Experiment 626 (which may, or may not be Stitch's real name) is an event embarked upon by the I'm With Geek Film Team. Film knowledge was unearthed, truths were found and a DVD exchange took place. These are the true life stories from that experiment..
Dear Melissa
Here’s The Place Beyond The Pines
Going by her choices, Melissa seems quite fond of big, fun action films but also appreciates slow drama, so I'm goning recommend Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines. I very nearly said Blue Valentine, but I don't want to ruin her life. The Place Beyond the Pines is a riveting drama that moves at a slower pace than her favourites but is rich in it's character and it's story. I really hope she likes it
Love, Robbie
Melissa's Review
We start off with Luke Glanton (portrayed by Gosling) crossing what appears to be a local fair and, steely glaze on point, sits down on a motorcycle and begins to perform stunts with two others. An intriguing start to what can only be described as an emotionally driven, thoughtful cinematic piece. Within minutes we find out that Glanton has a son whom he didn’t know, by a woman, Romina (Eva Mendes), he met a while ago passing through, and that he wants to provide for the child but has financial troubles due to his career choices. All this sets up for a rather gripping story about his struggles, but just when we are getting into his particular storyline, everything changes.
The film is fantastic at showcasing how different lives can intertwine and the effects that these can have on the characters, with the actions of the two fathers having significant impacts on their son’s lives without intentionally meaning to. The performances by Mendes, DeHaan, Cohen, Cooper and yes, even Gosling, are impressive and gripping, each able to give spectacular insight into their character which make for compelling viewing. Whilst The Place Beyond the Pines is remarkable in many ways, there were a few things that let the film down overall, such as the running length, which could have been particularly shorter. I’m all for long films, but this one seemed unnecessary and at times felt awfully drawn out, painstakingly so. And admittedly, the music seemed bizarrely misplaced at times, like you weren’t really expecting it because it didn’t seem to fit at all, which made for a rather perplexing experience.
Whilst there are definitely a few faults with the film, it was certainly worth watching and I’m thoroughly pleased that Robbie recommended it to me, and I am fully able to admit that I can see why Gosling might appeal to some (there, I said it).