Also at Toronto will be Ang Lee with his new film for Focus Features, Lust, Caution, which is set in Shanghai in the days before the war and tells the story of a young woman's involvement 'with a plot to assassinate a Japanese collaborator'. This film has been in the news today for not entirely the right reasons. It's been awarded an NC-17 certificate in the US for its erotic content, thereby restricting the size of the film's potential audience. However, Focus Features are in the news (in this case, the Guardian) because they are standing by their Oscar-winning director and have not asked him to change the content of the film in anyway, accepting the certificate. '"As with so many of his previous films, Oscar-winning director Ang Lee has crafted a masterpiece about and for grown-ups," the company's chief executive officer, James Schamus, an Oscar nominee himself for co-writing Lee's 2000 hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, said.'
I'm not familiar with how these things work, but this acceptance is being discussed as unusual, even 'startling' and is testament to the respect with which Ang is held in film making circles. And it is also testament to the respect given to Brokeback Mountain. I read a feature this week which draws attention to the iconic resonance of Brokeback, in images and language, even in countries where Brokeback Mountain is not supposed to exist. Here we can see Russian premier Putin astride a horse, almost in mimicry of Ennis, and learn that, despite all its efforts, the Chinese government has had to accept the term 'Brokeback' into its language as a synonym of a gay man.
Ferragut dream over or just another rumour about a rumour?
To add another pinch of salt to the celler, the detectives at IHeartJake have uncovered that a US rag is reporting Jake's reps as saying of the Farragut North play rumours: 'That was inaccurately reported and Jake is not confirmed to do the project'. So on the one hand we have the New York Post and on the other we have OK Magazine.... Whether this is true or not, I still want to post a link to this feature at ABC News, because I like the picture and the style of it.
And another thing...
Thanks to Cherita for pointing this little snippet out to me today. We all know that Jake has European noble ancestry (plus Golden Halls and all that), but here are further hints that Jake's blood may be almost as blue as his eyes.
Includes pictures from IHJ.
9 comments:
Peter's cute. Jake is awesome. Ang is sterling. And all's right with the world.
Except you WDW - sending you some virtual TLC and are you getting enuff vitamin J?
Thanks for the TLC Pia - one thing's for sure - never enough Vitamin J ;)
Rock the Vote PSA is great, and it's pretty cool that Stephen G. directed it as well. Jake and Peter are adorable in this, and I agree WDW, Jake is quite convincing (a la licking his lips). Love Peter's giggle!
I am a fan of Peter, but unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to see many of his films (still haven't seen Kinsey). It would have been interesting to see the short film that Peter and Maggie was in as a couple, High Falls, but I believe it only played at a few film festivals.
I too have been following the latest news on Ang's upcoming film, Lust, Caution as well. It is unusual that Focus Feature isen't contesting the NC-17 rating because it will no doubt effect its distribution and audience. I suppose on one hand its nice to see a more adult film for adults, but on the other hand where the young audience market will be excluded will effect perhaps the box office. Yet sometimes, I also feel that studios cater too much to the young market, and less to our adult audiences.
I don't know if I would really take the word of OK Magazine about the Farragut North play. Perhaps some may disagree but, I think I'd go by the NY Post a bit more. Who knows, perhaps the audition process isen't complete yet or something like that. Gosh, it can be frustrating when these conflicting reports come out about Jake's projects. I like the ABC news on Jake too WDW.
Thanks WDW and Cherita on finding out that Jake and Maggie are ancestors of the beautiful Princess Diana. How neat is that?! Here's the exact link to Jake and Maggie's ancestorial connection:
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/gyllenhaal_chart.pdf
Interesting as well that CNN reporter Anderson Cooper is an ancestor as well. His own family is quite interesting, his Mom being the famous Gloria Vanderbilt.
They all have blue blood and blue eyes!
Mornin' all! Gotta get ready soon to go to friends' renewal of their Wedding Vows, just enough time to get my Jake thoughts down first so I can concentrate on the ceremony!
That may be an old "Vote" video, but I hadn't seen it before and I loved it! It has such a natural feel, probably because Jake and Peter know each other like brothers and Stephen was directing. Peter's quite a dish but Jake is just gorgeous! If he looked at me like that he could persuade me to vote for pretty much anything!
While I was there I took a look at the short clip of Maggie for the same campaign.She is so feisty and beautiful, how can there be so much beauty and talent in one family??!!
On the film front I find it really thrilling that "Rendition" is not just one of the film's featured in the TIFF but has been chosen to head up the opening night gala. Surely a harbinger of great things to come for that film and our boy??!!
As for Ang's film, I say good on yer "Focus Features" for backing their man and not contesting the X-rating. Jantoinette, you are right, too much emphasis is put on the youth market by many sectors of the media and just because a film features adult themes and eroticism doesn't automatically render it pornographic - under the direction of someone like Ang Lee, such subjects can be artistic, sensitive and deeply meaningful.
