<p><strong>James Gray </strong>has quietly made a name for himself as one of the most underrated modern filmmakers of the 21st century. From his 2000 breakout <strong>&quot;The Yards&quot; </strong>to last years <strong>&quot;Armageddon Time,&quot; </strong>Gray&#39;s films have often been festival and critical darlings, but rarely had crossover appeal. After a 7 year hiatus, Gray reunited with <strong>Joaquin Phoenix </strong>and <strong>Mark Wahlberg </strong>for his first studio film, <strong>&quot;We Own the Night.&quot; </strong>Unfortunately, the film once again failed to give Gray the crossover hit that some of his peers experienced, while leaving critics divided. Australian director <strong>John Hillcoat </strong>had a similar fate in the 2000&#39;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 <strong>&quot;Triple 9&quot; </strong>gave Hillcoat his biggest ensemble yet, led by <strong>Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul </strong>and <strong>Kate Winslet </strong>auditioning to be Natasha in <strong>&quot;Rocky and Bullwinkle.&quot; </strong>Like Gray&#39;s cop thriller, &quot;Triple 9&quot; failed to find crossover appeal.</p> <p>Two certified Gray heads <strong>William Breen </strong>and <strong>Nick Laskin </strong>join the podcast this week to show love to Hollywood&#39;s best kept secret. We break down Gray&#39;s relationship with muse <strong>Joaquin Phoenix</strong>, the golden era of <strong>Mark Wahlberg </strong>as a legitimate actor, <strong>Anthony Mackie </strong>as one of our best shit-talkers, typecasting <strong>Aaron Paul </strong>post-<strong>Breaking Bad</strong>, <strong>Clifton Collins Jr.&#39;s </strong>little ponytail, and <strong>Kate Winslet&#39;s </strong>misguided era of wacky accents.</p> <p>You can find William&#39;s films on <a href="https://vimeo.com/user40368710"><strong>Vimeo</strong></a> and subscribe to Nick&#39;s writing on his <a href="https://nicklaskin.substack.com/"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p>