Drive is, in its way, a ‘chillwave’ movie, and not only because much of its soundtrack, as composed in a masterful score by Cliff Martinez, heavily draws on the chill/cold wave genre. Reminiscent, intentionally, of an idea of 1980’s films, as disparate as Bladerunner or Thief, director Nicolas Winding Refn’s third terrific film in three years (after Bronson and Valhalla Rising) is a further examination of the darkness of the male id, and the violence that can erupt from within, while the surface remains almost eerily placid. It’s hard to think of a better actor to portray this sort of character than Ryan Gosling, who has become the blank face of male anxiety over the last few years in a number of great roles. But don’t think that Drive is some sort of morbid archaeological dig into the ineffectual male; this isn’t some dreary indie movie heralding layabout schlubs. Drive, at its very black heart, is a superb addition to the best of the modern film noir tradition, and, in my eyes, pretty easily the best film of 2011.

Gosling plays an unnamed mechanic/stunt car driver who, when we are introduced to him, is at work on his second job, working as a driver-for-hire for criminals. He isn’t a criminal himself; his job is solely using his skills behind the wheel to drive the getaway car for a commission. He works, in all his jobs, for Shannon (Bryan Cranston), a striving garage owner with his own ties to the local mob, which is headed up by the mismatched partners Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman). ‘Driver’, as we must refer to Gosling’s character, has no apparent aspirations in any of the jobs he works in. He seems, simply, to exist. His facade, however, begins to crack a bit when he meets his new next-door neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a sweet young mother with a son at her hip and a husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac) in prison. Driver takes a shine to both Irene and her son, Benicio, and gradually ingratiates himself into their lives. The attraction between he and Irene is immediate, but, like all of Driver’s emotions, must remain buried beneath the surface, even as they share innumerable quiet glances in each other’s direction.

Just as Driver begins to feel as though he may have found himself a life to call his own, it’s all shaken by the news that Standard is being released from prison. Standard doesn’t trust Driver, but does not act upon it, hoping to start a new life for his family. Old debts are called in, however, and after Driver finds Standard beaten up in the hallway, and learns of the threat being put to Irene and Benicio, he offers to help Standard with the job he’s been given, a holdup of a local pawnshop. A third partner, Blanche (Christina Hendricks) is assigned to them, and, at first, the robbery seems to go off without a hitch… until it doesn’t. As in the best crime noir, things must fall apart, there must be double-crosses, misunderstandings, and, inevitably, revenge. Driver, looking to protect his new ‘family’, takes after the men who would threaten them, one after the other with scenes of sudden and shocking violence which not only cracks a few skulls, but Driver’s seemingly docile facade.

The story is simple, and engrossing. What sets Drive apart from so many other films of its ilk are the style of the film, with its overwhelming dose of neon-tinted dread, and the cast, all of whom are tremendous. Gosling, as seems to go without saying anymore, is the highlight, his usual chilly stoicism the perfect fit for Driver’s almost cyborg-like qualities. Mulligan, while not being given much to do beyond ‘object of affection’, is sweetly effective as the resigned Irene, and the ever-reliable Cranston is excellent as the beaten-down, chain-smoking loser Shannon. Both Ron Perlman and Oscar Isaac are very good in their limited roles, but the true revelation is Albert Brooks as local mobster Bernie Rose. Brooks, while a truly gifted comedian for over 40 years, has always maintained a reservoir of reserved hostility underneath the laughs, but here he is allowed to show all of his cards in a performance of exuberant menace, the perfect example of a vulgar man who will do anything for money, whether it be as a film producer or a local mob boss. Brooks never hits a false note, or tries too hard to ‘play the villain’. Bernie isn’t always a bad man, but he is more than willing to do bad things to keep himself above the fray.

