Drive (2011)

[BluRayFiend]

shallow thanks for the info im gonna hold off an rent it first

[nocomments87]

Count me in the minority...I didn't really get into the film at all. I just couldn't take Ryan Gosling seriously as an "action star". I couldn't help but notice the same smirky facial expression he had throughout the movie. Such a small thing to nitpick about, but I just couldn't help it.

As for the movie, it started out pretty good. The beginning reminded me of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and that's a good thing. Somewhere along the way, it just dragged, and then there was the romance. I guess I've seen too many action movies to just know when that's coming before it even happens. The kills were also a bit over the top, and just came out looking cheesy. Although, there was one kill that looked pretty cool and that was

[Show spoiler]when Blanche was in the bathroom checking herself, and one of Cook's men blasts her with a shotgun from the window.

Everything just became predictable after that, and the movie just became boring from there too.

The soundtrack was a good part about the movie. One thing I didn't like was

[Show spoiler]when the Driver and Irene were in the elevator, and they started kissing, and the scene just slowed down like a dream...the music that played killed it for me as well.

I'm glad I only rented it instead of blind buying it. I think, had the movie continued like how it began, it would've been great. Of course, don't let my opinion ruin your chance to check out the movie...I believe you should give it a chance. I'm sure there's a reason (or several reasons) why it's praised as much as it is, but I, personally, didn't see it.

[KarmaNL]

all I gotta know is if this is region free?

[CHEЯNOБLY!]

...and here comes the backlash

I always take hype with a grain of salt. People get excited and hyperbolic about films they like, which is fine to a certain extent. Like when people in the forums say they saw the face of God in Tree of Life. Drive is about a look, feel, and additude. Enjoy it for what it is, and don't worry about hype.

9 days

[crs]

Originally Posted by KarmaNL

all I gotta know is if this is region free?

As I posted 2 pages back, it isn't.

[lolwut]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

Me, too. DRIVE is gonna be my second blind buy.
If for some strange reason it's not good.. if for any reason the same thing happens with DRIVE as did with Tree of Life, I'll simply unsubscribe to this thread. Otherwise, I'd end up being mean to people in here for talking it up so much as was done with that abortion of a screen saver... I mean Tree of Life..

I would watch it first, because it's not for everyone and isn't what you expect from the trailer. It's more of an artful crime drama until the second half.

Originally Posted by lherman22

...and here comes the backlash

I always take hype with a grain of salt. People get excited and hyperbolic about films they like, which is fine to a certain extent. Like when people in the forums say they saw the face of God in Tree of Life. Drive is about a look, feel, and additude. Enjoy it for what it is, and don't worry about hype.

9 days

It was bound to happen. I try to avoid reading about films I really want to see because I don't want the hype to ruin it. I knew Drive was supposed to be amazing before I saw it in theaters, but I didn't let myself get too excited. Don't read this if you don't want to read more hype: it exceeded my expectations and ended up being a masterpiece and my favorite film of the year. I instantly wanted to see it again but I wanted to wait until Blu-ray.

[greekak229]

The fact that some idiot tried to sue because the trailer was deceiving, thinking she was gonna see a Fast and Furious movie, really just sums up the cultural and personal taste with American moviegoers nowadays. Lol..

[El_Jay]

Originally Posted by greekak229

The fact that some idiot tried to sue because the trailer was deceiving, thinking she was gonna see a Fast and Furious movie, really just sums up the cultural and personal taste with American moviegoers nowadays. Lol..

No shit.

I liked Fast Five just fine, believe me, proud to own it and I'd say it's among the best pure action movies this year.

Drive though is in a different class. It really got to my feelings and stayed with me long after I'd gotten out of the theater. It's a noir film to be certain, people who get uncomfortable and squirm at scenes of two people just looking into eachother's eyes for a period of time will call it "pretentious" because it made them uncomfortable, but man I'm glad I gave it a chance. Certainly not for everyone, but I'm glad there is room for these kinds of movies amidst all the Transformers and Twilights.

The reason the trailer is misleading has more to do with the American public than anything. I'd say it's almost nothing like the trailer too, but what do you expect? The only way to get some chump like her in the theater is to make it look like it's exactly like 90% of other movies out there. So she didn't like it, so what? Plenty of movies suck and they are completely honest about what they are in the trailer. Shrug it off you big dummy.

9 days until I see this again.

[anomynous]

Ryan Gosling isn't an "action" star, because this isn't an action movie.



Saying this is action is like saying Goodfellas is action.

[CHEЯNOБLY!]

Originally Posted by greekak229

The fact that some idiot tried to sue because the trailer was deceiving, thinking she was gonna see a Fast and Furious movie, really just sums up the cultural and personal taste with American moviegoers nowadays. Lol..

Not just America, I think movie audiences around the world are getting lazier and dumber....I heard of audiences in the UK demanding their money back because The Artist was silent film.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by greekak229

The fact that some idiot tried to sue because the trailer was deceiving, thinking she was gonna see a Fast and Furious movie, really just sums up the cultural and personal taste with American moviegoers nowadays. Lol..

So that's three films this year where people complained to theaters/studios for their money back on a movie not being what they thought:

The Artist... for being a silent movie and viewers not knowing.
Tree of Life... for being unconventional and viewers taken by surprise.
Drive... for not being like its trailer

[cooterbuket]

Originally Posted by lherman22

...and here comes the backlash

I always take hype with a grain of salt. People get excited and hyperbolic about films they like, which is fine to a certain extent. Like when people in the forums say they saw the face of God in Tree of Life. Drive is about a look, feel, and additude. Enjoy it for what it is, and don't worry about hype.

