Author Topic: The Place Beyond The Pines  (Read 5167 times)

FLYmeatwad

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The Place Beyond The Pines
« on: April 12, 2013, 09:32:43 PM »
I may be misremembering Blue Valentine, but was it quite so obvious and forceful as this film? I remember it being much more realistic, and certainly more tragic. There was a human core that this one just kind of lacked as it strove to weave this multigeneration narrative about...family? Revenge? Acceptance? Belonging? I don't know. Life isn't easy, it isn't simple, so maybe that's the point. Or maybe I'm overlooking some massive theme (we're all trapped, we can't escape our past, etc. Cages are a prevalent image in the film), though even so the film kind of lacked any sort of bite.

Yeah it was pretty CINECAST!ing ballsy to kill Ryan Gosling off within the first hour. Not to mention great sleight of hand marketing with the trailers. That's definitely a way to keep him from overacting and going off the rails like he did in BV, but I don't really think it improved the film all that much (mostly because then it meant slogging through Bradley Cooper). So yeah, bland as warm piss is definitely a way to describe it. It also kind of felt like it was going to end five different times. Oh, it was kind of strange how underwritten and plot devicey the (few) female charcters in the film felt.

In its attempts to force worlds together it kind of lost track of any shred of humanity.

don s.

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Re: The Place Beyond The Pines
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2013, 09:58:09 PM »
See? If I wait long enough, someone will come along and articulate pretty much everything I thought about a film.
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MP

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Re: The Place Beyond The Pines
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2013, 08:01:28 AM »
It's terrible. In the bottom three of the year's releases that I've seen (I aim to avoid guaranteed bunk like Scary Movie etc.).

Every line of this Reverse Shot review nails it.

rosiejoy

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Re: The Place Beyond The Pines
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2013, 09:31:03 PM »
I liked it a lot, but it definitely was not what I expected. The final third was my least favorite although it was fun to see Dane Dehaan (the kid from Chronicle) again.

I think it could've been improved by one of these two alternate endings:

1. Jason kills AJ and leaves the scene; Avery wins his election through the sympathy vote
2. Jason kills Avery, THEN discovers the photo in his wallet; still ends up riding off on a motorcycle

The way it ended felt like a compromise. I think it would've been so much stronger if the cycle of violence were completed in the final act.

Corndog

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Re: The Place Beyond The Pines
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2013, 08:09:43 AM »
I was sitting there the whole time wondering why in the hell it was a 90s period film. And then I realized it was all just to have the third part take place in present day, which seemed kind of stupid to me. Or maybe I missed something.
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FLYmeatwad

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Re: The Place Beyond The Pines
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2013, 09:34:46 AM »
The early part took place in the 90's? I hear you though, C-Dub, the film felt super forced.

Definitely am not against Badley Pooper's kid catching one to the dome though, was hoping that was going to happen.

sdb_1970

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Re: The Place Beyond The Pines
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2013, 01:42:22 PM »
Yeah, the emotional crescendo of the film hits at the very end of the first of the three narratives.  With only a few adjustments, the film could have been WAY more effective by telling the three stories in PARALLEL rather than in linear sequence.  Considering that the narrative of 'Blue Valentine' is structured around emotional points - rather than sequential plot points, I was a bit surprised that the co-writer/director made that choice.
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Alan Smithee

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Re: The Place Beyond The Pines
« Reply #7 on: April 18, 2013, 12:19:36 AM »
Anybody tell me what happened in the first scene before he meets Eve Mendes's character? I walked in late.

don s.

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Re: The Place Beyond The Pines
« Reply #8 on: April 18, 2013, 12:31:16 AM »
You missed a cool tracking shot....
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Alan Smithee

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Re: The Place Beyond The Pines
« Reply #9 on: April 18, 2013, 12:34:22 AM »
You missed a cool tracking shot....

I figured it was something with his motorcycle group and riding in the big iron ball, since that was in the trailer and i didn't see it in the film.

 

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