Anna Kendrick has been talking to Collider about 50/50 but while she did it there were a few words about a film I think we're all interested in - End of Warch - in which Anna plays the girlfriend and then wife of Jake Gyllenhaal's character. The whole experience was nothing less than 'crazy for Anna.
It was 'really loose, lots of improv, almost no thought towards continuity and editing, which is really freeing, because a lot is shot as handheld video. And we ended up shooting an entire trip to Las Vegas, driving out there and driving back and everything that we did in Las Vegas, without any script whatsoever. We shot continuously for fourteen hours which was... crazy!'
Before we get going, I think it's time to exercise those little grey cells. Noone gets any dinner until they've spotted the differences. PS, Jake Gyllenhaal is hot in both - no difference there. Click and it shall be embiggened. Thanks to IHJ for the treat!
Not that long ago we heard that the US was getting the chance to download a digital version of Source Code ahead of its conventional release on DVD and blu ray. The film did well in all these forms of release. Now the good news is that LoveFilm, the UK film streaming service, has signed an agreement with Studio Canal (Optimum as was) to show Source Code this Autumn here. I like to think that the appeal of films like Source Code and Attack the Block has given this deal a push. Jake Gyllenhaal's movies are in and on demand. What with this and my blu ray and DVD copies of Source Code, this could be the film I have in the most formats (except for Brokeback and Zodiac - I have copies of those coming out of my ears).
Old (but young) friend of ours, Josh Hutcherson has been talking yet again, this time to MTV, about how he is inspired by Jake. Josh has done this with regularity throughout his emerging career and it's so good to see. 'I've always been a big Jake Gyllenhaal fan. I like how he goes from doing a bigger studio movie to a more independent film'. Jake's influence on youngsters is great to see, including his ability to pick his films.
Jake himself appears to still be in New York and, not letting himself be put off by the Source Code experience, has been seen riding the trains of the Big Apple.
Pictures from IHJ and the UK magazine All About Prince of Persia - possibly the only PoP publication in the entire world I didn't get...
As the year cracks on, it's time for another poll. You can still vote for Jake Gyllenhaal in the SCREAM awards - and please do keep clicking that link! - and now it's the SFX awards. Follow this link and vote for Duncan Jones and Source Code - and make sure you write down Jake's name as your proposed Sci Fi actor. You know it makes sense.
Talking of polls. Some make sense and some don't. This is possibly the least sense making of any that I've heard. Ever. Jake Gyllenhaal came second in a poll to decide which celebrity should marry Pippa Middleton, aka The Royal Sister. 'Ryan Reynolds topped the
vote for The Royal Sister's Suitor - 22 per cent of readers thought
he would make the perfect boyfriend for the Duchess of Cambridge's
sister Pippa Middleton. Jake Gyllenhaal and Leonardo DiCaprio tied
for second place with 18 per cent.' Extraordinary. Of course, if The Royal Sister herself had been asked for her opinion, obviously Jake would have been top of her list.
Talking of Jake, sightings continue of him in the Big Apple, doing what he does best. Eating out. More alarming are reports that he's doing his lumberjack impression again. You know what that means - lumberjack one day, sasquatch the next. Here's another sighting and another... According to the NY Post, there was also a sighting of 'Jake
Gyllenhaal hanging with female friends Wednesday night at the bar of
Andrew Carmellini’s restaurant, The Dutch, in SoHo.'
While spotting Jake is causing some people to almost faint, it's moving others to words. This wonderful open letter to Jake was written after he was seen and marvelled over at New York's Angelica Kitchen. The food, which contains no animal, dairy or egg products, sounds incredible. Extra points to Jake for going vegan!
I do hope the restaurants of New York have got a lot of food in...
This post includes completely irrelevant but utterly lovely new old pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal at the Maui Film Festival in 2005, thanks to IHJ.
