Based on money made by a movie, apparently judged strictly by box office receipts, (but didn't really specify domestic USA or worldwide?), she is on that list.
Now the obvious question is just who else is on that list?
People like Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Nicholas Cage, Daniel Day Craig, ya know, real low life talent with little box office appeal... *smirk*
The list claims the one earning-a-profit movie she was part of was I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY. Now then, who on that list has made as many "artsy" movies too? What? No one else? Mel Gibson did several...
As far as the new version of TOTAL RECALL goes, I have that movie, have watched it, and found myself captured by the massive CGI, and pretty much lost track of the plot. That is not an actor's fault, and if it is, add the other lead actress to the list, Kate Beckinsale. I just had to watch the extras on the Blu-Ray set to find out how the special effects were done, and was astonished at how little of the finished film was "real" and not CGI.
Possibly the only profitable movie that was SO heavy with CGI was AVITAR? BTW, it is the #1 earning movie, ever! That proves it can be done...
There **may have been** an unfulfilled fan expectation that it would also be fairly "campy" like the original, because it included some 'nods' to the original, but it wasn't even set on Mars! And it certainly didn't include the amazing interaction between Arnold and Sharon Stone... ("Consider this a divorce.")
Now if a viewer was expecting something more like another movie, THE KINGDOM, with its intense action, and edge of the seat sections, well, I'd say that wouldn't have been a big mismatch, CGI or not... That movie was likely just too intense, and too "close to home" for people, (those who were there, and who had loved ones there), as was Jessica's HOME OF THE BRAVE that focused on the aftermath of wounded soldiers returning home.
There is a bit of a mismatch between Kate and Jessica in their "game face" though, but that was deliberate in TOTAL RECALL with Kate as the evil pursuer and Jessica as the pursued. Kate had the same intense game face from the UNDERWORLD series... you know, the "As soon as I rip my way out of these chains, I'm going to tear your throat out with my bare hands and teeth!", and Jessica's "I'm going to bounce an arrow off two walls to shoot around a corner, and hit you in the heart." (BLADE TRINITY)
Those are a whole different "game face"... (IMHO of course!) One is pretty pure rage, and the other is intensity.
For those that don't know, Samuel L. Jackson nearly didn't get the part of the hitman opposite John Travolta's "Vincent" in a little movie titled PULP FICTION! He was called in as the favorite for the part, and did a pretty straight reading, (he said in an interview). When he hadn't heard anything, he got curious and called the movie people. He was told they were very disappointed with his reading, and continued looking to fill that part!!! He asked if he could do another reading, and was given the opportunity. If you have seen the movie, (and there might not be much overlap in Jessica Biel fans and those who made PULP FICTION a hit), you know how he did the second reading!
"Say "WHAT?" one more time!"
Anyway....
With so many new projects currently in the works, Jessica's placement on that list might even be a publicity stunt. It is Hollywood you know; 'No publicity is bad publicity.'
I only caught a couple minutes of THE NEW GIRL season opener, and it happened to include Jessica in the "This is me naked." scene. I saw an entirely new look on Jessica's face as she held out a cellphone to the guy she and Zoey were competing to date... interesting!
Also, I have seen THE TRUTH ABOUT EMANUEL, and feel confident in saying it has no chance of being any kind of hit movie. It felt very familiar in the plot, with a slow building to the end, and I was not sure how it would end, but was glad I watched through the ending. Anything more I write would probably give away the entire movie...
Yep, it's "artsy".
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