Blu-ray Review: Drive

It's not been in cinemas since September, as Nicolas Winding Refn's indie cult classic is finally released on Blu-ray and DVD this Monday, so rather than regurgitating September's review (which you can find here), below is a brief summary, with a focus on the Blu-ray release: the picture quality, sound, extras and the actual transfer itself. 

But before that, here's a condensed version of what I had to say for my cinema review last year:

"A roaring success at Cannes this year, Drive won Best Director as well as a nomination for the Palme d'Or after receiving a standing ovation. Essentially Drive is an indie production, constructed through filmic and cultural influences. It falls nicely into the cult category without the need to follow suit with mainstream conformity, as it shows the quality that can be produced on a mere $13m budget."

"There's no denying Gosling's appeal: a bewitching, charismatic charm he brings to the table that gives audiences no choice but to be 'wooed' by his alluring, yet reserved presence."

"It doesn't try to be cool, it is cool - he pulls it off with ease, which makes Driver a man with desirable attributes that viewers will surely be drawn to."

"Drive is a gripping, yet emotionally charged action film with notable performances from Gosling, Brooks and Mulligan. It's consistently thrilling, hugely likable and accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack that makes this the complete package. Winding Refn avoids succumbing to clichés as it progressively becomes more intense and violent before its boiling-point and fitting conclusion"

Now onto the Blu-ray disc and what it has to offer:

PICTURE QUALITY: It's sharp and beautiful to look at. Consistently impressive, it's perhaps the cityscapes that look more spectacular at night that not only sets the tone for the movie, but makes it a genuine delight to watch. Close ups of Gosling especially look crisp and the detail in general is visible and adds to the overall enjoyment.

SOUND: Whilst it wasn't experienced in surround sound, the dialogue was clear and the soundtrack was audibly great. If you haven't got surround sound, then cranking up the volume will make the songs sound just as emotionally powerful as they did in the cinema.  

EXTRAS: Possibly the weakest element of the release is the lack of bonus content to shout about. We're given a theatrical trailer, a TV spot and a slideshow of some stills, as well as the stages of the development of the quad poster for the film. The best of the extra features is a 41-minute Q&A session after the BFI screening with director Nicolas Winding Refn, hosted by Telegraph critic Robbie Collins. This was an interesting feature with a witty exchange between host and filmmaker, followed by a selection of audience questions, where Winding Refn offers some nice insight into the creative process.

In a previous interview he has stipulated that an Ultimate Edition will be released later this year, therefore the January disc is a bare-bones edition, so as long as you don't pay over the odds you're fine (Sainsbury's had the Blu-ray available for preorder at just £9.99 for example).

OVERALL DISC & TRANSFER: The main menu has some clips of the film in the background that fade in and out with a snippet of the excellent music from the film. The disc in general is pleasant but lacks the meatiness we all wanted in the extras section. The included content suffices, but it's the actual film punters will buy this for, and it certainly doesn't disappoint in that respect: having seen it once before and being overly familiar with the incredible soundtrack, it made a re-watch all the more special. 

The only problem I experienced was at around five different points of the movie, as a new shot began, the picture would stutter for a split second. Whether this is a problem with the disc (which it shouldn't be) or the Blu-ray player is in need of an update (which it could be) remains to be seen.

FILM:      ★★★★★

EXTRAS: ★★★

Drive is released on Blu-ray & DVD on Monday 30th January

The Oscars 2012: The Noms, Predictions & Snubs

So, the Academy have just announced the Oscar nominations for this year with the help of the lovely Jennifer Lawrence but, as predicted, there were notable snubs for 2011's big hitters, Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender, as well as the absence of animation heavywights, Pixar. There was no place for acclaimed documentaries like Project Nim or Senna either, and no sign of my beloved Carey Mulligan. But enough negativity; lets take a look at who was included shall we...

BEST PICTURE

Nominations:

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Moneyball
War Horse
The Tree of Life

My winner: The Artist

Predicted winner: The Artist

Thoughts: Some good, if not great film choices here (bar The Artist and The Tree of Life). War Horse shouldn't be anywhere near this category and neither should Moneyball, but what about inexplicable inclusion of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close? Yeah, I've never heard of it either.

