James Gray has quietly made a name for himself as one of the most underrated modern filmmakers of the 21st century. From his 2000 breakout "The Yards" to last years "Armageddon Time," Gray's films have often been festival and critical darlings, but rarely had crossover appeal. After a 7 year hiatus, Gray reunited with Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg for his first studio film, "We Own the Night." Unfortunately, the film once again failed to give Gray the crossover hit that some of his peers experienced, while leaving critics divided. Australian director John Hillcoat had a similar fate in the 2000's, adapting big literary works and garnering the support of some of our most beloved actors, without ever fully connecting with mainstream audiences. His 2016 dirty cop thriller "Triple 9" gave Hillcoat his biggest ensemble yet, led by Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul and Kate Winslet auditioning to be Natasha in "Rocky and Bullwinkle." Like Gray's cop thriller, "Triple 9" failed to find crossover appeal.
Two certified Gray heads William Breen and Nick Laskin join the podcast this week to show love to Hollywood's best kept secret. We break down Gray's relationship with muse Joaquin Phoenix, the golden era of Mark Wahlberg as a legitimate actor, Anthony Mackie as one of our best shit-talkers, typecasting Aaron Paul post-Breaking Bad, Clifton Collins Jr.'s little ponytail, and Kate Winslet's misguided era of wacky accents.
You can find William's films on Vimeo and subscribe to Nick's writing on his Substack.
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