The Playlist

Eva Mendes Talks Convincing Her 'Place Beyond The Pines' Director That She Was The Real Deal, Her Research & Her Goal To Keep Things Weird

By Diana Drumm
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April 10, 2013 6:03 PM
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3 Comments

Interviews

In her latest film, “The Place Beyond the Pines,” Eva Mendes shirks her sexy image and gives a down-to-earth portrayal of a small-town waitress forced to choose between the father of her child, a face-tattooed stunt motorcycle driver (Ryan Gosling), and a man who can offer her substantial security (Mahershala Ali) – kind of her own “Sophie's Choice,” as Mendes says. Though some may raise an eyebrow at her being cast in a Derek Cianfrance film, Mendes fought for the role of Romina, an important female figure in a film dominated by men and concerning legacy in America, particularly about what is passed down from parents to children. During her research, Mendes gathered up her own family and friends with children to further explore the role and added that thoughtful touch to her performance

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Derek Cianfrance Talks Cinematic Violence, Face Tattoos, Falling In Love With Eva Mendes & More From ‘Place Beyond The Pines’

By Diana Drumm
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April 6, 2013 12:17 PM
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1 Comment

Interviews

After “Blue Valentine” tackled the issues of marriage and gender relations, it seemed like a natural progression that filmmaker Derek Cianfrance decided to take on parenthood and legacy in his next film. Taking six years to make, "The Place Beyond The Pines” deals with the issue of legacy in America. Set in working class Schenectady, New York, it tells the story of families on both sides of the law and deals with what fathers intentionally and unintentionally leave their sons (inspiring our list of 22 Great Father & Son Movies). A hit at this year’s TIFF (read our review here), the film stars Ryan Gosling as a motorcycle stunt rider who turns to bank robbery to provide for his young son, and Bradley Cooper as a police officer caught in the crosshairs, a role the actor nearly gave up on. The stellar cast also includes Eva Mendes, Dane DeHaan, Ray Liotta, Emory Cohen, Ben Mendelsohn and Rose Byrne.

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Watch: The Dazzling Opening Shot From 'The Place Beyond The Pines' Plus Derek Cianfrance's Trailer Commentary

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 5, 2013 9:39 AM
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10 Comments

News

Yes, it's over two hours long, and "The Place Beyond The Pines" is a sprawling saga set over a few decades. But that doesn't mean that it isn't instantly gripping, and director Derek Cianfrance plunks the audience right into the world of the film's stunt riding Luke, played by a tattooed, bleached hair Ryan Gosling, with an opening shot as immediately captivating as it was dangerous to shoot (it nearly killed the DP). And if you're waiting for the movie, now playing in limited release, to come near you, here's an early peek at the great sequence which sets the movie in motion to hold you over.

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Ryan Gosling Talks Bank Robbing In 'Place Beyond The Pines,' Working With Terrence Malick, Nicolas Winding Refn & More

By Edward Davis
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April 3, 2013 12:19 PM
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14 Comments

Interviews

Fate, sin, consequences, redemption... are a few of the words that have been used in the run-up to "The Place Beyond The Pines" to capture the thematic undercurrents of the generation spanning saga. These are touchstones in the film and Ryan Gosling sets it all in motion. He co-stars alongside the excellent ensemble Derek Cianfrance has pulled together -- Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, Mahershala Ali, Dane DeHaan, Emory Cohen, Ben Mendelsohn and Ray Liotta -- in the film that follows two men and their sons, and how they collide and come together across decades.

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Derek Cianfrance Convinced Bradley Cooper Not To Drop Out Of ‘Place Beyond The Pines’; His DP Nearly Died On Set & More

By Edward Davis
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April 2, 2013 1:01 PM
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1 Comment

Interviews

“I’m full of epic stories,” the loquacious Derek Cianfrance told Vanity Fair recently. And it’s true. We sat down with the director and co-writer behind “The Place Beyond The Pines,” and Cianfrance was indeed, full of amazing stories. He told us in the part of our interview we ran yesterday that that he had to pare down a 158 page script to 120 pages to earn his financing. So, did the filmmaker do a rewrite? Nope. He increased the margins as far as they would go and then selected the smallest font possible and got down to 120 pages. The financiers didn’t notice and he got his green light. Crafty, right?

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Derek Cianfrance Talks About His Epic Drama 'The Place Beyond The Pines' & Almost Making Two Movies Out Of 'Blue Valentine'

By Edward Davis
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April 1, 2013 3:20 PM
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3 Comments

Place Beyond The Pines, Derek Cianfrance, Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper

Interviews

Filmmaker Derek Cianfrance took twelve years to make his sophomore effort, "Blue Valentine." A searing relationship drama about husbands and wives starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, it quickly put the almost-forgotten director – who made his feature debut with 1998's still unreleased "Brother Tied" and had turned to documentaries in that time – firmly back on the cinematic map. His follow-up, "The Place Beyond The Pines" arrived a relatively quick two years later, but was six years in the making and Cianfrance actually had Gosling on board before 'Valentine' had even begun shooting.

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Review: 'The Place Beyond The Pines' A Searing Tale Of Fathers, Sons & The Legacy Of Sins

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 28, 2013 11:50 AM
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16 Comments

Reviews

Of all the films that premiered at TIFF last year, few arrived under such an air of mystery as Derek Cianfrance's "The Place Beyond The Pines." With only a couple of official images, but no posters or trailers, the tone and scope of the movie remained under wraps prior to its screening. Following "Blue Valentine," would the film be a similarly intimate and narrowly focused story or something completely different? The answer is that "The Place Beyond The Pines" is an ambitious epic that is cut from some of the same thematic tissue as Cianfrance's previous film, but expands the scope into a wondrously widescreen tale of fathers, sons and the legacy of sins that are passed down through the generations.

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Ryan Gosling Says 'Only God Forgives' Is A "Nightmare"; Says Terrence Malick Currently Editing Five Films

By Edward Davis
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March 27, 2013 1:37 PM
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16 Comments

News

This week finally sees the limited release opening of "The Place Beyond The Pines," Derek Cianfrance's follow-up to “Blue Valentine" starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Dane DeHaan and many more. A searing drama about family and legacy, the movie earned a rare A-grade review from us when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. We recently got the chance to sit down with Gosling (and most of the principal cast) of 'Pines' earlier this month and during our conversation with the "Drive" actor we also asked him about his upcoming directorial debut, his collaboration with Terrence Malick and more.

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Visit 'The Place Beyond The Pines' With Pics, Behind-The-Scenes Snaps & U.K. Posters

By India Ross
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March 19, 2013 6:26 PM
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2 Comments

News

These days, Ryan Gosling is coming to define “Indiewood”. His brand of subtle gestures and billboard bankability is rapidly making him an icon of the not-quite-mainstream (we’ll let his Mouseketeer days slide), while the indie-convert Bradley Cooper is similarly redefining himself in the wake of “Silver Linings Playbook.”

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Watch: Awesome Ad For Dick's Sporting Goods By 'Place Beyond The Pines' Director Derek Cianfrance

By Ken Guidry
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March 14, 2013 9:36 AM
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2 Comments

News

Tied game. 2-2 count. Runners on first and third. The pitcher checks on the runner at third, then attempts to pick off the guy on first. His focus now squarely on the next pitch. He gets in position, winds up, and… you’ve got yourself an incredible ad directed by Derek Cianfrance (“Blue Valentine”) and shot by Peter Deming (“Oz the Great and Powerful”). In one single take, Cianfrance and Deming perfectly capture the mounting, and often prolonged, tension that occurs during a baseball game. The ad was made for Dick’s Sporting Goods.

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