Tuesday, February 10, 2009

We Can't Wait #9 Nailed

Directed by David O. Russell
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Biel, James Marsden, Catherine Keener, James Brolin.
Synopsis Jessica Biel gets a nail shot into her brain. Yay! Oh, okay, so after that she starts acting all crazily and ends up going to Congress for some reason and runs across helpful Congressman Gyllenhaal.
Brought to you by Whoever is crazy enough to partner up with David O. "Some F***ing C***" Russell (i.e. Red Wagon Entertainment)
Expected release date Given this movie's checkered history, who knows?

Joe: Nailed's tumultuous (that's putting it lightly -- production stopped at least 2-3 times as they ran out of money) road to completion almost made me forget what an intriguing prospect it is creatively. Yeah, yeah, Jessica Biel -- but look at all that other talent. Plus: Paul Reubens! Jon Stewart! Kirstie Alley! Even if it's bad, it could be a total glorious car wreck. I am way excited to find out.

JA: Way excited doesn't even BEGIN to cover my expectations. Yes, David O. Russell's is by all accounts a terrific (as in size, not nature) prick. So is very nearly every director whose films I enjoy. I don't want to be his assistant, I want to watch the wonderful insanity that springs forth from his corrupt brain.

If I were the sort who was into making lists - wait, what are we doing here? - I Heart Huckabees would probably make my top 10 for the decade so far, and I didn't even like it that much the first time I saw it. But then I saw it again. And again. And again, and the fucker swallowed me whole.

And that cast! Yes give or take a Biel - although I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt as of right now - it's like Russell took an ice cream scooper to my skull and splatted my deepest fantasies out onto a marble surface and rolled them up into human form like some sort of brain-to-human version of Cold Stone Creamery.

Whitney: I think putting a nail in someone's head sounds funny. There was a dude that actually happened to. A spike went through his head in a mine and it changed his personality. While he was once friendly and sweet, he suddenly turned into a totally asshole. I learned all about it Psych. 101.

Fox: The premise for this film sounds amazing in it's absurdity. Huckabees was that way, too... I guess everything of Russell's is that way if you think about it.

And come, come now... you guys are being a bit harsh on Biel. True, she hasn't shown anything significant yet, but neither has Gyllenhaal (dudes, come on... he's completely overrated). I mean, if Jake gets a pass simply because he's a cutie, then so should Jessica.

Nathaniel: I'm generally okay with mediocre actors being in auteur films if the auteurs in question have shown a knack for pulling interesting or best of career stuff from their cast. Auteurs are like painters in that way. Red is red is red unless it's on Chagall or Almodóvar's palettes, you feel me?

i heart david o. russell

And I trust Russell. I'd just wear earplugs and protective gear were I to visit his set. He has such an original comedic voice and he doesn't just rest there, always wedging dramatic tension somewhere inside the laughs. Spanking the Monkey was an attention grabber as debuts go, but he's gotten consistently stronger as a filmmaker. Consider Three Kings, the genius of Huckabees and the still undervalued Flirting With Disaster. This is a goldmine filmography, isn't it?

Your turn. Are you excited for this movie? And even if you aren't, whose head would you like to see nailed?

In case you missed any entries they went like so...
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We Can't Wait:
#1 Inglourious Basterds, #2 Where the Wild Things Are, #3 Fantastic Mr. Fox,
#4 Avatar, #5 Bright Star, #6 Shutter Island, #7 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
#8 Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, #9 Nailed,
#10 Taking Woodstock,
#11 Watchmen, #12 The Hurt Locker, #13 The Road, #14 The Tree of Life
#15 Away We Go, #16 500 Days of Summer, #17 Drag Me To Hell,
#18 Whatever Works, #19 Broken Embraces, #20 Nine (the musical)
intro (orphans -didn't make group list)

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24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nate, what do you think of Variety's Cheri review? http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=review&id=2478&reviewid=VE1117939644&cs=1

not really a ringing endorsement

Dame James said...

Just the thought of having Jakey and James Marsden- the two sexiest men in films right now- together in one film is enough for me. I' afraid that I'm literally going to turn into a puddle on the floor once I see all of the hotness in this film.

Anonymous said...

1)Alright, predictable question but I can't help myself. Why is this film so high on the list?

2) I watched Fozen River. Is this the best film of the year? I think it might be so.

NATHANIEL R said...

anon -- i linked to it below in the Chéri post. obviously there will be many opinions

jim t -- 1) cuz at least 3 of us are super excited about it for reasons expressed.

2) hmmm. i didn't think the film was great (although i'd rank it above most of the best picture nominees) but Melissa Leo is definitely GREAT in it.

Anonymous said...

