Drive

"If I drive for you, you give me a time and a place. I give you a five-minute window, anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours no matter what. I don't sit in while you're running it down. I don't carry a gun. I drive."

I'm often asked why I'm quick to dismiss certain films, such as otherwise fun action films. The reason for this is because action films have become far too predictable. The storylines are recycled, the action sequences drag on for minutes on end, and I can't wait until the film is over. If all action films were made in the same manner as Drive, however, I'd be seeing more of them.

Drive stars Ryan Gosling as a driver of getaway cars. The film is meticulously directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, who won the Best Director prize at the Festival de Cannes. I had been wondering how he won the prize of Terrence Malick, who constructed the beautiful and poetic film, The Tree of Life. The fact of the matter is, Drive is as beautiful and poetic as that film, in its own way and in its own genre of crime, thriller, and action.

The film is delicately crafted and uses elements and conventions of these genres, but also subverts them and makes them an artistic exploration.The film is very slow-paced and patient in its storytelling. The subtleness of its scenes are contrasted with stylized violence; after all, that's what Nicolas Winding Refn is known for. The film builds its suspense quietly, allowing us to build a relationship with its characters. The beauty of this film is what the filmmaker does with the camera. In the same manner that Martin Scorsese moved the camera into the boxing ring for Raging Bull, in an attempt to put us right into the action of the fights, Nicolas Winding Refn puts the camera inside the driver's car. This allows us to feel like we are in the car with him, in the midst of all the action and violence. There are very few shots where we see the action from high above or from other angles. If the driver is in the car, then we're in the car with him.

There are moments of immense surprise in the film, such as unpredictable scenes of violence, as well as some beautifully choreographed scenes between Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. The film is very well-structured, the camera is patient in the hands of the director, and the film takes its time to emphasize what it really wants us to know. There is very minimal dialogue in the film, a quality rarely attributed to this sort of film. In fact, while working together, Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan decided to leave out most of the dialogue in the screenplay. The result is an odd combination of character study meets gripping action, but everything somehow works in the hands of its director.

There's a certain sense of mystery revolving around the driver, who he is and why he does what he does, but that's what makes him so interesting. Ryan Gosling reaffirms why he is one of the best actors working today. The driver's anger, sadness, vulnerability, complexity, and the rest of his emotions are all internal. Ryan Gosling has the amazing gift of restraining his emotions; he is acting with his eyes and telling the audience how he feels inside.

Drive is scheduled for release on September 16, 2011.

Washington, Oregon, and Us - Day Eight

It's all over.

The last day has come to a conclusion and our trip has come to an end.

The day started with a trip to The Old Church, where we finally had a chance to step inside. The church is beautiful and is nearly 130 years old. We also saw the Simon Benson House, which is located right across the Portland State University. Simon Benson installed running drinking fountains all around Portland because the city didn't have available water decades ago. The fountains still remain and provides people with running water every single second of the day. We recreated an old photograph of two people drinking from the fountain. We were leaving the area when we saw a fire truck for the Portland Fire Department, so we took a picture with some of the firefighters.

We went back into Vancouver afterward and had lunch at Dolce Gelato. We also walked to the Esther Short Park after lunch and had some gelato on a beautiful sunny day. We later stopped by Swoon and Not too Shabby to pick up some few things and said goodbye to its owners, who we first met when we first came to the city.

We stopped by Fort Vancouver, where we saw the Ulysses S. Grant house. The whole area was beautiful and historic, and is an entire block known as Officer's Row, where houses stand from the time period. We later went to the Vancouver Public Library because the building looked and was amazing. We decided to open up a library card as a keepsake. We did the same with the Portland Public Library, but they didn't give us a card because we're from out of town. We stopped by the Academy, which is right beside the library, but the historic chapel inside was closed. We glimpsed inside through the cracks of the door, though.

