A friend of mine (James Llewellyn) and I had the great idea to watch three or four Ryan Gosling movies back-to-back. Being a huge Blu-ray collector James kindly offered to provide the films if I could play host for the day. With a few other friends in attendance we agreed to the schedule: Drive, The Place Beyond the Pines, and Crazy, Stupid, Love.

I’m not going to sit here and write that this informal mini movie marathon was first and foremost about the films. The idea to watch a bunch of Ryan Gosling movies stemmed from a consensual bromantic infatuation with Gosling on screen. Having said that Gosling’s performances in Drive, The Place Beyond the Pines, and Crazy, Stupid, Love go a lot further than flaunting his pecs and flexing his muscles. He delivers some truly memorable performances, most notably in Drive and manages to tone down his off-screen fame with a touch of humility and humanity.

We agreed as a group that Drive would be the best place to start. With clear heads and lofty expectations of the afternoon’s schedule we sat down and witnessed Nicholas Winding Refn’s masterpiece. Continue reading “Gosling Fest”