Drive: Buckle up for one hell of a ride!

A mysterious man known only as Driver works as a Hollywood stuntman by day and a getaway driver at night. His isolated life is interrupted when he falls for his new neighbor and is further complicated when his boss indirectly gets him involved with some shady characters.

Drive is one of those films you either love or hate, there is no in between. Those that hate it will point to the lack of sustained action, lack of an abundance of dialogue and an unsatisfying ending as the reasons for their dislike. They feel as though the film is unworthy of the hype that has been put upon it by critics. However these detractors are missing the things that make Drive worth that hype and definitely worth at least one viewing.

First, there is action, and plenty of it! Director Nicolas Winding Refn did not overwhelm the audience with fist-fights and multi-car pile ups, but used what action was there to punctuate the story of Driver (yes, that is the name of Ryan Gosling's character). Next there was the dialogue and acting. Winding Refn was able to let his actors grow into their roles, giving them a depth that most action thriller characters sorely lack. And while it is true that critical parts of the movie could be considered dialogue-lite, the performances by Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks and the rest of the cast were spot on and effective, giving the audience more than enough to emotionally invest in what was taking place on screen. Also, there is something to be said about how less might be more in regards to dialogue. Too often, it seems, filmmakers choose to inundate the audience with an overabundance of dialogue when two or three lines are more efficient. An example of this in Drive was near the end of the film when Driver called Irene to confess his feelings for her. Rather than laying on the full blown uber-sweet romantic drivel so readily employed by most filmmakers, Winding Rifn and screenwriter Hossein Amini kept it simple and honest (and they kept that bit of dialogue to two or three lines). The affect was more heart-wrenching than anything a long two minutes of fluff could produce. Finally, there were the foreign film sensibilities Winding Rifn imbued in the film. Scenes were allowed to develop rather than being jammed down the audiences throat with no rhyme nor reason to them and each shot was so full of meaning and metaphor that one just wanted to keep watching. Director of Photography Newton Thomas Sigel was able to give the movie a distinct look (glossy, 1980's slick are the best phrases to describe it) that added to its overall appeal.

Drive was a unique take on the action thriller, a film which was not afraid to bypass some of the tired conventions of the genre in order to give the audience a smart, artsy, thrilling rush of a ride.

Grade: A

Chloe in the Afternoon: It's okay if a film has subtitles, really.

When someone says to you, “hey, there’s this great French film you should check out,” nine times out of ten you’ll look at them as if they’re asking you to watch C-Span for a couple of hours and politely decline that invitation. But if they are telling you to watch Chloe in the Afternoon, an open-minded approach is suggested.

Frederic is a happily married man who can’t resist engaging in harmless flirting every once in a while. However when he runs into an old acquaintance named Chloe and starts spending afternoons with her, their rekindled friendship turns into a longing that could destroy his happily married life.

Writer/director Eric Rohmer was able to craft an absolutely stunning and perceptive morality tale centering on human romantic relationships, one that was not afraid to tackle questions like; “how can a man love only one woman” or “is it possible to love more than one woman at the same time,” questions that typical Hollywood films tend to gloss over with predictable plot twist or unbelievably silly compromises in story. Frederic (the man torn between his wife and the title beauty) had a life and set of circumstances which wavered a bit on the male fantasy side at points, but it was his constant re-examination of life and relationships with both his wife Helene and Chloe which made him easy to associate with, and also human.

French New Wave films from the 1970’s, like Chole in the Afternoon, might not be everyone’s cup of tea, specifically because they are not like The Break Up or any of those million other crappy romantic films that overrated Hollywood actresses like Jennifer Aniston put out. So those expecting cutesy endings or loveable best friends of the main character delivering oh so subtle sexual quips might be disappointed that there are none to be found. The honesty with which Frederic and Chloe discussed polygamy and monogamy might have seemed shocking to some, but it was that candor which made Chloe in the Afternoon a raw experience and a worthwhile venture into the meaning of love, happiness and companionship.

Grade: A