The next stop for us a small park right on the Columbia River Gorge. We sat down by the peaceful water and enjoyed the fresh air. We had dinner reservations for 9pm, so we decided to head back to the hotel to change, rest and charge our camera. We made our way back into Vancouver for one last stop at the Salmon Creek Brewery & Pub. The owner of the place (who carries a bat behind the bar) was very nice to us the first time we went in. So, we went back to have a beer before dinner and to say goodbye. We took a picture with her and her bat, and she asked us to send the picture to her when we get back into Los Angeles.

We had dinner at Salty's on the Columbia River, a beautiful restaurant with gorgeous views. Mary surprised me with a mini pre-birthday celebration. We had an amazing dinner and desert to conclude our final evening in Washington and Oregon. The evening came to an end shortly thereafter. We were both exhausted and drained, but neither one of us wanted the trip to end. We had some memorable moments, some amazing times in both states, and some very interesting adventures. We embarked on journeys neither one of us had ever thought or dreamt of doing, but like all good things, everything comes to an end.

The owner of the Salmon Creek Brewery & Pub was sad to see us go. We were walking out of the place when she said to us, "Keep loving each other." That's exactly what we'll do, whether we're in Washington, Oregon, or any of the other 48 states.

Washington, Oregon, and Us - Day Seven

This was quite the busy day.

The morning began early with a drive down to Salem, Oregon's capitol. We met with William Michaelian, an author I have been in communication with, to discuss a short story of his which I am planning to adapt into a short film. The trip there was quite nice and much different than our previous drives. William Michaelian was kind enough to accept us into his lovely home and we had a pleasant meeting with him. I wish we could have stayed longer, but there was a long list of things to do. We left with a copy of one of his books, which he had signed for us.

The next stop of the day was the State Capitol, which was a wonder to see, considering Salem was the first state capitol we had been to in our lives. We climbed up to the Gold Man on the top of the building, which was a total of 121 steps. The view was lovely from up there. The building itself was quite interesting to see, especially the separate rooms for the House of Representatives and the Senate. We also took a brief stop at the Oregon State Hospital, which was used as a location for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

We drove back into Portland afterward to drop in on the Hat Museum. The tour of the museum was probably the most interesting part of our entire trip. The history, stories, and origins of hats and fashion was such an interesting thing to hear. We saw hats from all periods of times, including the early 1800s. The museum also had hats and memorabilia from films, including hats from Chicago and Gangs of New York and a teapot that was used in Casablanca. The entire place was rich with history and I only wish I owned some of their hats.

We had been planning on kayaking on the Columbia River Gorge today, so we looked up the address for the place we had to meet the instructor. I assumed the place would be near Vancouver and Portland, but it turned out to be in Hood River; all the way near Mount Hood, over an hour way. We were going to be late, so we drove as fast as possible all the way out there. We were less than 20 miles away when our fuel started running low and the gas light came on. We were 12 miles away from the nearest gas station and we feared the car would stop in the middle of nowhere. We fortunately made it to a gas station and the kayak school in time!

The kayak tour was the best part of our trip so far. We were each in a separate kayak and the entire experience was a little scary at first. We paddled into the river for about a mile and a half into the sunset. The views were spectacular, the fresh water river surrounding us, along with fresh air and green trees. We were hit by a rough wave that completely soaked us. We headed back in smooth water where we saw a beaver splashing its tail. I can't begin to describe how peaceful, beautiful and amazing the experience was.

We stopped by for something to eat at the Sixth Street Bistro and Loft and later headed back into Portland, where we checked into our new hotel near the airport. This is our first night sleeping in Oregon, but it's been quite the ride so far.

I hate to say this, but tomorrow is our last full day. I don't want this to end!

Washington, Oregon, and Us - Day Six

The day started early, with a trip away from the usual and a drive up to Mount Hood in Oregon.

We drove up to the Timberline Lodge, which was used for the exterior shots for Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. The drive there was beautiful; the highway took us through several small towns and farms. We were surrounded by trees throughout the entire drive, and later had incredible views from high in the sky. I have to admit, it was amazing seeing the hotel that stood in for the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. I had also heard about an ax that the front desk keeps, which is modeled after the ax used in the film. The ax has "Here's Johnny!" written over it, so we definitely had to take a picture. We also had lunch at the Blue Ox located in the hotel and later drove back down into Portland.

