The Place Beyond the Pines

Another great film portraying the weight and cruciality of fatherhood
This movie had me from beginning to end. I loved the depth of all the underlying themes that intersected throughout the movie. The significance of a man's role in the family and in a marriage is heavily explored from start to finish. All the main characters appeared very raw and believable. The casting was expert and the complexities of each character were portrayed very subtly without the need for much dialogue, which is always the genius of a well-written movie. The sins of our fathers was a reoccuring theme throughout, and you can feel the inadequacies, hopes, and fears of each character as time unfolds. What gets me the most is witnessing the sweetness and kindness behind each character despite their depravity or past mistakes. This is a very moving story of humanity. You can't help but empathize with each character.

A rare occasion where EVERYONE should listen to the VERY positive reviews
Stunning. Amazing. Beautiful. Powerful. Genuinely Effective. That my friends is what can be said about The Place Beyond the Pines. I had been hearing very good things about this movie for a long time and today I finally got to watch it. My oh my what a movie. I have yet to see Man of Steel, American Hustle, or any other movie besides 42 that has really impressed me. But this is already one of the best films of 2013. Ryan Gosling took a big leap from his lackluster performance in Gangster Squad and gave a strong standout performance as Luke Glanton. Supporting cast includes Eva Mendes as Romina, Bradley Cooper(he is getting better with each role as an actor) as Avery Cross, Ray Liotta as Delucca who also did a great job (there has to be a guy everyone loves to hate) and Dane Dehaan (who is also a great actor for his age) as Jason Glanton. The whole cast did a beyond superb job. The Place Beyond the Pines makes you forget that the people in it are just characters; you generally come to...

The first exceptional film of 2013
Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) has a good thing going with a traveling carnival. He's got a pocketful of fame thanks to his motorcycle stuntman status and makes just enough money to get by. He meets up with Romina (Eva Mendes), an old fling, in Schenectady, New York and finds out that their one night together resulted in a little one year old boy named Jason. Luke quits the carnival and intends to provide for his son, but Romina has moved on and is currently in a relationship with Kofi (Mahershala Ali). Luke crosses paths with a mechanic named Robin (Ben Mendelsohn) who talks Luke into robbing a few banks to get some quick cash to support his newfound fatherhood. But Luke gets addicted to the thrill of the hunt and the money and gets overzealous, which attracts the New York police department and rookie cop Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) in particular.

Director Derek Cianfrance last worked with Ryan Gosling in "Blue Valentine" from 2010, which got a noticeable amount of attention...

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