Moviedale

Drive (Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity) is a noir crime thriller starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks and Bryan Cranston.

A mysterious fellow (Gosling) we’ll just call “Driver” because we never learn his name, can do nearly anything with car that can be done with a car. His trade is driving, whether it’s as a Hollywood stunt man or as getaway-driver-for-hire for any criminal enterprise willing to hire him and play by his rules.  And his rules are very unforgiving: you tell him where to be and when, and he’ll be there. You then have five minutes to be there or he leaves. If you make that five minute window he’ll get you away from your pursuers.

Driver is a solitary man, living in a lower class apartment house in Los Angeles, and works as a mechanic for his stunt boss Shannon (Cranston) when he’s not driving. He goes about his life as unemotional as the machines he drives and fixes, but begins to come out of his shell when he helps his neighbors, Irene (Mulligan) and her young son Benicio, out of a jam with their car. Irene and Benicio seem to suffer from the same melancholia as Driver—theirs caused by Irene’s husband being in prison. The three sense a need in each other and each has a willingness to fill it.

Driver’s life gets complicated when Irene’s husband gets out of jail and, though he wants to live the straight-and-narrow, is forced by prison obligations to pull one last job, for which he needs Driver’s help. Complications mount quickly with his decision to help.

Warning: There is brutal bloody violence.

This movie is infused with the gritty atmosphere of damaged people trying to make the best of their difficult lives. The pace of the storytelling, with its slow panning shots and drawn out pauses in the dialog, raises the tension without overt conflict until it builds, exploding in episodes of violence. From Driver’s point of view it certainly explores the cost of becoming entangled in relationships with our fellow human beings.

Powerfully acted and directed, Drive is one of more highly regarded films of the year, and with good reason.

50/50 (Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and some drug use) is a “based on a true story” drama / comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Adam (Gordon-Levitt) is a twenty-seven year old healthy, clean living, mild mannered man who works for Seattle’s public radio station. His relationship with his high maintenance girlfriend, Rachael (Howard) is slowly growing more serious, to the chagrin of Kyle (Rogen), his gregarious, happy-go-lucky, lothario best bud since high school.

The dynamics of these relationships turn in a serious direction when Adam is told his chronic back pain is due to an aggressive form of cancer and is given a 50/50 chance of survival. Adam, who doesn’t drive because it’s too dangerous, is going to need a lot of help from those close to him, if for no other reason than for getting to his treatments.

What follows is an exploration of emotions experienced by a man in the prime of life having to face life’s biggest challenges while still dealing with its mundane day-to-day details and negotiating the awkwardness it causes for those who do not have to face those challenges.

Rachel, his superficial, self-absorbed artist wannabe can be counted on to be more giving if only so as not to appear to be superficial and self-absorbed. His buddy Kyle can be counted on to be sporadically helpful by trying to take advantage of any benefit the disease may present Adam and avoiding the solemnity of Adam’s situation. Adam’s mother (Angelica Huston) can be counted on to make matters worse with her incessant worrying.

But can Adam count on finding any relief from Katherine (Kendrick), the painfully inexperienced therapist assigned to help Adam deal with the emotional effects of cancer?

There is pain in all comedy, and there are few topics more painful in modern life than cancer, so much so that it’s a very difficult topic to mine for comic relief. But that is also the reason for comedy—to find relief in painful situations.

This film does an admirable job of finding just the right tone. It avoids being overly sappy and maudlin while also reaching a depth that keeps it from being cavalier or flippant about a serious topic that has likely affected much of the audience.

Each of the actors does a spot-on job of portraying the strengths and weaknesses of their characters that helps to give this film, despite it being a comedy, an air of authenticity that is heart-warming. Enjoy.