On March 3rd,Daisy Jones and The Six, the highly anticipated television adaptation ofTaylor Jenkins Reid’s New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, will debut on Amazon Prime. The show will trace the ascent of the titular rock band through the Los Angeles music scene in the 1970s as they sought to become global icons.
Playing the title Daisy Jones is no other thanRiley Keough, the actor with an impressive career spanning over a decade, and who has appeared in numerous memorable projects. Fans of the book can rely on Keough, a gifted actor who has been in everything from blockbusters to independent movies, to completely realize their Daisy Jones fantasies.
1‘The Girlfriend Experience’ (2016 - )
The Girlfriend Experienceis an anthology drama series that investigates the interactions between private escorts and the clients they serve, who receive much more than just sex. Season 1 of the show follows Christine Reade (Keough), a high-end escort who is also a law student intern and struggles to balance her career, expenses, and classes.
The show is an exceptionally well-acted, well-written, and well-directed series that stays clear of the many pitfalls that could strike any program that dares enter that zone.The Girlfriend Experienceprogresses so quickly that it discourages making judgments about the behavior of any character, also making them feel understood and heard subtly. Keough’s appearance in the first season really establishes the series' tone.
2‘Zola’ (2020)
Based on a trending Twitter thread fromAziah “Zola” Kingfrom 2015 andDavid Kushner’s follow-up article in Rolling Stone titled “Zola Tells All: The True Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Tale Ever Tweeted,“Zolafollows the titular character (Taylour Paige), a part-time stripper, who is persuaded to go to Tampa, Florida, by her new friend (Keough), to make money, but she soon finds herself in financial trouble.
Zolais the definitive dark comedy of the modern era thanks toJanicza Bravo’s bold directing as well as Paige and Keough’s outstanding performances. SinceZoladepicts some wild nightsand deals with delicate topics with candid views on sexuality and sex work combined with strong suspense, startling absurdity, and humor, it’s a bold and thrilling ride from start to finish.
3‘Logan Lucky’ (2017)
Logan Luckycenters on the notoriously unlucky Logan family, who decide to steal from the Charlotte Motor Speedway while dodging security personnel and the FBI with the help of Joe Bang (Daniel Craig), a criminal with a reputation for safe-cracking. Keough played Mellie Logan, Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde’s (Adam Driver) sister, who aids her brothers with the crime while also helping Jimmy’s daughter get ready for her pageant.
Logan Lucky, unlike earlierSteven Soderberghheist films, combines humor and adrenaline without the edginess one might anticipate but the result is explosive and unforgettable. Moreover, thanks to the creative storytelling and the cast’s excellent performances, Soderbergh expertly transforms a normal story into one that is incredibly entertaining, making every minute of the film worth seeing.
4‘The Guilty’ (2021)
Remade from the 2018 Danish film of the same name,The Guiltytakes place in a 911 dispatch call center over the course of one morning and follows a police officer (Jake Gyllenhaal) who has recently been demoted and now working at a call dispatch as he receives an emergency call from a kidnapped woman, voiced by Keough.
Keough’s surprisingly good voice actingis potent and compelling even though the audience never actually sees her. Additionally, despite certain scenes in the film being too staged, it is successful in telling a gripping plot with superb acting, motivating the audience to stir up their imagination to keep up.
5‘Lovesong’ (2016)
Lovesongfollows Sarah (Keough), who has been abandoned by her husband, and sets out on a spontaneous road trip with her small daughter and her best friend Mindy (Jena Malone). Before circumstances separate them, the dynamic between the two buddies gets stronger along the journey. In the days leading up to Mindy’s wedding years later, Sarah makes an effort to rekindle their close relationship.
Malone and Keough provide unpolished performances that are delicate, moving, and surprisingly realistic. Additionally, directorSo-yong Kimportrays this tension with extraordinary restraint, thoughtful glances and painful half-smiles which express much more emotion between Sarah and Mindy than the things they say to one another.
6‘American Honey’ (2016)
American Honeyfollows a youngster named Star (Sasha Lane), who comes from a dysfunctional family, and escapes with a traveling sales team who go door to door in the American Midwest selling magazine subscriptions. Keough portrayed Krystal, the sales team’s leader.
American Honeysucceeds in capturing the desperation of being a poor young kid in a remote area of the country without belittling or idolizing its underprivileged characters. Although Star’s experiences alternate between magical and the reality of capitalism,Sasha Lane’s subtle portrayalaids in making sense of them.
7‘The Good Doctor’ (2011)
The Good Doctorfollows Dr. Martin Blake (Orlando Bloom) who, when encounters 18-year-old Diane (Keough), a patient with a kidney infection, receives the much-needed boost in self-esteem that he has been seeking all of his life. Blake tries to tamper with Diane’s therapy as her condition starts to get better because he fears losing her. As a result, Diane remains ill and in the hospital next to him.
The film is a character study of a simple man who acts evilly out of selfishness which is occasionally entertaining. Bloom, who gives a portrayal of subtly rising psychosis, is the center of the picture and is significantly aided by Keough’s commanding presence.
8‘Paterno’ (2018)
Paternocenters onJoe Paterno,played byAl Pacino, a former head football coach at Penn State, and his career before being dismissed in 2011 after the university’s sex abuse scandal. Keough portrayed the Patriot-News reporterSara Ganim.
The film succeeds not just because the actions it describes are so horrible and repugnant, but also because the topic is so agonizingly current. Together with Keough, who shines in her own unique way and represents a force of journalists who are fighting tirelessly to unearth the truth, Pacino’s performance as Paterno is one of his best.
9‘Hold the Dark’ (2018)
Based onWilliam Giraldi’s novel of the same name,Hold the Darkbegins when the mother (Keough) of a missing six-year-old boy hires author Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright) to find her son in the Alaskan wilderness following the deaths of three other kids who were thought to have been killed by wolves.
Hold the Darkis nevertheless a violent, suspenseful trek through the snow and into the depths of darkness anchored by brilliant performances of Wright, Keough, and the cast, even though it isn’t as captivating asJeremy Saulnier’s earlier movies.
10‘The Lodge’ (2019)
The Lodgerevolves around a soon-to-be stepmother (Keough) who is stuck at her fiancé’s family’s remote resort during Christmas alone with his two kids. There, she has a number of strange occurrences with the kids that seem related to her tragic and haunting past.
Keough gives a standout performance, delving deeply into her character’s broken psyche without ever exaggerating the pain inside. AlthoughThe Lodgeis primarily set in the great outdoors, it is nonetheless a cramped thriller that exploits profound psychological anguish. Adding a touch of religious cult repression, the film is a perfect mixture ofThe ShiningandThe Thing.
