Sleepwalk with Me, In Brief:
Matt (Mike Birbiglia) Recounts the tale of his rocky yet loving relationship with Abby (Lauren Ambrose), the development of his sleeping disorder, and take off of his comedy career.
Iron Man 3, In Brief: Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr) is back, Filled with regret and fear, hiding away from the world in his Basement working on his next Armor. Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) has stepped up as CEO of Stark Enterprises, and Rhodey (Don Cheadle) War Machine has received a make over courtesy of The American Government and AIM, into Iron Patriot to boost confidence in the wake of the events in New York last year. A International Terrorist, The Mandarine (Ben Kingsley) starts blowing places up without bombs.
The Place Beyond the Pines, In Brief: Luke(Ryan Gosling) is a Carnival Stunt rider, traveling america, every year he comes through Schenedtady. The previous season Luke had a one night stand with waitress Romina(Eva Mendes), that resulted in a bouncing Baby Boy, who she raises with her partner. Luke turns to Bank Robbery as a way to provide for his Family. Meanwhile, Bar Certified Rookie Cop Avery(Bradley Cooper) struggles in a job that doesn't have the support of his Family.
Sleepwalk with Me -This came out, nearly a Year ago in the US, and only just recently launched in Australia, to conincide with the just finished Comedy Festival. Birbiglia is a likeable enough guy, and in Adapting his stage show into a movie, instead of a comedy series like every other comedian, we see that he's kind of a jerk. As we see Matt start to get get on his feet in both sleep and career, we see him neglect his family, and never really learn from the encounter, or atleast, we don't see him learn from it. We just kind of take his fourth wall naration for fact in the however many years have passed since the events and the present day.
There is a sort of Woody Allen type charm to Matt, and Lauren Ambrose plays a great girlfriend, but she's kinda of the idealised girlfriend, the one seen when you look back on and ask where did things go wrong. No one is really well developed, but the story is moves at a quick pace and there is alot of humour in play here, some funny visuals, but you have to question if the story was better delivered on the stage rather then the screen
Iron Man 3 -
Shane Black takes over the seat vacated by Jon Favreau directing the latest installment, and the first film in the second wave of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And Black and the Marvel team have really done something smart, stepping away from the more straight up action films that the first 2 Iron Man films were. Iron Man 3 is more in line with a thriller or espionage film... Until the last 20 minutes where everything devolves into a massive Toy Commercial.
But everything that precedes it, is pretty good. We've got a Tony Stark who's struggling to deal in the aftermath of the New York Incident. A Man who's only just realised, while he might be the smartest Guy in the Room, He might be the most Vulnerable, especially when he's standing Shoulder to Shoulder with Specially Trained Soldiers, Government Made Super Soldiers, Norse Gods and a Giant Green Muscled rage Monster. And this leads up to some great stuff, with all the typical wit that RDJ has brought to the character in the past, and it takes on a Darker Edge.
The supporting cast here are all skilled players, and the returning cast do solidly in they're roles. But Guy Pierce's Killian is a bit of a stand out. He's played with this under current of Menace, from the moment his present day self arrives, you know he's got something hidden up his sleeve, and its great. I'd really liked to have seen more from him.
Iron Man 3 is a great follow up to the Avengers and the Original Iron Man film. With the prospect of RDjr not returning to the role of Stark after Avengers 2, its a suitable farewell to the character as well.
The Place Beyond the Pines -
Derek Cianfrance follows up his brilliantly depressing Blue Valentine, with a story about the relationships between Fathers and Sons. And it's pretty great, with no small thanks the brilliant performances from its 3 male leads. Gosling and Cooper deliver brilliant performances, with complex characters that walk many lines, and struggle with what is right for the ones they love. Rounding that up is a great supporting cast, with Rose Byrne, Bruce Greenwood, Ben Mendelson, Dane DeHaan, Mahershala Ali and Ray Liotta, who all bring they're A Game to roles of mixed volumes.
The Camera knows exactly where to be, settling on peaceful landscapes, combine that with a score that's equal parts Haunting, Beautiful and uneasy. It's a dark and Angsty road, that will be hard to forget. If the film has one shortcoming, its that the third act feels a little under developed. The films first and second act are really leading up to what happens, but there's an element of it that just doesn't sit right, making other elements of the story easier to side with then others. It doesn't dampen the story too much, and the story is still incredibly effective.
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