Drive Review

“Drive”
Release Date: September 16, 2011
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Screenplay by: Hossein Amini
Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity
Review by: Sean Kayden

Director Nicolas Winding Refn is an aberrant visual artist. Drive, his latest work of art, combines striking imagery and an essence of cool that’s been missing in American cinema for quite sometime. It’s funny how a Danish director is the one to bring cool back in a way we haven’t seen in years. I’m not going to lie, Refn (winner of this year’s Cannes Film Festival for Best Director) was inspired by earlier films of the genre, but figures out a way to make this endeavor completely his own body of work. Essentially, Drive is about a chivalrous Hollywood stunt driver and loner, who moonlights as a getaway driver. He quickly finds himself caught up with the wrong people in a heist that goes terribly wrong. Yes, we’ve all seen movies of this conformation before, but I can promise you that you haven’t seen it like this. At face value, Drive is minimalistic and straightforward, but at its core, this uniquely developed drama/suspense film is ultra sleek, eloquently violent, beautifully composed and superbly acted.

The screenplay, adapted by Hossein Amini from the book by James Sallis is solid, but is light on dialogue. Drive is elevated by the electrifying performances of its cast. Ryan Gosling plays the nameless protagonist known as “The Driver” in such a subtle, but harrowing way. A man of few words, Gosling has never been this good. The mannerisms, the facial expressions, the pain behind those blue eyes make this character so memorable and exemplary. From Clint Eastwood to Steve McQueen to James Dean, Gosling exemplifies a true yet complex action hero with this character. Carey Mulligan, the woman down the hall of the driver’s apartment building, is affecting and excellent as Irene. She plays a mother waiting for her husband to be released from prison. However, she forms a strong affinity for the Driver and her little boy finds a surrogate father while his own father is locked up. The Driver sees a life he has never had and may never have with Irene and her son. In this light, the Driver seems vulnerable, sensitive, and compassionate. Without sappy or lovey-dovey trite dialogue, The Driver and Irene’s bond blossoms with little words that are ever spoken. Credit is due to Cliff Martinez’s romantic, electro-pop, electronica score. The tone and textures of this resonance fuels the poignant acting in the scenes shared on screen by Gosling and Mulligan. Bottom line, the score is a modern day masterpiece. At the other end of the spectrum is Albert Brooks. In an unlikely performance, Brooks plays a former 80s Hollywood producer/mob boss that is scary, daunting, and ruthless. While his presence is limited, he is downright engrossing. It’s as almost as if his lines weren’t even written, but simply formed by Brooks himself. The movie quickly shifts into high gears after the Driver is part of an ill-advised heist gone awry. Gosling’s character goes from playing defense to offense in a flick of a switch. At this moment, all bets are off and the movie comes to life in unimaginable way. So while Drive deliberately starts off in the slow lane, it eventually kicks into overdrive at a blazing pace you can only hope to be equipped for.

Refn’s penchant for violence and gore is overwhelmingly present here, but the bursts of brutality is enthralling, if not disturbing. While not for the faint at heart, the violent behavior in Drive is artful and vividly produced. These particular scenes rank among the finest of the year. On a technical level, Drive is flawless. I love the way it was shot. Every scene, every shadow within a scene, and the precise way light is used matters. Nothing feels wasted or oversaturated. Always taut and suspenseful, you’re eyes will never veer off screen. The film easily takes over all your senses with every single scene telling a story within itself. It’s simply the coolest film of the year. With powerhouse performances and Refn’s skillful directing, Drive is a tightly and impressively constructed motion picture worth seeing. Despite an extremely familiar storyline, a somewhat scattered plot, and earlier film influences, Drive still takes the viewer on a ridiculously wild ride. Buckle up because “it’s going to be a bumpy ride” is clearly an understatement here.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Published on September 24th, 2011 by Mountain Views News
http://mtnviewsnews.com/v05/htm/n39/p10.htm

Three Awesome and Overlooked Summer Movies

Review by: Sean Kayden



“Attack The Block” is irrefutably the best summer blockbuster that isn’t a “blockbuster” per se. On a shoestring budget ($13 million to be exact and yet a fraction of bloated affairs such as Transformers 3, Green Lantern, and Thor), first time writer/director Joe Cornish took “the alien invasion theme” to new heights. What a raucously, super-charged, and ferociously entertaining piece of cinema we are presented with. From the producers of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”, “Attack The Block” is sort of sci-fi, sort of horror, and on more than one occasion, comedic. It’s set in South London, where a young street gang must defend themselves from unruly alien intruders. While alien movies seem all the rage for the past year, this one is leaps and bounds the best of the bunch. While the twilight sets down on a crushingly second-rate summer movie season, “Attack The Block” is able to give us hope that summer movies can be smart, entertaining, and original all at once. If you missed “Attack The Block” in theaters, you’ll be able to catch it when it hits DVD/Blu-ray this October.



