039. Quest for Fire

039. (28 Jan) Quest for Fire (1982, Jean-Jacques Annaud) 45



Having seen Clan of the Cave Bear, I'm aware just how awry this concept can go. Quest for Fire may be episodic and dull for long stretches, but it's essentially what you'd expect. A bunch of cavemen running around on their way to acquiring fire is about as compelling as it sounds. The Oscar-winning makeup is quite deserving, but it's Philippe Sarde's score that's the film's most sublime element.

476. Drive

476. (23 Nov) Drive (2011, Nicolas Winding Refn) 44



Stylized to a fault, Drive uses pensive, wordless shots and a pounding score in lieu of character or plot development. That would be fine if Winding Refn were a more accomplished director, but it's all style, no substance. He really doesn't have much to work with in the always vacant Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. Their romantic chemistry is simply not there. The delightful Christina Hendricks is totally wasted to give screentime to an ineffective Albert Brooks, who has some inexplicable Oscar buzz for a do-nothing role. I'm really not sure what the hipsters see in this one; is Gosling's jacket that cool?