Crazy, Stupid, Love came out over the weekend, and he was versatile and tremendous in that. He has Drive and The Ides of March coming out in September and October, and tons of other high profile projects on the way.
Following his two, end of year releases, he will pair up with Bradley Cooper in a thriller called A Place Beyond the Pines.Toda
Today we got our first look at Gosling on set, a bleach blonde Gosling at that.
Gosling is sort of getting into his comfort zone, with directors at least. He’s already pairing up with Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn for a second and third time with Only God Forgives and Logan’s Run.
And here in A Place Beyond the Pines he is reteaming with Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance.
Cianfrance has been limited in his details of the film, but he has said it’s about motorcycles and guns.
In the film Gosling plays a motorcycle racer who begins robbing banks and goes head-to-head with a cop, played by Bradley Cooper.
The cast also includes Ray Liotta, Eva Mendes and Greta Gerwig.
Ryan Gosling has been great with picking his movies and roles as of late.
I campaigned strongly after Gosling was snubbed by the Academy this year for not getting a Best Actor nomination for his work in “Blue Valentine.”
He has beyond a full plate for 2011 and beyond, as we will see him next in the dark comedy “Crazy, Stupid, Love” with Steve Carell and then in a film called “Drive,” where he plays a stunt driver.
Now he has signed on for another interesting role.
Gosling will play a pro motorcycle rider who robs banks to support his newborn son. When a young cop gets hot on his tail things get complicated.
Along with the role, he is also teaming back up with Derek Cianfrance who directed “Blue Valentine,” who had this to say about the film…
It’s a very personal movie about a motorcycle stunt rider who finds out he’s a father. It’s a story that takes place over a few generations that takes place in Schenectady, New York. It’s kind of a crime movie that’s very much inspired by Jack London books.
Bradley Cooper (Limitless) is supposedly going to be offered the second lead role of the cop trying to chase down Gosling in the film.
Shooting for “The Place Beyond the Pines” is scheduled to begin in the summer.
I’ve been looking forward to this film for a while now, and we got a poster recently and hopefully a trailer shortly.
“One Day” starring Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs) and Jim Sturgess (21) in a modern day love story with an old school feel.
There has been a recent surge of dark romance and romance comedy films most notably “Blue Valentine” and “No Strings Attached” (in both categories) so it will be tough to measure up, but I have faith.
I try not to amp myself up for films because I’ve been disappointed far too often.
“One Day” is the story of boy and girl. After spending the night together on the night of their college graduation Dexter (Strugess) and Em (Hathaway) are revisited each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, sometimes not, on that day.
USA Today called this film the British counterpart to “When Harry Met Sally,” that’s high praise.
The dramatic romance hits theaters July 8th, 2011.
The 83rd annual Academy Awards will take place on February 26th, hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco, the nominations were streamed live at 8:30am ET this morning.
When it comes to these predictions there are two factors. Taking into consideration the Golden Globes as they serve as a premeditated guideline and second being the Academy and their previous “voting history.” Immediately following the nominations, the first thing that caught my eye after reading the critics initial reactions was a lot of talks of “we-owe-you” Oscars.
Mainly in the category of Actress in a Leading Role. It is my belief that this award belongs to Natalie Portman and there is not an ounce of an argument one can make to sway my opinion. Portman delivers the performance of her career, and I’ve said it multiple times now, she delivers the female acting equivalent of Heath Ledger as The Joker in “The Dark Knight,” it was that type of transformation.
That being said, many feel the Academy will give the award to Annette Bening for her performance in “The Kids are Alright” and frankly this is a load of bull. Bening’s performance was good but not Oscar worthy, I don’t even know if it deserves a nomination, but the whole “playing a lesbian in a movie but you are straight in real life” could be getting her added kudos. The Academy may give her the award for not giving it to her when she was nominated for “American Beauty,” like I said, this is Portman’s award, end of story.
————- ON TO THE PREDICTIONS
Actor in a Leading Role = Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”
Actor in a Supporting Role = Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
Actress in a Leading Role = Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Actress in a Supporting Role = Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Best Picture = “The King’s Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin
Music (Original Score) = “The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Animated Feature Film = “Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich
Art Direction = “Inception” Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
Cinematography = “Inception” Wally Pfister
Costume Design = “The Tempest” Sandy Powell
Directing = “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
Documentary (Feature) = “Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
Film Editing = “The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
Foreign Language Film = “Biutiful” Mexico
Makeup = “Barney’s Version” Adrien Morot
Sound Editing = “Inception” Richard King
Sound Mixing = “Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
Visual Effects = “Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) =“The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
Writing (Original Screenplay) = “The King’s Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler
Some Explanations
– There is a difference with voting on who you think will win, and who you think SHOULD win. I voted with my heart two times, in which I believe an award should go to someone who deserves it more than who I believe really WILL win.
– Actor in a leading role is a no contest. Colin Firth who was robbed last year for “A Single Man” will get his Oscar this year as he played the stammering King George VI brilliantly.
– How did Ryan Gosling who was unreal in “Blue Valentine” not get a nomination for Best Actor? Terrible snub.
– Actor in Supporting Role is a two horse race. If Bale doesn’t win, Rush will. Be weary of the Academy giving the edge to the older actor like they seemingly always do, plus they love British time pieces.
