Drive

 

This film is a stylized artistic drama…it is not, repeat, NOT an action film.  There is some action, definitely, but the genera is definitely drama.  I knew this going in, but if you go in thinking you are going to see car chases and lots of gun play (as the trailers lead you to believe), you will be disappointed.  The other aspect to understand is that the under story to this film is a very sad love story.

I liked this film, as a matter of fact, I really liked it.  So, Rating time:

I give it a full pizza, with the works, and half a pitcher of beer.  It gets a fully loaded whole pizza because it is loaded with substance, and only half a pitcher of beer because, well, it is a movie called Drive.  Would not want to drink too much before Drive, you might miss one of the turns.

Main Characters:

Driver  

Irene





Standard







Plot Synopsis:  Driver (Ryan Gosling – he recently played the ‘stud’ Jacob Palmer in Carzy, Stupid Love) is the main character of this film.   During the day Driver works in a garage as a mechanic, and does stunt driving for movie productions on the side; but at night he is a wheelman for hire. Though a quiet, loner by nature, Driver falls in love with his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan – you might recall her as Winnie Gekko from last year’s ill-fated Wall Street sequel).  Irene is a vulnerable young mother with a husband who is in jail…that says trouble right there.  Don’t people know to stay away from married women, especially if their husbands are in jail.  Anyway, her car just happens to break down while she is at the exact same grocery store Driver is at…convenient, I know. Next, she brings her broken down car into the shop at which Driver works.  She may just have a little stalker in her.

Ok, moving on, it is the return of Irene’s ex-con husband, Standard, that really sets the events of the film in motion.  Standard is played by Oscar Isaac – he was Blue in Sucker Punch (a movie I absolutely loved from earlier this year). I don’t want to spoil things, so let’s just say Driver offers to help Standard, either to soothe his conscious over being in love with Irene or more likely, to help Irene and her son, then a robbery goes horribly awry, the mob and a ton of mob money are involved, then lots of people die – I won’t say who dies, or how, that would give too much away.  As I noted at the start of this review, it is also very important to note that as the base of the entire film, this is a love story (without the love aspects this story would not have existed to be told)...it is a very sad love story, from virtually all angles, but still a love story.

Other Characters of note:

Albert Brooks plays Bernie Rose, a mid-level mobster/wise guy.  Personally, I think this performance his stunning.  Albert Brooks is a great actor, who has not done much lately in the way of acting.  He is probably best known for his roles in the 80’s films: Terms of Endearment, Lost in America, Broadcast News, and Defending Your Life…but more recently he was the voice of Marlin in Finding Nemo (a great film).  This performance, although not huge, and maybe not even considered a full supporting actor role, was absolutely great.  The way in which he shows a cool detached demeanor, at the same time as he reveals his caring, nurturing feelings, as he efficiently…well, finishing that sentence would reveal too much of the plot…so go see it for yourself.

More about the stylization of the film:

First, there was violence in this film, some very significant violence.  Some people might find that it was over the stop, or unnecessary at the graphic level in which it was portrayed.  Now I’m from the Friday the 13^th generation…when there was gore galore; but this is different.  This isn’t your Quinten Tarantino Pulp Fiction (which I loved) or Reservoir Dogs (which I did not love) sorta violence, ok, maybe it was, just not as much of it.   In other words, it was very violent in parts, but it did not detract from, but rather added to, the nature of the film.  Also, it was not out of place, or simply violence for the sake of violence.

Second, the camera angles, lighting and sound track were cool.  Stylistic is a word that comes to mind.  That may be too “indie” of a description for a mainstream, large theater, production…but it fits.  It added to the mood of the film, which was reserved, yet graphic.  I’ve read that some people thought this movie was boring and slow, I actually thought it was tense.  I found myself feeling anxious through most of the film.  I won’t say I was on the edge of my seat, I like to sit back and relax in movies; but if I was the type of person who sat on the edge of their seat, then I would have been there.  So, while I was sitting back, relaxed in posture, my emotions were on edge through the whole thing. 

Third, let me talk a little about the dialogue.  A dialogue on dialogue as it were.  There wasn’t much.  I usually look to dialogue to set the story, it didn’t here.  Scene after scene will go by and nobody will say anything, and for me it worked surprisingly well.  The sound track set the mood and told a lot of the story.

