A few more Ryan Gosling Movies

I watch a lot of movies because this or that actor is in it. Of course, I have my favorites (criteria for a favorite has to do with my belief that this actor is a very talented and he or she has some quality, some je ne sais quoi quality that makes him so captivating on screen – this list does not include my favorite comedians btw) Here are some of my favorite dramatic actors, in no particular order:

Carey Mulligan: a new favorite, great in An Education
Claire Danes: I’ve always loved her starting with My So Called Life
Colin Firth: the best Darcy ever! Need I say more
James Franco: my love for him is waning, but 127 Hours, great – I even saw him in Howl
Keira Knightly: thought she was great in Atonement
Clive Owen: he made apocalyptic cinema great in Children of Men
Mark Ruffalo: ever since You Can Count on Me, I’ve been smitten
Viggo Mortenson: kinda scary sometimes, I even suffered through A History of Violence to see him
Laura Linney: so great in so many things, but first loved her in You Can Count on Me
James McAvoy: Last King of Scotland, adorable and a great actor

However, the actor whose films I rarely miss would have to be Ryan Gosling. I haven’t seen all of his films and even I won’t go to ones that are supposed to be terrible, but I've seen most (see Ryan Gosling movies listed on the side). With that in mind I have see two of his movies recently. Both not great, but worth a look if you are a fan like me:

All Good Things All Good Things: All Good Things tells about the fascinating real life story of a wealthy New York family and a creepy murder. It is based on a real story of Robert Durst. Ryan Gosling plays the put upon son and Kristen Dunst his hapless wife. Here's a fascinating link to a New York Times article about the real-life murders.


Crazy Stupid Love – This ensemble romantic comedy was, as my friend said when we came out of the theater, pretty stupid. But I got a lot of laughs out of Ryan Goslings’ gigolo character and guess what, the actor who can do it all can also be really funny. Emma Stone I thought was pretty good in it too.

Two movies with Sienna Miller

I didn't plan it by I just saw two movies with Sienna Miller, Interview and Factory Girl. Both movies explore how a messed up, druggy famous beauty deals with her fame. Factory Girl is about Edie Sedwick, an Andy Warhol groupie in the 60s who dies too young. Interview is a strange little film with Steve Buscemi who stars and directs with Sienna Miller. The whole movie is basically those two talking; he is a political reporter slummin' it by interviewing a B-movie actress. It's based on a Danish movie and really just kind of strange. One thing for sure is that Sienna Miller is lovely and magnetic, but both movies are just kinda so-so.

Oh and I also saw Eastern Promises with the studly Viggo Mortenson as a tatooed Russian mafia thug. Pretty violent and not as good as The History of Violence by the same director, but you do get see Vigo all nude and stuff in a steam room hopping around killing people. So if you're into that.