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BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Nominations:

Demian Bichir (A Better Life)
George Clooney (The Descendants)
Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

My winner: George Clooney

Predicted winner: Jean Dujardin/George Clooney

Thoughts: A mixed, but strong selection here with notable turns from Pitt and Oldman, even if some the films themselves weren't amazing. Clooney feel like the favourite after his Golden Globe success, but faces stiff competition from Dujardin and even a sterling effort from Brad Pitt.

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BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Nominations:

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh (My Week With Marilyn)
Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
Nick Nolte (Warrior)
Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)

My winner: Nick Nolte

Predicted winner: Christopher Plummer

Thoughts: Perhaps the fiercest category of the lot with some very strong performances here. Both Hill and Branagh are solid, but Nick Nolte was superb in Warrior and is probably not getting the credit he deserves. However, as per his Golden Globe win, Christopher Plummer seems odds on.

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BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Nominations:

Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
Viola Davis (The Help)
Rooney Mara (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)

My winner: Rooney Mara

Predicted winner: Meryl Streep

Thoughts: This has to be my least favourite category as being a fan of Williams, I was vastly underwhelmed by her role in My Week With Marilyn. Similarly, Streep's Thatcher isn't the most popular of sorts, but most likely to win. Rooney Mara, for me, was the most appealing so she gets my (some say outrageous) vote.

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BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Nominations:

Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
Jessica Chastain (The Help)
Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
Octavia Spencer (The Help)

My winner: Berenice Bejo

Predicted winner: Octavia Spencer

Thoughts: There's a distinct lack of Carey Mulligan here (predominantly for Shame, but also for a subtle effort in Drive) and I'm not happy. There's also an interesting nomination for Chastain who was superb in Take Shelter and just as good in The Tree of Life, but it recognised for The Help. My most likeable choice is Bejo in the fantastic The Artist, though.

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WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

Nominations:

Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
JC Chandor (Margin Call)
Asghar Farhadi (A Separation)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (Bridesmaids)

My winner: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

Predicted winner: Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

Thoughts: The surprise for me is how Bridesmaids is present; not only because it's a mainstream comedy, but for the fact it's a funny, albeit average film. Nice to see Margin Call here but again, The Artist steals it for me, even though Woody Allen could swipe it.

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WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

Nominations:

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash (The Descendants)
John Logan (Hugo)
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon (The Ides of March)
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian (Moneyball)
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

My winner: Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian (Moneyball)

Predicted winner: Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

Thoughts: A good collection, but Aaron Sorkin has a slick, well written film in Moneyball, but the panel might opt for the Brit ensemble thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, even though it was hit-and-miss with audiences, including myself.

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DIRECTING

Nominations:

Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

My winner: Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)

Predicted winner: Any one of them

Thoughts: All worthy contenders and, in truth, I can see any one of these directors walking away with the prize. Malick is probably the outsider, even though The Tree of Life is a fantastically made film, but Scorsese will almost certainly be battling it out with Hazanavicius and Allen.

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ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Nominations:

A Cat In Paris

Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

My winner: Rango/Chico & Rita

Predicted winner: Rango 

Thoughts: The lack of Pixar's presence is the big shock (or is it after Cars 2?). Rango is a wonderfully dark, quirky and beautifully animated movie, which has winner written all over it. Saying that, Chico & Rita is a lovingly made and charming foreign film.

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CINEMATOGRAPHY 

Nominations:

The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

My winner: The Tree of Life

Predicted winner: War Horse/The Tree of Life

Thoughts: I didn't enjoy War Horse, but the thing I took from it was the battle scenes and visual scale of it. Having said that, Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life is a thing of sheer beauty, so therefore gets my vote.

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BIGGEST SNUBS:

Drive
Shame

Senna
The Skin I Live In 
Take Shelter
Submarine
Tyrannosaur 
Melancholia
50/50

Thoughts: Pretty self explanatory here. The worst ones left out are Drive and Senna, which I rate extremely highly and it's also a shame to see British flicks Submarine and Tyrannosaur forgotten as well. Oh, one final word: Shame.

9 Awesome Movie Posters

Interview: Ryan Gosling talks Clooney's pranks, Drive, future projects & his band

With the imminent release of a trio of Ryan Gosling films (Crazy, Stupid, Love and Drive are due out at the end of January), The Ides of March is not only his first politically focused role, but his first encounter with legendary talent (and prankster) George Clooney.

The following is an interview with Ryan Gosling from September of last year: 


What can you tell about your character Stephen Myers, that young idealist campaign strategist working for a democrat governor hoping to gain the nomination of his party in the next presidential race?

