Drive
Drive (2011)
★★★★ / ★★★★
The man with the scorpion jacket had three part-time jobs, not one of which fully described his isolated existence in the City of Angels. By day, he was a stuntman for action movies and a car mechanic for Shannon (Bryan Cranston), the man who gave him a job when he didn’t have any. By night, he was a getaway driver for criminals who needed the money for their own reasons. Driver (Ryan Gosling) only had one rule when it came to the heists: his clients had exactly five minutes to ransack the place and get back into the car. Whatever happened within the five-minute window, he was on their side no matter what. However, once the allotted time ran out, he was just another person in the street who kept his head down. “Drive,” based on a novel by James Sallis and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, was similar to Ethan Coen and Joel Coen’s “No Country for Old Men,” despite sporting vastly different milieus, for its control of visual style to highlight the bubbling disposition of a seemingly unemotional and reticent protagonist, punctuated use of violence, and sublime characterization through critical decision-making. When Driver met Irene (Carey Mulligan) and Benicio (Kaden Leos), her son, who lived a couple of steps from his apartment, something inside him couldn’t help but be drawn to them. Driver and Irene eventually got closer through small gestures but what they had was more friendship than romance. Driver hoped to change that. On the way to a dinner date, Irene revealed that her husband (Oscar Isaac) was about to be released from prison. As they pulled over to a stoplight, the emanated red light covered Driver’s face. Though he remained emotionless, as if the husband’s presence was no real threat to what he, Irene, and Benicio could have, the red, acting like a black light, revealed what he attempted to cover up. The return of the husband could’ve taken the picture on a cheaply maddening route by allowing Driver and Standard to become rivals, sneering at each other and testing one another’s masculinity when Irene wasn’t looking. There was none of such sitcom-like set-up. Their relationship, as tenuous as it was, surprised me because Standard seemed to really appreciate what Driver had done for his family. And he should. But his freedom had a price which thrusted the film into bloody violence. Although the violence was mesmerizing, almost having a poetic lyricism feel to it, there was an understated sadness in having to inflict pain on others for the sake for information and, if necessary, take their lives. Hossein Amini’s screenplay was admirably paradoxical. Although Driver’s motivation was to protect Irene and her son from crooks, it seemed that with each kill, he grew further from his dream of being with them rather than toward. Thus, the violence, though necessary, did not feel at all glamorous. The violence was ugly and Gosling’s angelic face, coldly calculating at times, provided an excellent contrasting template. Lastly, I admired the film’s elegance in connecting every character. Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks), Shannon’s longtime pal, and Nino (Ron Perlman) were allowed to shine in the latter half. Unlike the masked bandits that hired Driver at night, their motivations were more than just about money. Like Driver, they fought for what they considered to be very important to them. And that made them as lethal as scorpions.
100 Favorite Films of 2000-2009 (40-31)
40
Harry Potter (Series) (2001-present)
The “Harry Potter” franchise, adapted from J.K. Rowling’s novels, continues to impress me with each movie that is released. What I love about “Harry Potter” in general is the fact that even though it is set in a magical world with colorful characters abound, it never loses its emotional core. That is, how it is like to grow up and the emotional highs and lows that comes with that journey to maturity. There’s something special with each installment that I can’t help but connect with because it reminded me of some of my own experiences whether it’s mood swings, the feelings of not being good enough and others. In a way, the magical happenings can work as a metaphor for the unknown that challenges and forces us to be stronger people. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson should be proud of themselves for tackling and sticking with such a monolith of a series that never loses magic.
39
Shelter (2007)
I have a weakness for characters who desperately try to keep their families together, especially when they go as far as to sacrifice their own hopes and dreams. Zach (Trevor Wright) is that kind of character and I loved him the minute he appeared on screen. Written and directed by Jonah Markowitz, “Shelter” is one of the best gay-themed movies I’ve seen in a while because every element worked. If one was to watch this closely, I’d say take notice of the use of color and symbolism to reach a deeper understanding of Wright’s character. It’s so refreshing to see a lead gay character who is not into fashion or going clubbing or money/shopping at all (not to mention no one died of AIDS, no cross-dressing, no suicide attempts). I can relate to Zach because he really is a serious person; I wanted to scream for him because Zach is so trapped due to the expectations of his family and of himself. He endures each hardship with such composure, and when he finally breaks I seriously wanted to cry. If this becomes a cult film amongst the LGBT community, I wouldn’t be surprised.
38
Purple Violets (2007)
It’s funny because I’ve always seen Selma Blair as the naive girl who Sarah Michelle Gellar wanted to destroy in “Cruel Intentions” regardless of how many films I’ve seen her star in. This one is the first starring role that convinced me that Blair can be a great actress. Once this film, directed by the always engrossing Edward Burns, started I couldn’t stop watching it because all the actors have a certain energy that made me want to know more. This is undoubtedly a romantic comedy but as I was watching it, I felt like it was a tier higher than that. The film’s core is about deeply wounded thirtysomethings who want to achieve happiness but cannot quite get there because they are not happy with themselves. This movie reminded me of high school when I had all the time in the world to just… write. It made me wish that there were more hours in the day so I could just sit down even for just an hour or two to write about anything and everything. I thought this film was funny and sad with just the right pacing, but above all, it was honest.
