Rendition DVD on the horizon and more Red Carpet Jake

For those people who live on the other side of the Atlantic from me, tomorrow is a special day as it marks the highly anticipated release of Rendition on DVD, which may lead to repetitive strain injury in the pause and fast forward digit. So here is a taste of what people might expect in terms of extras.


'As Rendition is based on the practice known as extraordinary rendition, a related documentary titled "Outlawed" is included here. With a brief introduction by director Gavin Hood, "Outlawed" documents the ordeals of various people who have been rendered by the CIA, like the German citizen Khaled El-Masri. Next we have "Intersections: The Making of Rendition," a behind-the-scenes documentary that features interviews with the cast and crew and various footages taken during filming. In "Deleted Scenes/Alternate Ending," we get five such scenes that come with an optional commentary by Hood. Also included is an audio commentary by director Gavin Hood. In this solo commentary, Hood talks about the various elements of the film and the process he and his crew went through trying to produce the best film they could. Rounding up this section is the film's theatrical trailer.'


It's somewhat disappointing to hear that the commentary is a solo one by Gavin Hood, but this sounds like a decent package to me, especially after the bare bones editions of Zodiac and Brokeback Mountain we were given.



So to get in the mood for the DVD, here are three red carpet videos from those giddy film festival days of last year, the first brings the Toronto premiere of Rendition to life. If the right video doesn't play, just look at the list of TIFF events down the right-hand side and select the Renditon premiere. This video not only includes brief interviews with Jake and Reese, it also features the gorgeous Kelley Sane and the equally lovely Peter Sarsgaard, which can never be a bad thing.



And while I'm in a TIFF mood, as I so often am, here is a 'blink and you'll miss it' video of Jake in demand.



And finally, this film puts us back in Rome and the red carpet event there for the European premiere of Rendition. If you were able to see myself and Xenia, which you can't, we would be at the end, on the left, close to the gate with the flag.



Includes pictures from IHJ.

Jake on why awards matter and the case for Rendition

Just a month ago, some of us were incredibly lucky and were able to be in Rome to support Rendition and have an amazing adventure (in what seemed like sub-zero temperatures). It's hard to believe now that it was just a few weeks ago that we got to see Jake walk down the red carpet, absolutely in command of his experience. It's always good to see new film emerge of Jake's walkabout. This video contains images from other stars' big nights in Rome, but it begins with Jake and includes a question about what his Bafta and Oscar nomination mean to him. The Baftas will always be incredibly special to me, and all because of one Jake Gyllenhaal and the events of February 11 2007, but Jake's comments have an irony to them now, knowing as we do that Paramount didn't put much store in Zodiac for awards and nor can New Line be bothered to promote Rendition for the gong season.


The interviewer asks Jake out of the blue what awards mean to him. After pulling a delightful face and reassuring the interviewer that it was an important question, Jake says: 'It's obviously an honour because of the people before you who've been nominated and have won and... you carry that with you when you're nominated and that's an honour. And then I also think it's important in terms of... just selling a movie. It's very important cos smaller movies don't get seen as much as bigger ones do if they're not recognised with awards, so that's a wonderful thing.'


There is also another video from the very serious looking press conference in Rome, in which both Jake and Reese answer questions about the motivations and choices of their characters. If you can't speak Italian, this will give you a good chance to brush up on the old lipreading skills. Thanks to a WDW reader for the link to this.


Why people should see Rendition by Kelley Sane

As we're talking about Rendition tonight, I thought you might be interested to read this fascinating, detailed interview with the fascinating and Gorgeous Kelley Sane, written by a reporter who was also in the Toronto theatre on that incredible, always memorable night of 7 September. The interviewer notes that this night seemed to launch Rendition into success, receiving as it did a standing ovation. The audiences were subsequently disappointing 'And screenwriter Kelley Sane, the architect of the whole thing, was left wondering what had happened. Last week, I caught up with Sane to discuss the origins of his career, the film, and the struggle to find an audience for a film that feels as if it has been rendered, if you will, from the public's attention (but in my opinion merits a second look)...'


I had no idea Kelley had been a photographer of the rich, famous and beautiful, but the interview also touches on Kelley's life as a student and tennis player in LA and presents an interesting portrait of how this writer writes. A discussion of Rendition's inspiration is followed by Kelley's assessment of why audiences have been so split:

'Well, you know, I’m not that surprised by that, you know? I understand, you now, everyone has their own opinion. And, you know, it’s a controversial subject. And, you know, the structure of the movie is a little controversial. And so I understand, you know, people having some issues with it. But, you know, at the same time, I’m not a Civics teacher. This is a piece of entertainment, first. You know, this is supposed to entertain, and if it informs and creates a debate, that’s great, but first I want to create something that’s entertaining. And so, you know, for some people who don’t like it, the best I can suggest is see it a second time, and I think that you’ll really appreciate it more the second time, because then some of the literal nuances of the story that person might be able to appreciate a little more. Because it’s a complex story and, you know, the characters are complex and, you know, sometimes, I think, you know, first-viewing, you know, you’re expecting, you know, The Kingdom, or you’re expecting, you know, something different, and you get, you know, what I consider to be a smart film, and you may not be on guard, and you may not be ready for that. So see it a second time. And if you see it a second time and you still don’t like it, then I’ll accept that, you know? But I just think it’s a complex film and it’s good to see it twice, I think.'