This'll be decent. Russell makes infamously unique movies; this will be the same. Jessica Biel has more to her acting abilities than meets the eye. I'm not trying to say she's the next Pfeiffer, but I think she's capable of strong work. 06 "The Illusionist", she surprised me; her strongest performance yet.

James Hansen said...

Eek. Not so sure I'm with you guys on this one. I'm sure I'll see it, as Russell is, at the very least, original, but I'm not to commit to him (or this movie) that fully. I'll gladly hope for the best though...

Anonymous said...

Fun Fact: Did you guys know that this project is, essentially, the evolution of Kristin Gore's (quite laugh out loud funny) chick lit book about politics and health care, Sammy's Hill? Because it totally is! And I kind of love how warped it's become in the log line. Gore used to write for Futurama, too, so she's a funny lady.

But Jessica Biel! That is such a "we couldn't get Rachel McAdams, Anne Hathaway, Reese" thing, huh?

RC said...

the premise of it certainly is way out there...i don't know.

Russell is such an interesting director. I am always intrigued by his work, but I never hold my breath waiting for any of his projects.

Glenn said...

O'Russell is hit and miss for me. Yes, I Heart Huckabees was brilliant, but two in a row? Hmmm. I admit that Gyllenhaal seems perfect for him though, doesn't he?

Anonymous said...

Jessica Biel is really lovely (not just pretty) in EASY VIRTUES, so I'm not surprised she's going to receive interesting calls by various directors...

Marshall said...

The Variety review starts "Like a passable bottle of champagne, "Cheri" fizzes and slides down quite easily but lacks real body and doesn't really hit the spot", and that's where I stopped reading. That's something out of a High School newspaper. Fail.

Dave said...

I've been beaten to the punch here, but yes, since the US is still waiting for Easy Virtue, I'm willing to excuse all the hating going on in that post...

But yes, very much looking forward to this. He may be a crazy bastard but O'Russell sure knows how to gather a great cast.

Keelay! said...

I was an extra in this movie, and that scene was HILARIOUS. So hopefully the rest of the film will be as well. I even got to witness a minor tantrum from David O. Russell. Score!

So yeah, I'm very much so looking forward to this one.

Barry said...

Did you guys forget that Kirstie Alley is in this film?

Guy Lodge said...

Yeah, let me join in the defence for Jessica Biel.

I was pretty amazed by how game and comically spry she was in "Easy Virtue." I mean, she can't quite keep up with Kristin Scott Thomas -- but to be fair, who can?

I'm looking forward to this one. The title alone is hilarious, and I will forever love Russell for his eternal reappropriation of Shania Twain in "Huckabee's."

NATHANIEL R said...

barry -- ??? she's mentioned in the post.

Barry said...

My bad... =)

Anonymous said...

For Biel detractors - look what Russell did for Wahlberg. Another pretty, not respected for their talent actor and brought out two of his better (Huckabee's arguably his greatest). Maybe he'll do the same for Biel

Anonymous said...

"Fox: And come, come now... you guys are being a bit harsh on Biel. True, she hasn't shown anything significant yet, but neither has Gyllenhaal (dudes, come on... he's completely overrated). I mean, if Jake gets a pass simply because he's a cutie, then so should Jessica."

WTF are you talking about, Fox?!?!

Jake has an Oscar nomination for a brilliant movie, Brokeback Mountain. I would hardly call that movie or his performance insignificant.

Same with Zodiac, which was unfairly overlooked by audiences, same with Jarhead. Working with great directors like Ang Lee, Sam Mendes and David Fincher, as well as great casts, I would not call that in the same league as Biel. He was also awesome in Donnie Darko and very good in The Good Girl.

Anonymous said...

Btw, I have no issues with Jessica Biel, but I don't agree with dumping on Jake G. either.

NATHANIEL R said...

sam -- GET HIM! I totally agree. but I was trying to be civil ;)

Jake is so much better than he gets credit for being. I'm not sure about his range just yet but he's excellent in some roles.

i thought Biel was good in The Illusionist but otherwise i haven't been at all interested in her acting. We'll see.

Anonymous said...

I want so bad for this movie to announce a release date......Do you think it will actually come out in 2009 or go straigt 2 DVD.

Anonymous said...

Phineas Gage!

Mr. 1018 said...

I was an extra on this movie as well for one day and everyone was extremely nice. Even the director was really cool to us. James Marsden is SO laid back and cool. Jessica was friendly but kept to herself and didn't really mingle with us lowly extras.

Kirstie Alley, Beverly D'Angelo, Tracy Morgan and Kurt Fuller were all there that day and totally awesome. I am so stoked for this to come out, its going to be a good one.