“30 Minutes or Less” stars Jesse Eisenberg as a slacking pizza delivery boy who is forced into robbing a bank by two wannabe criminals (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson). Problem is, they’ve attached a bomb to his chest and it will go off he doesn’t complete the mission. Based on true-life events, but taken in a completely absurdly comedic direction, “30 Minutes or Less” is beat for beat the funniest flick of the summer. It’s also rare that every key player here is hilarious in his own, dysfunctional and eccentric sort of way. The flick is entirely straightforward and very lo-fi, but director Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland”) never has a problem keeping things absolutely refreshing at a mere running time of 82 minutes. With rarely ever a dull moment and endlessly amusing, “30 Minutes or Less” offers more laughs and gags than all the other mainstream R-rated comedies this summer combined. Keep your eye out for “30 Minutes or Less” when it’s released on DVD/Blu-ray sometime in late November.



“The Beaver” had marked the return of Mel Gibson. While we can’t go as far as saying ‘witness the resurrection of Mel Gibson’, I can say that his performance in “The Beaver” is his best to date. “The Beaver” is a painfully and surprisingly genuine portrayal of depression and remoteness. Gibson plays a husband and father of two who is completely gone. He’s a dead end with no return in sight. He finds comfort in a beaver puppet that becomes his only form of communication. Director Jodie Foster (who also plays Gibson’s wife) keeps the pace moving at a good rate without ever getting sidetracked with what could have turned into sappy or overly weepy scenes here. While there may not be any true surprises here, the subplots in the film are unexpectedly strong and all the key supporting characters are three-dimensional, cogent, and unfeigned. Kyle Killen’s debut script (considered ‘The Black List’s” best unproduced screenplay in 2008) is powerful, deep, and brutally honest. Many people may be turned off by the idea of a talking beaver puppet and the sheer fact Mel Gibson is in this movie, but sometimes we have to leave our reservations and opinions at the door and attempt to embrace something as sincerely meaningful and real as “The Beaver” has come to be. Do yourself a favor and seek this one out on DVD or Blu-ray.


Published on September 17th, 2011 by Mountain Views News
http://mtnviewsnews.com/v05/htm/n38/p11.htm

Warrior Review

“Warrior”
Release Date: September 9th, 2011
Directed by: Gavin O’Connor
Screenplay by: Gavin O'Connor, Anthony Tambakis, and Cliff Dorfman
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language and thematic material

The summer movie season provided us with a copious amount of misfires and to no surprise, found itself badly straggling to the finish line. Thankfully, we can move on since the fall movie season is now upon us. With that said, I have the sheer gratification of telling you that “Warrior” starring Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte is one knockout of a movie. In vein of last year’s powerful film, “The Fighter”, “Warrior” is about two brothers both fighting for something greater than themselves. Tom Hardy brilliantly portrays Tommy Riordan, an ex-Marine haunted by his past who returns home to his former alcoholic father, played by a battered and wounded Nick Nolte. Joel Edgerton takes on the persona of Brendan Conlon, a high school physics teacher and ex-MMA fighter unable to make ends meet. In a turn of events, Tommy asks his estranged father to train him to fight once again. Brendan, unbeknownst to this, finds himself competing in amateur MMA fights to help out at home. Alienated from one another for 16 years, the brothers’ paths will soon cross as they face off in Sparta, a Grand Prix tournament of MMA fights. While the set-up may be dauntingly cliché, director Gavin O’Connor somehow is able to throw punch after punch at your vulnerable heart in what is the most unrelentingly impassioned packed film this year.

