Drive

[huntergrayson]

Action movie opening September 16th with Ryan Gosling as a Hollywood stuntman/gangster getaway driver who gets, naturally, caught up in a world of trouble. Costarring Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston & Ron Perlman.

The reviews from Cannes were extremely positive, with many praising how slick and commercial it is, while being a throwback to earlier driving pictures. It actually nabbed Best Director, beating out folks like Malick, Almodovar & von Trier.

Definitely excited about this now.

[save lilo!]

I can't wait. I'm also excited to see him in that Steve Carell movie with Ryan Gosling's ripped abs.

[huntergrayson]

Opens today and if you read the Gosling thread, you know that he describes it as "Pretty in Pink with a brutal Head Smashing" and/or "Blue Velvet meets Purple Rain." I have no idea what that is really going to be like but this is the first movie in a loooooooong time that I am excited enough to see opening day.

Also? Joan Holloway's breasts AND The Gos in one movie? Sploosh.

[mariposalabrown]

Well, Gosling wasn't lying, it is a gory as hell John Hughes movie, they even used the same font for the credits that I believe was on Pretty in Pink. Gosling is doing his usual Gosling thing, lookin all good and silent and giving little smiles, Christina Hendricks could have been anybody, well done soundtrack.

It was like Somewhere mixed with The Departed mixed with Machete. Brooks was a standout for me, and I usually can't stand him.

[huntergrayson]

You know, I thought one of the reviews I read was being hyperbolic when it said "there's a scene that turns from swooningly romantic and poetic to gritty and brutal in a few short cuts that will be analyzed in film schools shot-by-shot for years to come."

But, yeah, THE elevator scene? Is totally going to be.

This also had a lot of Lynchian moments - and maybe a touch of Michael Mann's Heat and Collateral.

And big fat word on the Somewhere - it and this film really capture the existential aspect of driving in LA.

Yet describing it in terms of "it's blank meets blank" doesn't do it justice.

I really hope that its commercial appeal doesn't keep it from awards contention.

IMO, it deserves noms for Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Sound Design. The utter sparseness and deep silences, punctuated by ticking watches and snippets of synth rumbles build up such a mood in the first act that that first gunshot blast jolts the audience like no other.

Be forewarned, it is really minimal when it comes to dialogue.

I believe that Gosling, besides being instrumental in getting it made in the first place, had a lot of soundtrack input as well.

[butternut]

I really liked it. The rest of my friends did not. (Issues with pacing, the end, not expecting the amount of gore, etc). The elevator scene is great, and Gosling can express so much without saying a word. Mulligan did well with her part. She had the Michelle Williams thing going on for me in this film.

[mariposalabrown]

butternut, my husband didn't realize it was a different girl from Blue Valentine and thought they filmed back to back movies together, they must see each other at every casting.

ETA: I thought the pacing was fantastic, there were a few times I was sitting on the edge of my seat without realizing it, and the only other time that has happened was during Rabbit's final rap in 8 Mile (shut up!) I think that the pacing and gore might keep it from having full commercial appeal, quite a few old people walked out when we watched it yesterday. Elevator scene was amazing, but lost two of our audience This isn't Notebook 2!

[Deleted]

I'm going to dissent and say I didn't like this movie at all.

I hated that I was conscious of the pacing. It reminded me of the French movie Cache where the cuts took forever. My overriding feeling was one of impatience...I just wanted them to get on with it.

My mind was not absorbed in the movie at all, leaving me room to wonder just how on earth plain janes Gosling and Mulligan became movie stars. Note, I actually am a huge Gosling fan but this movie was so unengaging that it giave me the mental space to examine his face critically and found him lacking.

Normally, I appreciate art house/independent/foreign films but my minimum requirement is that I should not be conscious of what the director is trying to do. I dislike that sort of obvious affectation, from the choice of music, to the lighting in the elevator scene, the long meaningful silences between Gosling and Mulligan, the focus on the shadow instead of the actor in the final scene, etc...

Pity, cause I was really looking forward to this movie.

[Deleted]

I saw it yesterday. Very gritty, very brutal, yet very, very good.

It was a B movie with an independent style about it. Ryan Gosling is truly an interesting actor to watch and I'm looking forward to seeing him in the George Clooney movie coming out soon.

Who'd thunk Albert Brooks could play such a scary bad guy. He was both terrorizing and mesmerizing at the same time.

[butternut]

I understand the complaints about the film. One of my friends' husband, who has made two features, was super excited about it--and was really disappointed. Expectations come in to play, etc. For me, I love Gosling. He did a great job in his role. I think the film is overall better than most movies that get released. I get the criticism, but it still remains in my top three movies seen of 2011.