Precious review

 Number 894 on the top 1000 films of all time is Lee Daniels' 2009 drama film 'Precious.'

Claireece 'Precious' Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is an overweight, illiterate, black sixteen-year-old trying to survive in Harlem. Bullied at school and subjected to horrific abuse from her mother Mary Lee, (Mo'nique) her life is a miserable one. Upon falling pregnant again, she starts to attend an 'alternative' school, where she sees a way to escape her old life.

Word of warning, Precious is not a pretty film. It is raw, gritty and unapologetic. It grabs you by the throat and refuses to be shaken free. Showcasing the horrors of an abusive household, it's difficult to not flinch away at times. But none of this violence ever felt gratuitous. Unfortunately, this is the sad reality for many youths across the US and it's a reality that shall not be ignored. 

Also, could you believe this was Gabourey Sidibe's first acting role. The character of Precious was cast an open audition and Sidibe was selected despite having no prior acting experience. Precious is not an easy character to play - she carries the sexual trauma of being molested, raped and impregnated by her father. Not to mention, the terrible abuse she receives from her mother. But Sidibe was great in the role. She provided Precious with a humanity and a vulnerability. But she wasn't pathetic nor a character you pity. 

Upon attending the 'alternative' school and through the close tutelage of teacher Miss Blu Rain, (Paula Patton) Precious starts to learn how to read and write. As her literacy improves, so does her self-confidence. With a lot of troubled kids, all it takes is somebody to believe in them and that somebody can be a brilliant teacher like Miss Blu Rain.

Lee Daniels balanced the humour and heartbreak well. As a means of escapism, Precious imagines herself in a number of fantasy scenarios from singing in a gospel choir to performing on stage as a soul-singer. But the funniest had to be when she imagines her and her mother in an old black-and-white Italian film. Watch the scene at 3.30. These little fantasies, other than providing some much needed relief, also balanced the dark with some light. They were also a little sad - Precious was imagining a life, that to her, would always seem out of reach.

Mo'nique won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as the villainous Mary Lee and I can understand why. It was an absolutely brutal role and she did it well. Jealous that her boyfriend took more interest in his daughter than her, she takes out her frustrations on Precious. As Precious is financially dependent on her, she can't up-and-leave, as is the case for many abusive relationships. But 

Lastly, a quick shoutout to Mariah Carey who played Precious' social worker, Miss Weiss. All made-down, she was utterly unrecognisable. A last-minute substitute for Helen Mirren, she did the role justice.

This was a really good film. It will make you laugh and it will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. It might just be too brutal for a rewatch.

Drive review

 Number 442 on the top 1000 films of all time is the action drama film 'Drive.'

Ryan Gosling plays an unnamed character only referred to as the Driver. By day he is a stuntman and a mechanic for a man named Shannon (Bryan Cranston.) By night he moonlights as a getaway driver for heists. He becomes attracted to his neighbour Irene  (Carey Mulligan.) However, her husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) has just been released from prison and owes a lot of money to the wrong people. Standard decides to rob a pawn shop to get the money. Upon learning this, the Driver becomes his wheelman. But things quickly go south.

There is no denying that this is a stylish thriller. It has a great neon aesthetic that gives it a very synthetic, timeless look. It could be in the eighties or the modern-day or the not so distant future. However, I didn't particularly like this film and that was for one simple reason: tone.

Tone is important for any film and this film's tone was overly-dark. I get it. It's a thriller. It's not a comedy. I wasn't expecting laugh-a-minute, but I was hoping for one or two jokes. All throughout the film there was a foreboding sense of doom and at times this fog became too much. It needed some comic relief to help disperse it. This could be some black humour for the audience or maybe some jokes between the characters. It would have been nice to have at least seen them smile. Everybody was so serious all the time.

And Ryan Gosling encapsulated this seriousness. The Driver is the strong, silent type. An emotionless man who finds a cause to fight for. But the Driver felt more like a robot than an actual human being. It was like the evil terminator from T2 had decided to pack in killing John Connor and start robbing banks instead. It was a difficult character to get behind. And I don't think this is Ryan Gosling's fault. Having starred in rom-coms like the Notebook or La-La land, he is obviously capable of playing lighter roles, but he didn't even get the chance here. The gratuitous violence did nothing to help the overly-dark tone either.

Earlier on, I referenced the eighties. And that was very intentional. The musical score contains a lot of synth-wave - a genre reminiscent of the eighties. But I don't think it was employed well. There were these long scenes accompanied by synth-wave music. Except for the music playing there was very little else happening within these scenes. It became very tedious after a while.

Aesthetically the film looked great. But the overly-black tone coupled with the extended instrumental sequences made it all more style over substance.