For starters, “Warrior” is part gritty family drama, part sports action flick, and part feel-good crowd pleaser. Translation? Raw, gut-wrenching, and compelling. The acting is never less than absolutely stellar. Joel Edgerton plays Brendan, the typical underdog persona, with such heart and compassion. With his house seeing foreclosure and medical bills for one of his daughters with a defected heart adding up, it’s difficult not to show rooting interest for this guy. Tom Hardy’s character, Tommy, on the other hand, has many complexities and an aura of mystery surrounding him. He’s not entirely psychologically stable because of what haunts him from his days in Iraq and his devastatingly strained relationship with his father. Hardy is nothing short of brilliant as an ex-marine with a lot of built up agony and pain to release. Easily the breakout star of “Warrior”, Hardy’s utterly sublime representation really pulls you in. Anchored by a subtle, electrifying and haunting performance, Hardy should be recognized during award season. Furthermore, his scenes with his Nick Nolte were as heartrending and distressing as they come by. The dynamic of their shattered relationship felt honest, real, and unfeigned. Nolte as a recovering alcoholic, who listens to self-help audiotapes, really nails it here. He’s a lost and fractured soul trying to reconnect with his sons, who don’t seem to want to give in. While the MMA fight sequences are exhilarating and super-charged, it’s the chemistry between Nolte and Hardy on screen that’s absolutely remarkable and really drives the movie into the territory of absolute greatness.

Well over two hours, “Warrior” never eases up in toying with one’s emotions. It does an outstanding job continually pulling at the strings of one’s own heart. If you surrender to its tricks, you may find yourself tearing up in multiple scenes. “Warrior” definitely ranks up there with ultimate guy-cry movies. By the end of the movie, you’ll not only find yourself on the edge of your seat, but also wiping those tears away and rooting for these guys as if they were your own brothers. The ending may not be what you completely expected, but it seems appropriate and realistic. Never does “Warrior” seem false or manipulative in the earnest ways it touches your heart, mind, and soul. This movie just feels right in this day and age. The constant struggle of overcoming the odds and believing in one’s self despite any obstructions in your line of sight. It’s a stunning achievement that a mainstream movie like this packs so much pure entertainment, affecting moments and uncompromised compassion. “Warrior” excels on nearly all levels making it a definite must-see for all ages.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Published on September 10th, 2011 by Mountain Views News
http://mtnviewsnews.com/v05/htm/n37/p11.htm

The Rapture - "In The Grace Of Your Love"

Artist: The Rapture
Album: In The Grace Of Your Love
Label: DFA Records
Release Date: September 6, 2011
Review by: Sean Kayden

I must confess that prior to “In The Grace Of Your Love” I wasn’t at all familiar with The Rapture’s repertoire of songs. My only prior knowledge of the band’s existence was seeing their name on an array of music festivals posters from the last few years. Even with my former lack of familiarity of the band’s sound, I’m now aware that this record marks the restoration of The Rapture’s dance-punk resonance. Despite an unreleased song specifically recorded a few years ago for the soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto IV, “In The Grace Of Your Love” marks The Rapture’s first record in five years. Now I fully understand the allure the band has had for over a decade. The sweet and soulful sound of the band’s latest resurgence is undeniably apparent with their forth album.

Chill beats, saxophones, stylish and polished to a tee, “I.T.G.O.Y.L.” will have you dancing on the beach in no time. The vibe is electrifying and pure ecstasy. Seriously, the fun rarely eases up and the ride is well worth the price of admission. Earlier this summer, I would have bet everything that Friendly Fire’s electro-pop opus, “Pala” was the top prizefighter for the best danceable rock album. Now it seems a real heavyweight contender has just entered the ring. The track “Come Back To Me” is slick and chilled, but half way into it, it takes an ominous turn. The thick baseline will elevate you from the dance floor. Raw, funky, moody and turbo-charged, The Rapture hits you with everything it’s got in its plentiful arsenal of tricks. Clearly fans of the band shouldn’t be disappointed with “I.T.G.O.Y.L.” and newcomers, like myself, evidently don’t have a reason not to check out their previous material now.

“Sail Away”, “Blue Bird” and the closer, “It Takes Time To Be A Man” are without question the superior songs off the album. However, make no mistake, the rest of the album does a pretty bang up job delivering utter bliss to your ears. As the summer season twiddles down, “I.T.G.O.Y.L.” will lift your spirit up as the fall season becomes underway. It’s a terrific album to close out the summer, but not even for that reason alone. The Rapture has proved that great things happen with a little patience. Although it took a solid five years for the album to come into fruition, it should be duly noted that their efforts are greatly appreciated. Instead of phoning in an underdeveloped album (what bands seem to do these days for their grand arrival back to the music scene), The Rapture appear to be on the right track with what distinctly can be deemed an unexpected, yet tremendous new endeavor.

Grade: 8.2 out of 10
Key Tracks: “Sail Away”, “Blue Bird”, “Children” and “It Takes Time To Be A Man”

Published on September 3rd, 2011 by Mountain Views News.
http://mtnviewsnews.com/v05/htm/n36/p11.htm