Most
mainstream audience members first took notice of Ryan Gosling when he starred
in the relentlessly popular adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ romantic melodrama,
The Notebook, but he quickly began taking roles that allowed him to escape the
pitfalls of most actors who are able to create a career from being on the cover
of teen magazines. Those who have followed him from the beginning of his
illustrious career can see how rarely the actor chooses roles with such broad
appeal, but when he does they manage to catapult his career into all new
opportunities.
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| A Place Beyond the Pines (2013) |
2013
looks to be another stellar year for Gosling, including two reunions with
directors that he previously produced masterpieces with. A Place Beyond the
Pines is now playing in limited theaters (list of theaters: http://bit.ly/172Our4 ), and the trailer for Only God Forgives
was just recently released online. A
Place
For
the sake of this list I only considered films from 2012 and earlier, and it
should be noted that these are my desert island picks. These are the movies I
would (and in some case do) watch countless times. Occasionally emotional
attachment and personal preference outweighs quality when making decisions in a
desert island list.
5. The Notebook (2004)
 |
[The
following are excerpts taken from a previous review of film]
The
Notebook is one of those films destined to become a classic in the future,
remembered by each generation as it is passed along. There is also a great
chance that this will happen with Titanic, so I don’t mean to insinuate any
statement of worth by claiming this, but I am certain it is true nonetheless.
The Notebook was a phenomenon that reached a remarkably wide number of
audiences, even if many of the men were there because of their date. I worked
at a movie theater when The Notebook was released and I watched the crowds pour
in, cleaning up the many wet tissues after the show was over and the sniffing
customers had vacated the theater. Even I watched the film twice amongst the
mass of couples. Years later I worked at a video store, and once again saw the
popularity of the DVD, even years after its initial release. There is a
timeless quality about the film and the love story that makes The Notebook
accessible to all ages, and doesn’t look likely to grow old.
There is more to
The Notebook than just the
classic love story to make it such a legendary
romance film, although that certainly would seem to be enough. The romance
which developed between the two leading stars, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams,
certainly helps to reinforce its place in history. Both actors were not nearly
as appreciated as their talents seemed to call for before this film, and each
elevated the simple love story to something much more. Gosling is among one of
the most talented actors in Hollywood
4. Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Gosling
dons a moustache, a bad haircut and bulky winter clothing for one of the
sweetest romantic comedies that he has made. The premise seems outlandish,
likely to resort to gags within the first minutes. Gosling stars as a man who
is so lonely and cut off from the world that he forces himself into something
of a delusional state. Buying a sex doll off of the internet, Lars (Gosling)
introduces her to his family as his new girlfriend. Treating her with absolute
respect and decency, many are confused about this change in Lars’ behavior, but
the arrival of the inanimate partner allows him to face issues which have long
been keeping Lars from living his life fully.
3. Blue Valentine (2010)
[The
following are excerpts taken from a previous review of film]
Blue Valentine follows about 24
hours in the life of couple Dean and Cindy (Gosling and Williams), interspersed
with footage from their past which provides context for the relationship. Their
day begins with the bad news that the family dog has vanished, which is first
discovered by their adorable little girl. Although Dean and Cindy don’t seem to
be getting along very well any longer, we see through flashbacks that their
relationship began very passionately. This makes the inevitability of the
future so much bleaker.
Williams
was honored with a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards, but Gosling
did not get nearly enough attention for this spectacular performance. This is a
crowning achievement in a career already full of some of this generation’s most
honest performances. Painful as this film may be, few films have captured the
rise and fall of love quite so vividly. Gosling may not have received a
nomination, but it doesn’t much matter. He will have many more in his future.
2. Half Nelson (2006)
[The
following are excerpts taken from a previous review of film]
Every so often
there is a movie that affects me so profoundly on so many levels that I have
difficulty pinpointing specifics coherently and that makes it difficult to find
the right words to praise the film properly. Half Nelson is one of these films,
in my opinion one of the smartest and effective human stories put on film in
years, specifically thanks to the wonderful performances by all and Ryan
Fleck’s thoughtful and authentic directing.
Gosling stars as
Dan Dunne, a young impassioned history teacher with the ability to make the
difficult subject seem relevant and real, while also keeping a serious drug
habit after hours. Dunne sees an ex-girlfriend and finds out that she is
engaged and this continues his drug abuse until he begins to spiral out of
control, no longer able to function properly. Half Nelson occurs in a real
world where even the best teachers have students who don’t listen. It isn’t
Dead Poet’s Society and it seems like only a few actually appreciate what a
great teacher he is. One that does notice, and becomes even more interested
after discovering her teacher’s secret addiction, is Drey (Shareeka Epps). Drey
is also on the failing basketball team that Dunne coaches and she forms a bond
with him when he starts giving her rides home after practice. As Dunne grows
more concerned he learns of Drey’s connection to a local drug dealer (Anthony
Mackie), and tries to keep her from becoming involved with him.
1. Drive (2011)
[The
following are excerpts taken from a previous review of film]
On
average, I watch about 600 movies a year. Sometimes it’s more and sometimes it
is less, but I will only watch a small percentage of them more than once. The
truth is, very few of the 600 are altogether memorable. Some are praiseworthy
but I feel no emotional connection to them, while others are indulgent but less
than adequate upon later examination. Then there are the perfect films. The
ones which not only have the ability to keep you thinking for days, but also
grab you in a way which almost feels personal. In 2011, for me, this film was Drive. A culmination of a director I
have long respected, an actor I very much admire, and a promising premise taken
from a book by James Sallis resulted in the best film of the year. 1 in 600.
The storyline is
rather simple, and the filmmaking simplifies it even further. We are not given
lengthy scenes of dialogue to fill us in on back-story, and occasionally we
even leave the scene before the dialogue has even begun. In one amazing
sequence the driver is walking through a grocery store when he notices his
neighbor, Irene (Mulligan). At this point it is clear from his facial
expression when he sees her that he wants nothing to do with her. Perhaps he
wants no attachments or maybe he has another reason, but instead of approaching
the woman and her son, he retreats down another aisle. As fate would have it,
he walks out of the store just as Irene discovers that her car won’t start. As
well as being a stunt driver and a getaway driver, our antihero protagonist
also works with a mechanic (Bryan Cranston), and again we see the look on his
face, hesitating before approaching to help. The film then cuts to a shot of
them in their apartment elevator. We don’t need the unnecessary dialogue. We
know everything we need to know from the images, and with the help of a
pop-electronic soundtrack.
Gosling’s
performance comes as no surprise, however, as he has never been short of
excellent. What truly surprised me was to see how much director Nicholas Wining
Refn has come into his own. He was born and bred amidst the Dogma ’95 movement
of Danish cinema, but while he debut feature was certainly shot in natural
surroundings with mostly non-actors with natural light, Refn’s Pusher was also a stylistic and graphic
gangster film resembling the type of films Quentin Tarantino was making in the
1990s. Followed by two sequels which were each better than the last, Refn
showed promise from the very beginning. His films have otherwise always proven
to be worth watching, though some are more impressive than others. Each
attempts to intellectually approach the art of filmmaking while telling
otherwise straightforward stories. He is one of many filmmakers, including
Tarantino, who have elevated the genre film into an incredible art form. Drive
is Refn’s masterpiece.
Runners Up:
The Believer (2001), Stay (2005), Fracture (2007), the Ides of March (2011)
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