Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Vera Farmiga - Jersey Girl

The wonderful Vera Farmiga

A while back I wrote about Titus Welliver, an actor I really do appreciate, yet feel doesn't get the attention he deserves. In a way, I'd say the same goes for Vera Farmiga. Born in New Jersey, she was raised Catholic by her Ukrainian parents, and didn't even learn English until she was 6 years old. Though nominated for an Oscar back in 2009 for her role in 'Up in the Air', her name is not too often seen dominating the film scene. However, she has been cast in a few more leading roles after her oscar-nomination, and her acting talent has given her a nice collection of nominations and great parts. These days she can be seen as Norma Bates on the TV-show 'Bates Motel', a sort of prequel to the story of the infamous Norman Bates in Hitchcocks classic movie 'Psycho'. A somewhat brave decision from Farmiga, as taking on the role of such a famous character is bound to upset a few film fans, especially considering the show is pushed forward to the present date. Having only seen the pilot episode, Farmiga shines in the role, and is as mesmerizing as she is creepy as the young Norman Bates' manipulating mother.


Vera Farmiga in 'Bates Motel'


Playing in the big league

It was in 'Running Scared' I first really took notice of Vera Farmiga. The movie is one of those movies that really never lets you catch your breath, and a very positive surprise. Farmiga stars as Teresa Gazelle, the girlfriend of an undercover federal agent played by Paul Walker (!). Fast-paced with lots of memorable scenes, it's one to watch if you are looking for a roller coaster movie. However, it was in another movie released that year she really started making a name for herself, playing with some of the finest actors in film. In 'The Departed', she does a great job as Madolyn. Martin Scorsese had originally wanted a more known actress for the part (such as Hilary Swank), but eventually decided to go for a less known actress. Farmiga did not disappoint, and she has some great scenes with Matt Damon in the movie. 


Vera Farmiga and Matt Damon in 'The Departed'

She went on to star in the critically acclaimed 'Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', before she starred as George Clooney's love interest one night stand in 'Up in The Air'. A great performance in the movie gave her an Oscar-nomination, and she has later been seen in movies such as 'Source Code', 'Orphan' and 'Safe House'. She also made her directorial debut in 2011 with the movie 'Higher Ground'.


Vera today


As mentioned, today Vera Farmiga can be seen in the TV-show 'Bates Motel', and this summer you can see her in the horror/thriller 'The Conjuring'. Although not a huge fan of horror, Vera Farmiga is good enough a reason for me to check out the movie. Here are a few trailers of movies featuring the actress. 


'The Conjuring'



'Running Scared'



'Bates Motel' (TV-show)



'Up in the Air'



'The Departed'



Those eyes...


Saturday, April 27, 2013

Al Pacino - An actor's actor




It's hard to believe now, 41 years later, that Al Pacino was very close to losing out on the part as Michael Corleone in 'The Godfather'. Francis Ford Coppola had to fight Paramount to keep both the job as a director, and the young Pacino as the main character. Paramount wanted a bigger name for the part, but luckily Coppola managed to keep both himself and Pacino attached to the project all the way through. 41 years after the release of the movie, Al Pacino has starred in almost 50 movies, and is widely regarded as one of the finest actors in film history.


Discussions around the casting of Michael Corleone, including auditions from both James Caan and Martin Sheen for the part.




It's hard not to like Al Pacino. Not only is he an accomplished actor who has given us so many memorable moments, but he also shows a true love for the work he does. Maybe that is the reason why he's never been married? Although 50 movies might seem a low number compared to some of the old-timers, it's a very impressive number if you consider the content of his work. Not only has he done great and demanding character portrayals on film, but he has also done quite a lot of work in the theatre. He also did a brilliant performance in the HBO Miniseries 'Angels in America'.

The Bronx-born actor has one Academy Award, for his performance in 'Scent of a Woman', in which he plays a retired blind Lieutenant Col. in the US army. Chris O'Donnell said about working with Pacino in the movie:
"... at the same time I thought this is gonna be great, cause he'll be watching me, and I'll get some.. some really constructive feedback from him. Well, we finished up shooting and hadn't really heard anything from him, and.. we had the wrap party, and hadn't really heard anything from him.. and finally I got a letter from him.. which I saved, and.. was very excited to get a letter from Al Pacino. He says: I couldn't tell what you were doing, because I sort of never saw you. Although it felt as if you were always with me, and from what I've heard your performance is outstanding."