One would have thought that the chances of being hit by a satellite falling from space to earth are rather slight - in fact, it is 14,000 times more likely that you'll be struck by lightning. However, this is tempered somewhat by the 1 in 3,200 likelihood that the satellite will hit some unlucky soul (odds here). But, having seen Donnie Darko, I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up in the morning to find a big bit of space jetsam sitting on my doormat, winking at me. And so, as the satellite hurtles towards us, with impeccable and hopefully not portentous timing, IHJ has posted some new old publicity stills from Jake Gyllenhaal's most spacey adventure to date, October Sky. Here are just a few of the many.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to reflect that Jake has starred in another film about the end of life as we know it - The Day After Tomorrow - while in Source Code there was the very real possibility of oblivion for another American city and for Jake's character Colter.
This probably isn't a good night to rewatch Donnie Darko with its foretelling of the end of the world.
So, with eyes upwards, I wish you all a safe good night.
But first...
Maggie Gyllenhaal has added her name and picture to the milk campaign although, as one likes with the Gyllenhaals, there is a twist. Maggie advertises the more sophisticated latte rather than just milk. Although, looking at the picture, I think she's shoved a carton of ice cream in her face. Recompense for making the young Jake lap milk from a saucer at dinner parties?
I'm delighted to inform Maggie that I too have milk in my fridge, at least I think it's milk. It's not easy to tell due to the big lumps in it.
Anna Kendrick has been speaking to PoPSugar about the delights of working with Jake Gyllenhaal on End of Watch. Regrettably, she didn't tell them how tall Jake is. Nevertheless, it's all good:
"[It's been] great! He is one of the most open actors I've ever worked with. The whole set was crazy, since we were basically shooting it as though it was home movies. We didn't stop shooting it; there was hardly a second between takes where somebody didn't pick up one of the hand-held cameras. We just start shooting each other, which was a completely new experience for me but really exciting."
I have an image in my head of a line of cameramen sitting to one side, having a snooze with their feet up.
Get the look
Over the last few days, Jake has been getting some/even more attention for his look. As is the way with trendsetters, Jake's hair may be growing again but, according to Esquire, his buzzcut is The Look (but only if you have a nice looking head). Apparently, you should ask for 'Number One on the sides, Number Two up top'. Doesn't that make it a Number Three?
Meanwhile, SFGate has been handing out its 8 Get Sexy Styling Tips for Guys and there at Number 1 is Jake Gyllenhaal with his dark jeans.
Have you voted yet?
A friendly reminder that if you haven't voted for Jake yet as best scifi actor in the SCREAM awards, please get to it. And if you have, why not do it again...? Here is the link.
It was only a matter of time. Sooner or later it had to come to the attention of the outside world. Never mind the hair length, never even mind the Face Pet, there is nothing quite so controversial as Jake Gyllenhaal's height. Much has been written, suggested, argued, threatened and teased over the years about Jake's inches and now you can read all about it in this fantastic feature. Of course, what it doesn't say is that Jake actually is a versatile actor. Therefore, like some kind of stretchy alien in the X Files, Jake can vary his height by will. Not only does this help Jake with getting certain roles, it can also get him cheaper bus tickets.
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. I hereby present a few exhibits for your perusal.
The bear below is actually only three foot tall:
So that's sorted then.
SXSW
Talking of photos of Jake, do take a look at these photos of Jake, Duncan Jones, Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan taken at the Q&A at the SXSW Festival. The photos were taken by Larry Richman. I'm grateful to him and ManMadeMovies for the link.
And finally...
if you want to know a little bit more about the cameras that Jake and Michael Pena have strapped to their bodies for End of Watch, take a look here.
All is quiet on the Jake Gyllenhaal front at the moment, possibly because Jake has slipped away to the north to San Francisco and Berkeley. Jake was seen by a few tweeters at Four Barrel coffee shop on Friday night and then on Saturday he was snapped at the Berkeley Apple store. I'm so glad they were able to get a picture - proof indeed that the hair (and the face pet) is growing.
Thanks to IHJ, we also learn that Jake has signed a poster that is being auctioned for Edible Schoolyard. You can read about that here and also bid for it. IHJ also has new pictures of Jake appearing on Radio Europa in Moscow, back in those glorious PoP days of May 2010. There are a couple here and more can be found there.
WDW Dibley Interlude
I'm a big Vicar of Dibley fan and, even though the series was filmed just a few miles from where I live, today was the first time I've visited the beautiful village of Turville. And in the gorgeous warm autumnal sunshine too. Sitting outside in the beer garden looking at the wood smoke pouring out of the chimneys, it was idyllic. If you've seen the show, you may recognise the church and the vicarage. Of course, if you've never heard of Vicar Of Dibley (starring Dawn French), as is very possible, then apologies and I hope you like the photos of one of the prettiest villages in these parts!
