In The Bounty Hunter, Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler work on the borders of their comfort zones. Butler is the titular character, a former cop so down on his luck he takes a gig tracking down his ex-wife (and alleged real-life girlfriend) Aniston, for a payday of $5,000.
“I felt this was a different role for her,” says Butler of his co-star. “She is the Queen of Comedy and done a lot of romantic comedies, but this doesn’t feel like a romantic comedy. It feels like an action driven comedy. She was playing a much bitchier, hard edged character than I think anyone has ever seen her do before and for me that is exciting.”
Aniston, best known as Rachel from Friends, or Brad Pitt’s ex wife, depending on your appetite for the tabloids, says she was attracted to the role because “it wasn’t your traditional run of the mill girl meets guy, guy meets girl.”
“It is an action comedy and a road movie with a little romance in there and a little suspense,” she said recently in a sit-down with Metro in New York City.
She was, however, taken by surprise by the physical demands of the production. Doing stunts in four inch heels isn’t as easy as it looks.
“Your adrenaline is going and you’re not really feeling it at the moment and then I’d get home and notice a bruise here and a callous here,” said Aniston, who adds she would consider other action roles in future. “Then there were the handcuffs. Try wearing those, attached to a car door for three days. Not fun.”
For Butler, a Scottish heartthrob best known for his sculpted abs and roles in violent films like 300, the challenge wasn’t the physical side, but breaking the action star stereotype.
“My break in America was Attila the Hun, which went into Time Line, Tomb Raider, Reign of Fire and at that point I loved doing that, but it’s not like when you are still making your way in the business that people go, ‘Tomb Raider, Oh my God, the guy should be in a comedy.’ I was waiting for the right opportunity. I thought I don’t want to dive in with something crappy. I wanted to wait until I’m lucky enough to get the right script that felt right.”
Last week I had an idea. The “brilliant and beloved” Richard Crouse, who has interviewed so many celebrities, would make a good subject for an interview. I posed this question to him last Thursday, asking if it would be okay to send over some questions. He gave me his phone number, and graciously said I could call. I spoke to him for just over 20 minutes this past Friday afternoon. .
We talked about everything from the genius of Pixar, to the brilliant state of family entertainment in 2009, and the pop culture phenomenon that is Avatar. He gave me his picks for the best and worst movies of last year, and told me what he would nominate for Best Picture if he had a ballot.
To the right is a picture of Richard wearing his awesome Mr. Fox “tail tie”, (which we also briefly discussed)
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When did you start reviewing movies? Well, I started reviewing movies probably about 15 years ago. Before that I had written about music, and movies a little but mainly music.
And when did you know that’s what you wanted to do? When I first saw a film and realized ‘you know what? I liked that, but I think that they could have done this better’. And that was probably when I was about 5 years old. I grew up in a very small town in Nova Scotia, and they had a beautiful old movie theatre. Now the population of the town was only about 1500, and this place was built to be a grand opera house with space for 900, or so people. So often there were only like 10 or 15 other people in there, so it was like this really cavernous place. I was entranced by it, and we would often go a few times a week, but it was so far out of the way that often the selection playing would be far behind what was playing elsewhere, so one day you could be seeing a Bruce Lee movie, and the next a Russian art film, and the next Santa Claus Conquers The World, except in June. This gave me a broad appreciation for movies – as for the first one I saw, I don’t remember.
What were the best movies you saw in 2009? They were actually all kids movies this year, (or last year if you get technical). I feel that they really set the bar high. My favourites would have to be Up, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and The Frog, and Where The Wild Things Are. Those are the ones that stand out for me. Another one would possibly be Avatar, which is living at the centre of pop culture right now as such a big movie, but 10 years I think I might look back on the phenomenon and of the year we will remember the kids movies the most.
That’s kind of what I feel about Avatar as well. It was visually stunning though. Absolutely, it was really an overwhelming experience to watch.
But the other films you mentioned will be more timeless. I think so. The Princess and The Frog was one that gives a good example of avoiding the trap that a lot of other animated kids films get into. When they think they must have jokes for adults, like pop culture references, mentioning Brittany Spears, etc., eventually, they will seem dated because of that. If you make classics, with good stories well told, then they will appeal to everyone at the very basic emotions. You have to trust that when you tell a good story, you don’t need to add all kinds of references in order to keep people interested.
