The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)

You can't choose your family

The film is a very clear three act presentation of three related threads of the same story.  The connections become clear later in the film, although Derek Cianfrance tips his hand a little making the payoff a bit predictable.  This film starts off really strong, but finishes a bit weakly with the second and third acts lack the power of the first one.  Cianfrance is the man behind Blue Valentine, one of my favorite films of the past few years.

The Place Beyond the Pines gets 3 out of 5 stars!

Director: Derek Cianfrance
Writer: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Metacritic: 68%

Only God Forgives (2013)

Thailand, the land of smiles

When expatriate criminal Billy kills a young Thai girl, his younger brother Julian is left with the mess.  Set in Bangkok, Thailand, this crime story and revenge tale is a little bit brutal and a little bit surreal.  Director Nicolas Winding Refn and actor Ryan Gosling reunite for this visually dense look at the underbelly of Bangkok.  Kristin Scott Thomas gives a perversely funny, as well as sad, portrayal of Billy and Julian's mother.  I can think of a good many adjectives to describe this film - eerie, atmospheric, ambiguous, stylish, sparse - and for me, every one of those describes a positive trait of the film.  The critics may not love it, but I sure did! 

Only God Forgives gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Valhalla Rising)
Writer: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm
Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
Metacritic: 37%

Drive (2011)

Get your motor runnin'...
The Driver is an auto mechanic who also drives Hollywood stunt cars.  In his spare time, he is a getaway driver for hire.  Ryan Gosling gives an eerily powerful performance as as the morally ambiguous Driver.  As a getaway driver, he helps people commit crimes but has a strong sense of right and wrong, abiding by his own ethical code.  He will do whatever he can to protect those he cares about, even if it means murder. It plays like a hybrid of a neo-noir thriller and an 80s action film.  The title font screams early 80s action (think Beverly Hills Cop or Miami Vice).  The story is gripping and there were several scenes that really got my RPMs racing - my heart was literally pounding because the action was so tense.   The first five minutes of this film are as exciting as any action scene in any film.This is one of those crazy good films that should stand the test of time. 

Drive revved up to 5 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writer: Hossein Amini
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 79 out of 100

Blue Valentine (2010)

Good lovin' gone bad
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play out the story of blossoming love between Dean and Cindy.  Told with a dual time-line, the film moves back and forth between the older them and the younger them.  Both of these actors give stand out performances.

Giving us a painfully honest look at the deterioration of a relationship,  Blue Valentine wins my heart with 4 out of 5 Poblanos!


Director:  Derek Cianfrance
Writer:  Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis
Starring:  Ryan Gosling & Michelle Williams
Rotten Tomatoes -  88%
Metacritic - 81 out of 100