Summery
A slick, well crafted success, Drive expertly blends adrenaline with pathos, and is an engaging thrill-ride with plenty of substance to go with it’s style.
Full Review
Ryan Gosling is the rising star in Hollywood at the moment. In 2011 he appeared in two of the years best films. One was The Ides of March. The other was Drive. At bottom, Drive is an action film, but it’s no Mission Impossible or Pirates of the Caribbean, it does so much more than throw as many fast paced scenes into a 90-minute window as it can. Drive is slick, smart, emotionally substantive, and, as has been pointed out by every one else on the internet, very stylish.
Ryan Gosling stars as a man simply known as “The Driver”, a mechanic who works part time as a stuntman, and part part time as a getaway driver. It’s not the most demanding role he’ll be asked to portray in what will probably be a long and successful acting career, but Gosling plays The Driver with competence and confidence, easily leaping any hurdles in front of him.
If one were to go into Drive expecting an unceasing barrage of bullets and CGI, one might find themselves instantly sucked in by the excellent opening before wondering if they were watching the right film, as Drive spends the next 30 minutes introducing characters, setting up events and developing romance. It doesn’t do this badly, though it does take perhaps a little longer than it should in getting where it needs to go, but Drive arrives at it’s destination in a whirlwind of gritty, thunderous moments, particularly when The Driver assaults a would-be attacker in an elevator in what is one of the most brutal scenes in a film all year.
Few films blend visceral carnage with emotional resonance as well as Drive does, and the performances from Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan have to take a lot of the credit for that. The film is cinematographed beautifully, featuring some truly memorable shots and the film ends on an emotional, bittersweet note that is guaranteed to be replayed in one’s head for a long time after the credits finish rolling.
Drive isn’t without fault. As has been said, the intro is terrific, instantly sucking you into the film, but the next half-hour passes at a crawl, it’s not that the events on screen aren’t being done with competence, it’s simply poorly paced. Another thing is that, for all it’s brutally violent scenes, and there are many, there are also many scenes that are extremely underwhelming, such as when The Driver drowns someone in the sea. Drowning is certainly not a peaceful way to go, but given the context of the scene, and given that the camera is positioned about 40 feet away from the incident, it can leave one feeling a little under whelmed.
It’s faults don’t do enough to taint what is otherwise a very good film. It’s well acted, featuring particularly memorable performances from Albert Brooks and Carey Mulligan, as well as Gosling himself, wonderfully shot, and viscerally and cerebrally gripping, and is by far the best action movie of 2011.
Should I see it?
Drive is one of the best films of 2011 and it shouldn’t be missed. See it.
Overall Score
82/100
27 January, 2012
22 January, 2012
Bridesmaids Review
Summery
While neither revelatory nor outstanding, Bridesmaids is well written, well acted, and funny, and for the most part, it deserves two hours of your time.
Full Review
The word overrated is thrown around a lot today, and has been scorned by many, but I think it just might apply to Bridesmaids. Let me preface this review by saying that I actually liked Bridesmaids, it’s well made, well written, featuring great performances from the whole cast, and if you think in anyway that you just might enjoy it, then I’d give it a recommendation. However, given that this is a film that was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Comedy or Musical, and given that it has been suggested by more than a few people that it deserves an Oscar nod, it must be judged in accordance with these lofty heights. For all it’s prowess, for all it’s positives, and it has many, Bridesmaids never for a moment catches fire, never dazzles or amazes in any department. It’s a film best described as simply “good”. Nothing more, nothing less than a good, solid, well made film. Is this truly where the film watching population has got to? Have we really reached the point where we are shouting “Oscar” just because a comedy was made that didn’t completely suck? I shouldn’t hold any of these musings against the film though.
The plot is fairly straightforward. Our protagonist is named Annie, her best friend is getting married, and she asks Annie to be her maid of honour. However, as events unfold, Annie feels her role is threatened by the film’s dominant, overbearing antagonist, Helen. There’s nothing wrong with having a simple story, it can leave room for smart writing and good acting to shine, however, when one can accurately predict all the films major events by the 20-minute mark, then you need to try a little bit harder, in this reviewers’ humble opinion. The pacing is also a little clumsy, some scenes drag on for far too long, while in the films second half, without giving too much away, there are four events in the life of our protagonist that one would be inclined to think of as rather major events, all of which happen in the space of about 10 minutes. It doesn’t shatter the feelings of sympathy and empathy that the film has generated up to that point, but it does somewhat hurt the immersion level.
