Comments on: Please Drive

By: Jessica Hopper

Jessica Hopper — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:34:11 +0000

I am trying to remember where I read it–the Joan Acoacella book and also, I think, the New York review about the new Denis Johnson novella–about how men not saying much is supposed to somehow denote a rich inner life, even though one is no visible at all from our perview as the audience. It’s always such a bummer when a dude with no redeeming qualities merits the devotion of some hot lady in the movies–too much like real life. ALSO: THE PUSHER TRILOGY! The one with the villian from Casino Royale is so brutal. I forget the plot but I just remember burly eurodudes in track suits fucking STOMPING people.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:31:08 +0000

I watched Drive last night not having any idea what it was about based on the recommendation from a friend that it made him miss LA and it had Joan in it. (I was so surprised when her head exploded)

By: mokin

mokin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:36:08 +0000

I loved Drive. I loved how it took the conventional crime genre hero and distilled him to the point of absurdity, using the minimalism to show how ridiculous that trope is. He’s the strong, silent type who is so silent he’s basically socially retarded. And so strong and selfless that he’s kind of a monster. And yet because he has Ryan Gosling’s face and is sort of dumb and innocent, the audience still roots for him.

Have you heard any interviews with the director? He has the potential to be the next Werner Herzog, in terms of stating completely off the wall opinions that seem oddly convincing. Like the reason he cast Albert Brooks is because he seems like he’s “going to kill somebody, so let’s do it in a movie.” ALBERT BROOKS! Who seems LESS likely to kill somebody than Albert Brooks? Like maybe Hal Holbrook or that nerdy guy from SportsNight. And yet it turned out to be an incredibly inspired bit of casting.

He also repeatedly uses the phrase “fetish filmmaker” so much that I think maybe saying “fetish filmmaker” is one of his fetishes.

By: kerry

kerry — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:28:35 +0000

Valhalla Rising is one of my favorite movies ever, and Bronson is so crazy and funny and scary weird, I think I loved it too. I am taking my husband to see Drive for his birthday this weekend and I’m super pumped, first movie seen in a theater in ages.