FYI, I'm writing this post at one in the morning.
Literally writing this movie review of The Place Beyond the Pines in the wee hours of the night after just getting back from the theater. I know it comes out at regular times this weekend, but this is a Ryan Gosling movie and I simply couldn't wait that long.
This movie is divided into three parts. Act I is all about a skilled motorcyclist named Luke (Gosling) who is trying to find a way to provide for his son. After being gone for a year, Gosling returns to New York only to find that his one-time fling Romina (Eva Mendes) has a baby that he fathered. He wants her in his life, and he wants to be a father to his son, but he doesn't have the means to make ends meet. All he has is no education and a body full of ill-advised tattoos that probably don't get you very far in life (aside from the ones that are intricately placed across his knuckles and read Hand on one side and Some on the other).
This film is directed and co-written by Derek Cianfrance, who also did
Blue Valentine.
So he figures his skill set can be put to better use if he becomes a bank robber. And this is how we get introduced to Act II where we meet Avery (Bradley Cooper), who is also a father to a young son and a lawyer-turned-cop in upstate New York. Avery is trying to deal with some dirty cops in his precinct when his and Luke's worlds collide after a robbery gone bad. This sets the stage for everything that occurs in Act III.
By the third stage of the film, it's years later and we're following the lives of teenagers AJ and Jason. AJ is Avery's ill-adjusted son, and Jason is the wandering offspring of Romina and Handsome Luke. The drama from the first two acts comes together in the final scenes of the third act and makes you tense your body and hold your breath.
And all you're hoping is that the movie won't end in the way that it's been leading you to believe...but you'll have to see it for yourself to know if that's true or not.
Overall, The Place Beyond the Pines is about how the decisions you make, or don't make, can affect you now and in the future. It's beautifully played by Ryan and Bradley and the score goes so well with the visual direction.
Who am I kidding? Ryan Gosling is in this movie and that's all the reason you need to see it. He's only got a couple more movies coming out before his acting hiatus so please go and enjoy his beautiful, asymmetrical face on the big screen.
No one does sexy-vulnerable-cool quite as good as he does. Ryan's the poo...so take a big whiff.
My Rating:
♥♥♥♥♥
"I want to do something with him that’s his first time. I'm going to look in his face when he tries ice cream. Every time he has ice cream for the rest of his life, he’s going to see my fucking face."
~~~
And I was featured in IFB's Links a la Mode this week!
Picture Perfect
Whether it be styling the right outfit, looking good in glasses, or finding treasures in your closet, ultimately as fashion bloggers we share our fashion story. Through words or through photography, this roundup takes a closer look at making life more beautiful, fashion icons like Lilly Pulitzer who passed away over the weekend, Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli.. and the downward spiral of the house of Saint Laurent. What are we going to do to keep the world beautiful? Sustainable fashion and shopping our closets? And how will we document it.. there are fantastic photo tutorials in the mix to.
Enjoy!
Links à la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup, April 11th