A Vicar of Dibley reminder!
We also visited the windmill at Brill, a medieval village known for its clay pits (for pots), and Fengest, a village with one of the loveliest churches I've seen. Built in the early 13th century at the latest, it has a curious double set of towers. The day was rounded off by the site of two fallow deer running past us on the country roads.
When Jake Gyllenhaal read the script of Source Code and immediately knew he wanted to do it, getting Duncan Jones on board to develop and direct the project, Jake showed he can spot a good thing. So much so, Source Code producer Mark Gibson has now sold a TV version to CBS. All credit is due to writer Ben Ripley, Duncan and Jake for putting something together that caught an awful lot of imaginations and has spurred a whole TV series of potential sci fi scenarios. The Hollywood Reporter revealed last night:
"Like the film on which it is based, the action/procedural follows three former federal agents who are part of a top-secret program. Each week, they'll use "Source Code" technology to jump into the consciousness of people involved in tragic events.
Gordon (Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds) will produce the project, with Vendome Pictures' Philippe Rousselet serving as a consulting producer.Steve Maeda (Lie to Me, Lost) is on board to write."
Duncan and Jake may have given Source Code the lift off it needed to sell it to the small screen but that appears to be the end of their involvement with it.
My initial reaction to the news was that the premise of Source Code worked very well in a tightly structured and intelligent film but I couldn't see how it could retain its originality and interest over a full series. Especially without seeming to be a remake of the wonderful Quantum Leap, to which the film played homage with its inclusion of Scott Bakula. I'd be interested to know what you think!
Maggie at TIFF
Last night, the gala for Hysteria took place at the Toronto International Film Festival and Maggie Gyllenhaal looked absolutely stunning and happy in a long white lace gown with sandals. You can see video of the event here.
The interview below was also recorded yesterday.
The more I hear about this film, the more I am desperate to see it!
A brief digression this evening to celebrate the today's presentation of Hysteria at TIFF by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy and (my old favourite) Jonathan Pryce. The gala is tonight as well as the official cast dinner with Maggie. There are some wonderful pictures of Maggie at the press conference here. Please note how I'm not mentioning the dress...
At the press conference, Maggie was asked about working with her husband, Peter Sarsgaard:
“We’ve done two plays together and we just did one this winter. Being onstage with him night after night, we realized that we really respect each other and i really respect his opinion about his work. Even when I have had a great day, I often come back and tell him about it. He’s definitely not a husband who says, ‘You can’t make a movie about a vibrator’ or ‘Don’t take your clothes off.’ I don’t think he would’ve married me.”
I rather enjoyed this early review of Hysteria over at Collider.
No word about, or photos of, Jake as yet, if he is in Toronto. Looking at all of the Maggie goodies that are coming out of Toronto today, I am reminded about how much I'm looking forward to the release of End of Watch!
Jamie Foxx is making a documentary about, one speculates, his career. So far untitled, it's scheduled for release in 2012 and there, topping the list of contributors is Jake Gyllenhaal. Of course, Jake and Jamie have known each other for some time, most famously making Jarhead together back in 2005. Jake also featured in a cameo for Jamie's single Blame It back in February 2009.
The contributors for the documentary include the other Blame It cameo stars, not all of whom had any idea what they were committing too when they turned up for filming shortly after the inauguration of President Obama. Apparently, Foxx had used that occasion to hoodwink Ron Howard (read more about that here)! It will definitely make for some interesting stories.
According to IMDb Pro, the documentary was filmed in LA and New Orleans in December 2009.
Love and Other Drugs
Source Code has not yet opened in Japan, but neither has Love and Other Drugs. It doesn't open until 19 November and the publicity is underway. With thanks to Maumintolor, here is a look at Japan's poster as well as a link to the website.
TIFF 2011
Amid rumours that Jake has joined Maggie in Toronto to support her at TIFF for the opening of Hysteria, Anna Kendrick is also in attendance. PoPSugar reports that she gushed to them about her latest handsome co-star, Jake. Good on you, Anne! If there's one thing I can empathise with, it's someone gushing about Jake.