9 days

Totally agree with you. Saw this with my roommate and was completely enveloped in the movie from the beginning credits through to the end while he couldn't wait for it to end. I wasn't very hyped for the movie but neither was he, just one example of the polar opposites of the film's audience I guess.

[El_Jay]

Originally Posted by anomynous

Ryan Gosling isn't an "action" star, because this isn't an action movie.



Saying this is action is like saying Goodfellas is action.

+1

Even if the poster meant they didn't buy him as a "badass", I don't know what movie they were watching. He owned this movie and he was genuinely menacing when he needed to be. He gets big points in my books for doing so many diverse movies in a 1 or 2 year span. The guy is unstoppable from where I'm sitting. Awards are in his future before he hits 40, I'd wager.

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by lherman22

...and here comes the backlash

I always take hype with a grain of salt. People get excited and hyperbolic about films they like, which is fine to a certain extent. Like when people in the forums say they saw the face of God in Tree of Life. Drive is about a look, feel, and additude. Enjoy it for what it is, and don't worry about hype.

9 days

Originally Posted by lolwut

I would watch it first, because it's not for everyone and isn't what you expect from the trailer. It's more of an artful crime drama until the second half.

It was bound to happen. I try to avoid reading about films I really want to see because I don't want the hype to ruin it. I knew Drive was supposed to be amazing before I saw it in theaters, but I didn't let myself get too excited. Don't read this if you don't want to read more hype: it exceeded my expectations and ended up being a masterpiece and my favorite film of the year. I instantly wanted to see it again but I wanted to wait until Blu-ray.

Yeah this always happens: hype, then disappointment. Frankly one should be wary of overhype because you'll always set yourself up for disappointment. That's why it's keen to read between the hype: what are people/reviews saying about the substance of a picture? That will give you a better picture for you than 'this is the best movie yada yad a yada...' That's how I knew, for example, to temper my expectation for The Tree of Life (which I ended up not enjoying as much as its critical mass would hold).

I'd certainly RENT first on Drive, though, if you're on the fence/are slightly interested, even given its proponent's (me included) effusive praise of it. Like The Tree of Life, this is one of those films that has been hyped by the cinephilic types on boards like this so much that some perspective needs to come in play it it lies outside your affinities.

To retread a bit from above though, Drive is for the record one of those rare films that exceeded my expectation of it going in. It was indeed marketed terribly in this country; the Fast Five comparisons have been made ad nauseum [and no wonder, that movie grossed over $500 mil worldwide]. But this is NOTHING like that: it's slow, quiet for large parts, and very much an exercise in style as substance - meaning not much is explicitly stated.

Originally Posted by eiknarf

So that's three films this year where people complained to theaters/studios for their money back on a movie not being what they thought:

The Artist... for being a silent movie and viewers not knowing.
Tree of Life... for being unconventional and viewers taken by surprise.
Drive... for not being like its trailer

I don't get people sometimes. Do people read reviews, watch trailers (which play for twenty minutes before most showings even begin), look up movies...or do those catchy posters have that much sway as people wander aimlessly to seek refuge in the theaters?

The Artist one is particularly amusing. How could you not know that was a silent picture: that's the crux of it's advertising!

[42041]

Originally Posted by Cinemach

I don't get people sometimes. Do people read reviews, watch trailers (which play for twenty minutes before most showings even begin), look up movies...or do those catchy posters have that much sway?

Sometimes I prefer to not know too much about whatever I'm seeing.

[Hucksta G]

Originally Posted by El_Jay

+1

Even if the poster meant they didn't buy him as a "badass", I don't know what movie they were watching. He owned this movie and he was genuinely menacing when he needed to be. He gets big points in my books for doing so many diverse movies in a 1 or 2 year span. The guy is unstoppable from where I'm sitting. Awards are in his future before he hits 40, I'd wager.

The fact that he wasn't even nominated for Blue Valentine is a travesty.

[El_Jay]

Originally Posted by Hucksta G

The fact that he wasn't even nominated for Blue Valentine is a travesty.

There's a lot of that going around. Warrior being completely snubbed, I can kinda-sorta get over it, but Nolte's performance in it not even talked about?! Brutal. Yet Jonah Hill gets awards buzz for simply being in a serious movie? Come on now. Moneyball is awesome but hardly an award-worthy performance from Hill.

[blurayjunkie]

This movie was really boring i felt like going to sleep while watching this. There were a few good action scenes but, the rest of the movie was tiresome

[ArrestedDevelopment]

Originally Posted by blurayjunkie

This movie was really boring i felt like going to sleep while watching this. There were a few good action scenes but, the rest of the movie was tiresome

Looking at your collection, you mostly own action flicks. So yea, this wouldn't be your taste.

Aeon Flux

[Fallglimmer]

Originally Posted by Hucksta G

The fact that he wasn't even nominated for Blue Valentine is a travesty.

Not to totally derail the whole topic, but I really don't agree with that. He almost ruined that film, Gosling seems to be a very method actor and if he doesn't have good director around to rope him in he can get very "busy" with his performances, which he was in Blue Valentine. He was just trying SOOOO HARD, and you could tell. He was great here, not so much in Blue Valentine.