WHO'S HOTTER: (round three) Ryan Gosling or Clive Owen?

RYAN THOMAS GOSLING

Why is he hot?
It's hard to define, actually. There's just something about him. A lot of it is just his talent: he looks to be this generation's inheritor of the Penn/Brando brand of naturalistic acting. And that level of talent makes you hot. But it's also his looks, his charm, his ease, and that lost-puppy-dog thing he's got going. Add in his slight "bad boy" streak, and you've got the full package (er... no pun intented).

Hotter than:
Leonardo DiCaprio
Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Hottest role:
I'm finding it very hard to choose between the swoony romance of The Notebook and the druggie daze of Half Nelson. The latter is clearly the superior film and performance (considering that perf is all-time-quality great), but in terms of pure hotness, The Notebook's Noah is made to order. Tough call... but I think I love Dan Dunne too much to deny him.

CLIVE OWEN

Why is he hot?
Because he's a badass. He's hot shit, and he knows it. Look at that sly half-grin on his face. It's as if he's saying, "come on, you KNOW I'm the coolest guy in the room." And he usually is. He also has beautiful eyes and a sexy voice, and looks great in or out of a tux. What more can you ask for?

Hotter than:
George Clooney
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai

Hottest role:
His best AND sexiest performance has got to be his tour-de-force in Closer. Other perfs have had their moments - Gosford Park, Children of Men, Sin City - but only Closer is ABOUT sex. And Owen's outacting of Jude Law, Julia Roberts AND Natalie Portman is testament to his hotness. His "Larry" is a true force of nature. Then again, he'd had previous experience with the material - he'd once played Jude Law's "Dan" onstage - so maybe he had an unfair advantage.

WHO'S HOTTER: (round two) Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Ryan Gosling?

JOSEPH LEONARD
GORDON-LEVITT

Nationality: American
(born in L.A.)

Age: 26

Height: 5' 10''

Trademark: sitcom star turned indie film sensation; played a gay hustler (HOT); resembles a darker-haired and darker-skinned Heath Ledger

Notable Work:
TV's 3rd Rock from the Sun
Mysterious Skin (2004)
Brick (2006)
The Lookout (2007)

Upcoming:
Killshot (2008)
Stop Loss (2008)
Uncertainty (2008)
The Frog King (2009)



RYAN THOMAS GOSLING

Nationality: Canadian
(born in Ontario)

Age: 26

Height: 6' 1''

Trademark: the new big indie film actor (with a slight bit of competition from JGL); the perfect blend of looks, charisma and talent; reported to be an all-around great guy

Notable Work:
The Believer (2001)
The Notebook (2004)
Half Nelson (2006)

(brilliant and sexy in that last one; see it RIGHT NOW if you haven't)

Upcoming:
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
The Lovely Bones (2008)
(he just dropped out)

WHO'S CUTER: Leonardo DiCaprio or Ryan Gosling?

This week features two more blonde heartthrobs: Ryan and Leo. They actually have a lot in common. Both were 2006 oscar nominees, both are tall & blonde, both have been in the biz since childhood, both were sent through the teen heartthob meat grinder, and both came out the other side as serious actors. I thought I'd document their shared career evolution, for your enjoyment.

Here they both are trapped in teen heartthrob hell:



















And here they both are being angsty about it:
("growing pains," you know... hardy har har...)



















And now here they are, grown up, in all their scruffy glory:



















And now, just for good measure, here is each man showing his woman a good time. And HOW. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be Kate or Rachel...


Anyway, yes, they have all these things in common, right down to the matching cheesy romance flicks. But there are many differences, too. For instance, I've always found Leo rather feline, while Ryan, at least to me, is much more dog-like. Do other people see it? Which do you prefer?

Sure, Leo'd win easily among the general populace, but this crowd thinks a bit outside the box (for proof, see last week's result by clicking here). I'm confident that these two are pretty well matched.

So, who's cuter, readers? Ryan or Leo?

And the cuter is...

(a week passes)

Ryan, by a mile. I had not anticipated this landslide victory, though I think you all know I'm with you. Anyone who's seen Half Nelson will have trouble not falling in love with Ryan Gosling (come to think of it, Glenn has not seen it, which probably explains his vote). No offense to Leo, who I do find very attractive, but he lost this one fair and square.


















In honor of Ryan's adorably canine tendencies, I've provided a photo of him with his animal alter ego: a doggie. Along with a few more, because I clearly just can't get enough. I love this guy.