This quote does show Al Pacino's unique ability to really go deep into his characters. His character was blind, so essentially Al Pacino himself was also blind during the shooting. A brilliant performance well worthy of an Oscar, it is still puzzling that he's "only" received one Academy Award throughout his career. Many would argue he has earned quite a few, although he does have 8 nominations in total. When he won the lead role for 'Scent of a Woman' in 1992, he was also nominated for his supporting role in 'Glengarry Glen Ross'. He has also received Oscar-nominations for 'The Godfather', 'Dick Tracy' (supporting roles), 'Serpico', 'The Godfather Part II', 'Dog Day Afternoon' and '...And Justice For All'. Add to this 4 Golden Globes and 2 Emmy's, as well as numerous other awards and achievements.

Some of his best moments


Here are a couple of Al Pacino's most memorable moments on film, including two of those speeches that will be right there on the top of the lists when it comes to Film Monologues. 


Any Given Sunday

Now that is what you call a proper pep talk. 




Scent of a Woman

"I'm too old, I'm too tired, I'm too fucking blind..."




Scarface

Al Pacino sets the tone for the movie with this amazing opening scene as he has just arrived in the US. 





Heat

Pacino being... Pacino



Dog Day Afternoon

The infamous Attica-scene




The Godfather

In this scene, following the McClusky-scene which led to his escape to Sicily, Michael Corleone continues to show that he is a man who knows how to get what he wants. 




Making a list of memorable scenes with Al Pacino has the potential to fill up the internet, so I'm gonna leave it here for now. However, I'd highly recommend the following video for those interested in listening to a man truly in love with his profession. 


Al Pacino at 'Inside the Actors Studio'





Friday, April 26, 2013

Flashback Thursday

The characters Davis, Yokas, Bosco and Sully


Does anyone remember the TV-show 'Third Watch'? No? The show premiered in 1999, and aired for 6 seasons, until 2005. Set in New York, it followed the lives of the paramedics, police-officers and firemen in the 55th Precinct (fictional). I have always held this TV-show in high regard, but due to it's lack of a full DVD Box-set, it is the first season I have seen the most times. At times high-paced, and added with a classical mix of emotions, drama and comedy, it is one to watch. We all know that from time to time a good cop-drama is essential...

Teaser:





Although none of the actors or actresses have gone on to become huge stars, there are some great actors in the show. You might have seen Bobby Cannavale in season 3 of 'Boardwalk Empire', og Michael Beach in 'Sons of Anarchy'? Jason Wiles is arguably one of the highlights of the show as Officer Maurice Boscorelli. 'Bosco' is a character that truly gives the show an extra dimension, as his is one that both confirms and challenges the stereotypical tough guy in cop-shows. Also starring Coby Bell, Skipp Sudduth, Molly Price, Tia Texada, Kim Raver, Anthony Ruivivar, Eddie Cibrian, Chris Bauer and Lisa Vidal.


Need some 'old-school' New York Cop/ER/Fire-drama? This could be just what you're looking for.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Small selection of great scenes

Just a couple of great scenes from great movies and actors. Mind you, the scenes may contain spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movies... well, go see them!


Daniel Day-Lewis

As The Butcher in 'Gangs of New York', Daniel Day-Lewis delivers one of his many fine performances. In this scene he reveals an emotional side of himself not seen too many other times in the movie. His mannerism somewhat resembles Robert De Niro at his best in this scene, in my opinion.




Denzel Washington

Won an Academy Award for his role in 'Training Day', and his monologue towards the end is still a scene I can watch over and over again. Denzel at his best. And that is pretty damn good.





Robert De Niro

The character actor of character actors. Back in the days smoking on film was one of the coolest things you could do. In this scene from 'Goodfellas', Robert De Niro says nothing, but his eyes, his looks and his menacing grin all give the spectators a feeling that shit is about to go down...



Cinema Paradiso: The Final Scene

One of my all-time favorite endings of a movie. A finale that pays tribute to both the story, filmmaking and images in general. Jacques Perrin gives a perfect performance using no words, just as Robert De Niro's scene mentioned in 'Goodfellas'. 



The Departed

To finish off this small selection of 5 memorable scenes from movies, here are a few humorous outtakes from a movie. The scenes with Alec Baldwin in 'The Departed' are pretty much all amazing, two of my favorites being these two. He'll have to share the last one with Mark Wahlberg, who makes one helluva duo with the star from '30 Rock'.