What greater evidence of Ang's ability to bring out the beauty, emotion and heart-break in a potentially contorversial subject is there than "Brokeback Mountain"? It is so heartening that even in countries such as Russia and China where people are often subject to desperate oppression, "Brokeback" has found a way to an audience, albeit a clandestine one and has made a deep and lasting impression in their hearts and minds too."BBM" is like an invisible thread of humanity holding so many disparate people together, despite the best/worst efforts of their governments.
I had a few e-mails from a young Chinese law student some time ago, she had e-mailed me via the Gyllenhaalics board, having seen an illicit copy of "Brokeback" and she was just desperated to talk to someone who so obviously loved Jake and "Brokeback" as much as she did. Haven't heard from her for a while, must look her up again.
Just picking up on a sad thread from yesterday's post, I'm so sad that Austin has been arrested for Drinking and Driving. Apart from it being an utterly stupid thing to do, I worry that recent down-turns in his career and who knows what other personal blows, may have led him to do something so reckless. I hope he's not hitting the bottle in a major fashion. It makes me sad too, because I'm sure Jake, while being a little disappointed in him,will be really concerned for someone to whom he's been so close for so long, he's bound to be really worried about him. I'm sure he'll support him and let's hope that Austin is afforded the same kind of understanding and compassion that has been afforded to several female Hollywood "starlets" recently and won't get the book thrown at him just because he's not a pretty female.
To end on a lighter note, I am irrationally thrilled that Jake has ancestral connections with Princess Diana (the Spencer family's aristocratic ancestory lengthily pre-dating the lineage of our present Royal family!). I adored her,whatever her shortcomings may have been, still miss her ten years on. Just another subliminal reason why I find Jake so bloody irresistible!
Now I really must go and get my schlap on for this "do", I can't rely on air-brushing to make me look presentable!
Ttfn,Nadine xx
WDW, well-done and informative post -- again!
Nadine, wonderful post, too, and I'm with you on every point.
I didn't know about Austin's DUI. How sad. I hope it isn't indicative of serious problems and is just a stupid mistake. We all make them.
Good for Ang Lee AND James Shamus. How nice that there are some who keep adults in mind when making their films. Seems to me scenes like those purportedly in Lust, Caution aren't nearly as "pornographic" as all the violence in so many films directed at young people.
It seems the machinery that runs Broadway is as sluggish as that of Hollywood! Guess I'd better start praying I live long enough to see Jake on the boards.
And that Mike Nichols lives long enough to direct Jake. He IS 75, after all!
Hi all - Hope you're feeling better today, WDW.
Great thread, WDW. I had seen the Rock the Vote video - very cute. I like the "over coffee" feeling it has. I hope we hear something definitive soon about Farragut North for Jake.
Also, hooray! for Ang Lee, Focus Features and James Schamus. I'm so glad Ang's creative vision for his film will be uncompromised. Looking forward to seeing it, it sounds like an intereting story. I'm glad that people in other countries have had the opportunity to appreciate Brokeback, too, whatever their country's politics.
And blue-blooded Jake - Jake's always a prince, no matter what! :)
Hi everyone - thanks for all the well wishes, I'm feeling much better today thanks to you and a healthy dose of Pia's Vitamin J ;D
Jantoinette - thanks for that great post. I know, the bit where Jake licks his lips is positively priceless. He really does need to learn to keep that tongue under control, it's a lethal weapon. Thanks for the link to the blue blood connection.
I tend to think with the Ang film that I would prefer to see it as Ang intends. Fortunately I'm onld enough (just) to be able to see it.
I don't go with OK mag either - I find it interesting that the NYP couldn't get a quote from Jake's rep but amazingly OK could. Hmmm.
Hey Nadine - thanks! And I hope you had a good time at the wedding renewal. A lovely day for it if it's in the UK. A big thanks also for your sympathies and kindness for Austin who really can't be having too good of a time of it at the moment. He's made a mistake and hopefully he will be treated with some compassion. I'm appalled by how mug shots get on the internet btw. Every time a star gets bust the shots are on the news that night - I don't understand why that's allowed to happen?
Hi Beckela - couldn't agree more on your point that better to have some eroticism in a film for adults than violence in a film for kids. I think we're old enough to cope with what Ang has in store :) And Mike Nichols is 75?? - oh, blimey...
Thanks Marina - feeling much better. Must be this beautiful, warm sunshine and a lot of Jaking :)
Glad you're feeling better,WDW! I quite agree that it seems horribly unfair for well-known alleged miscreants to have their mugshots plastered all over the media. The Human Rights act in Britain has been misused to justify many weird and troubling legal decisions but I would like to think that it, or similar legislation, should afford such public figures at least a degree of privacy until they are actually convicted of something!
And I'm cringing at a couple of typos I didn't correct in my post. Contorversial?! Desperated?! God help me, I think I'm turning into George W.Bush!
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