Sunday 28 July 2013

Top 10 Ryan Gosling Movies

What's my latest Top 10 list for Empire Magazine Australia



TOP 10 RYAN GOSLING MOVIES 


10. Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

He can sit...

He can stand... and the ladies applaud!
Gosling’s body

Gosling’s hot body

Gosling’s frothing, soul destroying and over-the-top muscular body is what pushes Crazy, Stupid, Love above Gangster Squad for the coveted #10 spot. He’s not overly… interesting… in this one (see #1-5 for interesting Gosling performances), but he does ooze charisma and sex-appeal.




9. Fracture (2007)


What happens when Gosling and Hopkins meet on-screen?

Charisma and wit find themselves doing a 113minute waltz. 

The up-and-coming dude squares off against the wise (and slightly maniacal) veteran in this low-key tale of criminal law. And while it perhaps isn’t a stellar performance, it does give signs of things to come from one of Hollywood’s brightest stars.

8. Lars and the Real Girl (2007)


One wouldn’t think of seeing the suave and quick witted Gosling play the delusional and socially awkward, but in this comedy/drama Ryan does just that. And it’s riveting. Is it his quiet voice? His awkward posture? Or perhaps the way he’s able to make us believe that he does in-fact spend his nights locked away in his parents’ granny flat? No – it has to be the onscreen chemistry between Gosling and a plastic doll. 



7. The Notebook (2004)

I'm surprised they didn't get Ryan to play Shaggy in Scooby-Doo...

If you were anyone in high school during the early noughties you watched The Notebook.

Some romantic dramas get thrown in the wastebasket as soon as they hit the dreaded DVD market – not this one. This one is bought, specifically placed on a DVD stand and then is saved for those “special days”.

No matter how much success Ryan Gosling attains, for many he’ll just be Noah.


 6. The Place Beyond The Pines (2013)



Gosling will always look a little too pretty boy to be able to pull off the straight-outta-the-ghetto bad boy, but judging by his awe-inspiring, dialogue-free opening sequence, you know you’re in for a Gosling treat.

His powerful presence is caged by his quiet persona – and the whole way through you’re waiting for the animal to emerge. You’ll enjoy Gosling’s act in this three act ensemble.

5. The Believer (2001)



You’ve got to give it to Ryan, he very well could’ve become the hunky rom-com man of the 21st century, but instead from an early age wanted to take on projects which make us think. His role as Danny Balint in The Believer is evidence of this fact. Balint is a young Jewish man who begins to loath himself and his heritage as he joins a gang of skinheads, embraces the neo-Nazi cause and seeks to find himself and the truth behind his life.

Gosling was twenty-one when the film was released, and the film went on to win the coveted Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Festival in 2001. The Believer showed the world that this ex-Mickey Mouse club bloke was ready to get serious. 
  
4. Half Nelson (2006)



Being an idealist is never easy. Being an idealistic highschool teacher who suffers from what appears to be bouts of depression would be hell. Add in a spiralling drug addiction and we have Half Nelson. Gloomy and set in what looks to be a down-and-out corner of America, the movie is a true reflection of one man’s fight to find his way. The development of Gosling’s relationship with troubled student Drey (Shareeka Epps) is expertly written – and the subtle, down to earth acting is forceful and tragically beautiful. 

3. Blue Valentine (2010)



Gosling and Michelle Williams give performances which critics everywhere have described as “explosive” and “emotionally honest” in Blue Valentine. It’s difficult to watch movies when they are this real and strike a chord that you wish never existed. The chemistry between the pair is palpable and there is an honesty which will have you biting your nails off. 

2. Drive (2011)



How does a movie pull off the “cool but smart” feat? Fast and the Furious has the cool but is sorely lacking the smarts. 

Drive aimed to please everyone. And it appears to have done the job! (Actually, there was that one crazy in America who tried to sue the movie company because it wasn’t Fast and Furious enough.) Behind the wheel of Drive is ‘Driver’ (Ryan Gosling). No, he doesn’t have a name, but he has attitude… and a white leather Scorpion race driver jacket. How many people can pull that look off?!

This movie seems to tell us that it’s Ryan Gosling’s world, and we are all just paying rent.

1. Ides of March (2011)





The Arts student in me had a movie-gasm when I saw this political drama. Finally, a political drama which boasts some of Hollywood’s biggest names and doesn’t end up gravitating around cliché themes and a soppy love story. And once again at centre stage is Gosling, alongside the big boys – Clooney, Seymour Hoffman and Giamatti. Gosling’s ability to be American-cocky and also passive aggressive means the movie is an intense ride.


With Gosling in the lead role, Ides of March sets the bar for future political dramas, and that’s why it gets #1. 




No comments:

Post a Comment