Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced DVD and Blu-ray releases of Drive which stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Bryan Cranston. Each will be available to own from January 31st. The only extra material will be featurettes (“Drive Without A Driver: Entretien Avec Nicolas Winding Refn”, “I Drive”, “Under The Hood”, “Driver and Irene”, “Cut To The Chase”).

Source: DVD Active

Shannon is also trying to start a car racing team with Driver as his driver with the backing of Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) who seems to have ties to the mob. Bernie’s partner in crime is Nino (Ron Perlman), owner of Nino’s Pizza. Shannon brings Bernie an offer to own part of his racing team, which after watching Driver do his thing, takes Shannon up on the offer. Back at Shannon’s garage Irene comes in after her car finally breaks down. Shannon offers Driver’s service to take Irene and Benicio home. Over the next few days and weeks Irene and Driver get closer. After a while, Irene gets a call that her husband is coming home from jail.

Upon coming home, Standard promises to keep clean for his family, but that’s easier said than done. Driver comes home one day to see two thugs walking away in the garage of his apartment. He finds Standard beaten. After taking standard to his apartment to clean him up, Standard reveals that he owes someone money for their protection while he was in jail. In order to pay off this debt, Standard has to rob a pawn shop where there is a large amount of money being kept. Standard doesn’t want to do this since he would be going back on his word, but Driver tells him he’s got his back. He’ll drive him to the shop and deliver the money to the person, Cook, who is forcing Standard to do this. Cook tells Driver that he must take along Blanche (Christina Hendricks). At this point, the movie becomes more of a ganster film. There’s double crossing, murders and extreme violence.

If you’ve seen any of Refn’s previous films, you know his style. His movies are shot in a very “dreamy” state. He uses heavy colors, extreme lighting and the music is dreamy. His movies also, while not having a ton of violence, when there is it is extreme. Refn’s longs shots don’t shy away from the violence when it happens on screen. Going back to the music, very seldom in film has music been used so perfectly. Cliff Martinez’ score matched so well to the scenes that the viewer is watching. The non-score music is a great addition as well.

There are a few things in this movie to keep it from becoming a classic, and the big thing is the writing. While a good story with many twists and turns, many of them can be seen from a mile away. The first time Driver brings Irene and Benicio home, he starts asking personal questions that one wouldn’t normally answer to someone that’s a complete stranger (“Where’s your husband?”). The movie is a good one, but the acting really brings the movie up to another level. Christina Hendricks had a very small, but substantial role. She’s almost unrecognizable here, as she’s not wearing clothes to show off her assets. This is a good things, as you can concentrate on her performance, which is a really good one. Albert Brooks is chilling in his performance, Cranston is really sad (in a good way) as the broken down father figure to Driver, Ron Perlman hams it up a bit, and is so fun to watch, Carey Mulligan underplays her role and it works so well and her chemistry with Gosling is great, and speaking of Gosling, he’s just on different level than everyone else. If he has 30 lines in the entire movie, that would be a lot. Just watching him move is a thing of beauty. The emotion he conveys in his eyes alone is something every aspiring actor should watch to learn the craft.

Overall, the flaws of the script can’t weigh down the amazing score, direction and acting that this movie has. If you’re looking for an old school action film, then look elsewhere. While there are a couple of really great chase scenes, this movie is more of a drama and even a love story. The pace is slowed down with long takes, but that helps the emotions comes across better. It’s certainly a movie that should be felt in the theater.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Ruben Fleischer-directed crime drama isn’t due until 2013.

Our films deals with the separation of a long time married couple Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore), after Emily admits to sleeping with her co-worker David (Kevin Bacon). Cal is distraught and he moves out, he spends night after night pouting away at a bar until this catches the attention of suave ladies man Jacob (Ryan Gosling). Jacob takes Cal under his wing, gives him a make-over and confidence he didn’t know he had. All the while Jacob falls for Hannah (Emma Stone), a law student whom he sees at the bar one night. There are a bunch of other little sub plots that all come together at the end.

This film does have a lot going on, and while watching I wasn’t sure that it needed so many sub-plots but I knew in some way things would all make sense at the end, they do. This is a smart film, while still being funny and light-hearted. It is about family, and finding ones self after a crisis. It is clear that our main couple love each other, but seemed to have lost their way. All their actions seem logical, and the mistakes they make aren’t easy to watch but also comical. The intention isn’t to be a serious drama, it wants to remain fun. I think it balances these thing quite cleverly, and there is never a dull moment.

