Boy meets Girl

A little throwback

Call it Beautiful Boy meets Good Girl

or this:

Director's Cut

Prisoners broke it's award nominee shut-out with a Critics Choice nominee for Best Cinematography for Roger Deakins while it looks like one of Jake's previous director is finding another full award season. David O. Russell has been on an award roll since Nailed with The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and now American Hustle.  It make you want to watch Nailed as least the version Russell created just to see what kind of performance he capture with Jake. 

Early in his career Jake seemed to pick movies even more by the director than the screenplay.  It looked like he was creating his own film school working with some of the best directors in the business.  Each brought a difference to the screen,  then seem to be change - an evolution perhaps? Jake started working with "young" directors - those with only a few movie under their belt or those directors who had success outside of mainstream Hollywood, with a sprinkle here and there of a bigger name.

So here's the question:  Which director do you think had

Had best Director/Actor relationship with him?

Seem to have the best off screen rapport?

 Captured the best performance from Jake?

Who influenced Jake the most?

Who was the most challenging?

Who do you think Jake respected the most?

Didn't work as an actor director?


October Sky - Joe Johnston

Donnie Darko - Richard Kelly

Bubble Boy -  Blaire Hayes

Lovely & Amazing - Nicole Holofcener

The Good Girl - Miguel Arteta

Highway - James Cox

Moonlight Mile - Brad Silberling

The Day After Tomorrow - Roland Emmerich

Proof - John Madden

Jarhead - Sam Mendes

Brokeback Mountain  - Ang Lee

Zodiac - David Fincher

Rendition -  Gavin Hood

Brothers - Jim Sheridan

Prince of Persia - Mike Newell 

Love & Other Drugs - Ed Zwick

Source Code - Duncan Jones

End of Watch - David Ayer

Prisoners - Denis Villeneuve

And including two not seen on screen but based on off screen:

Nailed - David O. Russell

An Enemy - Denis Villeneuve

Good Girl - Good Role

 One movie of Jake's that doesn't get enough mention is Good Girl. 

The indie flick was full of great performances.   Watching the moment in the life of a woman who feels trapped in the mundane existence of her life, and the troubled teenager who becomes the means of escape from it.

Jake tapped into so something so real to create the flawed characters like Holden and Donnie from Donnie Darko.

A sensitivity and vulnerable that resonated off the screen.

 There was a lot of risk in taking on the role, playing off Jen in her first major movie role that was such a departure from her role on Friends,  playing the romantic lead and holding his own, and creating a mufti-faceted character such as  Holden at just 19 .

Jake doing press for Good Girl.

 Good Girl was written and directed by friend Mike White.

Just a reminder how all things connect. Mike was the creator/writer/director of Pasadena, which starred Dana Delaney and that co-star she tweeted about running into at Heathrow Airport back in February.

All Your Eggs in One Basket

So Jake was spotted lasted night of the appropriately named Spotted Pig from Jen Aniston's birthday. Some are speculating it was date, it look more like it was dinner with friends including Hugh Jackman, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Paul Rudd and former Queer Eye guy Thom Filicia.Whether it was dinner, shameless movie promotion, or getting the inside scoop on what's it like to have kiddos. Either that or Paul Adam and Chris was trying to make her laugh, Hugh was there to singing away her blues, Tom was there to make sure the party was fab, and Jake was subbing for Chelsea Handler, ok alright a sensitive shoulder to cry 42 in on. Well or maybe they all just gave her some leads on potential baby daddy candidates.

After an evening probably filled of dishing and deviled eggs, Jake slipped out the back to be avoid being seen.

Yeah it could be that he didn't want to be seen with Jen, and create more attention , but something else to think about is maybe he didn't slip out alone. Maybe with someone tall and Texan. (ohh that's right he said he's in LA editing uh huh) Why not get a little jump on Valentines Day and just like before splashy stories "of dates" is the perfect distraction of what's really happening in the boroughs with The Kid, Nic and family.

Sorry Jen, The only swirling I can do for you is your General Foods International Coffee.

Yeah they are great, but it's still not going to win me over.

If I bring her gift like this she'll think... ohh no.. that would be awkward.

I know you hated The Rachel Jen, but what about it on me?

LL Cool J

Don't know what it is but there is something about Jake for several of his leading ladies. There some kind of magic something there. Clearly theses ladies love their Jake.

An interview that begins in the ladies room of Man Ray restaurant in NYC actually talks about working with these three leading ladies. Older, successful and smitten by our guy Jake, Susan Sarandon, Catherine Keener and Jen Anniston.
When Susan got her star on the Walk of Fame, Jake was there to help celebrate with her and her family. He looks like a part of the family.
Catherine talked about Jake's natural charm in the extras for Lovely and Amazing, and how he was the main man in the female dominated film, and you can tell he won them all over and not just her. Catherine and Jake's connection on screen was completely believable in terms of their feelings in what is now popularly called a cougar and her much younger man.

Catherine got the chance to work with Jake again in Nailed, maybe one day we get to chance to see their second project and if that wink is still there.

And then there's Catherine's friend Jen, who refers to herself as his Mrs. Robinson. Just like with the others, there is a honest affection and love for each other, but there is something different with Jen. Totally at ease with each other and a sparkle to that just happens when together.





What is it about his connection with these co-stars? It is that feeling of safety which allows this affection to bubble up? Is the affirmations? The approval? The what?

Sister Sister

Jake and Austin have co-starred with some of the same people, Jake's worked with his own sister, but did know you they've co-starred with sisters?

The Deschanel Sisters.

Most will remember Zooey in Good Girl as the Cheryl who worked at the Rodeo Round Up, and her overhead announcements , make over tips, and her unique way of saying thank you to the customers.


And then of course the musical routine she and Jake did for Sundance.



But did you know that Emily Deschanel was in Glory Road with Austin? She played Mary Haskins, Coach Don Haskin's (Josh Lucas) wife.

We know that Austin loved Zooey's latest movie 500 Days of Summer from his recent . Wonder if he's a fan of former co-star Emily's show Bones?


Musical Mystery Tour Day 2

Fran Healy and Andy Dunlap from the band Travis performed at an event "billed as 'An Evening with Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop from Travis: A Chronological Acoustic Journey Through the Travis Back Catalogue- Laugh Out Loud Stories, Scottish Accents, Handsome Scottish Men, Naked Torsos.' "

During the course of the show they gave the back story to their music. And in the course the evening Jake was mentioned as inspiration.

The question is which Travis song was inspired by Jake? (I'm trying to figure this one out too.)

Check out this review and see if there are any clues to the answer.

Fran Healy & Andy Dunlop from Travis at The Swedish American Hall, 10/8/09