RyanGosling Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Recently, I rejoiced about all of the upcoming projects that The Proposition and The Road director John Hillcoat's got brewing. But there's also another in turnaround that's getting new life. As The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog reports, there's a whole slew of talent circling around the once-struggling The Wettest County in the World. Scarlett Johansson's name has been thrown around as well as one heck of a diverse mix of young male talent -- Ryan Gosling, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Shannon, and Paul Dano.

Sorry, Shia, but I feel compelled to sing: "Which of these boys is not like the other?" If there's any chance of getting into one of those odd-man-out scenarios, this would be the one. i can't imagine they're all up for the same part (as there are 4 main gigs), but could he really compare to four actors who have proven themselves to be quite hardcore and skilled? I don't care how many big-box office films he's been in, there's a difference between money and impressive acting skills.

A period piece rife with Depression-era bootleggers, Wettest is a crime drama based on author Matt Bondurant's own grandfather and great-uncles. The trio were a moonshine-led criminal gang, and the film will follow them alongside a writer named Sherwood Anderson who's "on the trail of the bootlegging story" and researching the 1936 novel Kit Brandon.

I say drop the names who can't compare and go wild because this combination sounds almost perfect. (We wouldn't want another Appaloosa/Renee Zellweger scenario!) How 'bout you?

News first broke about Blue Valentine back in 2007, with the quite unique and distinct plot of "a couple whose relationship is jeopardized when they find themselves in different places in their lives." We're getting only a wee bit more now, two years later, as the film jumped out of ThinkFilm and finally hits production, but at least it's matched with leads who will make it interesting.

Variety reports that Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams have signed on to star in the indie drama, which will follow a couple in a failing marriage. "As their relationship hits the rocks, they recall better days." Derek Cianfrance, who will direct, penned the script with Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis, while Mike Vogel, John Doman, and Maryann Plunkett fill in the rest of the cast.

At this rate, Gosling will run through all of Hollywood's blondes in no time -- Rachel McAdams, Kirsten Dunst, Williams... But in all seriousness, I've got a feeling these two will make a good pair, and maybe they'll both tap into their high school television angst as they reminisce. Haven't we always been waiting for the watery Breaker High to meet Dawson's Creek?

Last month, Elisabeth shared some concept art for the upcoming Green Lantern movie, and she mentioned the possibility of it being on par with Iron Man. For that to happen, there would have to be a pretty dynamic star in the driver's seat. So how about Ryan Gosling?

A Latino Review source at Warner Brothers has said that the studio wants the Lars and the Real Girl actor to wear that glowing green ring. Now, the concept art I referenced might look a little bit beefy for the thin star, but Hal Jordan was modeled after Paul Newman, at least partially, so Gosling would be a pretty good match for that (should the green dude be Jordan). But even more importantly -- Gosling knows how to make the strange seem natural -- he made a heartfelt and funny film where he was in love with a flipping Real Doll. If he can do that, he can make the green look just as cool as RDJ made Iron Man, and give the same excellent depth to the portrayal.

It's also miles above Seth Green, Justin Long, and David Boreanaz. Agreed?

Craig Gillespie had a unique start last year, when he released his first two feature films. Lars and the Real Girl was an amazing and memorable film that proved to be one of the highlights of last year's fest in Toronto. But there's also Mr. Woodcock, which was just about Lars' polar opposite. So, what could the future possibly bring with his third film? Thank God, it looks like it's going to be more like the former than the latter.

Variety reports that Ryan Gosling is currently negotiating to re-team with Gillespie in The Dallas Buyers Club for Universal and Strike. Unfortunately, it's not more sweet turns on the notion of dysfunction. Instead, the film will focus on the true story of late Texan Ron Woodroof. He was an electrician who was diagnosed with AIDS in the '80s and given only 6 months to live.

It's been clear for several weeks now that the independent distribution company THINKfilm has been suffering from some money troubles. Around the time the Cannes Film Festival kicked off this month, blogger AJ Schnack assembled reports from various sources that the company owed a lot of money to many different places. Now, Nikkie Finke reports that Allied Advertising Ltd. filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court today against THINKfilm owner David Bergstein, claiming that THINKfilm failed to pay for Allied's advertising services in a timely manner, while the distributor pretended that wasn't the case. A serious problem indeed.

It's a little unfair, however, for Allied to complain about THINKfilm's decision to continue doing what they do best -- buying films. The lawsuit says that the company embarked on a "lavish film licensing buying spree at various film festivals around the world," rather than exclusively focusing on paying off debt. It's worth noting that THINKfilm remained fairly withdrawn at Cannes this year, and while they did pick up theatrical rights for Marina Zenovich's Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired at Sundance, the film already had a television deal in place with HBO. Meanwhile, the company has dropped Battle in Seattle, which it originally purchased at the Toronto Film Festival. The "buying spree" sounds like needless exaggeration on Allied's part. Whatever the case, given THINKfilm's track record (they did guide Ryan Gosling to his Half Nelson Oscar nod), one hopes they'll survive this nasty legal snafu.

Above is an on-set glimpse of Kirsten Dunst and Ryan Gosling in their upcoming film, All Good Things. The actors were filming scenes in New York City's Carl Schurz Park, and you can check out a bunch of photos over at Just Jared.

