Just watched Drive.

I’ve decided to keep this entry quite short and sweet, but given opportunities to you (as readers) to go and explore as you see fit. 


We all do it. It was on Facebook. It was just a click. I heard this:

It’s the sort of sound I associate with watching sunsets, coming home. It's so strange how music affects us all differently, I think that is the beauty of art - it's never interpreted in exactly the same way by 2 people, it always differs somehow. You'll all have 'that' song that reminds you of a relationship, a stage in your life or a place for no logical reason. For the life of me I cannot understand why the song Suzie by Boy Kill Boy makes me think of being at a house party on a hill in the middle Tuscany - my god that was some holiday, one for another time perhaps. 


Back to the matter at hand then before I get distracted again (probably by the countless number of DrawSomething games I have consuming my existence)... Sadly the video I watched (from Facebook) has been removed on YouTube but I recognised the 2 people in the video and only then did I realised it was from a film. And like that, Drive was on my LoveFilm list and I have literally just finished watching it.


I added it to my ‘lists’ without really caring about the synopsis, such was the seduction of the track. I was expecting something quite romantic (#softLAD) given the footage I had seen in the aforementioned video. 2 people meeting, driving, kissing then loving. It’s so much more, it's a high-octane film noir!


This is an art film. Its soundtrack (composed and compiled by Cliff Martinez) is what gripped me right from the start - it’s a sexy variation of Parisian electro pop and experimental German influenced music. Refn is nothing short of a genius (deserved Cannes winner) and with minimal dialog Ryan Gosling gives one hell of a performance. An understated talent in this film is Carey Mulligan - she’s also really good in Never Let Me Go, and she’s also in Pride & Prejudice but I haven’t seen that (nor do I want to). However, it doesn’t surprise me that Albert Brooks' performance has gained the most attention from award groups out of the cast.


Its trailer (which I watched in retrospect, and I advise you don’t watch if you plan to actually watch the film) seems to suggest that it’s fast paced and adrenaline fuelled. I personally think that is/was a mistake. It’s not Gone in 60 Seconds. It’s beautifully crafted and enigmatic (Drive, not Gone 60 Seconds), that’s why it is award winning and that’s why I liked it.


Go watch the film. But if you don’t fancy that then get in your car, turn up the soundtrack, drive towards a sunset and pretend you are in L.A. returning home after a day of stunt driving. If that doesn’t entertain you , I don’t know what will but it will certainly engage your imagination and creativity, and that's always a good thing (even midweek) x