We passed by the Rose Garden and took several pictures, but need to go back to get some better shots. We also stopped by the Nike Factory Store, which is a popular spot for fans. We drove back to Vancouver afterward and pulled into a park by the Columbia River Gorge, which is also right beside our hotel. We sat on a park bench and enjoyed the sunset and gorgeous view of the river. This is an amazing place to have a run, picnic, or simply enjoy your time.

We're staying an extra two days, so we'll be checking out of our hotel tomorrow morning and moving into a hotel in Portland. There's a big day ahead of us tomorrow, but I won't say exactly what we're planning on doing.

Washington, Oregon, and Us - Day Five

The day was very productive, more so than any other day so far on our trip.

The first stop for us was the Lan Su Chinese Gardens in Chinatown in Portland. The place was small and intimate, with waterfalls and separate rooms across the garden. The environment was nice and peaceful and a perfect example of how to create a garden. There were some ping pong tables by the lake, and before we left, we played a few games for fun. There was a bird that flew into the lake and grabbed a fish right before us, which was really amazing to witness.

We were feeling a little hungry and found that we were near Voodoo Doughnut, a really popular stop in Portland. The line was full and took nearly two hours, but it's just one of those spots that you have to visit because it's so famous. The variety of donuts they carry is amazing and they have some really absurd choices, including their famous Voodoo doll (which squirts blood, or jelly, when bit into), maple bacon (which, as you would imagine, has bacon on top), and donuts with cereal on them, such as Fruit Loops or Cap'n Crunch. The donuts were tasty and interesting to eat, which is always a good combination when it comes to food.

The Portland Japanese Garden was next for us, which is located near the International Rose Test Garden. The garden was much larger in comparison to the Lan Su Chinese Garden. There were some amazing spots with bridges, waterfalls, sand spots, and trees, of course. The Old Church, which is Portland's oldest church, was our next stop. The church is closed on Sundays (how ironic) so we'll be going back to step inside.

I had heard The Bite of Oregon was taking place this weekend, which is a festival offering music, food and drinks. We decided to stop by there to grab something to eat, which turned out to be real fun. We had some gyros followed by some authentic cannolis. The Bite of Oregon was taking place right beside the Columbia River Gorge, which is on the exact opposite side of our hotel in Vancouver. We made a quick stop to Mill Ends Park, which is the smallest park in the world. This was fun to see, because it's literally two feet in size. It's officially recognized as a park though, which makes it the world's smallest park.

We ended up visiting the Pioneer Courthouse Square afterward, which is known as Portland's living room. This is an amazing place with such beautiful space, where people come in and hang. It's a terrific place to hang out and have coffee and just relax in the city of Portland. We also took a trip down to their mall and went to Made in Oregon, a store dedicated to Oregon memorabilia. We came to our hotel afterward and only went back outside to get some quick food from Burgerville, a chain of burger joints only available in Washington and Oregon.

It's official. We're extending our trip by two more days!

Washington, Oregon, and Us - Day Four

The day began like all good days do... with ice cream and pie.

Who needs breakfast or lunch when you can stop by Ice Cream Renaissance for some ice cream and pie? We planned a trip over to Portland to visit the International Rose Test Garden, but along the way, we missed our turn and ended up seeing signs for Pittock Mansion. We were already planning on visiting Pittock Mansion, so we followed the signs and went up a beautiful path.

This was a true Oregon experience. We were surrounded by trees on narrow bend of road. The drive up was enchanting. We were in pure silence with fresh air all around us. We finally reached Pittock Mansion and took a quick stroll through their hiking trail in the forest. The trail is for people to hike through, walk through, and simply enjoy the wonderful view of Portland.