I have a crush on Ryan Gosling.

OK, is it just me, or is he gorgeous? Just had to get that out there. He's been growing on me ever since Half Nelson, but I found him scarily attractive even then. I think he's now sped past both Heath and Jake in my esteem (in both looks and talent). I can't wait to see what he does next. What is this Lars and the Real Girl movie? Just the idea of Ryan playing someone named Lars kind of turns me on. Wow, how awful. This is not the way to get Ryan to star in the movie I need to write in which he'd play Meryl Streep's son. So I think I should stop typing stuff now. Peace out.

Random request:

(to the gods of Hollywood)

Can Meryl Streep and Ryan Gosling please play mother and son?

I mean, look at them:


















And while we're at it, could Ellen maybe play Ryan's funny aunt? Remember on Streep's Ellen interview, when Meryl said she and Ellen look alike, and Ellen suggested they do a movie together? I think they were on to something. Ellen could totally be Meryl's crazy little sister (see right). Seriously, why has this movie not been greenlit already? Think Home For The Holidays or a better version of The Family Stone. Are people getting this? Perhaps I should write and direct it. Perhaps I will.

This could be my debut, everyone. I need to do it. Perhaps Laura Linney (below) could play a third sister. Hmmm... I'm liking this. This thing should happen. And what makes it better is I have plenty of material in my own extended family to draw from. Nice.

Really, why these people have not been culled together for some kind of family film is beyond me. I'm half serious about this idea... I could start writing some kind of "dysfunctional family" comedy (now that I'm in film school) and see where it takes me.

This thing could be golden.

Sophie's Choice: Best Actor of 2006

Sure, Forest Whitaker was great and all, but for me, Best Actor of last year was all about these two fine hunks of man. Both were fantastic, albeit in very different ways, and I really don't know who I prefer. First off:

HUGH JACKMAN in The Fountain. Can we say "wow"? As if it weren't already hard enough to be the film's emotional anchor while also being a hovering bald Buddha figure, turning into trees, and fighting off Mayan demon things, Jackman also did it all in a spot-on perfect American dialect... old news for him, but just think about the layers upon layers of work he's doing here, without ever showing the effort. He's arguably the best thing about a film with LOT of great things, and it's indisputably his career best performance (at least on film). Jackman reveals new emotional depths in his three related roles as a Spanish soldier, a contemporary doctor, and the aforementioned bald Buddha figure, and for me, what it all added up to was one of those truly iconic performances... a dynamic and all-encompassing portrait of man in all his frailty, strength, intellect, love, and need. It seals the deal on Jackman as a GREAT actor, and great leading man. And I can't help but give bonus points for all the other fine work he did last year. Think about it: if you include The Fountain as three roles and then add in his three other live action and two other voice-over perfs, that's EIGHT great performances last year. That sure says "actor of the year" to me.

I have of course been raving about Jackman's Fountain perf ever since I saw it, and was shocked upon shocked to learn that it only placed a paltry 5th in the '06 FiLM BiTCH best actor category. I'd thought it had my own personal '06 win locked up... but that was before I saw:

RYAN GOSLING in Half Nelson. Here is a performance that's great in such a totally different way. While Jackman's performance serves a great film, Gosling's elevates a good film into something more. Half Nelson is all about people, their inner lives, and their relationships, and there's no person in it as compelling as Gosling's Dan Dunne. Jackman's performance is epic, operatic, and romantic, but Gosling's is straight out of the Penn/Brando brand of tortured naturalism, and he works that style to perfection. He has nothing but a script and a camera to work with, but still manages to create a fully realized character, one who you identify with and care about even when he does terrible things. His pathos transcends the "junkie" cliché. In the words of many a reviewer: "Dan feels like someone you'd know." Gosling creates a whole universe of backstory and inner torment for this man whose life has fallen slightly off the rails. He too slides effortlessly into a (subtle) dialect, and uses that and every other tool at his disposal to fall totally into the character of troubled inner city teacher Dan Dunne. His nuance and precision are a marvel to behold. Strong chemistry with co-star Shareeka Epps (also great) doesn't hurt either. Gosling may well be the heir to Penn and Brando. His presence onscreen is THAT potent. He has a great career ahead of him.

Now, Glenn managed to find an easy way out, leaving Gosling's greatness out of contention altogether. But I am determined to choose between these two. Or maybe I should just pull a Sophie and choose neither? There's always Forest Whitaker to fall back on.