Sunday, July 29, 2012

Can't Go Back


Some things you can't go back to
Some things need left alone
Don't mess with the memories of a life passed on

Oh the tumbling reservations at the heart of my mistakes
Oh some things you can't go back to cause you let them slip away

I don't wanna be a witness to a path that's overgrown
I don't wanna see this house not be a home
'Cause time has taken toll on what we couldn't see
No, I don't wanna be a witness to the end of you and me

How we're gonna make each moment better than the last?
How am I gonna make it better if I can't go back?

Oh the tumbling reservations at the heart of my mistakes
Oh some things you can't go back to cause you let them slip away

Oh some things you can't go back to

Monday, July 16, 2012

Drive

I am not a fanatic fan of Ryan Gosling but somehow he has always given me this impression of a talented actor. I thought it must be because of the many movies of his that I'd watched so I did a quick search and surprisingly The Notebook was the only one that came up in my checklist! Yet in my mind, he is the type of actor who possesses something unique and who is not famous due to looks (not that he is bad looking in any way) ..Like the Chinese always said "Sat Lek Phai" (Talented Group) instead of the "Ngau Cheong Phai" (Idol Group mostly for looking good) :þ

Maybe is his soulful expression or the way he could bring the characters he portrayed to life...

Either way, I recently watched this movie Drive which he played the lead role, and which only further ascertained his talent in my eyes. I had no inkling what the movie was about actually and the first 5minutes into the movie, I got it. He is the superb getaway driver that helps crooks to escape from crime scenes for a sum of payment while his daytime job is a mechanic as well as a part-time stuntman. He is basically pretty much a loner and has recently moved to a new apartment where he meets his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) whom he don't really exchange hellos with until one fine day, he is there when Irene had some car troubles at a local supermarket. After the initial exciting start of him on one of his getaway driver job, the movie kinda slowed down and there weren't much dialogue because he, the loner, doesn't mix around much.

By the end of the movie though, I was speechless. Speechless because in the space of ~1.5hours, the entire story transformed so much with so many twists and surprises thrown in that it was impossible not to be. And I was really caught by surprise that Ryan's character (we never know his name, only he is The Driver) could be so kind one moment but determine and violent the next. And boy was he violent when he had to protect the ones he cared and revenge on the ones that caused harm. The Driver stood up and fight for what he felt was right. As shocking as it was, I was rooting for him all the way. Ryan totally nailed it.

Of course, the cast and the storyline sure helped too (I just found out Drive was adapted from a book. Now that would be an interesting read....)

Oh, and Drive was screened during the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and I am not surprised it received a standing ovation. Indeed, I would stand up and clap myself hah..

One mistake though, and I blame it on the carelessness of the post-production who should have make away with that few frames or rather the special effects/makeup people. There was a scene [some spoiler coming up] when The Driver dragged one bad guy's hand onto a makeup counter in a strip club before repeatedly smashing the hand with a hammer. I am prettttty sure it looked obvious that all The Driver did was just hitting a spot on the counter beside the hand and not the hand itself. Meanwhile, the bad guy was screaming in pain as though his hand had been reduced to a bloody mess of flesh and bone. And if this glaring mistake wasn't enough, the guy was then pushed to the floor still groaning in pain holding his hand...wait, holding his hand??? Well, the hand still looked intact to me with little or no blood at all! LOL, that was the only goof I spotted that I burst out laughing in the middle of a supposedly intense scene. The next time we see the bad guy, he has this huge bandage around his hand ;)

All in all, it was a thrilling ride. Like a roller coaster, it was a slow ride up to the peak before we plunge down at lighting speed with sharp corners and 360° loops. And I would definitely watch future Ryan Gosling movies (hmmm..I think I have The Ides of March somewhere...*goes searching)

My Rating:

Check out the trailer here: