



Twilight (SPOILER SCENE) video:
Kristen Stewart in Greg Mottola's "Adventureland" video
TAKING A WALK ON THE FILMIC SIDE, TRANSITING THE VINTAGE ROADS.
He recently appears as San Francisco's gay activist Cleve Jones in Gus Van Sant's biographical "Milk", and has an upcoming role in Ang Lee's "Taking Woodstock", which just wrapped up in post-production and in which Hirsch plays an unhinged Vietnam vet at the historic Woodstock Festival.
2003's "The Mudge Boy", directed by Michael Burke
and 2004's "Imaginary Heroes" by Dan Harris, Hirsch raised his intense but subdued acting bar by portraying eccentric, sexually charged suburban boys trapped in the cinders of adolescence.
One of the most memorable of Emile Hirsch's characters to date is undoubtedly Chris McCandless ("Into the Wild", 2007), a young adventurer who runs away from society and who meets Tracy Tatro (Kristen Stewart, Bella in "Twilight") in a hippie community. Their too brief flirtation is sweet in a way that brings to mind classic cinema romances.
Chris: You really believe in love, then.
They sang "Angel from Montgomery":
Inside the magical bus (brought in by a mining company) which becomes Chris's home in Alaska, he writes in his diary: "DAY 100 - MADE IT. BUT IN WEAKEST CONDITION OF LIFE. TOO WEAK TO WALK OUT. HAVE LITERALLY BECOME TRAPPED IN THE WILD". Shaking in pain due to starvation, he vacillates for an instant about using his rifle to end his life, but he just starts to scream out instead, anticipating in his agony the future slain warrior he's quickly transmuting into. Far behind the memories of Chris McCandless as the Emory College graduate possessed by the spirit of Thoreau, who couldn't cope with the stresses of family life and capitalist society's dark side, now triumphant in his battle of de-individuation and his eyes brimming with tears, his stomach heaving, he is waiting for an imminent death.
In Peter Care's "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys" (2002) Hirsch plays Francis Doyle and Jena Malone plays the conflicted Margie Flynn, his first love interest in this coming of age story situated in a suffocating Catholic school. Margie falls prey to an incestuous fantasy with her brother Donnie that has led her to a suicide attempt. Francis draws comic strips portraying Margie as a romantic heroine who represents a contrast with the indomitable side of Margie's amoral explorations which Francis feels he can't control. The nameless idea of femininity turns into an epic fantasy character in the drawings while Francis is engulfed by a real girl who is ready to love him.
"After the male fish hatch, they bite onto a female, like parasites. But after a while they grow into each other and share the same blood and everything... They turn into one single fish", is the example Francis uses to expound how he's already forgiven Margie's past secrets. In this scene Hirsch's understated performance slowly unfolds an irreversible maturation process before Malone's and our eyes.
In "The Girl Next Door" (2004), directed by Luke Greenfield, Hirsch plays Matthew Kidman, a meritorious senior who has been accepted into Georgetown University, but needs to compete for a full scholarship. He has a boy scout's moral fiber, but irrupting his taedium vitae, the girl next door, Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), appears out of nowhere and hereupon Matt begins to fight for Danielle, who formerly worked as porn star and is tempted to return.
Matt is challenged to change his point of view in the process of dating Danielle, and Hirsch communicates these changes in a completely believable, approachable way: "You risk it all, you put her in front of everything, your life, all of it. And maybe the stuff you do to help her isn't so clean. You know what? It doesn't matter. Because in your heart you know that the juice is worth the squeeze. That's what moral fiber's all about."
He realizes that in spite of not knowing what he's going to do next in his life doesn't matter because he's already fallen in love.
Hirsch's smile when Danielle enters the set and they make eye contact is gigantic in its frankness.
In "Lords of Dogtown" (2005), directed by Catherine Hardwicke, based on Stacey Peralta's documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys", Hirsch plays the real-life skateboarder Jay Adams, nailing his actual swagger, looking like a rugged River Phoenix. Not only does he perform the risky moves on the board at Venice Beach with vertiginous ease, but he also seduces Kathy Alva (Nikki Reed, "Thirteen") in a dance as smooth and charming as his skating.
