BIG SCREEN: Trance Revieux (Rated R)

I'm always excited about seeing a Danny Boyle film. He has such a signature energy that I always connect with, and this energy leaped off the screen from the very first scene in Trance.

Trance tells the story of a fine art auctioneer named Simon (James McAvoy) who gets caught up in a brazen heist. With the assistance of his charming, Scottish voiceover, we’re shown the auction house’s detailed security measures, then we witness a choreographed robbery, and Simon’s subsequent head injury at the hands of one of the thieves.  When the thieves discover they don’t actually have the valuable painting they thought they'd stolen, they go after Simon, who is now suffering from amnesia. To locate the missing painting, they enlist the help of hypnotherapist, Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson). And this is when the real fun begins, as there's a lot more than they bargained for locked up in Simon's injured brain. The movie becomes a big, tangled web of recalled memories and post-hypnotic suggestion, which are often indecipherable from each other.

Okay, is this really happening? Or is he under hypnosis? Who is actually recalling this memory? Who’s the real bad guy here? Wait, I’m perplexed. Whoa, Rosario Dawson is completely nude -- the girls got guts (and a rockin' bod)!

Working off the premise that seeing is not necessarily believing, This twisty, turny little romp employs all the wit and cadence and cool music that come standard in the artistic arsenal of director Danny Boyle to offset all the violence and confusion.

McAvoy is a delightful cross between Ewan McGregor and Edward Norton, and Vincent Cassell, as the leader of the band of crooks, is a charismatic scene-stealer. But, Dawson actually holds her own amidst a big cluster of dudes. One minute  a beguiling minx, the next a terrified victim, she is an essential component in the unpredictability of the movie.

Trance is a crisp, energetic, mind-trippy little caper. I’ve never had so much fun being left a bit baffled and unsure if I actually reached the correct conclusion in the end. 

BIG SCREEN: The Place Beyond the Pines Revieux (Rated R)

While I’ve never truly understood why so many women are so rabidly ga-ga for Ryan Gosling, I will say that opening a movie with images of his shirtless torso covered in tattoos is quite a pleasant attention-getter. And having him straddle a motorcycle with a cigarette dangling from his lips, yeah – I'll admit that had a little bit of a ga-ga effect.

In The Place Beyond the Pines, a bleach-blond Gosling plays a gritty motorcycle daredevil, aptly named “Awesome Luke,” who performs with a traveling carnival. When he reconnects with a former conquest (Eva Mendes), and discovers that she has given birth to their child, the nomadic bad boy decides to stick around and give fatherhood a go. Having grown up without a father himself, he has no clue how to be one, and comes to the misguided conclusion that robbing banks is his best option for providing for his child.

Bradley Cooper plays a cop whose run-in with Luke forever alters his life, and the lives of both of their sons. And thus begins a chain of events that affect and connect two generations of the two families. The movie strings together three separate narratives that illustrate the dramatic domino effect, set in motion by Luke’s choices.

Sounds interesting , right? In theory, it is.

Out of curiosity, I scanned the internet to see what other reviewers thought of the movie, and sure enough, I found that I’m in the minority in my lack of enthusiasm for it. The premise is certainly intriguing, the cast is great (it's sort of a battle of blue-eyed brooders, if you will), and I think it had the potential to be really cool. But, to me, it was poorly executed and the pacing was atrocious! I checked the time at about an hour in, and realized I still had an hour and twenty minutes to go. I managed to contain my audible groan, but just barely.

Many people say it’s brilliantly clever, but I must have had a rare moment of clairvoyance, because I saw most of it coming from a mile away. The movie certainly maintains a very dangerous, desperate vibe throughout, but I just didn’t find the characters sympathetic or compelling enough to keep me adequately invested the whole time. As far as I know, I don’t suffer from A.D.D., but it felt like the movie slowed to a snail’s pace, and it lost me more and more as it progressed.

I was also very disappointed to see Ray Liotta and character actor Robert Clohessy tossed in as ubiquitous two-dimensional, almost cartoonish bad cops. Why try to elevate such throw-away characters by using such familiar, beloved actors who are capable of so much more? Quite a letdown.

So, bleh. I had high hopes, but The Place Beyond the Pines just left me flat. Bummer.