37
Finding Nemo (2003)
I remember watching this animated film from Pixar in theaters and I seriously could not stop laughing. I felt like I was kid again and everything felt so fresh and all was right in the world. Written and directed by Andrew Stanton, “Finding Nemo” was about a father clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks), along with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) who he met on his journey to Australian waters, in desperate search for his son (Alexander Gould) after he was taken by a scuba diver. The visuals are absolutely stunning but the story, bona fide sense of humor and touching moments were just impeccable. This is the kind of film that I would watch with my future kids on a weekend morning while we eat cereal in our pajamas. And maybe we’ll watch it again before we go to bed.
36
Death Proof (2007)
Originally part of the “Grindhouse” double feature film experience, Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof” was the better film by a mile. A lot of people mentioned that it was “boring” because the action scenes could only be found in the middle and in the end of the picture. I strongly disagree because if Tarantino just gave the violence without the snarky dialogue and characters you can root for, it would just be another Hollywood movie that glorified violence. Those people were obviously unfamiliar with Tarantino because his brilliance could often be found in the dialogue and the way the camera would move from one place (or person) to another. The action sequences were often secondary at best. I loved the fact that the film featured strong women who could fight with words as well as with fists. I’m so sick of watching films that showcase women as fragile creatures.
35
Dogville (2003)
Directed by the controversial Lars von Trier, “Dogville” was about the story of a woman (Nicole Kidman) on the run who ended up in a small town in Colorado. Initially, everyone felt warm and welcoming but the ugliness and the jealousy eventually moved to the forefront. I didn’t care whether it was anti-American or it focused on the negative side of humanity. For a movie consisting of skins and bones (literally, the houses and roads are made out of chalk lines, as if children had drawn them), it was engaging, scary, and mysterious from beginning to end. I absolutely loved Nicole Kidman’s acting because of her mastery in subtle body movements and vocal intonations. Paul Bettany was equally fascinating as a symbol for a wise but sometimes confused humanity. This picture may not have a lot to offer asthetically but it has such depth and interesting commentaries regarding the elements that make up our (sometimes cruel) society.
34
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)
Robert Downey Jr. stars as Harry Lockhart, an aimless fast-talking man who gets caught up in a murder mystery along with Val Kilmer as Gay Perry. Everything about this film made me laugh because it was self-aware, not afraid to cite references from the most random sources (which somewhat reminded me of “Gilmore Girls”), and it was able to go in any direction without sacrificing the charm of the very damaged characters. Even though Downey and Kilmer argued a number of times, they had great chemistry and it was easy to tell that they cared for each other. Directed by Shane Black, “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” is a satirical hybrid of modern noir and dark comedy. As complicated as that sounds, the lead character assures us that this film would not be like “The Lord of the Rings” by having 17 endings.
33
Mean Creek (2003)
Jacob Aaron Estes directed this dark coming-of-age film about a group of kids and teenagers (Scott Mechlowicz, Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Trevor Morgan, Carly Schroeder) who decided to take a mean, lonely, corpulent kid (Josh Peck) to the woods and take revenge for the things he’s done. “Mean Creek” was one of those movies that I saw and realized how powerful the cinematic medium could be. The picture gave us a situation and allowed us to make moral evaluations without the movie judging its characters before or after certain incidents. I was also very impressed with the level of performances that the actors had because they were able to put themselves in adult situations despite their age and pull it off well. This was a rich film, as most critics mentioned that it was comparable to “Stand by Me” (another one of my absolute favorites), wrapped in simplicity so it’s really worth looking beyond the surface.
32
Milk (2008)
This film made me so proud to be a part of the LGBT community. Sean Penn. Emile Hirsch. Josh Brolin. Diego Luna. James Franco. Alison Pill. Victor Garber. Joseph Cross. Lucas Grabeel. When I saw the aforementioned names on IMDB when they were still filming in San Francisco, I knew I had to watch “Milk” and that I would love it unconditionally. Thankfully, it managed to surpass even my highest expectations. Gus Van Sant have directed impressive films in the past (“Good Will Hunting,” “Elephant,” “Paranoid Park”) but I thought he would tell the story of Milk with a more commercial style. I was elated when I saw his signature awkward camera angles, forcing the audiences to watch crucial scenes via a reflection on a whistle or mirror and everything in between. Having seen the brilliant 1984 documentary “The Times of Harvey Milk,” I knew of the events that are about to transpire in Van Sant’s film, but that never stopped me from hoping that somehow reality and fantasy will trade places and make way for a happy ending. This should have won Best Picture for 2008 and I strongly believe that over the years, this will be regarded as a more important film than the undeserving winner.
31
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Daniel Day-Lewis definitely deserve the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a man so consumed by competition and success. He was funny, scary, sad–but above all, twisted. Because of him, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. One minute he was someone one could relate to because he constantly wanted to prove himself, the next minute, he was a complete paranoid psychopath who seemed like he was possessed by the devil. What I loved about this film was its relentless soundtrack: it was always there even though nothing much was happening on screen. It was as if it became a character itself. Paul Thomas Anderson did a masterful job with his character study and making it universal by tackling religion, ambition, business and greed. This picture was 160 minutes long but it was 160 minutes great filmmaking.
