Drive My Car

"Drive"

Actor Ryan Gosling had quite a big year for himself in 2011.  The actor proved he has range.  He was in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid Love and worked with Mr. George Clooney in the political thriller The Ides of March.  Ever since Gosling was nominated back in 2006 for a Best Actor for his work on Half Nelson his career has really taken off.  The roles he is choosing to do are nothing alike and the actor has done a fine job not allowing himself to become typecast.  In Nicholas Winding Refin's Drive we are treated to another fine performance from the thirty-one year old.

The main character on the film is credited as "Driver" (Gosling) although his name is never actually mentioned.  In case you haven't figured out by the title of the film and the main character's name, this film is about driving.  And Driver really likes to drive.  He is a Hollywood stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night.  This guy is especially good at his job on both ends.  He mostly keeps to himself and is hardly willing to talk unless it's absolutely necessary.   Driver's life seemed to be going alright.  That is until he becomes friends with Irene (Cary Mulligan,) his neighbor from down the hall.

When Irene's husband, Standard (Oscar Issac) returns home after being released from prison it turns out that some people, violent people, have been waiting for him.  Standard has a debt to pay before he can get his life back on track with Irene and their son.  Driver reluctantly agrees to do a heist with Standard.  The job gets botched, Standard is killed, and Driver has a duffel bag full of cash.  From there the story shifts into high gear with Driver committing brutal acts of violence to anyone who crosses his path.  All he wants to do is return the money to mobsters Bernie (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Pearlman) and keep Irene safe.

Drive works on a number of levels.  There's a certain complexity to Driver's character that Gosling understands.  His character does not have a wide range of emotions but yet he is able communicate exactly what Driver is feeling and thinking to the audience.  A certain presence follows Gosling when he is on screen.  You just know that what Gosling is bringing to this character is no easy feat.

The way the screenplay is constructed it acts as though Drive could almost be two separate films.  Everything prior to Standard's big blunder could have been one short film.  The relationship that Irene and Driver have together is somewhat clichéd but Gosling and Mulligan do have pleasing chemistry together.  And then when Driver is seeking revenge for the multiple attempts on his life over this bag of money the film changes into something completely different.  Refin has the ability to handle this change in tone while still being able to hold some level of consistency to the film's characters.

There are a lot of times I find myself annoyed with the music choices directors pick for their films.  The Coen Brothers and Scorsese have exceptional understandings of how songs can affect the mood of a scene.  Refin's choices for Drive's soundtrack are along those same lines.  The pieces we hear add a new and different layer to the scenes.  The soundtrack plays a character in the film too.

Due to its graphic (but over the top) violence Drive will be a definite turn off for some.  However, Refin has put together a strong character driven piece with skillful performances from his very talented cast.  Brooks plays a fantastically illusive villain while Gosling is subtle but intense in his performance throughout the film.  While watching this film it's clear that at some point in Refin's life he fell in love with the city of Los Angeles.  I also get the impression that he has seen quite a bit of cinema because at times this film comes off as something that could have been from the 1980's.  This is only Refin's third feature and you just know that he has a promising career ahead of him.  The same can be said for Gosling.  The two are currently working on another project together which hopefully will deliver on the levels as Drive.  Buckle up and lock the doors because this ride doesn't come with air bags.     

Prevailing Words

"Anonymous"

In the past director Roland Emmerich has treated us to over the top, special effect heavy disaster flicks.  His body of work includes:  Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012.  Back in the year 2000 however he did do a period piece with Mel Gibson called The Patriot.  This was quite a change of pace for Emmerich.  The Patriot allowed the Frenchman to expand on his repertoire.  I enjoyed it for what it was and was curious to know what he would follow up with for his next project.  To my dismay Emmerich went back to what he did best, destroying the world.  

I couldn't help but think that this director yearned to do something more.  Understandably the studios were probably hesitant to give Emmerich a film that did not play to his strengths but Columbia Pictures decided to give him a chance with Anonymous.  The premise sounded interesting enough.  Was world renowned writer/poet William Shakespeare a fraud?  The film definitely gives us the answer of yes, yes he was.  

Anonymous explores the theory that Shakespeare's plays were written by none other than the Earl of Oxford, Edward De Vere (Rhys Ifans.)  Unfortunately the film ventures much deeper into De Vere's life than what we are expecting.  The film is told in series of flashbacks that show us the passionate love affair the youthful De Vere (Jaime Campbell Bower) had with the young and vivacious Queen Elizabeth I (Joely Richardson.)  There are also flash forwards to the adult versions of De Vere and Elizabeth (Vanessa Redgrave) to address the now current state of their once steamy relationship.