I think he is well intended and wants to affect the changes in the country and he is faced with that moral dilemma with his candidate [played by George Clooney ], and so he does the dishonourable thing which is to jump ship so he can eventually get into the White House and affects change. He severs his heart from his brain at a certain point and struggles and fails to connect.

How toxic do you think it is to be involved in politics and power?

Pretty toxic even though I was not that involved in the world itself. Just the filming. The thing I like about the film is that it’s set in this political world but you don’t really need to know much about politics in order to enjoy it. It could be set in Hollywood or on Wall Street for that matter.

Do you see a parallel in the movie with Hollywood? Is it hard to keep ones integrity through the process and to make it?

I think it’s very hard to be honest for the jobs. You can’t really tell the truth because everything you say is cut off, taken out of context. You have to be careful about what you say. So I related to the character in that way.

Did you ask George why he chose you?

Well he said he chose me because everyone else said no! No one else was available! But that’s fine with me.

Did you see his previous films as a director?

Yes and I loved them. It’s interesting: I was on a plane right before I went to do The Ides of March. In the classics category for movies on the little screen in the seat, there were five: 2001, Citizen Kane, Good Night, and Good luck and 2 others. And I thought whoa. With only having made three others, he’s made an impact. More than anything I love his television shows. Unscriptedwas incredible. The style and originality. Very experimental.  So strange. And K Street is one of my favorites.

Describe George Clooney as a director?

Well, he’s very specific and he knows exactly what he wants. There are not a lot of ambiguity in his decisions and directions.

How different is it to be directed by a director who is also an actor?

It did not feel that different. When he was directing, he was able to kind of compartmentalise to a degree which was interesting. But he was doing so much you know. It’s his project. He co-wrote it, directed it, produced it, and starred in it. At the same time he is checking the situation in Darfur on his cell phones. And he has twenty, at least ten practical jokes in the works at all time. Multitasking you know!

George’s inspiration was some of the iconic seventies films like Network, The Candidate or All the President’s Men. Did he ask you to watch those or others to get a feel of what he wanted?

Actually he didn’t. He had us watch a lot of documentaries not those films. He didn’t specifically ask although he referenced them a lot while we were making it. I guess he just assumed we had seen them and did not want to live in a world where we hadn't!

He is famous for playing pranks. How did you deal with it? Did you have to be on the alert all the time?

Yes you do have to be on the alert all the time.

Did he get you?

Yes he did.

Did you get him back?

No. It’s impossible.

What do you think the reaction for the public and political world to Ides of March will be?

I have no idea. I don’t think George was making a political statement or that the movie has a political message but I do think he was interested in starting a dialogue. And it will be interesting to see what that dialogue is.

What does the poster represent for you? Those two faces, yours and George’s characters kind of blending…maybe means that in the end, it doesn’t really matter who is the president?

No, it says that George Clooney is trying to show how much better looking he is! My mother saw that and called me. She was so excited and said “You are on the cover of Time magazine”! But I told her it was just the poster for the movie!

How different is it for you as an actor to play a silent type character like in Drive, compared with Ides of March where you have so much dialogues? What do you like more as an actor?

They were different experiences and each offered something different. A kind of balance. I feel there is something nice about not talking. Like you can say more by actually saying less. It’s nice to have space in the film and the silence. So, it’s much rarer to be able to work that way. I enjoyed it.

How was it working with Nicholas on Drive?

We are just wildly different guys but I think we share a brain. I’ll have an idea and he’ll have the exact same idea. When we first met, I had the feeling that the film should be about driving and not about driving fast but just the actual experience of driving, sitting in your car listening to music. The first thing he said to me was that this movie should be about a guy driving around in a car around listening to music. The only way he knows how to feel and I thought how can I be so different from this person and at the same time we are sharing the same dream. Right now we are trying to exploit that…

What is next for you?

Right now I am working on The Gangster Squad, a 1950’s gangster picture, with Sean Penn who is playing the mobster Mickey Cohen, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Robert Patrick, Michael Pena… A great cast.

How is it to be working with such amazing actors?

Scary! A lot of them are my favorite actors in some ways, so it was a huge opportunity for me and they all have very different styles in the process so it was interesting to have to go between those processes with them.

You seemed to have been working no stop, you are everywhere, the “It Boy” of the moment. How changed is your life with all that attention?