And TPatF had a great soundtrack… Absolutely.
My next question for you today is, what were the worst movies you saw this past year? The worst movie was I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. I think that it is not only worst of the year, but, and this may sound clichéd, but the worst certainly that I’ve seen as a professional. I felt like I was leaving a crime scene when I walked out of the theatre – a crime scene against entertainment. It was just really poorly made from top to bottom. I’m having a little trouble remembering some of the bad movies of last year. Just let me pull up a list. I’m currently writing an article about movies opening in April, so 2009 seems like a while ago.
Yeah, and the bad ones are the ones that you try not to remember. Right. So when did you start your website?
It was started in June, 2008 with a review of Get Smart.
So was that a positive or a negative? Fairly positive. That had The Rock in it, who I just finished reviewing in The Tooth Fairy.
Oh, I haven’t seen that one yet. Don’t bother, it’s terrible. Other ones that can be considered failures, are those that try to shoot the bar, but don’t attain it. Probably the ones I would really consider some of the worst movies are, when there are great movies like Mr. Fox, on the flip side there are films like Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Astro Boy, those are movies that, unlike something like Mr. Fox, treat kids like they’re stupid and can’t handle anything that isn’t goofy and shiny. And then there’s The Ugly Truth, that’s another movie that tried to put two appealing stars together in a premise that could have worked but just started rehashing, so could be considered one of the worst movies.
Especially when you look at a romantic comedy that really worked like (500) Days of Summer. Right, that one was really charming, interesting, and funny too. Joseph Gordon-Levitt should be an enormous star, I mean he’s already famous, and Zooey Deschanel, well, she should be my girlfriend.
What movies are are you most looking forward to in 2010? In 2010, there’s a movie called Kickass – the trailers look completely politically incorrect, like a 10 or 11 year old girl as a trained assassin, but I honestly think that the line ‘Good call, baby doll’, could become the new I’m Rick James, b****!.
And it looks hilarious. It does look hilarious.
Other ones that I’m curious about are the new Robin Hood remake, I mean Russell Crow has had some up’s and down’s, and then there’s Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion… And I’m also interested about Chris Nolan’s Inception – I mean the trailer looks amazing – and the description says it’s a sci-fi action film set within the architecture of the mind. Then there’s Greenberg, which is by the director of The Squid and the Whale, which I liked, and I’m interested to see more of a drama with Ben Stiller rather than a straight comedy and also it’s with Greta Gerwig. I’m curious to see whether she can make the leap to something that is a little bigger budget than usual.
Also, there’s I Love You Phillip Morris – I’m just really curious to see Jim Carrey and Ewen McGregor in that one, and Alice in Wonderland, which obviously we all know the story of, so it’s not for that, but I saw the props, and they are absolutely gorgeous, so it’ll be a beautiful film. And then – I don’t know when it’s coming out, if it even is this year – the new ‘Three Stooges’ movie. I’ve heard different things, although at this point I think there’s talk that it will have Sean Penn, Jim Carrey, and Benicio Del Toro. But the interesting thing is that it’s not a biography, it’s actually a new Three Stooges movie.
And then there’s also Toy Story 3 coming out as well. What are your thoughts on that one? Well, to me, I think Pixar can do no wrong. They chose to make TS3 and these aren’t people who need the money, or do something for the money, so if they’re doing it, then I’m sure they’ll make it cool or interesting.
What’s the coolest promotional item you’ve ever received? I don’t keep them all, since there’s only so much space, but as for DVD’s, I really liked the Planet of the Apes set, where all of the DVD’s are in a life-sized bust of Cornelius (one of the characters). It was stuffed with as many discs as could fit in the back of his head. Also, there was this Russian horror science fiction movie – and this was a few years ago – and it came with a little doll like creature with spider legs, a replica from the movie, that you can wind it up and it scurries around the floor. I actually have that right here.
What’s the most practical? The most practical are the clothes, since you can actually use them. T-shirts, hats, so that stuff’s pretty practical, and you also get lots of pens, which are always useful because I’m a writer, and I have gotten a lighter…
I remember seeing a picture of you wearing a Fantastic Mr. Fox tail tie… I love the tail tie, I wore the tail tie on Canada AM. I just thought it was a really cool promotional item, that was really unique to the film it was promoting. So I had some fun and wore it on TV.