As Jessica explained in January when Dunst signed on, the film focuses on two star-crossed loves, Gosling and Dunst. He's a rich young man, and she's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She goes missing, and "a sleazy detective begins to uncover information that could bring our golden boy to his knees." (The lovely Jeffrey Dean Morgan is playing the detective.)

The more I see Gosling's work, the more I appreciate it, though I can't help but wonder if pairing him with Dunst is a huge mistake. Then again, maybe he can pull a performance out of her that's reminiscent of the good old days. (I hope, I really hope, because this movie sounds cool.) At the very least, there's a number of great co-stars -- Kristen Wiig, Frank Langella, Diane Venora, Phillip Baker Hall, and more are on the roster.

First things first: "From Page to Screen" is a new column I'm trying here at Cinematical. Each week I'll discuss in detail a book that serves as the source material for either an upcoming or a past film adaptation. In the case of forthcoming films, I'll talk about the prospects for the adaptation: the challenges of bringing the particular book to the screen, the casting, the plot, the literary intangibles that so often wind up missing from the resulting movies. In the case of past films, I'll discuss the adaptation's approach to its source: what changed, what stayed the same, what worked and what didn't. Oh, and I'll actually have read the books.

I never tire of repeating my simple philosophy when it comes to adaptations: books are not movies. What works on the page won't always work on the screen. To demand total faithfulness to the book is folly, and will usually lead to a crappy movie. (This is also the case, by the way, for "true stories" and biopics -- people's lives, no matter how interesting, don't always, or even often, make for good films.) But that, I think, makes my task here more interesting rather than less. What does it take for an adaptation to work -- as a film in its own right, or as a translation of the source material?

The idea for this came from a number of discussions I've had here on the site. People are passionate about the books they love, and protective of them. The adaptation process is fun to talk about -- and even more fun when you've read the book and can have an informed conversation. I hope you'll join me, and I plan to be active in the comment threads.

You may never have heard of Henry Bean, but he made a movie called The Believer back in 2001 that single-handedly catapulted Ryan Gosling to prominence (if not stardom) before The Notebook was a twinkle in anyone's eye. (He also wrote Internal Affairs and some other, schlockier early-90's thrillers, but you probably don't remember those either.) Gosling played a Jewish young man who became an increasingly fierce Neo-Nazi, at one point donning a tallis while executing Nazi salutes. It wasn't just difficult material, it was impossible material, and the fact that Bean managed to make something coherent out of it is, I think, one of the more impressive accomplishments in indie cinema this decade.

Bean waited seven years before delivering his directorial follow-up, a dark comedy called Noise, and there's a new trailer for it up top for you to watch. (We also ran a piece on the movie last October.) It looks like a new take on Falling Down, except funnier, and with a faux-superhero twist: Tim Robbins plays an urban professional who is so incensed by the incessant noise of car alarms that he names himself the Rectifier and starts smashing up offending cars to shut them up. This causes a political brouhaha, getting the attention of the mayor (William Hurt). Oh, and it's autobiographical: apparently Bean got himself arrested breaking into cars to turn off the alarms. They are annoying, aren't they?

The movie logically gets a New York-only release on May 9th. Early reviews have been mixed, but the trailer is nifty, and the pedigree piques my interest. I hope it manages to expand.

Usually, heavy drama and inspirational fare are mixed into hard-hitting or heart-sagging packages. But sometimes, the tough-to-swallow is mixed with comedy -- not in a way where the funny is the only thing that matters, but in a way that helps move the story and keep you out of that moviegoer depression. When done right, it can be a really enjoyable experience -- one that makes you think, feel, and laugh.

Now, I'm cheating a little bit for this double feature. One of the films just came out on DVD this week, but the other doesn't come out until Tuesday (Double Feature of the Future!). But having received both screeners, and having them sitting here on the desk, looking at me, I couldn't help but use them because they go so well together. Both contain some pretty dramatic moments, but the drama is couched in levity. I present: Music Within and Lars and the Real Girl -- two films that embrace the marriage of comedy and drama, as well as people who get past their own fears and offer help to others.

It's funny how some actresses just seem to inspire the worst in critics; or in the case of Kirsten Dunst, she brings out the worst in just about everyone. I only ever seem to come across people who can't stand her. Ever since her kick-a** performance in Interview with The Vampire at the tender age of 12, she has been one of my favorite actresses; and I am even willing to overlook Get Over it. Variety reports that Dunst is in talks to star in All Good Things alongside Ryan Gosling. The period thriller is set in the go-go '80s and centers on a well-to-do young man (Gosling) who falls for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks (Dunst). When she turns up missing, a sleazy detective begins to uncover information that could bring our golden boy to his knees.

The film is the feature debut of documentary filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, who made his name as the director of Capturing the Friedmans -- a film that I can't recommend enough. News of Dunst's negotiations hit the Sundance circuit since she is in town promoting her directorial debut, Welcome. Gosling has already signed on the dotted line for Good Things, but Dunst is still in the middle of negotiations. The actress has already signed to star in Sweet Relief; the story of Marla Ruzicka, a relief worker in Iraq and Afghanistan during U.S. invasions; so, I would guess that if Dunst is planning on starring in Good Things as well, it is all going to come down to scheduling.