Well I am pretty sick with myself! It seemed a pretty good idea at the time. Around the time I turned 30, I started to feel very creative, more creative than I had been before which is good and I like that.

Is directing something you would like to try?

Sure. Yeah. I have plans. But I’ll wait until they happen because something could always interfere…Like checks I can’t cash.

How different is the pleasure of acting for you today compared to when you started?

Yes it’s different. I am at a point where I want to work with the same filmmakers over and over. I used to have a whole list of guys I wanted to work with but I am at the point where I want to work with the same ones. I have been really lucky between Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) and Nicholas Winding Refn (Drive). I just finished another film with Derek called Beyond the Pines and it was the best experience of my life and I can’t wait for people to see it. Derek is a very special filmmaker. It is very different from Blue Valentine and the performances are great. Bradley Cooper; people are not going to believe how great he is and Eva Mendes; it is the best performance I’ve been around to see.

You recorded an album two years ago with your group. What are your tastes in music?

I grew up listening to a lot of fifties and sixties. That’s what was in our house. Buddy Holly, Del Shannon, The Shangri Las… It gave me a taste for that style of music. And I still listen to those a lot.

We have to know: what car are you driving?

Oh, I’m driving my car from Drive!

The Ides of March will be reviewed next month ahead of its Blu-ray & DVD release.

Review: Best of 2011

So 2011 has proved another interesting year for the film industry. There have been highs, lows, massive disappointments, as well as the utterly bizarre (I'm looking at you Tom Six). It's proven difficult to select a top 10, as there were some great films that just missed out.

Honourable mentions

WARRIOR
KILL LIST
I SAW THE DEVIL
50/50
SUPER 8
THE SKIN I LIVE IN (right)

Top 10 of 2011

#10 TRUE GRIT (dir. Joel & Ethan Coen)

A different direction for the Coen's as they tackle the challenge of a remake, but stick closely to the Portis novel. Bridges and Damon are excellent, but newcomer Hailee Steinfeld is sensational. As always, cinematographer Roger Deakins makes it all stunningly beautiful to watch, too.

#9 CONFESSIONS (dir. Tetsuya Nakashima)

This slick and stylish Japanese thriller cum mystery is somewhat of a hidden gem of 2011. The fascinating story of child killers with overarching themes of revenge makes this a fantastic alternative film from the blockbusters.

#8 TYRANNOSAUR (dir. Paddy Considine)

Paddy Considine's début directorial feature is gripping, raw and unforgiving. Stunning performances from Colman and Mullan make it truly unforgettable.

#7 THE TREE OF LIFE (dir. Terrence Malick)

Recluse Terrence Malick returns after a six year hiatus with this visually stunning depiction of, well, everything from the creation of the universe, to the extinction of dinosaurs, until he focuses on the O'Brien family in the 1950's. One of those rare films that had critics praising the socks off as well as audiences walking out half way through.

 #6 SUBMARINE (dir. Richard Ayoade)

Another début from another Brit: this time Richard Ayoade for his quirky and quaintly touching comedy drama about 15 year old Lloyd as he embarks on love, romance and a determination to split his mother and her resurfaced lover up for good. Likeable, funny, sad and evocative: Submarine is an accomplished first-time effort.

#5 TAKE SHELTER (dir. Jeff Nichols)

Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain provide one of the strongest combinations of the year. A superb social-commentary about a man with mental illness; there are multiple layers to explore. An underrated film, that's for sure.

#4 SENNA (dir. Asif Kapadia)

The sole documentary in the list, Senna is a finely crafted and slickly edited doc from Asif Kapadia. Hugely emotive and poignant, you'll be a strong character not to shed a tear. 

#3 THE ARTIST (dir. Michel Hazanavicius)

Black and white. Silent. European. Not destined for commercial success, but it should be. Every aspect is astounding: the acting, cinematography, story, score, direction; The Artist is the charmer of the year, and I haven't even mentioned Uggie the dog.

#2 RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (dir. Rupert Wyatt)

The biggest surprise of 2011 and the strongest summer blockbuster of them all. Andy Serkis proves that not only has motion capture advanced with the help of WETA, but that you don't need to actually appear in a film to steal it.

#1 DRIVE (dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)

A film I simply could not get out of my head from the moment the opening scene kicked in. Winding Refn's ultra cool, ultra stylish, ultra violent, minimalist, retro art house thriller ticks all the boxes. The soundtrack is just a little bit good too.