Monday, April 15, 2013

Arabian Film Days in Oslo April 19 - 21

The Films from the South Foundation are soon to host their 3rd Annual Arabian Film Days Festival. If you want to explore another culture, both movies, food and music, Cinemateket at Filmens Hus is the place to be on the Weekend of 19th- 21st of April.


The Attack [Screen Dump from Trailer]

The Foundation: Films from the South

The Films from the South Foundation is one who focuses on movies and filmmakers from Asia, Africa and Latin-America. Although the "Films from the South"-festival has been the main festival arranged by the Foundation, the Arabian Film Days has grown quickly. This year they've expanded it by including Friday in the schedule, making it a 3-day happening. The opening movie this year is a thriller/drama from Lebanon, 'The Attack'. 



The Films

There seems to be quite a nice variety of movies in this years program, ranging from a short film-double, documentaries, animation (the Disney-classic 'Aladdin') and drama. Also showing is the movie 'When I Saw You', whose plot and inclusion of a very young actor might make one draw parallels to the recently Oscar-nominated movie 'War Witch' (which was screened last year at the Films from the South-festival). Here's a quick look at some of the movies you can catch at this years Arabian Film Fest in Oslo, Norway.




A World Not Ours

A documentary about life in a refugee-camp, the movie is described as having a somewhat humorous approach to a serious topic. Variety wrote: "A doc that flips storytelling and Mideast-Arab cliches on their heads, while weaving an irresistible mood of amused melancholy." The story takes place in a refugee-camp in Southern Lebanon, and is directed by Mahdi Fleifel. "This film has been around for as long as I've been around", he told David Walsh in an interview during the Toronto International Film Festival. The documentary is a personal tale of his relatives and friends, namely his grandfather, one of his uncles and one of his friends. Having visisted the refugee camp almost every year as a child, director Fleifel - who had his adolescent days in Denmark - revisits the refugee camp in 2010 and shows another side of refugee camps then one might expect from a documentary.

Screenings at 21:15 on Friday and 12:30 on Sunday at Cinemateket.


Trailer for the movie: 




Wadjda

Wadjda [Screen Dump from Trailer]

Interestingly enough, the first movie shot (in its entirety) in Saudi-Arabia is a film from a female director. Haifaa Al Mansour's movie has been described as an "overtly feminist film", not suprisingly maybe, considering it's focus on a young girls dreams and ambitions of buying a green bike. Although this wouldn't have made for a very good story had it taken place in countries such as Norway, England or Italy for instance, the social situation and position of women in Saudi Arabia obviously makes for a movie with a certain social comment. The young lead role, Wadjda, has her mind set on a bike, and unlike the (slightly-more-pressed-for-time) protagonist in the Italian classic "The Bicycle Thieves", she decides to save up the money needed for it. It has won numerous awards at various international film-festivals, including the Venice Film Festival. Described as a "feelgood"-movie, don't miss out on this movie at the Arabian Film Days. 

Screenings at 20:15 on Saturday and 15:15 on Sunday at Cinemateket.



Horses of God

Winner of the François Chalais Award at the Cannes Film Festival, where it also premiered in 2012.
It has received great reviews, and could well be one of the highlights of the Arabian Film Days. In stead of focusing so much on terrorist attacks in itself, director Nabil Ayouch focuses on how violent islamism can occur. He does this by focusing on children growing up in the outskirts of Casablanca. Deborah Young of the Hollywood Reporter wrote of the movie: "Nabil Ayouch's film is an intimate portrait of boys growing up in a toxic environment", whilst calling the movie an "engrossing, realistic study of a Moroccan slum and how it becomes a breeding ground for young terrorists".

Screenings at 13:00 on Saturday and 21:00 on Sunday at Cinemateket. 


Trailer for the movie: 





The Attack

"Although the subject of Arab-Israeli tensions is almost a staple at film festivals, The Attack manages to find a unique and compelling slant on a well-worn theme", wrote Stephen Farber of the movie. The movie starts of in Tel Aviv, where a successful surgeon is thrown in at the deep-end after learning his wife is the prime suspect of a suicide bombing that killed 17 people. Ali Suliman plays the lead role as the man who then goes on to look for answers to why his late wife, wanting to clear her name of the wrongdoings. Director Ziad Douieri is an accomplished filmmaker, and has won numerous awards for his previous two feature films, 'West Beirut' and 'Lila Says'. For 'West Beirut' he won the François Chalais Award at the Cannes Film Festival, just as Nabil Ayouch did last year for 'Horses of God'. Prior to his directorial debut in 1998 he worked as a first camera assistant for Quentin Tarantino on the influential directors first movies, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. Ziad Douieri will be present at the Arabian Film Fest, and there will be a conversation with him after the screening. 