Do you believe that 3D is the future of cinema? No. People right now are suggesting that the only way to make huge money is to make 3D movies. Avatar is a movie that is enhanced by the 3D, but if you tell a good story, then you can still succeed without it. The 3D in Avatar is beautiful, and I certainly don’t object to 3D…
I haven’t, so I was wondering if you’ve seen Avatar in 2D? I haven’t, but my girlfriend saw it in Bangkok in 2D, and she was underwhelmed by it, so I don’t know how it will hold up in 2D.
Not like a film like Up…
…or Coraline.
What are your thoughts on Avatar and it’s Best Picture chances? Well you know, I wasn’t surprised that the Golden Globes gave it a Best Picture. It’s like how they were more apt to go with Robert Downey Jr., since they knew that he would give a funny, charming, engaging little speech. I don’t know whether or not the Academy will work by the same standards, The Hurt Locker is a superior movie, and if it won, it might get enough attention to get more eyes on it, since not as many people saw it as they should have. Also, it would be interesting to see Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron, who are ex’s, go up against each other…
Do you think a film like, one of my favourites, Up, is secured a nomination for Best Picture, or do you think there will there be an upset come February 2nd? I don’t know. I think that since they have 10, the only reason it wouldn’t be, would be because it’s animated. Certainly if you have a list with 10, its gotta be here.
What are your predictions for the Oscars? The only one to put money on is Jeff Bridges – I think it’s a lock. I think he’s a master, and Crazy Heart is some of his best work in a very long time.
…and The Weary Kind for Best Song… Yes, it has really good shot of getting it in. You know, the irony, is that it’s by Ryan Bingham, and Ryan Bingham is the name of the character in Up in the Air.
Right…
Next, what would you nominate for Best Picture if you had a ballot? If I had a ballot, I would probably nominate Up in the Air, Inglourious Basterds, all of the kids movies I’d mentioned as favourites before, The Hurt Locker, Avatar might be in there, (I don’t know if that’s 10 yet), and Tyson – in terms of a documentary it just really stood out.
It seems like with 10 nominations, what doesn’t get nominated? It feels that way I read an article by Pete Hammond saying that Academy members are having trouble coming up with ten films to nominate. I find that ridiculous – they don’t want to recognize something that they call kids and genre movies. Star Trek could sneak in, but it’s a genre movie, aimed more at a younger audience, and some of the Academy voters who are older may not connect to it the same way.
There is the nostalgia factor with it though. Right, and it’s one of the best of the year.
So, is there anything else that you’d like to add before we wrap up? Keep reading film criticism. Find someone that you like to read, and continue reading them.
One Movie, Five Views thanks Richard Crouse for taking the time to do this interview.
Richard Crouse is a Canadian staple when it comes to film, known for his sharp take on cinema in his reviews on CTV’s Canada AM, The Globe & Mail, The National Post, his six books, as well as informed and entertaining movie commentary hosting shows like Reel to Real(Canada’s longest running television show about movies). and The 100 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen on Rogers Television Now, he has a new venture, aptly named: Richard Crouse’s Movie Show. The show combines probing analysis of new theatrical films and DVDs, interview and investigative journalism to uncover “what it is about the medium of movies that holds us in such a state of thrall”. Expect the unexpected. The show airs every Friday at 10:30 a.m. on Canada’s Independent Film Channel and every Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on E!.
First Weekend Club had a chance to catch up with this very busy movie man and discuss his new show, the state of Canadian film, the art of being a film critic and much more…
Describe the show in one sentence.
All the movie news, reviews and interviews you can use!
This is not your first movie show. You’ve done a number of them actually. What made you get involved with this one & how did it come to be? What makes it unique?
Richard Crouse’s Movie Show was a natural extension of my last show Reel to Real. We did that show for ten years and when it came to an end I thought the idea of doing movie reviews on television was still viable. It’s certainly not as common as it once was. There was a time when every morning show had a reviewer on staff and shows like Siskel and Ebert were on every weekend. Now, it’s different. Most television entertainment shows don’t have a critical edge and seem to simply work as extensions of the Hollywood studio’s publicity arms more than anything else. I thought, and still think, that movie criticism is important, serves a purpose and is something that people find interesting. Luckily the folks at IFC Canada and E agree with me.