While Drive wears its influences on its sleeve, the important thing to remember is that These Are Good Influences; the collective pedigree of cast, director, cinematic borrowings, references and allusions are all derived from an understanding of what makes cinema great. This film may not be for everyone, as it is often very violent, has long stretches of nearly no dialogue, and is so heavy with dread and menace that the only brief snatches of light which are allowed to break through are extinguished so quickly you may not even remember them. That’s what the best film noir does. It pulls up the pavement, not to reveal the beach underneath, but to show that it’s just more dirt. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

This new film chronicles exactly what happened to the Norwegian team, which is conveniently augmented by enough Americans (in particular Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who inevitably becomes a Ripley-esque heroine) to allow most of the dialogue to be politely spoken in English. Winstead’s character, Kate Lloyd, is a paleontologist recruited to assist when the ancient flying saucer is discovered along with its frozen passenger. Lloyd soon butts heads with the snooty head of the Norwegian base, Dr. Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen), who presses on with studying his new find despite her warnings. The creature escapes from its block of ice and proceeds to devour–and perfectly duplicate–its victims.

One compelling aspect of the Thing films, which distinguishes them from a great many horror flicks, is that their characters are educated and rational people, not histrionic teenagers lined up to be chainsaw fodder. The best weapon against the Thing, apart from a reliable and fully-fueled flame thrower, is the Scientific Method itself. As intense and grisly as the creature effects in Carpenter’s film were, it really unfolded more as a logic problem than an action movie. In order to eliminate the alien menace, one had to be cool-headed and methodical in figuring out exactly who was–and who wasn’t–infected by it. This is what provided most of the tension.

Van Heijningen’s prequel follows most of the same story beats as before, and it shows immense respect for the details established in Carpenter’s film. For instance, when Kurt Russell and Co. scouted the wreckage of the Norwegian camp in 1982, they spied a fire-axe embedded ominously in a wall. You can bet you’ll see how and why that axe ended up there. But, despite all of its slavish attention to detail, this one doesn’t really have much tension or menace of its own. The camera drifts lazily across character’s faces without any particular attention or style. The question of who has been replaced by the alien is given its due, even with a couple new and clever twists, but our heroes seem to come up with the same ideas used in the previous film without following the same logical steps to get there. Winstead’s character may be clever, but sometimes it feels like she’s got intuition bordering on psychic powers. Eventually too much time is spent running from room to room chasing after something that very obviously needs to be killed.

Bottom line: if you’ve never seen either of its forebears, some of the twists in this Thing might be effective. If you’re a fan of Carpenter’s version, you’ll probably get a mild kick out of seeing all of the references to it. But the movie taken on its own really isn’t as exciting, despite solid performances and mostly effective creature effects. - [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Actors’ hands don’t look like they belong on a guitar or the sound emanating from the screen doesn’t match the number of people making Clapton faces on a stage, and that’s part of it, but most of us wouldn’t know what’s possible with an amplifier or where the pinkie finger goes and that’s still not it.

Is it the myth of feel good summertime songs and the open road? No responsibility, only working two hours a night, adoration of beautiful people everywhere and platinum records. Yeah, sure, let’s watch the myth.

They get mythic wrong too. For every Honeysuckle Rose, Almost Famous or Slade in Flame, there’s Garage Days or Once (the guy yearned so much he should have snapped in half in the first five minutes of the film).

Right or wrong? Janie Jones? A little of both.

Alessandro Nivola plays Ethan, an underappreciated songwriter sliding to the bottom of his career. He has a band and is still touring, barely, surviving on whatever mangy hair of the dog is within motel nightstand reach and hoping a South by Southwest show can turn it around for him. Then dropped into a club’s grimy, green room is Janie Jones, a thirteen-year-old daughter he didn’t know he had, from time spent with a woman whose name he can’t remember (Abigail Breslin and Elisabeth Shue, respectively). The film veers into “wrong” right away since it stretches screenwriting common sense, let alone the boundaries of jurisprudence that a local sheriff gives the choices for a child’s care to be family services or the tour bus of a disinterested rocker, but David Lee Smith, as the officer, plays it like a world weary, independent film Andy Griffith.

Ethan’s band members vacate, more because he’s a self-pitying, juvenile heel than because of Janie’s presence. His manager (Peter Stormare) and label drop him and the money is gone, but he sees that Janie has talent and unlike him, she’s resourceful and clear eyed about the world. Maybe the end of this road is their new start.

