We just knocked one off our Summer Movie List 2017 with BABY DRIVER directed by Edgar Wright, starring Ansel Elgort, LIly James, Jamie Foxx, Eiza Gonazlez, with Jon Hamm and Kevin Spacey.
Currently has 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and according to Forbes is Wright's biggest domestic grosser yet, but I will let the viewers decide what they think of what I think is a fun, stylish summer movie.
BABY DRIVER is yet another piece in film and television whose epicenter if you will, is a diner. Diners are where the story begins, the central meeting point of its characters, where the story comes full circle. Whether it's a friendly neighborhood diner, a pit stop in the middle of nowhere, a shitty hole in the wall, diners for so many of our beloved movies and tv shows, have proven to be a beloved character of itself in American entertainment and culture specifically. The diner is a point where you'll find characters of all walks of life, where factors such as race, socio-economic standing are most of the time, depending on where and when this film or show takes place, are forgotten in the fact that everyone eats the same kind of damn food, and no one is above it. Diners eliminate status, or rather, brings everyone on the same level. What characters decide to do with their differences between each other, however, is a different story.
PIE. COFFEE. DASSIT.
Diners also offer intimacy and a no fuss situation where families, secret lovers, hitchhikers, friends on a roadtrip, gangs, etc. can come together to discuss or contemplate any topic or situation at all levels of drama, at a place that is preset in a neutral setting. In diners, characters are forced most of the time to sit face to face, where viewers are able to see tension, relation, similarities and differences between characters.
The amount that diners appear in movies and tv shows is outrageous, so here is a modest list of some of my favorite diner scenes (not in any particular order).
1. Moonlight (2016 dir: Barry Jenkins)
courtesy of A24
Arroz Con Pollo in a diner in Miami, what could be better? This scene for me was the most stressful for me in the entire movie because the two characters Chiron (now known as Black) and Kevin are forced literally face to face with years of built up tension and all that they wish to say but because of environmental, economical. social, and internal factors have not. We are as an audience on edge because we do not know if this diner is a safe haven, an escape for these two characters where they can finally be truthful with one another, or another threatening environment. The tension eventually leads to what is a very intimate touching scene accompanied by "Hello Stranger" by Barbara Lewis.
2. Pulp Fiction (1994 dir: Quentin Tarantino)
Courtesy of Miramax
“Be cool Honey Bunny, be cool. ”
This isn't the only time that Tarentino will set his characters in a diner, but this you far is one of the most memorable moments for me in any Tarentino film. The film begins with these characters in a diner. and ends in this diner with its characters coming in full circle. But also. who robs a diner?
3. Back to the Future (1985 dir: Robert Zemeckis)
Courtesy of Universal
Robert Zemeckis used a diner to show the passing of time in this trilogy. A place where history literally repeats itself amongst generation after generation. Lou's Cafe in Hill Valley in 1955 was where protagonist Marty McFly's parents frequented, where the busboy worked who eventually became Mayor Goldie Wilson of Hill Valley, and eventually became Cafe 80's in the supposed 2015 of the BACK TO THE FUTURE universe.
4. Reservoir Dogs (1992 dir: Quentin Tarantino)
courtesy of Miramax
“
I don’t tip because society says I
have to. Alright, I mean I’ll tip if somebody really
deserves a tip. If they
really puts forth the effort, I’ll give them
something extra.
But this tipping automatically,
it’s… for the birds. As far
as I’m concerned, they’re just
doin their job.”
enough said.
5. Twin Peaks (1990-2017 dir: David Lynch)
Courtesy of CBS
Twin Peaks filmed its diner scenes in Twede's Cafe in the town of Snoqaulmie Falls in the state of Washington. The town welcomes Twin Peaks fanatics to enjoy a slice of cherry pie and a some damn fine coffee. The juxtaposition of crime. violence. and brutality brought upon by evil spiritual doings with good ol' American comfort like pie and coffee adds to everything strange and wonderful that is Twin Peaks.
That's me at Twede's Cafe!
That's all for now! Keep watching movies and see Baby Driver!
COURTESY OF SONY