer, writer-director of the piece, Liv Corfixen, provides unfettered access to the visionary filmmaker. Why? Because she’s his wife. What’s brilliant about that imposed closeness is that we’re offered a more aggressive line of questioning toward Refn, whose spouse dares to ask questions that no film journalist would dream to pose. From this sneak peek into the movie we’re able to witness a snapshot at the stresses and strains placed upon the director, when faced with creating a successful follow-up to Drive.
The familial relationship between Refn and Corfixen – which permits an...
In the trailer, writer-director of the piece, Liv Corfixen, provides unfettered access to the visionary filmmaker. Why? Because she’s his wife. What’s brilliant about that imposed closeness is that we’re offered a more aggressive line of questioning toward Refn, whose spouse dares to ask questions that no film journalist would dream to pose. From this sneak peek into the movie we’re able to witness a snapshot at the stresses and strains placed upon the director, when faced with creating a successful follow-up to Drive.
The familial relationship between Refn and Corfixen – which permits an...
- 2/18/2015
- by Gem Seddon
- We Got This Covered
The trailer for the acclaimed "My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn" has finally been released, along with the announcement of a theatrical/VOD release date of February 27. Spotlighting the director of "Drive" as he battles heightened expectations and controversial artistic impulses, "My Life..." has the luxury of featuring raw, intimate access to the artist in question. It's directed by Refn's wife, Liv Corfixen and the trailer teases the aggressively interrogative approach Corfixen takes when the camera is on her husband. "I've spent three years making this film," Refn laments in the trailer. "And I don't really know what it's about." For viewers of the documentary, there's advanced knowledge that "Only God Forgives" bombs with critics and audiences alike. But these two minutes of footage work as a fascinating foray into this looming disaster, situating Refn in an alternately sympathetic and damning...
- 2/18/2015
- by David Canfield
- Indiewire
You may not have heard about it, but there's a documentary coming out next week about director Nicolas Winding Refn. Word is finally starting to get out for the flick, which his fans will want to check out, particularly as it offers a deeper glimpse at a filmmaker who generally prefers to keep his motivations to himself. Helmed by his wife Liv Corfixen, the appropriately titled "My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn" takes viewers on location to Bangkok during the making of "Only God Forgives." It finds Refn grappling with the anticipation following the success of "Drive," and whether to cater to expectations or to follow his own creative path. Indeed, this quote is telling: "I've spent three years making this film, and I don't really know what it's about." The documentary opens in cinemas and hits VOD on February 27th. Watch below.
- 2/18/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Leading German independent distributor acquires action thriller, starring Ola Rapace [pictured], ahead of Afm along with three other titles.
Tiberius Film has acquired German rights to action thriller Ares from Gaumont.
The French production is being produced by Louis Leterrier and choreographed by the team of The Raid. Currently shooting in Paris, it stars Ola Rapace (Skyfall).
Tiberius has also picked up Liv Corfixen’s documentary My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and two genre outings: Wyrmwood from Altitude Film Sales and Will Canon’s Demonic, written by James Wan and starring Maria Bello and Frank Grillo, from The Weinstein Company.
Wolfgang Carl, managing director of Tiberius Film GmbH, commented: “German action fans will be thrilled by genre hit Ares and we are very happy that we are able to continue our successful cooperation with Nicolas Winding Refn and our partners Gaumont and The Weinstein Company.”...
Tiberius Film has acquired German rights to action thriller Ares from Gaumont.
The French production is being produced by Louis Leterrier and choreographed by the team of The Raid. Currently shooting in Paris, it stars Ola Rapace (Skyfall).
Tiberius has also picked up Liv Corfixen’s documentary My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and two genre outings: Wyrmwood from Altitude Film Sales and Will Canon’s Demonic, written by James Wan and starring Maria Bello and Frank Grillo, from The Weinstein Company.
Wolfgang Carl, managing director of Tiberius Film GmbH, commented: “German action fans will be thrilled by genre hit Ares and we are very happy that we are able to continue our successful cooperation with Nicolas Winding Refn and our partners Gaumont and The Weinstein Company.”...
- 11/4/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
The festival’s 25th edition will feature a contribution from Ai Weiwei and competition titles including Whiplash, Nightcrawler and Foxcatcher.
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
- 10/16/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Fantastic Fest at the Alamo Drafthouse is the most wonderful time of the year as a genre cinema fan, and The Golden Briefcase hosts Tim and Jeremy look forward to it as much as Christmas. Both returned to Austin back in September for the fest this year and present one epic recap episode. This year's schedule was chock-full of delicious samplings such as Kevin Smith's Tusk, Drafthouse Films' ABCs of Death 2, Miike's Over Your Dead Body, Sono's Tokyo Tribe and tons more (see all of our Fantastic Fest reviews here). This massive episode includes all of the live discussions from Fantastic Fest and interviews with filmmakers including Nicolas Winding Refn, Liv Corfixen and Alex Aja, director of Horns. Don't miss it, listen in now! All in all this year's line-up (including The Babadook, Goodnight Mommy, It Follows, Nightcrawler) was one of the best we’ve seen yet...
- 10/15/2014
- by Tim Buel
- firstshowing.net
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