Doesn’t sound very “right”, does it? Not quite the ever-popular tortured artist effect (ask Liv Tyler’s dad, Todd Rundgren about that) but any heft to this melodrama comes from Breslin and Nivola. She plays Janie more comfortable than precocious, both can sing, know their way around a guitar and underplay throughout the movie in the best way possible. Paraphrasing the Stanislavsky quote, maybe there are no “wrong/bad” parts, only “wrong/ bad” actors.

So this film is right enough.

Pray they don’t make an American Idol movie, much less try to get it right. – [DVD]

If you need to familiarize yourself with the nominees, you can download and print out the Official List of Nominees from Oscar.com, or read the feature on our blog. Then head over to the Video Station’s 2012 Oscar Contest Entry Form.

Here’s the official scoop:

You just tell us who you think will win for each category, using our official entry form. You don’t have to pick from every category, but the contest is based on the most correct answers. Good Luck!

1. The prizes are as follows:
GRAND PRIZE: 50 FREE Movie Rentals (including new and non-new release titles)
2ND PRIZE: 25 FREE Movie Rentals (including new and non-new release titles)
3RD PRIZE: 10 FREE Movie Rentals (including new and non-new release titles)

In case of a tie at any of the prize levels, the prize will be evenly split between the winners.

2. In order to be eligible for a prize, you will need an active membership to The Video Station (active meaning that you have rented from us within the last year). Membership is always Free. If you have not yet opened an account, or have not been into the store for a while, be sure to stop in before Oscar night, February 26th 2012, to become an active member!

3. Limit one entry per individual name and email address. Multiple entries will be disqualified.

4. The person with the most correct picks filled out on one of our online entry forms will win. Though we will be handing out a test ballot at the store, we are requiring you to enter by filling it out online, so there are no debates about hanging chads, or what the intent was on a hand submitted ballot. We have a computer in-store that you can use to enter if you do not have internet access (or just want to enter while you are in), and we’re happy to assist you if needed. As long as you complete the online survey and hit submit, your entry will be valid.

5. All entries must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. (Noon) MST on February 26th, 2012.  The winners will be announced no later than March 16th, 2012. Winners give their consent for The Video Station to use their names and likeness in our marketing materials.

6. Have fun with your picks! What? You expected more terms? Sorry, we like to make it easy – no jumping thru fires to enter this one!

Remember, if you don’t have a good guess, still select something, because the contest is based on how many correct answers there were. And, don’t forget, by entering you will be added to our weekly New Release emails (if you aren’t already a subscriber). You can easily unsubscribe at any time, from the convenient unsubscribe button found at the bottom of every email. And, yes, you must give your name, email and phone #, so we can notify winners.

Go on and enter NOW!

Good Luck!

We hope you had fun choosing your entries for The Video Station’s Annual Oscar Contest!

The winners from our contest will be announced no later than March 16th, 2012.

New List Members: As you know, in addition to entering to win, you were also added to our Weekly New Release Newsletter (with great reviews and fun promotions). Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of any and all of our newsletters. You should receive a welcome email and begin receiving newsletters shortly. If not, feel free to browse our blog, as we post the contents of each newsletter there, as well.

For Existing Members: For your convenience, if you were already on the list, you won’t be added twice, as long as you used the same email address. If you did use a secondary address, you can always either change your email address or unsubscribe. Just select the appropriate link at the bottom of any and every newsletter.

If you haven’t already, you can print out the list of nominees from Oscar.com, to follow along as the winners are announced.

Now, if you are looking for some great movie related stuff, definitely take a look around our blog, search for your favorite movies, read our staff reviews or check out what the Top 5 Releases were for this week!

We hope you enjoy this contest and wish you luck on Oscar Night!

P.S.  If you landed on this page by accident and haven’t yet entered The Video Station’s Annual Oscar Contest, make your way over there now!

Let’s skip the other disciplines and focus on painting alone and the urge that makes a person smudge about on a canvas, hopefully with some cause and meaning.

At least meaningful to that person, because the viewer is lost more often than not if the message seems to be something other than “ducks are cute.” Yet we’re drawn to these bohemian con-men. We’re drawn to the romance of the artistic life. We wonder if creativity is a lightning strike that only a real artist can harness in his or her fist or if an artist loves more deeply and lives more freely than the rest of us?