Pittock Mansion was breathtaking. The garden in front of the mansion has a beautiful view, where students had set themselves up and were painting. There were people having a picnic on the lawn as well as families enjoying their time together. The mansion belonged to Henry Pittock and has 22 rooms. The mansion was built so that each room had a beautiful view of the city of Portland. The place was filled with history with artifacts and pieces dating back to the late 1800s.

We drove back down into Portland and visited the International Rose Test Garden. Portland is the city of roses, so there's no way we could miss this garden. The place was beautiful with roses in all shapes, sizes and colors, including red, yellow, orange, white, grey, purple, and some colorful ones. The place was filled with a variety of people, but the garden was so peaceful. We decided to have lunch/dinner afterward and settled on Urban Fondue, a nice little spot that serves cheese and chocolate fondue, as well as a variety of food. The environment was warm and inviting, the food was excellent, and the cheese, in particular, was amazing.

We drove back into Vancouver in time for the Closing Ceremony of the Columbia Gorge International Film Festival. There was a special evening planned with awards and the ceremony was fun and entertaining. Jay Douplass' documentary, Kevin, went home with an award, as did the short documentary, Challenging Impossibility, which screened before his film. We stopped by Niche afterward, a cozy little spot right beside Kiggins Theatre, for cheese and wine.

The days are coming to an end, but we're considering staying a few extra days. I'm afraid we don't want to head back home anytime soon.

Washington, Oregon, and Us - Day Three

The big day is finally here.

I came across several reviews for Tasty n Sons, a popular eatery in Portland. So, the day began with a trip down into Portland. The city is beautiful. It's much more like Los Angeles in the sense that it's a major city and a diverse population. The bridges and highways are amazing. There is an unbelievable two-story highway that connects over the city. In our drive, we felt like we were floating over some of these buildings, including the Rose Garden.

Tasty n Sons was a great little spot with fabulous food. I ordered the Monk's Carolina Cheesesteak and Mary ordered the Glazed Yams. I can't even begin to describe the taste, but the cheesesteak was full of grease, which is how you know you're eating a real cheesesteak sandwich. We also ordered the Chocolate Potato Doughnuts, which were so, so good. The best part of lunch was seeing the check; no sales tax! This was our first time seeing a receipt with no sales tax, so that was quite exciting. There were several shops on the street, including the official store for Lark Press. We bought several cards and gifts that are unique to Oregon from there. The city feels so artistic, inspired, and rich with inspiration.

The next step of the day was Powell's City of Books, which is the largest new and used bookstore in the world. It's a place to get lost in and there's no way that a day was enough. We immediately took a trip to the Film section, where we browsed around and explored. In front of the bookstore, as we were leaving, there were three street performers known as The Homeless People. They're trying to raise enough money to get back to California. Their music was unbelievable. I really wish they were selling CDs. I recorded one of their songs and we ended up taking a picture with them. We explored Portland from there on, stopping by random stores, including the Monticello Antique Marketplace, which felt like was in some obscure neighborhood away from the city.

We came back to our hotel afterward because Amorosa was screening at 7:30pm at the Space. The screening was great with a small and intimate crowd. There were two other filmmakers present with their films. The host of the evening moderated a small Q&A afterward and we had a chance to speak to her when the evening was over. The woman is formerly from California and she is now a real estate agent in Vancouver. We told her we would love to live here and she joked that she would find us a place.

We left the Space around 9:30pm to meet up with Jessica, one of the volunteers for the film festival who had invited us for drinks yesterday. Jessica and her cousin, Rachel, planned a pub crawl for this film festival, which takes people from pub to pub for drinks throughout the evening. We met up with them at Top Shelf, but they were on their way out to Dublin Down. So, we headed to Dublin Down and had a few drinks. We ended up chatting with Jessica, Rachel and another filmmaker who was in town from Boston. The evening went extremely well and it was really fun to be out in an unfamiliar town with such nice people. Jessica and Rachel were convincing us to move to Vancouver and said we would fit in perfectly.

That's something we are seriously considering.