I don't think there's a film festival quite like it and I'm delighted to hear that Maggie Gyllenhaal will be back at the Toronto International Film Festival this Thursday to showcase her Victorian comedy Hysteria in the Roy Thomson Hall. Maggie and Jake have made regular appearances at TIFF over the years, together in 2002 (for Secretary and Moonlight Mile), and then Jake was there again for Brokeback Mountain and Proof in 2005 and for Rendition in 2007.
Looking back now to 2007, four whole years ago, it makes me realise how fast everything was moving, how quickly we followed Jake from Brokeback in 2005 to Zodiac (Cannes) and Rendition in (Toronto, Rome) in 2007. I hope more than a lot that it won't be too long before we see Jake charm the media and fans alike at another big international festival. Preferably TIFF because you don't have to be press or in the industry to enjoy the excitement of walking around Yorkville, mingling with stars and fellow movie lovers. Some decent cocktails too...And you just never know who you'll see around the next corner.
Back in 2007, on 7 September to be precise, Rendition had its gala premiere in Toronto. It also marked one of the most fantastic and incredible weekends of my life - who'd have thought I would ever have visited Canada from England for just a weekend?! I certainly wouldn't have. I got more than I ever could have dreamed - several close sightings of Jake (and Peter Sarsgaard), a seat in the theatre, meeting with good friends, exploring a new, beautiful city (no-one told me it was that hot in Toronto), and bumping into filmstars and filmlovers. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Ben Affleck, to name just a few.
I realise that quite a few WDW readers may not have enjoyed it all the first time around and so I hope you won't mind if I link to a couple of posts from that weekend as I sink into Jake Nostalgia mode! Here's my report of the gala day itself, a summary with more pictures and a report on what TIFF was like the day after Jake left and it was incredible. But before all that there was biggest thrill of my first night in Toronto, fresh off the plane, when I wanted to walk off my jetlag and I came across the biggest possible proof that Jake was in the city with me. At the end of 2007, I summed it all up.
Afterwards, I learned that other friends were at the Rendition screening including a bunch who were able to get Jake to sign one of his shirts from Brokeback Mountain.I don't think any of us will ever forget.
Jake Gyllenhaal was seen at a second sushi restaurant in as many days yesterday, this time Murakami Sushi Restaurant in Hollywood. Clearly, the diet is good for him. Is that the beginnings of a coat of hair I see upon his head? Please note how I'm not mentioning how hot the white shirt looks. Many thanks to IHJ for the lovely new pics, which also remind me it's time for tea.
A reminder - VOTE FOR JAKE!
Jake is up for a SCREAM for Best Science Fiction Actor for his role in Source Code. So drop what you're doing and do just what director Duncan Jones tells you to do - Vote for Jake!
Back in July we reflected on Jake Gyllenhaal's continued status as a trendsetter - this time setting the trend for bald heads, a look swiftly followed by Matt Damon (and almost attempted by The Pale One). Although there is a good chance that Jake's head will soon be getting its winter coat of hair, Matt has taken a moment to speak to People of his appreciation for Jake's head.
"Wow, I try not to envy, but I have to say Jake's got a damn good-looking head," Damon, 40, told PEOPLE at Wednesday's New York premiere of his new movie about a killer virus, Contagion. "He sure does have a beautiful round head." "Normally you say, 'That's a beautiful head of hair, but that's a beautiful head he's got,' " Damon says laughing. "Gyllenhaal definitely gets the blue ribbon for the best bald head over me."
Plea to Jake: Please do not let this praise go to your head. Put away your shaver! As you can see from these photos, taken on 6 September as Jake leaves Nishimura Restaurant with Busy Philipps, the head does seem a little less bald. A good smile too.
Incidentally, as we all know, Busy and Jake are both godparents to Matilda Ledger and I wouldn't want today to pass without wishing happy birthday to Matilda's beautiful mum, Michelle Williams.
Vote for Jake!
Jake is up for a SCREAM for Best Science Fiction Actor for his role in Source Code. So drop what you're doing and do just what director Duncan Jones tells you to do - Vote for Jake!