As for the show itself, Richard Crouse’s Movie Show is the evolution of all the shows I have done previously. I’m still doing the same kind of in depth movie coverage I’ve always done, but the show itself is a bit faster paced with tighter reviews and longer interview segments, but the basic idea of covering an eclectic range of movies—everything from foreign language documentaries to Canadian features and Hollywood blockbusters—hasn’t changed.
How much focus will you be giving Canadian films & talent on the show?
I have always focused on Canadian talent and films on all the shows I’ve done and this one is no different. I’m active in the Canadian film community, hosting events like the First Weekend Club events and Q&As for all kinds of filmmakers—everyone from established artists like David Cronenberg all the way to new directors like Charles Officer—and I plan to continue that kind of support on the show.
The biggest problem Canadian film has is a lack of awareness. Audiences simply don’t know the movies are out there. We make good movies in this country but often they go unseen because there is rarely enough money to mount really effective marketing campaigns. I aim to make people aware that there are good movies that reflect their Canadian experience playing on screens in their neighborhoods. What’s your favorite Canadian film, actor and director?
People ask me for lists of my favorite films all the time and I’m always really non committal with my answers. I’m a Gemini, so my mood changes every few minutes, so depending on my mood the answer changes. Right now I’d say Hard Core Logo, Nadia Litz and David Cronenberg. Ask me again in five minutes and you’ll likely get different answers.
How would you describe the state of the Canadian film industry these days? What sorts of films do you see being made here most?
I think we’re at the beginning of another rebirth of Canadian film. As I answer these questions two Canadian movies are being released on the same weekend—Pontypool and One Week—and are getting great reviews, have decent releases and have a really good chance of finding an audience. Young People Fucking is the number one download on i-tunes. That’s really heartening. I think people are finally realizing that we make great movies in this country that tell our stories and if they go see them perhaps that support will help the industry blossom.
The kinds of films being made here right now are still overwhelmingly American. There’s 200 foreign productions shooting in Toronto this year, and overall there will only be about 80 or so Canadian films made in the same period. But that’s OK, it’s about quality, about making the best films we can, not numbers.
Around the time of Bill C-10 and other proposed funding cuts to the arts I was asked what killed Canadian film, and I said ‘You and I did because we didn’t go see them.’ Now, I’m happy to report, the industry is far from dead. The last while has been really good with filmmakers like Bruce MacDonald, Guy Maddin, Benoît Pilon and David Cronenberg making the best films of their careers and the future is bright. It’s hard making films in Canada, but as long as some kid picks up a camera in Victoria or Winnipeg or Newfoundland and starts making home movies in their basement there is a hopeful and exciting future.
You probably could go write or host a show elsewhere in the world, including our friendly neighbor the USA – why do you stay in Canada?
It’s simple. I’m Canadian. I like it here. I like that there is a market for what I do here. In the US I’d be shaped and hammered into some kind of generic television personality, sans hair gel and horn rims, and while I’d likely make more money I wouldn’t be as happy.
Why did you decide to get involved with film from a more journalistic focus, rather than say, becoming a filmmaker?
Because I can’t frame a photograph to save my life. Because I like watching movies more than I enjoy the process of making them. Because sitting in a darkened movie theatre watching a movie that someone has labored over is still one of the great pleasures of my life.
What episode of your show are you most excited about?
The next one. I’m always most excited by the future and the challenge of trying and doing something new.
Any future projects?
Working on a novel right now about a singer in a band who kills his drummer to get publicity for the band’s new record. It’s a whodunnit, a comedy (I hope) and a comment on the lengths to which people will go to get famous. Who knows, maybe one day it will be a movie…
To keep track of Richard Crouse’s show, viewers can join The Richard Crouse Movie Show Appreciation Society group on FaceBook.
Richard Crouse is a noted critic, author and broadcaster. He is the host of a show about movies called – what else? — Richard Crouse’s Movie Show on E! and the Independent Film Channel. Crouse is also a frequent guest on many national Canadian radio and television shows. In April 2008 his new Saturday afternoon radio show, featuring movie reviews and news, began its run on News Talk 1010 CFRB in Toronto.
He is the author of six books about popular culture, including the runaway bestseller 100 Movies You’ve Never Seen and its equally popular follow-up, Son Of The 100 Movies You’ve Never Seen.
