Fathers, sons, crime and regret

The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

Directed by Derek Cianfrance this film stars Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Ray Liotta. A stunt rider for a travelling circus finds out he has a son then eventually we segue into the story of the policeman son of a judge.

Using an unusual narrative structure this film has cross generational and family scope as it reaches for an epic story of fatherhood but falls slightly short in my opinion. There is plenty to admire here but at times it ends up feeling like three different stories put together rather than one long story. I really enjoyed the first third of the film which is moody and features Ryan Gosling but the later parts drifted and relied a bit too much on coincidence for my taste.

4/5

Geisha parenting problems

Apart From You (1933)

Written and directed by Mikio Naruse this film stars Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Akio Isono and Sumiko Mizukubo. An ageing geisha has a son that is ashamed of her profession and is acting up, one of her younger colleagues try to help him understand.

The plot of this film is pretty average and one of so many from Japan about the sex trade that I have seen lately. You could see this film as a sequel to Every-Night Dreams (1933) but there is not a lot connecting there. There are a couple of moments of directorial flair but not enough to make the film stand out really.

3/5

Dicking about in the the woods

The Kings of Summer (2013)

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts this film stars Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Erin Moriarty and Nick Offerman. A 15 year old boy struggles to live with his widower farther so runs off to spend the summer living in the woods with two friends.

I am not sure that this film has the best coming of age arc but it does capture something of the universal rite of passage of teenage boys dicking about in the woods. There is plenty to enjoy even if it does feel like the film falls short of greatness. Most of the performances are good but I did feel like some of the montages would be better suited to a music video.

4/5

Back to Neptune

Veronica Mars (2014)

Directed by Rob Thomas this film which is a sequel to the television series of the same name stars Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring. After finishing law school and looking for her first big job our heroine is forced to head back home to help an ex-boyfriend accused of murder.

I have never seen the television series so some of the back story, of which there is an ample amount, was at times a little tough to follow but not too bad over all. The plot of this film is a fairly basic murder mystery which is not especially interesting but the script being littered with pop culture references keeps your attention at least. I found some of the use of voice over from the protagonist to be unneeded but generally the film has few problems in the execution.

3/5

All web, no heart

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Directed by Marc Webb this comic book based sequel stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan. Our hero deals with problems in his relationship with his girlfriend and an electric based villain.

This is not a bad watch but compared to the Sam Raimi films the script really lacks much heart here. Really there is just too much going on for there to be a clear character arc and I think too often the film gets lost in plot. Good news for the film is there are plenty of big action sequences that work pretty well but as they are mostly CGI do not stand out a huge amount.

3/5

Depression era depression

Every-Night Dreams (1933)

Directed by Mikio Naruse this film stars Sumiko Kurishima, Tatsuo Saito, Teruko Kojima and Jun Arai. A single mother struggles to raise her son and is surprised by the return of his father.

This is a pretty standard tale of poverty and desperation set during Depression-era Japan. The story runs for barely an hour but works pretty well even if it lacks some depth. Where the film does stand out is in some interesting use of camera and editing for key moments in the film which are unusual in a silent film.

3/5

Well ridden

Ride Along (2014)

Directed by Tim Story this film stars Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Stumpter and Laurence Fishburne. A hard nose police detective takes his would be bungling brother in law on a ride along to discourage him from cop.

Essentially this is a buddy cop film that does not exactly brim with intelligent writing. The plot wanders through the usual cliches without much going for it. There is the occasional moment of humour but it is not enough to carry this weak effort.

2/5