Screenings at 18:00 on Friday and 17:45 on Saturday at Cinemateket.


Trailer for the movie: 




When I Saw You


When I Saw You [Screen Dump from Trailer]

Just like 'Wadjda' and 'Horses of God', this movie features a young character in a lead role, and Mahmoud Asfa has recieved praise for his job in the movie. The story takes place in 1967, just after the end of the Six Day War between Israel and it's neighboring countries Jordan, Syria and United Arab Republic (now Egypt). Young Tariq is one of many Palestinian refugees, and the movie follows his journey as he leaves the refugee camp, and ends up with a group of rebels together with his mother. Although comparisons can be made with one of last years movies at the Films from the South-festival 'War Witch', scratching beneath the surface of the movie quickly dissolves this comparison. Whilst both movies include young kids ending up at the hands of rebels, in 'When I Saw You', Tariq is treated as an equal and essentially find a "home" with the rebels. In 'War Witch', there is a much more grim portrait of child soldiers, something which is not at all the basis of this movie, directed by Annemarie Jacir. Jacir won a lot of praise and awards for her debut feature film Salt of this Sea in 2008.

Screenings at 20:20 on Saturday and 19:00 on Sunday at Cinemateket. 



In Search of Oil and Sand

Co-directed by Philippe Dib and Wael Omar, this documentary takes an interesting look at the collapse of the Egyptian monarchy in 1952. Producer Mahmoud Sabit is one of the last living members of the Egyptian Royal Family, and having found an old film roll, he discovers that the Egyptian Royal Family were actually making a fiction film about a military coup. "Mahmoud reconstructs the strange story of the film production and its array of real-life players, as well as their subsequent fates in a post-monarchial Egypt as the Cold War begins", writes Mark Adams in his review. One of the directors of the movie, Wael Omar, says this about how he came to make documentaries:

I'd love to direct more fiction, especially that I have theater background. At the same time, I just can't resist an interesting subject. I think the difference is that with fiction, you have to tell the stories that you know, and with documentaries you tell stories that you are still in the middle of discovering - [from an interview by Vanessa McMahon, November 2012]
There will be held a conversation with producer Mahmoud Sabit after the screening.

Screenings at 18:00 on Saturday and 17:15 on Sunday at Cinemateket.


Mahmoud Sabit



Also showing at the Festival is Aladdin (USA, 1992), Powerless (Lebanon, 2012) and this years choice for classic movie Silence of the Palace (Tunisia, 1994), as well as the short film The Secret Capital (Egypt, 2013) and Shorts from the Gulf (United Arab Emirates & Saudi Arabia, 2012). The latter being a double-feature, both focusing on the challenges of being a woman in a patriarchal society. 


Debates


1. Who becomes Violent Islamists?


In addition to the films being shown, there will also be held debates during the Arabian Film Fest. On Saturday April 20th at 15:00, the first one takes place. This debate asks the question of "Who becomes a violent islamists?". This debate will be held directly after the screening of 'Horses of God', and attendance to the debate requires a ticket to this film. Participants in the debate are as follows:

Beverly Milton Edwards, Professor of Politics at Queens University in Belfast. She is internationally known for her work revolving violent islamism, with her main focus on the Israel-Palestina conflict.

Laila Bokhari, Norwegian-Pakistani writer/political analyst, with knowledge of islamism. She has, amongst other things, worked for the Peace Research Institute in Oslo, as well as the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. Follow her on twitter here.

Samuel Schielke, anthropologist at Freie Universität in Berlin. His main focus has been islamic movements, especially focusing on Egypt.

Leading the debate is Sindre Bangstad - anthrolopologist and author.


2. Can the Palestinian refugee problem be solved?

At 14:00 on Sunday April 21st, the second debate takes place, in connection with the movie 'A World Not Ours'. The debate will raise questions in direct link with the movie, such as what will happen with the refugees next. Can they be incorporated in their new surroundings? Can they ever return to Palestina? What will happen to the Israel we know today? The Debate is held in cooperation with 'Norwegian People's Aid', a humanitarian organisation for solidarity. As with the debate on Saturday, this debate also requires a ticket to the movie is it held in connection to, and is held straight after the screening. Both debates are set to last for about 45-60 minutes. Participants to this debate are as follows:

Are Knudsen, Senior Researcher at CMI, a development research institute. He is a social anthropologist focusing on peace and conflict, and is known for his work involving palestinian refugee identity and affiliation in Lebanon.

