Friday, December 18, 2020

10 Off My Head: Jake the Top


If you haven't been here all week... what, you have something better to do? You know we are in the middle of a pandemic, right? We're in the middle of a pandemic, it's literally life or death out there, and you still can't come to MNPP before Friday? I mean, I am trying to not be offended here. Trying, but failing. It's fine. It's fine. Whatever. I'll carry on. So like I was saying, if you haven't been here all week to see it, because you've been, I don't know, preferring to stare at the wall then read all my hard work or whatever, then you've missed that I've spent all week celebrating the 40th birthday of the actor Jake Gyllenhaal, which is tomorrow. 

I've been celebrating with lists! Ridiculous lists! Monday I did his best nutbag roles, Tuesday I did his greatest costumes, Wednesday I went lascivious and stared at his bum a bunch, and yesterday I picked his best screen partners. For today, our final day, I figured I'd better go big or go home. I mean I'd love to go home. Did I mention the pandemic? We should all be home. But I digress. Here on our last day of list-making I challenged myself to a most painful proposition. I have decided to not just pick my ten favorite Jake movies... BUT TO RANK THEM. Oh my god this one hurt, you guys. I am bloody, my brains are battered, and all for your entertainment. Enjoy!

My 10 Favorite Jake Gyllenhaal Movies... Ranked!!!

10. Jarhead (dir. Sam Mendes)

9. Okja (dir. Bong Joon-ho)

8. Source Code (dir. Duncan Jones)

7. The Sisters Brothers (dir. Jacques Audiard)

6. Zodiac (dir. David Fincher)

5. Wildlife (dir. Paul Dano)

4. Donnie Darko (dir. Richard Kelly)

3. Nightcrawler (dir. Dan Gilroy)

2. Enemy (dir. Denis Villenueve)

1. Brokeback Mountain (dir. Ang Lee)

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That number one was obvious from outer space, I'm sure.
Now tell me yours in the comments...

6 comments:

joel65913 said...

Yes I knew before scrolling down what your number one would be and it's a fine choice but am amazed at the absence of October Sky. It's my favorite.

I have a potentially terrible confession. While I love Jake I don't always love his films even if I think he does fine and interesting work in them (for instance I thought he gave a complex performance in Nightcrawler but I detested every second of that picture) plus I'm missing several that are well thought of....but I'll get there. So I think the best I can do is a top 5.

1. October Sky
2. Brokeback Mountain
3. Source Code
4. The Day After Tomorrow-Since is a favorite not a best I feel okay with listing this. It is NOT a "good" movie with many ridiculous parts (Dennis Quaid outrunning the ice storm being my laugh out loud favorite) but as a disaster movie junkie I love every preposterous overblown minute of it and Jake looks great.
5. Zodiac

Jason Adams said...

Joel -- I have never seen October Sky! I KNOW. There are only a couple of Jake movies I haven't seen and I keep putting them off because what will I do when I have seen them all? Saving it for a needy day :)

I love any and all disaster movies, and I love The Day After Tomorrow. You won't find an argument here! Well except with your Nightcrawler opinion ;)

Anonymous said...

I don't remember if it was a Top 10 film as a whole, but one not mentioned at all yet, that I thought Jake was SO good in, is Moonlight Mile.

Anonymous said...

Oh man I really need to rewatch Wildlife. What a fantastic, grossly underappreciated movie.

NealB said...

What movie's the bonus pic at the bottom from?

Jason Adams said...

Neal -- that's from Demolition (which is a solid flick, underrated)