The cast is splendid, Steve Carell and Julianne Moore actually made for a very convincing couple. They had great chemistry together, and it was a couple that you didn’t want to see go their separate ways. Carell especially was very grounded here, he wasn’t over the top and he was a likeable guy. Julianne Moore looked beautiful, her character was flawed and she played it naturally. Emily was likeable as well, and the problems the couple faced did leave either of them in a position to be disliked by the audience. I liked this approach, it felt normal and unforced.

The stand out though was Ryan Gosling, he shows just what a versatile actor he can be. Coming off of a serious dramatical role with Blue Valentine, he’s much more relaxed here. He has great comedic timing, and the back and forth between himself and Carell was just pure gold. I am pretty sure that Gosling can do no wrong, I don’t remember this man ever giving a bad performance even if the film he was in wasn’t that good. Emma Stone has a smaller role, but she is really good as well. She’s likeable and cute, and was a welcome addition to the cast. Marissa Tomei was a little over the top, but she was still adorable and it was fun to see her. Kevin Bacon was playing sort of against type, and like Gosling proves he is a versatile actor.

I highly recommend Crazy, Stupid, Love; this is something that I think everyone can enjoy. It isn’t solely aimed at women, I think it has enough to appeal to both sexes without making any compromises. The characters for the most part feel real and easily relatable. It is fun, honest, and a breeze to sit through. This is the type of film that I can easily welcome into my collection.

Rating:

A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.

The poster is deliciously 80s.

Source: The Film Stage

The Wrap broke the news that the actor is in talks for the role in Gore Verbinski’s Disney adaptation of the character. Though nothing is set in stone, as it seems that this Lone Ranger won’t hit screens until 2014, the source notes that shooting in late 2012/early 2013 is ideal for all parties involved.

Gosling will be doing Logan’s Run soon. Depp, who will play his sidekick Tonto, will be doing Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows soon, and Verbinski is undetermined.

Interested?

Drive has a tentative release date for 2012.

The Dan Fogelman written story centers on a father whose life unravels while he deals with spousal problems and tries to manage his relationship with his children. Tomei will play the first woman that Carell’s character dates after he’s been schooled by Gosling’s character in the art of meeting women. Groban will play the boyfriend of Stone’s character (Variety).

Steve Carell and Denise Di Novi are both producing under his Carousel banner. Tomei is going to be up on the big screen once more alongside John C. Reily and Jonah Hill in the Duplass brothers comedy Cyrus, coming out in theaters on July 9th.

The story, written by Dan Fogelman, centers on a father whose life unravels while he deals with spousal problems and tries to manage his relationship with his children. Producing the picture will be Carell with Denise Di Novi under his Carousel Productions banner.

Principal photography is scheduled to start up at the end of this month with a projected 2011 release date.

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Requa and Ficarra have previously worked together in the director’s chair on I Love You Phillip Morris, a dramedy that stars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, expected to come out in limited theaters on May 7th. Keep an eye out for Tipton as she appears in the Michel Gondry feature The Green Hornet, playing in theaters on December 22nd.

Stone recently was seen in the horror comedy Zombieland and can next be seen lending her voice to the character Mazie in the family feature Marmaduke. Carell can next be seen co-starring alongside Tina Fey in the action comedy Date Night.

Producing the picture is the Carousel banner that Carell is attached to and Denise Di Novi. The latest Derek Cianfrance film Blue Valentine starred Gosling along with Michelle Williams and premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival with positive word of mouth.

Apparently next on the director/writer’s list is a feature called Only God Forgives. The story is about a Bangkok-set modern Western (East meets West) that sees a Thai police lieutenant and a gangster settling their differences in a Thai-boxing match (The Film Stage). Refn’s recent directed work includes Bronson and Valhalla Rising.

The latest films to come out under The Weinstein Company include the dark comedy Youth in Revolt that stars Scott Pilgrim lead Michael Cera. They also have been doing their best to pull out a good marketing campaign for the well executed feature A Single Man that garnered itself, and rightfully so, a lot of Oscar buzz ever since it got a some what wide release.