On the positive side, the films strong points are it’s acting and writing, and, if you’re going to have strong points, then those are two categories you would want them in. The acting is good for the most part, the whole cast does a pretty good job, the characters are all very believable and fit their solid, but somewhat uninventive roles, more than adequately. The writing is also good, occasionally showing flashes of greatness, the dialogue is all very believable and there are one or two genuinely very clever lines. Despite it’s somewhat poor plot, it tells it’s story in the right manner, it’s plot points aren’t force fed, exposition dumps are few and far between, and, though one would expect it to be simple to tell a simple story, credit must go where it is due.
Should I see it?
If you’ve already decided that Bridesmaids is or isn’t for you, then I doubt this review will change your mind. But, for what it’s worth, if you are considering checking it out, then you should. If you aren’t considering it, then I advise you do so.
Overall Score
68/100
While neither revelatory nor outstanding, Bridesmaids is well written, well acted, and funny, and for the most part, it deserves two hours of your time.
Full Review
The word overrated is thrown around a lot today, and has been scorned by many, but I think it just might apply to Bridesmaids. Let me preface this review by saying that I actually liked Bridesmaids, it’s well made, well written, featuring great performances from the whole cast, and if you think in anyway that you just might enjoy it, then I’d give it a recommendation. However, given that this is a film that was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Comedy or Musical, and given that it has been suggested by more than a few people that it deserves an Oscar nod, it must be judged in accordance with these lofty heights. For all it’s prowess, for all it’s positives, and it has many, Bridesmaids never for a moment catches fire, never dazzles or amazes in any department. It’s a film best described as simply “good”. Nothing more, nothing less than a good, solid, well made film. Is this truly where the film watching population has got to? Have we really reached the point where we are shouting “Oscar” just because a comedy was made that didn’t completely suck? I shouldn’t hold any of these musings against the film though.
The plot is fairly straightforward. Our protagonist is named Annie, her best friend is getting married, and she asks Annie to be her maid of honour. However, as events unfold, Annie feels her role is threatened by the film’s dominant, overbearing antagonist, Helen. There’s nothing wrong with having a simple story, it can leave room for smart writing and good acting to shine, however, when one can accurately predict all the films major events by the 20-minute mark, then you need to try a little bit harder, in this reviewers’ humble opinion. The pacing is also a little clumsy, some scenes drag on for far too long, while in the films second half, without giving too much away, there are four events in the life of our protagonist that one would be inclined to think of as rather major events, all of which happen in the space of about 10 minutes. It doesn’t shatter the feelings of sympathy and empathy that the film has generated up to that point, but it does somewhat hurt the immersion level.
On the positive side, the films strong points are it’s acting and writing, and, if you’re going to have strong points, then those are two categories you would want them in. The acting is good for the most part, the whole cast does a pretty good job, the characters are all very believable and fit their solid, but somewhat uninventive roles, more than adequately. The writing is also good, occasionally showing flashes of greatness, the dialogue is all very believable and there are one or two genuinely very clever lines. Despite it’s somewhat poor plot, it tells it’s story in the right manner, it’s plot points aren’t force fed, exposition dumps are few and far between, and, though one would expect it to be simple to tell a simple story, credit must go where it is due.
Should I see it?
If you’ve already decided that Bridesmaids is or isn’t for you, then I doubt this review will change your mind. But, for what it’s worth, if you are considering checking it out, then you should. If you aren’t considering it, then I advise you do so.
Overall Score
68/100
10 January, 2012
The Story of Our Universe
I've seen many wonderful films, read many excellent books and played many immersive, epic video games, and many of them have told some wonderful stories. But the greatest story of all is one that you need only look around to appreciate in all it's wonder. For the greatest story of all is all around us. It's not a religiously rooted myth, nor a spellbending work of fiction. Rather, it is the story of reality its self. More specifically, the wonderful, majestic universe that we live in, the splendor of which trumps any religious myth or work of fiction. We've come to learn so much about our universe, and, though there are still answers that elude us, we know the tale of the world around very well, from it's incredible beginnings to it's bone chilling finale, with one particular primate species, floating around on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam. For those who want to hear the real, scientific, evidence based story, then I invite you to read on, as I expound on our origins, explain the evidence for our eventual fate, and tell you The Story of Our Universe.
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
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