Never Mind Pop Film

We're past the sixth month mark at the movies and the pictures that have lingered in my mind longest aren't the summer blockbusters (though I quite liked Man of Steel), but the releases from March, which isn't known for quality. Trance, The Place Beyond the Pines and Mud currently reside at the top of my list, although there are several pictures unseen still that should figure prominently in that list (Only God Forgives, Before Midnight) that will be available to me soon.

As it stands here are my favorites of 2013 thus far (in no particular order):

Mud
The Place Beyond the Pines
Trance
Man of Steel
Star Trek Into Darkness
The Great Gatsby

Missed the Cut: Oblivion, Mama, Side Effects, Iron Man 3.

Notable films not seen: Much Ado About Nothing, Stoker, Before Midnight, To the Wonder.

It is said that the path to hell is paved with good intentions. In this tale of fathers and sons, hell just may be the best they can hope for.
Luke (Ryan Gosling) lives his life completely uninhibited as a stunt rider in a traveling carnival. Luke being introduced by his profession is an important note, his trade is not a spectator sport for its grace, people watch Luke because each time he steps into that cage, he could die.
This evening in Schenectady is like any other, that is, until he sees Romina (Eva Mendes). The two had a brief, but passionate fling and he hasn't seen her since. He wants to reach out, though it's too little, too late. Luke drops Romina off, yet something keeps him from leaving town. He comes back the next day to find a son he never knew about. The moment he found out he was a father, Luke quits the road.
Money is hard to come by for an out-of-work carnie, he is taken in by an auto mechanic (Ben Mendehlson). Robin has only seen talent like Luke's m…

Much, much better than the first poster put out for Derek Cianfrance's follow-up to Blue Valentine. No floating heads generally makes for a better piece of art. Eagerly awaiting this film, heading to theatres in limited release on March 29th.

Been looking forward to this trailer being released for some time. Derek Cianfrance's epic about fathers, crime and order was originally due to be released this year, but was pushed back to March after being acquired by Focus Features. Count this as my most anticipated film for 2013.

The Toronto Internation Film Festival is the most accessible of film fests, but this year a few of the artier films are making their debut along with the more mainstream fare. Two of my most anticipated films are included on that list such as Derek Cianfrance's followup to Blue Valentine and Ben Affleck's third directorial effort. The film that is sure to get the most attention, however, is Terrence Malick's To the Wonder. Whatever the reaction will be to Malick's latest tone-poem, it will be fun to see first-hand.
The Place Beyond the Pines
Derek Cianfrance, USA (World Premiere)
Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a professional motorcycle rider who turns to bank robberies to support his newborn son. But when he crosses paths with a rookie police officer (Bradley Cooper), their violent confrontation spirals into a tense generational feud. The Place Beyond the Pines is a rich dramatic thriller, tracing the intersecting lives of fathers and sons, cops and robbers, heroes and villains.…

Ryan Gosling and Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance are reuniting for The Place Beyond the Pines. The film is in post-production and has no release date or distributor as of yet. The film stars Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Ray Liotta and Rose Byrne.
Luke (Gosling) is a professional motorcycle rider who turns to bank robberies to support his newborn son, but when he crosses paths with a rookie police officer (Cooper) their violent confrontation spirals into a tense generational fued. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is a rich dramatic thriller that traces the intersecting lives of fathers and sons, cops and robbers, heroes and villain.