Drive

The movie Drive starring Ryan Gosling begins slick and stylized. There is something fresh and retro about it all at the same time. The music throughout compliments the story; it is at times 80s and all of the original music is by Cliff Martinez. The cast is strong, co-starring Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks and Albert Brooks. We are given a glimpse into the life of Gosling's character, known only as the Driver -- a Hollywood stunt driver, a mechanic and getaway driver. The movie builds in tension and you just know that it is all going to hit the fan at some point.

Gosling is as hot as ever and I am glad to have seen my final big pic of his from 2011. Drive is nominated for a Best Sound Editing Oscar. Some of the sounds which are so striking are for those of brutal violence. I was glad to be viewing the movie at home so that when the violence began I could have a glass of wine and look away. This is not my favorite type of genre but the movie is done very well.

Also on DVD...
Kung Fu Panda 2
Truth be told I only watched this movie because it is one of the Best Animated Feature nominees. I had enjoyed the first one in theaters and the sequel features the returning voice talent of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogan, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu. Part of the plot happily deals with Po the panda discovering that he was indeed adopted by his father the goose. The dialogue is clever in the non-action scenes and the rest of the story is about the appearance of the villain Shen the peacock as voiced by Gary Oldman. Oldman is nominated for Best Actor in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.