‘DRIVE’

★★★★ (out of four)

“Drive” is such a film, and in what surely must be a miracle, it has not been abandoned on the arthouse circuit. On the contrary, it is playing in multiplexes across the U.S., and as of press time was the second-highest grossing film in general release (behind the re-release of “The Lion King,” naturally). To see a film of this caliber performing so well in wide release is inspiring, and goes to show that there is in fact a demand for this kind of thing among “mainstream” audiences. Studios should take note — and give director Nicolas Winding Refn (winner of the best director award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival) the money and creative control to do absolutely whatever the hell he wants from this point forward.

‘CONTAGION’

★★★

A fast-paced procedural documenting the likely effects of a new worldwide epidemic, the film has all the hallmarks of a sophisticated Soderbergh production: a gritty feel and urgent tone; plenty of jump-cuts and carefully edited montages; a sprawling cast of A-list actors in modest supporting roles, etc. But also present is the odd and unsettling remoteness that Soderbergh typically displays when he’s in studio mode. Everything is so precisely staged, each camera angle and edit so obviously and meticulously tweaked, that Soderbergh’s true filmmaking voice often seems in danger of disappearing into an abyss of overly polished, studio-sanctioned “technique.”

‘RED STATE’

★★★ 

“Red State” is an especially surprising and most welcome game-changer for Kevin Smith, who has built a career out of straight comedies predicated on crude sex and fart jokes. The film represents a giant leap forward for him as a filmmaker, and is indeed the only Smith film that suggests any interest in actual cinematic technique. I was initially skeptical when he claimed that producing and distributing the movie himself allowed him the opportunity to deliver the visionary, uncompromising, totally kick-ass horror flick he intended to make, free from the studio interference that allegedly ruined several of his previous works. Yet it appears there’s something to these claims, and upon seeing the film it is clear that Smith has intentionally bucked every genre convention and audience expectation imaginable. He fought the system, and he’s come out on top.