Finally, let me say one thing that I did not like.  In one scene Driver is showing off his driving skills to a potential investor (the boss at the garage wants to start a race team), the scene is filmed at the raceway in Santa Clarita, I know because I used to live 5 minutes from it.  The very next scene is back in the garage on Reseda Blvd.  I don’t care how good/fast of a driver you are, you can not get from Santa Clarita to anywhere on Reseda Blvd in the period of time portrayed in the film…just a little local knowledge that tarnished the flow for me.

All in all, this is a great movie.  Do you have to see it on the big screen…I actually think it is best seen that way.  The cinematography is inspiring, and I think it will lose some of its grandeur when you watch it on your 55” flat screen at home (or in my case the 42”flat screen – it’s all that will fit in the space we have allocated).  This film does not have huge special effects, so from that point of view you would be fine, but of the movies out there right now, this gets my nod for what you should drop the $10 bucks to see. 

   
A Fully Loaded Pizza                                                           and 1/2 a Pitcher of Beer

So everyone, that is all for now.  Let’s go enjoy some Pizza and Beer, and watch some movies.  Until next time…try to stay healthy and happy, and pass this along to anyone you know who likes movies…Please.

Colombiana

Recently I saw Colombiana.

The “professional” reviewers/critics do not like this film; saying things like the acting was terrible, the plot was thin, there were implausible scenes, and that Zoe Saldana is dangerously underweight.  What the hell do they know, I say, who cares.  I don’t think critics go to movies to enjoy them, but rather to pick them apart without actually thinking about the type of movie they are watching.  I mean if Ms. Saldana is not happy with her weight, then she should do something about it, come on she is thin, not emaciated, and I suppose a Twinkie (or some pizza and beer) would not hurt, but really, should it be the focal point of a movie review? No it should not.  So, on to my rating and my review.

My Rating:  One slice of Pizza in deference to Zoe Saldana’s slight frame, and a pitcher of Beer. 

Basically, this is a summer action flick supported by a really good soundtrack and featuring a bad ass, gun wielding hot chick as the main character – for the genera, what could be better?  It is not deep and thought provoking, it is not emotional, but it was not meant to be. To tie in my Pizza and Beer review, there is not a lot of meat on the bones, supported by the one slice of pizza; but it is fun, supported by all the beer.

Zoe Saldana is the main character (Cataleya – the name of a type of orchid).  As an actress, she is best known for her supporting roles as Neytiri in Avatar and of course as Lt. Commander Uhura, the communications officer on the Enterprise (Star Trek – JJ Abrams 2009 version).  In this film it is all her, all the time – even in the scenes she is not physically present, she is the focal point.  The supporting actors are pretty much meaningless, vehicles to move Cataleya along in the film, to be used or killed.  Yea, there is love for her Uncle and Grandmother (who end up being killed of course), but they are really just additional fodder to feed the revenge theme. OK, but even as fodder, they deserve some mention:
Actor:                   Character:           Notes:
Jordi Molla          Marco                  Chief Lieutenant of the Drug Lord (Killed Cataleya’s Parents)
Lennie James      Ross                      FBI Agent who is hunting Cataleya (reluctantly helps her)
Michael Vartan   Danny                  Cataleya’s love interest (kinda a wimp)
Cliff Curtis            Emilio                  Cataleya’s Uncle (he is her main supporter through the movie)

Cataleya’s parents are killed early in the film, setting up the revenge theme for us.  By the look in the child’s eyes, you can tell right away that the bad guys are going to be annihilated eventually, and it certainly comes to fruition.  She runs fast, gets into and out of virtually impossible situations, and blows stuff up…all this on top of the wicked awesome gun play.  I particularly liked the scene where she is up on the balcony in the house of the drug lord who ordered her family killed, raining bullets from twin Uzis down on the bad guys.  This is right out of Scarface, all she needed to do to make this perfect is to yell out “Say Hello To My Little Friends!”  …and it ties neatly with poster in the young boy’s room (her dead cousin’s room to be exact) that she sleeps in when she first comes to America.  Can you say full circle – not subtle, but still fun to see.

The quote you will hear most often from this movie is:  “Never forget where you came from.”   This is interesting, because after she leaves Colombia for America, she never goes back and none of the film takes place there…and as for remembering, it is not really remembering where she comes from that drives her, but remembering what happened there.  Ah well, it makes a good quote.
All in all, this movie is fun entertainment.  Will it win any awards, no.  Will you enjoy watching it, well, if you like this type of movie, then yea, you will, at least I did. 

That’s all for now, so until next time, enjoy the movies with some pizza and beer; and most of all, stay healthy and happy.