032 Drive (2011)

YOU PUT THIS KID BEHIND THE WHEEL, THERE’S NOTHIN’ HE CAN’T DO. On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about one of Jorge’s top 3 favorite films, 2011’s Drive, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, starring Ryan Gosling. A film shot on a humble 15 million dollar budget that made a huge impact amongst those that saw it, earning 81 million at the box office, and made Refn an indie darling overnight. What was it about this film about a mysterious man of few words, played by the guy who restored Rachel McAdams’ house in The Notebook just 7 years before, that left such a strong impression on young Jorge? And why didn’t Austin feel the same? We talk about the film’s impeccably crafted cinematography, the amazing synth wave soundtrack and score, and how the film makes us feel about violence. While there are so many films about getaway drivers, Drive’s conventional crime thriller plot is accompanied by an undeniably cool aesthetic and arthouse feel that separates it from the rest. The ingenuity of the car chases shot on location in LA was no easy feat for such a low budget film, so we get into how they went about doing that as well. We also talk about it’s potential shortcomings with its willing sacrifices of substance for style, plot development for mood, and character depth of its female characters for it’s male target audience. While we might not agree on how much we like the film, we always keep it civil. In the days of internet rage, hot take click baits and toxic-stan culture, we’ve tried to make Retro Grade Podcast a safe place where we can talk about why we like stuff, why don’t like stuff, laugh and geek out over stuff, and just have a great time talking about movies. However, we do talk about a certain someone who REALLY didn’t like Drive and may have taken things a bit too far. Hope you enjoy this episode! Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes. Artwork by @jannelle_o