The answer is no. Starving in a left bank garret is still starving and mastery of any skill is long and difficult. You think you trap light and shadow between the edges of a canvas in an afternoon?

What Polish director Lech Majewski does in The Mill and the Cross is skip the narrative angle of traipsing through an artist’s life, birth to death, and instead chooses one important work, and drops the camera in to look at the creative process. That the subject is Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel and his painting “The Procession to Calvary” and that the film starts almost mid-gestation of the work doesn’t help the viewer.

Majewski, a painter and theatre director, gives a rich tapestry of a film, a puzzle almost. Peasant children tumble out from under heavy bed covers into roughhouse play. Riders in grim, red uniforms are sheathed by lowland mist. Bruegel himself (played by Rutger Hauer) lies on the rich, green grass of a Flemish field, his sketchbook pages flutter in a breeze. Majewski uses actual sets, buildings and costumes, but he also uses CGI to achieve something akin to a painting from the 1500s, with its forced perspectives and clusters of humanity layered to the horizon line. Distracting at times, yes, but your eye is pulled like a painting pulls at you. “Come, try to drink this in,” is the request made. Through the film Bruegel ponders what he wants to achieve with this painting (a statement about Spanish oppression) both in his own thoughts and in discussions with his patron Nicolaes Jonghelinck (Michael York). The dialogue is minimal, quiet and stoic and falls somewhere between Wings of Desire’s angelic musings and something by Tom Stoppard, though a little more spacious. It’s an imperfect microcosm of a moment of creation, but enjoy your walk through it. It will do you some good. – [DVD]

Loosely based on a 1950s short story by Richard Matheson that was also the basis for a Twilight Zone episode, it’s set in 2020, when mechanical boxers have replaced human ones, and casts Jackman as an ex-fighter scraping out a living entering secondhand robots in unsanctioned matches whose life takes a turn when he takes temporary custody of his preteen son (Dakota Goyo).

The script is equal parts Rocky and Over the Top, and so is predictable, and is peppered with dialogue that will have some rolling their eyes. “I want you to fight for me,” Goyo tells Jackman at one point. “That’s all I ever wanted.” As well Goyo is improbably made out to be an expert robot programmer simply because he plays a lot of video games.

And yet, the film works, incredibly so, in part because Levy not only manages to fashion such an interesting, lived-in world, with its myriad styles of robots and the idea of a World Robot Boxing league, but makes the bot battles themselves fun and energetic exhibitions full of rock music and crowds of people cheering wildly as mechanical behemoths pound away at each other.

What’s more, Levy (Night at the Museum) infuses the film with lots of heart, making the characters feel surprisingly real and ensuring that we genuinely care for them. As corny as it may sound, the film really is about Jackman and Goyo bonding, and less about fighting robots, though I suppose an exception could be made for Atom, the instantly endearing sparring robot Goyo saves from a junkyard.

Granted, Levy gets a lot help from his cast, starting with Jackman, who gives a great performance, capably conveying con-man charm, don’t-bother-me-kid gruffness and palpable paternal feelings. He gets a wonderful co-star in Goyo, who possesses surprising poise and emotional range for a 12-year-old, and lends the film a contagious exuberance. He and Jackman play off each other so well you almost forget about all the impressively rendered CGI automatons around them.

To all that you can add ex-Lost beauty Evangeline Lilly. As Jackman’s childhood buddy/romantic interest, she combines feistiness, intelligence and vulnerability into a very appealing package, becoming more than just the shoulder Jackman cries on. I especially liked the scene in which she fills Goyo in on his father’s career, though her rooftop reconciliation with Jackman is a nicely tender moment.

As well Danny Elfman’s excellent score not only sounds like something Trevor Rabin might have composed (a good thing in my book), it succeeds in making the action feel rousing and triumphant, and the quieter moments poignant. Suffice it to say that, if you don’t smile when Goyo teaches Atom to dance, or cry even one tear during the big-match finale, then you must be a machine. – [DVD]

Action/Drama/Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13

DVD Release Date: 1/24/12