Not since Hall and Oates has there been such a team

Date: Saturday 13th April
Film: The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Dane DeHaan
Running time: 02 hours, 20 minutes
Rating: 7/10

Having loved the first collaboration between Derek Cianfrance and Ryan Gosling, I'd been waiting some time to see this film. I had expectations, based on the trailer and their previous work, and my hopes were high.

I thought this was going to be a small scale, slightly broody, highly emotional, look at family life. What it ended up being was something different entirely.

The Place Beyond the Pines is essentially three overlapping stories. Each one impacting on the next story in the sequence; The Ryan Gosling story, the Bradley Cooper story and the Dane DeHaan story.

This first sequence, the Ryan Gosling section, was exactly what I expected, an intense sequence exploring the emotions and consequences of the decisions people make. Gosling, as is expected, stole every scene he was in, equal parts brooding, intense and warmhearted, he knew what he needed to do to make things work for the people he cared about, he just didn't know the best way in which to achieve this.

Once this character came into contact with Bradley Cooper's character, the entire story changed. The focus shifted to another character, dealing with the same emotional issues, but dealing with them in an entirely different way.

Once the Cooper section reached a point of 'resolve' the action shifted 15 years into the future and looked at the impact of the choices made by both characters on their young offspring. This is the point that, I felt, the whole film went slightly off kilter.

What started out as an extremely strong story, slowly dropped in quality, and intensity, as the film progressed. My only wish was for the opening section to be a little longer, the middle section to have a little more flesh to the characters and the story and the ending to be cut down to a simple synopsis.

What started out as a great film, with heaps of potential, slowly shifted to become overly extended, plodding and, if anything, a little too ridiculous.

Although this film did give us Ryan Gosling, in a vest, dancing, with a dog, to Bruce Springsteen. It was like all my favourite things collided.

If anyone can send a gif of this my way, I will be eternally grateful.

Challenge day: 199
Challenge time: 12 days, 13 hours, 01 minute
Challenge film total: 154

The world will break your heart ten ways to Sunday. That's guaranteed. I can't begin to explain that.

Date: Saturday 16th March

Film: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver
Running Time: 2 hour 02 minutes
Rating: 8.5/10

I've seen this before, and my feelings haven't changed. It's still brilliant and I'm still a little bit in love with Jennifer Lawrence, so when I knew The Luce was going to be in town and we saw that this was showing at The PCC, we couldn't pass up the chance to see it. In fact, I even ran across Leicester Square to make sure I didn't miss any of the film.

What a joyous movie.

Challenge day: 172
Challenge time: 10 days, 20 hours, 07 minutes
Challenge film total: 134

If you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining

Date: Sunday 18th November 2012

Film: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver
Running Time: 2 hour 02 minutes
Rating: 8.5/10

From all the trailers and press I wasn't sure about this film, but a free screening is a free screening (even if it did involve trekking to Stratford first thing on a Sunday morning!) and I'm so glad I got up and went.

I already knew I loved Jennifer Lawrence, she's amazing in Winter's Bone, as well as The Hunger Games and X-Men: First Class, but this film gave me a whole different opinion on Bradley Cooper. With the exception of The Hangover, I struggle to think of a film he's been in, let alone one where he can prove that he's more than a pretty face. With Silver Linings he does exactly this, he plays vulnerable, needy, emotionally unstable and a little kooky, brilliantly.

The supporting cast is equally outstanding. This is the first solid performance I've seen Robert De Niro give in a long time and Jacki Weaver was, yet again, phenomenal.

The story isn't anything special, you can see the ending coming from a mile off, but the acting and dry script lift this away from a standard predictable rom-com.

Worth seeing if you get the chance.

Challenge day: 56
Challenge time: 2 days 18 hours 33 minutes
Challenge film total: 36