Crouse is also one of the “usual suspects” at This is Not A Reading Series. For the TINARS launch of his latest book, Son of the 100 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, he joined forces with the brilliant comedy troupe Monkey Toast. At TINARS, Crouse has also interviewed Kathleen Turner, roasted Marc Glassman, and, most recently, was a “celebrity assassin” at the event to launch Graham Roumieu’s 101 Ways To Kill You Boss. He will interview novelist Tony Burgess and award-winning filmmaker Bruce McDonald about their acclaimed adaptation of Pontypool Changes Everything, at The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom on Tuesday March 3.
W:
How long have you been collecting the “Best Movies You’ve Never Seen”?
R:
I’ve always been a fan of outsider and cult movies so I guess I have been collecting these titles for my whole life. I grew up as a movie obsessed kid in a tiny town in Nova Scotia. This was long before Video Stores dotted the landscape, so I had to rely on television (we only got 3 channels) and the local movie theatre to get my fix. The theatre was amazing. The town, Liverpool, was originally meant to be a very busy port so it had a very grand hotel and an opera house, but it was never as successful as hoped and the opera house was eventually converted into a movie theatre. The movie theatre could literally hold half the town’s population. It was grand and it was great. Also, because it was located at the very butt end of the distribution path the programming at the theatre was a little erratic. One day they’d play a Hollywood blockbuster (although six months or so old, but new to us), the next might be a Bruce Lee flick coupled with a Russian art film. I was indiscriminate and went to see them all and I think that’s what gave me my eclectic taste in movies.
W:
Of the 200 that you have assembled thus far in book form, what is your personal favourite?
R:
They’re all like my kids; it’s hard to pick a favorite but I’m really partial to The Cameraman’s Revenge in the Son of the 100 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen. It’s a 1912 stop motion animation film about a jilted husband whose revenge involves filming his wife and her lover and showing the result at the local cinema. All characters are played by animated insects and the results are so realistic one critic wondered if director Ladislas Starevich taught bugs to perform for the camera. It’s a bizarre, beautiful artifact from one of the pioneers of the art form.
W:
What is the difference between a ‘little known’ and a ‘cult’ film? Are such semantics merely a matter of marketing?
R:
All “little known” films would like to be “cult films.” If a film is little known, I guess it means that it is also little seen, whereas cult films have a life that transcends the actual movie. Cult films develop dedicated fan bases who go see the movie over and over, dress up and even act out the films. Little known movies don’t inspire such fanaticism… and usually have an inch of dust on them at the video store.
W:
Where do you stand on that perennial conundrum: rock, paper, scissors?
R:
Rock when I’m feeling sad; paper when it rains and scissors at tax time.
W:
Dozens of movies are released every week. You can only review a fixed number on your show. How do whittle down the stack, to the titles that will receive coverage?
R:
I generally see pretty much everything that comes out and review different movies for different outlets. On Canada AM I stick with the big guns, the Hollywood blockbusters; on my CFRB radio show (Saturdays at Noon!) and my E! show, Richard Crouse’s Movie Show, I generally mix it up with a bit of Hollywood tempered with Canadian titles and cool foreign films and docs. In print, on my website (www.richardcrouse.ca), the CTV.ca and CFRB websites I generally cover as much as I can.
W:
What books are currently on your bedside table?
R:
I read a lot and there is always a stack of books piled high on my bedside table. I just read Eric Nuzum’s Dead Travel Fast, a fascinating look at vampire culture and history. I recently finished Deconstructing Sammy, a look at Sammy Davis Jr’s troubled final years by Matt Birkbeck. I bought it because of the back cover blurb. It’s a grabber! I’m one chapter away from finishing Vanity Fair’s Tales of Hollywood and am midway through Hellraisers, a book about the drunken exploits of Peter O’Toole, the Richards—Burton and Harris—and Oliver Reed.
W:
If you could put one recent cinematic trend on ice, what would it be?
R:
Bio pics that end with the main character dying only to reappear in a feel-good montage just before the credits roll. The old Hollywood wisdom says that heroes aren’t supposed to die at the end of movies, so I think bringing them back is a cheap trick to try and placate an audience. I get it, but I don’t like it. Going into these movies we know Harvey Milk and Che die, there’s no reason to bring them back for one more ghostly turn before the camera.
W:
Who is your favourite character on Sesame Street? Why?
R:
Ernie, because I think he has a secret life.