Trude Falch - Senior Advisor for Norwegian People's Aid for the Middle East. Lebanon, Syria and Iraq are her main areas of focus.

Akram Attallah - Researcher at Fafo's office in Betlehem. Fafo is an independent research foundation that does research on social welfare, migration and integration and living conditions, amongst other things. He has participated in research projects focusing on the situations of palestinian refugees in various countries.

Leading the debate is Gjermund Granlund, Project Leader of the Arabian Film Fest.


How to attend. Tickets and info


For info on how to get a festival pass, or tickets to single screenings, check out this page. 

Where is the festival taking place? Check out this page for address and directions.


Feel free to leave comments in the comments sections. Also feel free to use it if you have questions regarding directions or what-not.


For the full program, see this page.


In the words of the late Roger Ebert, see you at the movies!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Movie titles starting with a Number

For anyone who alphabetize their DVD or BlueRay-collections (guilty), there is always a certain level of insecurity when you´re about to buy a movie starting with a number. Knowing you might have to move your entire collection slightly to the right, you wanna make sure that the movie actually needs to be added to your collection. Nevertheless, here are a couple of movies starting with numbers that you shouldn't miss.


(500) Days of Summer



Joseph-Gordon Levitt has become an increasingly more featured man in Hollywood-movies of late (Inception, Looper, Lincoln, The Dark Knight Rises), and does a great job in this romantic comedy. It's a somewhat tragic feel good-movie, but putting it in a genre is really not necessary. It's just, as Paul Rudd's character in 'I Love You, Man' would've said, a "delightful movie". Zooey Deschanel plays the female lead, as the young woman who doesn't believe in love. Also starring is the young starlet Chloë Grace Moretz. Only 12 years old at the time the movie was released, four years later she has garnered up quite an impressive list of movies to her name. Worth mentioning is also the amazing soundtrack, which features artists like Regina Spektor, The Smiths, Simon & Garfunkel and even Zooey Deschanel herself as one of the members of duo She & Him. 


Trailer: 



12 Angry Men



12 Angry Men (1957)

Lee J. Cobb and Henry Fonda stars in this brilliant movie about the inner workings of a jury during a trial that could lead to the death penalty. Although most of the jurors are set to sentence the young suspect to death, one of the 12 jurors is not as sure as the rest of them, and demands further discussion. Set in one room, and in a sizzling heat (reminiscent of Spike Lee's use of temperature in 'Do The Right Thing', this movie is truly a classic, and a very impressive film on many levels. 


12 Monkeys


Post-apocolyptic movie from Terry Gilliam, with Bruce Willis and Madeleine Stowe. Willis is sent back in time to find a cure for the virus that has killed off most of the people on the planet. Not a movie for everyone, but Terry Gilliam does a wonderful job directing the movie, and the story is more intriguing and interesting then it sounds like when given the main plot. Brad Pitt shines as Jeffrey Goines, one of his most impressive characters ever, which says quite a lot. Also starring David Morse and Christopher Plummer. 


Brad Pitt scene from 12 Monkeys:



127 Hours


James Franco gives one of, if not THE, best performance of his career. As Tom Hanks did in 'Cast Away', James Franco carries the movie all by himself. In 'Cast Away', Tom Hanks had an island and a basketball. In '127 Hours', James Franco has a cave and a videocamera. And much less room for moving around... Oh, and a big thank you to the sound effect-person on this movie for making a tough-to-watch scene almost impossible to watch. The cinematography is spectacular. Wonderful pictures all around, and an inspiring movie based on a true story. 


Trailer:




Other movies worth checking out in this category: 

8 Mile - Good entertainment, with quite a few funny moments. Also a sad reminder of the loss of Brittany Murphy, who died only 32 years old in 2009. Eminem actually delivers quite a good performance, unlike many other artists making a go at movies. Obviously, it does help him that he basically plays himself...

25th Hour - Monty Brogan, played by Edward Norton, has 24 hours on the spend outside of jail until he starts his 7-year jail-sentence. Directed by Spike Lee, and also starring the wonderful Rosario Dawson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anna Paquin and Barry Pepper. 

21 Grams - Director Alejandro González Inárritu brings together an impressive cast, as three people are brought together by a tragedy, one which will impact all of their lives. Powerful performances by Naomi Watts, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro, and well worth checking out. 

