Kurt Loder Reviews The Place Beyond the Pines and The Host
The Place Beyond the Pines is a movie in three parts, writes Kurt Loder, tracking the lives of Ryan Gosling's doomed loser and Bradley Cooper's conflicted cop and contemplating the interlocked fates they pass on to their children. Fortunately—this being a film that runs two hours and 20 minutes—there are also propulsive jolts of police corruption, botched robberies, and hair-raising chases. The Host, on the other hand, is entirely disappointing. It's not often that even the clunkiest sci-fi movie will put you in mind of Battlefield Earth. The Host, however, manages that dubious honor.
