Pines and needles

Fans of Ryan Gosling’s moody getaway thriller Drive ought to buckle up again. This month sees the star take on a similar role for director Derek Cianfrance (Half Nelson, Blue Valentine) in his epic new crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines.

Gosling plays a similarly mysterious type—this time a down-and-out stunt motorcyclist—who turns to robbing banks in hopes of changing his life and reconnecting with the mother of his child.

That plot should sound familiar to Drive fans, but don’t go into Pines expecting to see the ultra-composed, painterly look fast becoming a hallmark of Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s work.

Like Blue Valentine, the story spans many years and appears to revel in all the drama on both sides of the law. Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne and Ray Liotta co-star. Rated R.

MARCH 1

Nicole Kidman in Stoker

MARCH 8

Tina Fey and Paul Rudd in Admission

James Franco and Mila Kunis in Oz the Great and Powerful

MARCH 15

Steve Carell and Jim Carrey in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

MARCH 29

Saoirse Ronan in The Host