The film gives the impression that it was supposed to be about the validity of Shakespeare as a writer.  Instead Shakespeare and his merry band of actors are secondary to this story.  The screenplay treats Shakespeare and his plays as though they are a distraction to the plot.  Anonymous acts more as a bio pic about De Vere.  There are also  decent amounts of the heavy political strife the aged queen had to face throughout her reign over England.

I find it disappointing when a film can't even live up to its title.  The film is called Anonymous but the way this picture unfolds it is clear that in the screenwriter’s mind there was no mystery to who must have written the plays in question.  There have already been films about Queen Elizabeth I.  There needed to be less of her and more about the plays that were being performed.  The film touches here and there upon the power these plays had over the people of England but it by no means comes off striking or profound.

It is clear that Emmerich knows what a period piece is supposed to look like judging from his sets, costuming, and photography.  However he seems lost on how to approach in an overly long and mundane script that never quite gets off the ground.  The film's focus is unclear and tedious in its presentation of what we're supposed to be expecting from the set up.  The performances are strong from everyone involved, particularly Redgrave and Ifans but they can't save Anonymous from what it really is.  As of right now storytelling still is not one of Emmerich’s strengths. However, he needs to keep venturing further and further away from his comfort zone.  Eventually he will find his way and become a more versatile director.  Anonymous had the potential to be a film full of mystery and intrigue. Instead it almost immediately squanders its premise.  We do get to see though the potential that Emmerich has as a more serious director as he wades through the shallow end of a deep pool.  

The American Dream

"A Better Life"

The Screen Actors Guild and the Academy of Motion Pictures both nominated Demian Bichir for his work as lead actor in the film A Better Life.  I think this caught a lot of people off guard, myself included.  The film was released in the summer against the dreck from Michael Bay and a Pixar sequel.  Was this another quality film that was to be lost in a sea of overblown, special effects ridden flicks that had no screenplay for a backbone?  Occasionally award shows are useful in that they do remind us of films that have come out prior to October.  The attention that A Better Life received was well deserved as Bichir gives us a rather poignant performance.    

All Carlos Galindo (Bichir) wants is to live out the American dream for himself and more importantly his son, Luis (José Julián.)  Carlos wants to move to better neighborhood, to a bigger house, own his own business, and have Luis attend a better school.  What's holding him back?  Carlos is an illegal immigrant who has been living in this country for fourteen years.  He works as a landscaper just making enough to barely get by.  Luis doesn't have a whole lot of respect for his father or school.  The prospects of joining a gang intrigue him.  Could this lead to a better life?

Luis' ideas and attitude differ greatly from his father's.  When Carlos' employer sells him his work truck, Carlos sees greener pastures on the horizon.  This is the first step in right direction for the Galindo's.  Unfortunately when the truck is stolen any sort of hopes and dreams of striving to be something better are dashed away.  Carlos and Luis must come together to reclaim what was once theirs and in the process gain respect for each other.

A Better Life is good character piece that examines a typical father son relationship that we have seen before.  On one side you have Luis who sees little point in going to school or even graduating for that matter.  He looks around and sees everything as the glass is half empty.  He questions everything, even his own existence.  Carlos wants to make his son understand all the sacrifices he had to make when moving to United States.  He wants Luis to understand his heritage and where he comes from.  Carlos wants to be proud of his son and in a way atone for all the failures he did to himself prior to Luis' birth.

Director Chris Weitz gets very strong performances from his two leads.  Bichir gives such a heartfelt and moving portrayal of a father who's struggling on a number of levels to keep his family and life together. Julián holds his ground quite well against Bichir.  The two have believable chemistry together which is why their story is interesting to watch.  The story itself is nothing special.  It’s their performances that keep this film together.

A Better Life does have an agenda.  It addresses the ever going concern of illegal immigrants living in this country under the radar.  I think regardless of how you feel on the subject matter this subject matter doesn’t detract too much from the film.  The issue is present but not necessarily crammed down our throats.  Carlos and Luis just happen to be of Latino descent.  The characters themselves and the goals they are trying to achieve throughout the film could be interchangeable with any race of people. 

I don’t feel sorry the characters because it’s clear how they got to where they are and the situation they have put themselves in.  The risks are real.  The situation is plausible.  There are a number of quality scenes that depict challenges and hardships that some people face in the this country every day.  A Better Life does a fine job of keeping true to the themes of family and togetherness.  This is a choice piece of entertainment that features some fine acting.