{random film-ness} A Valentine’s Day Movie for Thrifty Contrarians
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Maybe you’re a half of a content pair who believes love should be celebrated every day…without so much emphasis on buying stuff. Maybe you’re currently flying solo and loving your independence…and hating how Heart Day enthusiasts assume you’ll be watching Sleepless in Seattle and sobbing tonight. (I mean Sleepless is great; sobbing, not so much.) Maybe you’re a mysterious stranger with serious stunt driving skills who breaks out of a hermit-ish existence to help his beautiful neighbor…knowing there will be price to pay.
Yep, I’m suggesting you watch Drive today, in celebration of the international day of lovey-dovey-ness. Here’s why the 2011 Nicolas Winding Refn-directed, Gosling-starring wheeled thriller is a great Valentine’s Day choice.
1. You can tell everybody overly concerned with your 14th plans that you curled up with a Ryan Gosling flick.
(The group of women who sat in front of me in the theatre—obviously out on a misinformed girls’ night—audibly sighed when this shot of Gosling graced the screen.)
2. “You know,” you can say, “the one where he’s in love with Carey Mulligan.”
“Awwwwwwww,” they’ll say. “Yeah,” you’ll lie shamelessly. “It was nice.”
3. Because you know this happens next:
Yes, I think Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to re-sensitize yourself to on-screen violence, thanks to Refn’s refusal to let you distance yourself from what it would probably look like if you saw someone’s head smashed right in front of you. Unlike most action films’ cartoonish take on blood and guts, Refn shocks you into remembering that violence has consequences. Messy, messy, bad, bad consequences. In contrast, you’ll want to choose a quiet monkish life of loving service in the order of, say, St. Valentine himself.
(When the hammers started flying, the we-thought-we-were-seeing-The-Notebook-women resorted to nervous giggling to get through it. I coped by steeling my stomach and, I admit it, covering my eyes.)
5. As V-Day bonuses, Drive also features one of the most amazing elevator-based kisses in all of moviedom and a self-sacrificing love theme. And there’s a waiting-in-the-getaway car scene that will get your heart racing with its unparalleled suspense. I think I set a new personal best for Holding Breath In Theatre during that one.
6. Drive is available RIGHT NOW on Netflix streaming and Amazon Instant Video ($9.99). If I weren’t hosting the third annual Super Secret Symposium of Single Spies tonight, I’d be watching Drive. Heck, maybe I’ll put it on after we get through all our Agenda of Intrigue items.
I still haven’t seen this!!! Would love to see Ryan and Carey together. :)
See you tonight!!!
It’s quite the movie. I remember driving away feeling really dazed…took me a few hours to get back to reality. I’ll watch it with you sometime — maybe tonight if we can convince the other spies??
I still need to see it, too!
OK. Gimme Some Drive night needed STAT.
LOL! this cracks me up. yeah, drive… super romantic! ha
I was cracking myself up writing it…glad it made you chuckle, too : ) Gotta be a little ornery today to counteract all the Valentine’s Day cuteness!
Great idea. Also, don’t forget it has a killer soundtrack. That song “Real Hero” by College runs on repeat at my house quite often.
Love this movie.
Yes — the soundtrack is great! It’s one of my go-to listen-while-working albums.
uh…I thought it was supposed to be secret.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh……..