– This could be the strongest year ever for Actress in a Leading Role. Portman wins in my book, but I rank them Michelle Williams 2nd for her mesmerizing performance in “Blue Valentine,” Jennifer Lawrence 3rd for “Winters Bone” the other two are interchangeable. (as you can see I don’t believe Bening should win, at all. But the movie was great)
– Actress in a Supporting Role, Leo took the award down at the Golden Globes, but it wouldn’t shock me if the Academy throws the world a curveball and gives it to the 14 year old Hailee Steinfeld who carried “True Grit” on her little back, that’s right…eat that Jeff Bridges. (This 99.9% won’t happen)
– Best Picture, “The Social Network” took this at the Globes, but I don’t see how the Academy gives it to them again over “The Kings Speech” it doesn’t make much sense. Both were great films, though.
– Directing – HOW IN THE WORLD WAS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN LEFT OUT OF THIS CATEGORY?!!?
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Well there you have it, I hope I’m right. Can’t wait for February 26th!
Boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy and girl fall in love, and live happily ever after…ehh…not exactly.
There was so much hype leading up to this project, all through out 2010 we heard about this movie. Towards the end of the year, starting in September, rumors were flying around that Ryan Gosling gives his greatest performance and Michelle Williams is stunning…I wasn’t buying it.
Everything I heard about the movie at that time wasn’t all that appealing and I couldn’t buy into the concept of the idie feel + the flashbacks, it just didn’t add up. Seeing the trailer a couple times left me more confused then anything.
Well I was wrong.
The movie delivers on so many levels.
“Blue Valentine” is the story of Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams), it is a journey from their present state…married with a child…with flashbacks of their youth when they first met.
When Dean and Cindy first lock eyes on one another they are in their young twenties, and it seems like the perfect match…young love. Their chemistry is undeniable as they stroll through the city and Dean gives his “goofy” ukulele cover of “You Always Hurt the Ones you Love” as Cindy tap dances and the their hearts mend together. It’s a scene that really shines, perfectly shot, genuine and beautiful.
But this isn’t your typical movie because the emphasis of the film is the progression in the love affair between two people. The flashbacks (which represent the couples early relationship) that coincide with the present of their relationship is scary. Emotions race as the romance and connection is seemingly gone between the couple in their current state, and while Dean recognizes the fact, he desperately tries to rekindle the love.
When this film was set for release there was a ton of commotion about the NC-17 rating it received for its “emotional rawness” particularly in the scenes where Dean and Cindy try to re-spark the fire in their marriage in a hotel room. Along with that there is a gut wrenching emotional abortion scene that really ties together the early bond Dean and Cindy have. Eventually the movie was given an R rating, and rightfully so, but the scenes in question are very emotionally rough.
But that isn’t a bad thing, while the conservative and maybe “old-school” movie go’er might find somethings over the line, the feel of these scenes gave the movie a stamp of authenticity more than anything. It left me in awe because of how real the portrayal was. You get a genuine feel that the characters played by Williams and Gosling are in their actual state, you feel the marriage struggles, and you can certainly relate if you have seen it happen or personally been through it.
Ryan Gosling described the melancholy title of this dark drama as the ‘Blue’ represented the collapse of their marriage, the sad days, and the ‘Valentine’ represented the beginning of their relationship.
“Blue Valentine” a gritty, gruesome visual cacophony that leaves you thinking how one extreme can transition to the other over what seems like a short period of time.
The film is hard to watch in a sense that it is total destruction, a couples rise seemingly takes a back seat to the journey they take toward rock bottom.
Ryan Gosling is tremendous, his acting as the “older” Dean is remarkable as the receding hairline, with the cigarettes and beer, anger and passion is felt in every scene. Gosling delivers emotions and mannerism that make you feel for the character, wanting to see him change. He proves to everyone once again why he is one of the most talented actors in Hollywood today. Michelle Williams has a breakthrough performance as she essentially plays two characters in the film and both are extreme opposites of one another. If not for Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” she would have the Oscar for Best Leading Female in a Drama, if I had a vote.
Director Derek Cianfrance did a brilliant job from beginning to end as the pace, visuals and the score incorporation was great. In his first major “buzz” type film, Cianfrance hit a homerun. What makes this film even greater, and Cianfrance’s direction stand out more, is the fact that there essentially wasn’t a script. He told Gosling and Williams to basically go with it and improvise a ton of the movie, simply amazing.
This was Cianfrance’s love child, he has had this movie planned for 12 years. Michelle Williams was on board for six years and Gosling for four for them.
In an interview, Gosling said that Cianfrance’s style of directing was so “crazy” that it brought out the best in the actors. [Talking about the scene on the Brooklyn Bridge] “He would say to Michelle, I don’t care what Ryan does, he’s going to ask you what your secret is and your not going to tell him, no matter what he does. Then he says to me privately, I don’t care what you have to do, you have to get her to tell you her secret, I don’t care what you have to do.”
Cianfrance claims he felt like he was shooting a documentary of two people falling in love and that he was glad he didn’t have to resort to cinematic manipulation to make that happen. And that’s why the movie was as good as it was.
Everything felt real, that’s why I loved this film so much, it was intense and vivid. It’s the first movie I’ve really seen with this type of storyline that was believable from start to finish…that is something that is very hard to accomplish these days coming from Tinseltown.
“Blue Valentine” has some funny moments, the cute moments that put a smile on your face but mostly you can’t take your eyes off the screen because of how captivating the story and acting is.
In one word, this movie is powerful.
Bravo Mr. Cianfrace, add this one as a notch on your belt.
Theater of The Mind 