The Nice Guys Review! - Cinefix Now
Pollution and the p**n industrytwo constants in 1970s Los Angelesbecome intertwined in a vast conspiracy that threatens the environment, the economy, and the lives of a colorful cast of characters in director Shane Blacks latest, The Nice Guys. After the death of a famous adult-film actress, private detective Holland March (Ryan Gosling) forms an unlikely alliance with enforcer Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) to track down a missing girl who holds the key to several murders. Black, who is known for Iron Man 3 and Lethal Weapon, cowrote the film with Anthony Bagarozzi and recruited production designer Richard Bridgland to bring the seedy vibe of the city to life.
Bridgland was immediately faced with a challenge: He would have to re-create 1970s Los Angeles in modern-day Atlanta. Atlanta is full of green trees, while L.A. has that wonderful stark desert look, says Bridgland. We had to imagine places with all the trees digitally removed. As long as I can find the right architectural elements, I hoped that I could add L.A. to it.
Fortunately, Atlanta had a few surprising gems that were perfect for the production. For a big scene that takes place at the residence of p**n king Sid Shattuck, Bridgland and his team found hip-hop producer Dallas Austins home, which is based on John Lautners Silvertop House. It was bizarre, Bridgland says. Here was this space-age Lautner house dropped into the suburbs of Atlanta. The citys Hilton Hotel proved to be the ideal setting to stage the 1978 L.A. Auto Show. It was built in 1976, and it pretty much hasnt changed since then, he says. We boarded over their tennis courts to create the auto-show opening party.
Bridgland drew on his extensive research, including old Super 8 films and documentary photographs, to add authentic period elements. I used classic 70s designers like Verner Panton quite heavily for the furniture, he notes. Even the Hollywood sign gets a 70s makeunder. The whole thing was was falling down. It just seemed like the perfect metaphor for what Shane was saying and what the city was about.
Source: http://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/tour-set-shane-blacks-latest-movie-the-nice-guys-starring-ryan-gosling-russell-crowe