Friday, April 5, 2013

Ryan Gosling - Child star turned cult hero

Ryan Gosling started out at an early age. He appeared alongside Justin Timberlake in 'The All New Mickey Mouse Club', and even lived with the successful singer and his family for two years while shooting the show. Ryan also played Hercules in the TV-show 'Young Hercules', as well as one of the lead characters in 'Breaker High'. Although those credits might evoke nostalgia amongst a certain generation, it was at the turn of the century that Ryan Gosling really started showing off his talents on screen.

Ryan Gosling in 'Lars and the Real Girl'



In 2000, Ryan Gosling starred in the Boaz Yakin-directed movie 'Remember the Titans', also starring Denzel Washington, Will Patton and SoA-favorite Ryan Hurst. One year later, Ryan Gosling proved himself as a very promising young actor playing the lead role in 'The Beliver'. Here, Gosling plays the character of a Jewish-raised member of the KKK, a movie based on a true story. The movie is a powerful one, and the Canadian-born actor earned a couple of award nominations and wins for his brilliant display. Only 21 years old, Gosling had caught the eyes of filmmakers, and slowly started getting more parts in upcoming movies. Whereas his co-stars on the Mickey Mouse Club had focused on the music industry, Gosling had gone in a completely different direction.


The Believer Trailer



Although his next movies "Murder By Numbers", "Stay" and "United States of Leland" aren´t exactly film classics, his performances were still solid, especially in the latter. In both the previously mentioned "The Beliver" and in "United States of Leland" we can see early indications of the actor we know have become quite familiar with. That is, an actor who is not afraid of taking on challenging parts, and one who seems to be more tempted by a movies character and story then by its budget. "The Notebook" furthered helped his reputation as an up-and-coming actor, and had the highest-grossing opening Weekend for his movies as a leading man up until then. ('Remember the Titans' had a bigger opening Weekend, but Ryan Gosling was only a supporting actor in that movie).

Jump two years ahead, and Ryan Gosling earns his first Academy Award-nomination. Arguably one of his best performances was that of his character Dan Dunne in 'Half Nelson'. This movie, one of Ryan Gosling´s low-budget flicks, tells the story of a junior high school-teacher with a drug habit. A wonderful performance, and well worth watching. His scenes with young actress Shareeka Epps are great. Only a year later he showed off some of his comic skills (although a dramatic role as a whole) as Lars in 'Lars and the Real Girl'. This movie is the definition of how a film can be a great movie despite how weird and stupid it´s premises seem. Honestly, a movie about a guy buying a sex-doll on the internet and believing she is real doesn't strike me as a first-choice when going to the movies. However, the film is a wonderful piece of art, and it makes you smile, cry and laugh out loud. One of my favorites scenes is a ridiculously well-played scene where Lars tries to escape from the advances of a girl who has a liking for him. I'm always impressed by his eyes for details, such as his awkward moves as his finds his path of escape blocked by a car:




In 2010 director Derek Cianfrance directed his first feature movie, and to me this is still one of the best movies of the last couple of years. It's a painful, yet somehow beautiful story to watch, and both Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams were perfect for their parts. I am a huge fan of Natalie Portman, but I still feel Michelle Williams was snubbed for the Oscar that year. The fact that Ryan Gosling wasn't even nominated is just a travesty. Their portrayal of a relationship both at it's best and worst is charming and ugly. I was also amazed to learn how one of my favorite scenes from the movie (the one on the bridge) was pretty much all improvised, as the director gave them both different directions to see how the would "solve" the scene.


Blue Valentine Trailer




With 'Drive', Ryan Gosling had cemented himself as one of the best actors of his generation, and his stellar performances in the comedy 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and the drama-thriller 'The Ides of March' he once again showed his versatility. 'Drive', this dark, slowly-paced and non-dialouge-driven movie is already a cult favorite. With Gosling and the director (Nicolas Winding Refn) again teaming up for the upcoming movie 'Only God Forgives', expectations are sky high. And the trailer for the movie looks promising:





These days, Ryan Gosling can be seen in 'The Place Beyond the Pines', where he teams up again with the director of 'Blue Valentine', Derek Cianfrance. Also starring in the movie is Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Ray Liotta:








Adding to his talents as an actor - and especially his role in 'Drive' - the fact that he also has a kick-ass band (Dead Man's Bones)... well, no wonder this Gosling guy has become a favorite both with the guys and the gals. Oh, and he also cares about animals, and seems like a really cool dude.