Place beyond the Pines v Felicia's Journey

Last Wednesday I popped down the local Cineworld with my buddy Rael and watched Place Beyond the Pines.

Plot Summary

Gosling runs away from the circus to rob banks and bang Eva Mendes. 

So Gosling trades in the toothpick he sucked on in Drive, for actual cigarettes. He also proves that terrible tattoo's will be forgiven if you have a washboard stomach and chiseled cheek bones. Eva Mendes tries to glam-down in her role as a mother trying to make ends meet, but she doesn't fool me. 5 minutes in she rolls up at the circus not wearing a bra and I involuntarily fist pumped the air.

It is a film with 3 acts. Act 1 is cool, engaging, slick, tense. The 2nd Act drags its feet a little, and the 3rd Act has very little edge to it. In fact, I was tuned out for the last 20 minutes, wishing the first Act had just been padded out for another half hour.

It isn't a terrible film, but the Director whom I can't be arsed to google, did Blue Valentine before this, which for me is one of the best love stories I've seen on screen since Rocky. So the bar for this film was pretty high, and it wasn't quite met.

Tomato meter - 80% critics
Tomato meter - 81% audience
Peter Meter - 76%

Terrible tattoo's still get you laid.

Last night I suffered Felicia's Journey on the iPlayer.

Plot Summary

Bob Hoskins befriends a lonely Irish girl trying to find her boyfriend who knocked her up. 

I was pretty hungover from drinking 5 pints of Henry Cider the night before. I didn't have the energy to trek down to Blockbusters and thought, well I can watch Bob Hoskins mow the lawn, how bad could this film be?

Shit.

Is the answer to that one. It reminded me of One Hour Photo with Robin Williams which wasn't that great, but a masterpiece compared to this wet fart. I paid particular attention to the music score which was all over the place. It didn't know whether to be playful, comic, or offer suspense. But then again I think the entire tone of the film was mis-placed. So I have a certain amount of sympathy with the composer. 

Bob Hoskins has retired from films now which is a shame, I only hope this wasn't his last outing. Lets not forget how good he was telling the Mafia that he'd 'shit 'em,' in The Long Good Friday. Check out that classic speech below.

Tomato Meter - 88% (critics)

Tomato Meter - 66% (audience)

Peter Meter - 51%

Verdict

I have been living off my mates couch for the last couple of days and caught bits of random tele. Jeremy Kyle ripping into the yanks on day time tele has been fun. Natural Born Killers is as bigger headache as I remember watching it all them years ago. But something that did impress me was Basic Instinct. Douglas's cocksure bravado in that film as he drinks, smokes and fucks his way through the entire film is just box office. So raw, he's like a Bull on steroids in that film. I waxed lyrical about that on twitter and lost about 20 followers, but I stand by it. So WATCH Basic Instinct and NOT The Place Beyond the Pines OR Felicia's Journey. 

@thepeterbrooker