I have been neglecting this blog like the third child in any family, so I am going to attempt to step up my game. Easiest way to do this is to talk about movies I see and TV shows I watch because honestly they are more exciting than anything I do. Not that that is a bad thing. No qualms about life, very pleased and happy with how things are going. Now onto the stabbings.
And boy, does Drive have a lot of stabbings. Baby Goose plays the driver who is a stuntman by day, entrepreneur by night. And by entrepreneur, I mean he takes his skill (driving) and uses it for fiscal advantages while helping some of LA's not-so-finest. Inevitably, he gets sucked into underground dealings and it hits the proverbial fan. I can say that I absolutely loved Drive. I am not alone in liking it because it is trending at about 90-ish percent on rotten tomatoes. But there are reasons for why it's not burning up the box office and collecting awards the world over.
Those reasons are that the movie is not very American. I am not a savant of foreign films, however Drive feels very European for a few reasons. First is that we as Americans have been ingrained with the fact that if it is an "action" movie then things need to be blowing up constantly or with semi-regularity. Drive does not have that. In all honesty, for the first 40 minutes not a whole lot happens. Gosling drives, he swoons over a girl, he drives some more, swoons some more, and so on. Secondly, Gosling doesn't fit the John McClane like Action hero. (As a side note, John McClane and Die Hard are the Gold Standard for action movies. I don't care if the film came out 25 years ago, it is better than everything since then. I got in an argument with a co-worker recently about this and their asinine argument about The Fast and the Furious makes my blood boil.) Gosling doesn't talk much, doesn't walk with his junk hanging out, doesn't sex up any ladies, and doesn't fire any guns. So he doesn't fall into our action hero type. But, he is so bad ass it is unbelievable.
Finally, the violence is so quick and effortless that it is not giving the movie word of mouth with the general public. Americans like their violence with gunfire, explosions, and more or less blood free. Drive lets the blood flow with many quick and close cuts with different edged weapons. And this turns people off. A guy in my screening walked out talking about "the slowest movie ever" and "Gosling never did anything." In my eyes the movie portrayed violence as it is in real life. I would assume murder is quick and gross and something that you would not want to see.
I only have good things to say about the film. The 80's soundtrack was enjoyable, if a little too obvious in song choice. Acting was impeccable. Gosling was great and was in good hands with Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, and Albert Brooks. Interesting to note how many high-profile TV actors are in this movie. I give the movie my definite approval, and urge people to check it out. It's not for everyone, but anyone who knows me, knows what I like, in-tow likes what I like, will love it. That sentence is rediculous.
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