Jake Gyllenhaal IS Mr Right

A British newspaper, the Daily Mail, has today held up Jake Gyllenhaal as the ideal Mr Right against whom other men must measure up (although, according to the paper, Jake was slightly let down by the facial fur). Fair enough, I thought, here's an article I'm not going to argue with. 'With blue eyes, short dark brown hair and a medium build the ideal candidate looks like film-star Jake Gyllenhaal.' Here is the criteria against which men are judged, among whom Jake stands out above the rest.


'1. 5'11'' tall
2. Good looking
3. 12.5 stone
4. Earns more than £30,000
5. Blue eyes
6. Dark brown short hair
7. Medium build
8. Has a BA Degree
9. Never been married
10. No children
11. Three previous serious relationships
12. Clean shaven
13. Drives silver Mercedes
14. Enjoys the cinema
15. Likes eating out
16. Has had less than six sexual partners
17. Owns a £300,000 home
18. Doesn't smoke
19. Dislikes football
20. Likes pets'


Of course, Jake doesn't fulfil all of these, but one thing's for sure, Jake does like eating out and I'm pretty certain he enjoys the cinema. Despite the alleged animosity towards the facial scruff, the article reveals that voters can be fickle: 'Facial hair proved to be surprisingly popular, with 28 per cent of those surveyed admitting they liked a goatee beard and 21 per cent saying they would like to meet a man with a moustache.' It does sound, though, that Jake's Mercedes is the wrong colour - but I'd let that go.


And Jake definitely approves of pets.


So all things considered, and after weighing up the pluses and the minuses, Jake, you'll do.

Zodiac - one of the best American films of the decade so far

John Farr of the Huffington Post has listed his top American films of the decade to date and it's great to see Zodiac at No 8: 'After a series of grisly murders shocks San Francisco residents in the 1970s, editorial cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) meets investigator David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.), who are each trying to decipher the cryptic clues and letters the killer called "Zodiac" has left to taunt authorities. As time passes, and seemingly important leads turn up nothing but more questions, the case exacts a heavy toll on the three men, but it's Graysmith who won't give up. In this brooding police procedural, David Fincher ("Seven") revisits a real-life case that Bay Area investigators puzzled over for years. Adapted from two books written by Graysmith, this riveting film centers around the experience of an obsessive illustrator who sacrifices work and a lot more to discover the killer's identity. Gyllenhaal's fine turn as the guileless, curious Graysmith is enhanced by Downey's own as a jaded beat reporter. Ruffalo's rugged cop, who discourages Graysmith from traveling too far down the rabbit hole, completes an effective three-way dynamic. Stylish, unnerving, and complex, "Zodiac" is a first-class detective tale with an epic sprawl.'


There are some interesting films on this list, incidentally, several of which completely puzzled and bemused me whilst also mesmerising, notably Mulholland Drive and Insomnia. I loved Best in Show but best film of the decade so far? For me, that would be the result of an untidy showdown between Zodiac and Brokeback Mountain.


Like other critics, Farr is impressed by the ensemble of Jake, Robert and Mark as leads. All three are superb but, also, each brings out the best of talent in the other two. Without doubt (although the cellar scene is the exception that proves the rule), my favourite scenes in the film are those that Jake shares with Robert Downey Jr (in boats and bars) and with Mark Ruffalo (in theatres and diners). As the youngest of the three, Jake arguably had the most to take from the experience. Mark said of working with Jake: 'He was good. I’ve known Jake for a long time, and it was good to work with him. It was fun to see him really kind of stretch his wings with somebody like Dave Fincher. They were tough scenes, and they took a lot of building, but I’m happy the way they ended up. It’s a good performance, and I think it’s one of his best. As much as he talks about being put through the wringers, it paid off for him.'



Includes pictures from IHJ.