In "Alpha Dog" (2006), Hirsch plays a gangster wannabe, Johnny Truelove (aka Jesse James Hollywood in real life) who goes out with a steady girlfriend, Angela Holden (Olivia Wilde), while his savvy father Sonny (Bruce Willis) mocks his masculinity, a big deal for Johnny's posse (ridiculous, tweaked out guys who follow Johnny's orders blindly). Johnny gets involved in an improvised kidnapping that ends tragically for an impressionable kid (Nicholas Markowitz, Zack Mazursky in the movie, played brilliantly by Anton Yelchin).
In a motel room (Glen Capri, the same motel's name than in "The girl next door"), Johnny's small vestiges of conscience bring down his sexual bravado and he has to give up on hitting the sack with an insensitive, demanding, bimbo-esque Angela — in a scene which is intermittently comical and sleazy — and this act of impotence by the macho posturing bad-ass is a symbol of his bacchanal's last days.
And much more chaste but very funny is Hirsch's interaction with Christina Ricci (Trixie) in "Speed Racer" (2008) by the Wachowski Brothers, a deliriously visual car ride saturated in febrile colours and stroboscopic effects. The anime-styled characterizations are based on the Japanese manga racer Mach GoGoGo adapted in the '60s in its American version.
It's the subtle touch of Hirsch, when he leans and kisses the girl, that we file in our mental archives, that image freezes and never disappears". Published today at Blogcritics.org
I want to thank director Peter Sollett for having said that my videos (uploaded in Youtube and Facebook) dedicated to his film "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" were amazing and my review of Rachel Cohn & David Levithan's book was so flattering of reading for him, as well as for the writers. It's so undescribable and special when the authors of the artworks you admire so much write you back grateful, it's really so encouraging!! Now the talented and attractive actress Ari Graynor (Caroline in "Nick & Norah") is also a friend of mine in Facebook. What else can I ask for? She's a gifted funny actress, who is known for her roles as Caitlin Rucker in "The Sopranos", Elvina in "CSI: Miami" and
Paula Baniszewski in "An American Crime" (2007).
I was especially glad at how closely it followed the book. The only parts changed were the name of Nick’s band from the Fuck Offs to the Jerk Offs, and the craziness of Caroline. The whole part about her getting lost was great.
Caroline made the movie for me.
"And while a set of photos from the set of Youth in Revolt, a comedy based on a popular novel from C.D. Payne. The film has a stellar cast, including Michael Cera, Justin Long, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Fred Willard, Ari Graynor, Mary Kay Place, Zach Galifianakis and newcomer Portia Doubleday."
"Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) played the leading man in the adaptation of C.D. Payne’s bitingly hilarious novel about whip-smart, sex-obsessed teen Nick Twisp. Cast also includes Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Justin Long, Jean Smart and Portia Doubleday". Source: www.mynorth.com

Jake attending American Oceans Campaign Award Dinner (2001), below with Marley Shelton:
Jake and Marley Shelton in "Bubble Boy" (2001), directed by Blair Hayes.
Jake attending a Thanksgiving Party held at Richard Rogers' Chelsea House in London., on 27th November, 2008. Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow also attended the party. 
"Gwyneth Paltrow spends Thanksgiving with Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon at a party thrown by British architect Richard Rogers (neon green shirt and bright blue Crocs) at his Chelsea home in London on Thursday".
"The start of holiday season is upon us and, for many single online daters, that means spending Thanksgiving dinner surrounded by family and friends and the constant reminder that they came home stag. At Avalanche, LLC, owner of leading online dating sites Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com, we wondered which celebrity our singles thought would make the best impression as a dinner date."
Jennifer Aniston topped the list of ideal dinner dates for Thanksgiving as they truly represent Hollywood Royalty; both are sophisticated, charitable, gorgeous, fascinating and worldly, and could make any relative jealous while charming even the grouchiest Grandparent," said Shira Zwebner, Relationship Advisor for Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com."
Reese reached the second place in the females group and
Jake the fourth place in the males group. It's not fair, first Jake loses the title of the sexiest man alive in People Magazine to Hugh Jackman!, and now George Clooney the first one again? I'd add Mary Louise Parker is an excellent choice by the survey voters.
