The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)- An American Mosaic (3 Stars)

Last year The Place Beyond the Pines premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was picked up by Focus Features, but they chose not to release it until the desolate early April. I wrote an article discussing the film's Oscar potential, and I was going blind without seeing it.

The Place Beyond the Pines... Best Picture Winner?

No, do not take my word for this... but if this happens, you heard it from me first.

So, I thought about this awhile back. The main reason Silence of the Lambs won Best Picture (despite its February release date,) was home media and dead controversy. Sure, in February people called it "gross", "misogynistic", and "stupid", but by the next year (when it was nominated,) people viewed it at home as an "intense, unpredictable thriller with top-notch performances."

So controversy tends to bite many films in the butt, especially the ones late out of the gate (er hem Zero Dark Thirty er hem). When Argo won a couple of months back, the film had almost celebrated a week on Blu-ray, easily accessible to anyone at home. It's been awhile since a BP winner was on video before it won, so could this year be the year?