W:
You have participated in countless Hollywood junkets over the years. Do any stand out in your mind as being particularly surreal?
R:
Strange things always happen to me when I go to LA. Two of the strangest have involved Gary Busey. (Caution! Dropping names ahead.)
On a hot June evening in 1992 I had dinner at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Malibu called Granita. We scored a great table on the patio, and were seated between Johnny Carson, who had just retired, and Gary Busey, who was celebrating his birthday. The meal was relatively peaceful until Busey started opening his gifts. He insisted on showing us each of his presents, which was fine, but he had a lot of presents, and we were trying to eat. Eventually we stopped commenting on the gifts and tried to enjoy our meal. It was then that I felt a bread roll hit me in the back of the head.
“Hey! Tell Wolfgang we’re having a food fight,” Busey hollered as he winged another roll in my direction.
I didn’t know what to do, and didn’t really want to get involved, but the rolls kept coming, so eventually I threw one back at him, hitting him in the chest. I’m sure Mr. Carson was impressed with my aim. Thankfully someone at the table (I think it was his mother) got him to stop, and we never progressed past the rolls into throwing hot entrees at one another.
I didn’t see Busey for another eleven years, and much has happened in the intervening years. He has worked steadily, mostly in straight to video movies that earn a “Terrible,” or “Appalling” user rating on IMBD; he had a plum sized tumor removed from his sinus cavity, has been arrested and become a born-again Christian. He has starred in a couple of reality shows, Celebrity Rehab and I’m With Busey, a reality show a la The Osbournes. I think the show’s tagline says it all: “Somewhere, between reality and insanity, Is Busey.”
He is sitting inside with a group of people, including a friend of mine from Toronto. At one point Busey decides that he wants to smoke one of his large Cuban cigars, and comes outside to our table. Actually he looms over the table, sitting on a ledge above us, with his feet resting on one of the chairs. Introductions are made. I tell him I am from Toronto.
“I have made ten movies in Toronto. Ten in Vancouver and three in Montreal,” he says loudly.
“I must have missed those,” I’m thinking, but say nothing.
When I don’t take the bait he starts spouting Buseyisms, which are basically acronyms of his invention which contain his philosophy on life.
“Do you know what FEAR stands for?” he asks me.
Not sure where this conversation is going, I say no.
“FEAR… False Evidence Appearing Real,” he says. “F-E-A-R.”
Wow.
“Do you know what LIGHT stands for?” he hollers.
Before I have a chance to answer, he says, “LIGHT! Living In God’s Heavenly Thoughts… L-I-G-H-T.”
I have a feeling this is going to go on for a while, so I order another drink.
They came in quick succession… GOAT! Get Over Adulterous Tendencies! BIBLE! Beautiful Instructions Before Leaving Earth!
Then, to make a peculiar scene even more bizarre we were joined by one of Busey’s friends, Sal Pacino. No, that’s not a typo, I said Sal Pacino, father of Al. Sal is in his eighties, but has a strong resemblance to his famous son. He was wearing a very cool belt with the letter “S” on the buckle, and didn’t say much. He didn’t have much of a chance to, as Busey holding court, sucking up all the air on the patio.
I wondered if it was just me who didn’t really know what Busey was on about, but later read a quote from his son Jake, who said, “He’s always telling stories about monkeys and toads and rockets… I can never understand what he’s talking about.” Good, even his blood relatives can’t comprehend him. I think if I could identify with what he was saying then I would have something to worry about.
Anyway, as quickly as he joined us, he was gone, leaving nothing but perplexed looks and a cloud of cigar smoke. It was definitely the oddest celebrity encounter I have ever had.
W:
What songs would you put on a mixtape CD for a cineaste you were courting?
R:
I used to be the king of the mix tape, but my skills have dulled in recent years. For sure I’d kick off with Misirlou by Dick Dale and finish with Jarvis Cocker’s Running the World from the Children of Men soundtrack. In between I’d wedge in some Tom Waits, perhaps Singin’ In the Rain, some Elvis Costello and lots of Ray Charles. No mixed tape is complete without some Ray Charles, preferably Midnight or I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You.
In The Bounty Hunter, Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler work on the borders of their comfort zones. Butler is the titular character, a former cop so down on his luck he takes a gig tracking down his ex-wife (and alleged real-life girlfriend) Aniston, for a payday of $5,000.
