In the span of a year, she went from: "Hey, is that Bryce Dallas Howard?" to "I'm seeing this movie because Jessica Chastain is in it."

I finally saw this adaptation of the Doctorow book, on cable, during Thanksgiving weekend. Lady JC's breakout role playing the titular character; I believe this was long done before even the TV dayplayer roles. I was like "whoa;" though the film lacks a cohesive plot and arc – and some plain-Jane voiceover to connect each sequence/act – it was held together by Ms. Chastain's bold, over-the-top performance. She got to be a foster child/runaway, a drug addicted co-dependent girlfriend, an exotic pole dancer, a gangster's muse, an abused high-society wife who loses custody of her son, a talented graphic novelist.

Nearly encompasses all that she's given out piecemeal in the 6/7 films this past year. How could anyone, let alone John Wells, see this film and not want her (on stage/TV, in their presence, in their bed, in their dreams)? Playlist: please comment.

Team Chastain. Vigilance.

Nah. It's gotta be Ryan Gosling a.k.a. The 'Gos a.k.a. the only living man cool enough to fill Spike Spiegel's shoes.