Double Dose of Gosling: ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ and ‘Only God Forgives’

Okay, I (Chris aka South) will admit it. I have a bit of a man-crush on Ryan Gosling. I mean, c’mon, how could you not? With stirring performances in Half Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl, Blue Valentine, Drive, and other films, it is clear that he is one of best talents in Hollywood today - a modern day Steve McQueen - raw and bad-ass, but also more than capable of displaying a range of emotions and even humor. Plus, that “Hey girl” meme is hilarious. Again, I ask, c’mon, how could you not?

So if you enjoyed 2011, aka The Year of Gosling, which saw three big films from the in-demand actor (Drive, Crazy Stupid Love, The Ides of March), then you are certainly in for a treat this year as well, with one film already out (Gangster Squad) and he brings two more highly-anticipated films to theaters soon - The Place Beyond the Pines and God Only Forgives.

Gosling has been around for years, ever since he was buddy-buddy with Justin Timberlake on The All New Mickey Mouse Club back in the day . . .  

But he has really on come into his own as an actor and celebrity in the past few years. 2004's The Notebook may have been his breakout role, but he was first noticed in an episode of the Nickelodeon SNICK series Are You Afraid of the Dark?. He then went on to other TV shows like Breaker High (which I do not really remember, but my girlfriend apparently loved) and Young Hercules (as young Hercules, no less).

Then came a bit part in Remember the Titans and finally, his first truly standout performance in the little seen indie gem The Believer, where he played a young Jewish man with strong anti-Semitic views. Dan and I watched this film together in college and were blown away - a crazy film and a fantastic performance from pre-fame Gosling.

Despite a fairly poor return for Gangster Squad back in January (I didn’t see it, but have no doubt he was the best part about it), Gosling has two more big, awesome looking films due out this year – and thankfully, sooner rather than later.

Both The Place Beyond the Pines and Only God Forgives team Gosling up with directors the actor has already worked with to great results – Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) and Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive).

First up is The Place Beyond the Pines, which just hit theaters in limited markets last week and expands nationwide later this month. I am seeing it next week at a press screening (excuse the humble brag) and am super excited about it.

PLOT SUMMARY: A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.

The film also stars Bradley Cooper (who I really did not like until last year’s phenomenal Silver Linings Playbook), Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta, and the excellent character actor Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom, Killing Them Softly, The Dark Knight Rises).

Check out the trailer here and try to tell me it doesn’t look awesome:

"If you're gonna ride like lightning, you're gonna crash like thunder."

*UPDATE* - Dan and I both saw the film and absolutely love it. Makes us even more excited for Only God Forgives.

Not long after, we get our second dose of Gosling this year with Only God Forgives - expected to premiere next month at Cannes and hit theaters sometime later this year.

PLOT SUMMARY: A Bangkok police lieutenant and a gangster settle their differences in a Thai-boxing match.

Also starring in this film are Kristen Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm. Only God Forgives hits limited theaters and OnDemand Friday, July 17.

A new trailer was released earlier this week that sets an intriguing and brutal tone we now expect from the writer/director of Drive. Watch it here:

"Wanna fight?"

So what do you think? Is Gosling awesome, or is it just me? And do his two new films seem as interesting to you as the clearly do for me?