And on a more personal note: 'I hope it makes a lot of money. [laughs] I hope a lot of people see it. I want it to be successful, ‘cause I want to continue working in this genre and, you know, if the film is successful, then it will allow me to continue to work in this world. And so first of all I want to be successful, because I have other stories—other issue-driven stories—to talk about and, you know, if this one is successful, then it will allow me to do that.' I hope Kelley is able to do that.


And a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates it - and may you have a better time with your loved ones than this cheery lot.



Includes pictures from IHJ.

David Fincher's night out, Zodiac's missing moments and Kelley Sane talks Rendition (video)

Last night, David Fincher got another chance to see that many people have strong feelings for Zodiac, sometimes needing to see it more than once, more than twice, because it has such a pull on them. Zodiac was shown to a sold out and very appreciative Walter Reade Theater in New York. A report of the night in the Reeler begins with words that may well speak for more than of us: 'for my money, it's one of the finest films of the decade. Host and chief interrogator Kent Jones wasn't the only one confessing to having seen the movie five times or more; one man prefaced his question with such ecstatic praise that Fincher interrupted him before he could even get to the question: "Thank God for you, sir."'


The audience wasn't just treated to a viewing of the film, but also a question and answer session with David himself, in which he recalled the San Francisco that inspired him because he himself was frightened as a child by the constant coverage, month in, month out, of the killer's threats. '"It was such a big deal for so long -- it was almost two years that the guy was in the paper every day, and then all of a sudden it just disappeared, and I remember thinking 'What happened with that?' When I got the script, I kind of thought I didn't want to make a movie about it; I didn't want to make a movie that exploited him. I wanted to make the movie about it that turned over every rock. The Chronicle was in a neck-and-neck tie with the Examiner and catapulted to the forefront because Zodiac chose to communicate through the Chronicle. So a lot of the landscape of San Francisco changed because of Zodiac."'


Once the film was recorded, the difficulty for David Fincher was in getting it to be under five hours. '"When we got the version we were happy with, we did one more screening," he explained. "We hijacked people from malls and gave them the power of life and death, and made them Siskel and Ebert." Those two scenes were the most contentious in testing; for DVD, Fincher wanted to restore the film's shape to that of "the final screening before we lopped the ears off."'


Interestingly, David commented on the stories that emanated from the film set, the numerous takes and deletions that drove Robert Downey Jr and Jake Gyllenhaal (at least) to want to garrot their director. '"Do you know the best way to get an actor to stop fucking around? Stop giving them direction. Say 'Just do another one.' Three takes of that, they're done. 'What do you want me to do?' 'I want you to come through the elevator and turn and say the line like this." Suddenly you could see the perfectionist's killer instinct that led many smart-ass critics to say Zodiac feels like a movie not just about a serial killer, but that feels like it was made by one as well.'

And I'm hoping that our own CWG had a great time in the company of one David Fincher!


The Director's Cut extras

A lucky soul who has seen the Director's Cut of Zodiac has given an account of the extra minutes, the extended or original scenes and the new dialogue - even a new emphasis. You may not want to know the details before seeing the new cut yourself, but I will say that at long last we'll be able to see the scene that goes with this picture. I've often wondered about it. And I'm glad to get more Jake, especially more Jake with more Robert.



Rendition video interview with Kelley, Omar and Gavin

I was delighted to find that Variety had hosted an interview not only with Gavin Hood, but also with Omar Metwally and, my favourite, Gorgeous Kelley Sane. Here is the video. We learn that Kelley became inspired to write the screenplay of Rendition while at a party discussing the subject in 2005 (sounds like some party). Kelley was motivated because he wanted to explore the consequences of actions and whether chipping away at the constitution of the United States could ever be justified. Kelley says that after 9/11 it was understandable that the government would wish to do everything in its power to protect its citizens, but what is the cost of these actions and are we willing to bear it? It's interesting to consider that, as Gavin Hood says, not all of the actors shared the same opinions. Perhaps not surprisingly, by the end of filming, Omar Metwally had no doubt that torture can never be excused.



Includes pictures from IHJ.

Smiling Jake, and the move from best supporting to winning lead

Remember those summer days, when we didn't see hide nor hair of Jake Gyllenhaal from one week to the next? Then think the total opposite and that would be November 2007 (maybe he's having his kitchen overhauled so can't stay in). This time we have happy pictures of Jake and Reese driving around yesterday and smiling.




Jake making the transition

I read an article this morning that ponders the nature of the leading man and how studios are packing their films a bigger punch by filling the supporting roles with actors who would otherwise be considered leads - Jake Gyllenhaal and Cate Blanchett's names are mentioned. Despite undoubtedly being the lead in October Sky, Bubble Boy and Donnie Darko, since then Jake has been part of an ensemble of fine actors - in Moonlight Mile, The Good Girl, Brokeback Mountain, in Jarhead, Proof, Zodiac and in Rendition. Whether Jake or Tobey Maguire gets top billing for Brothers will be interesting to see, or indeed who gets more screen time.

I suspect that after Brothers we may see Jake step into leading shoes, thinking of the Moon Project here, for which Jake's is as yet the only attached name. Jake's career has to date been a succession of remarkable choices, placing him in films in which he has shone alongside some great talent. I am sure that this education, at the hands of Susan Sarandon, Dustin Hoffmann, Jamie Foxx, Antony Hopkins, Robert Downey Jr and anyone else I'm forgetting, will stand Jake in good stead as he makes the transition.


Powerful, shocking and mandatory - Rendition

The Irish Guardian has posted a good review of Rendition today, proclaiming 'Powerful, shocking and mandatory, Rendition is a disturbing film that should be required viewing for every school and civic group in America, and then the world.' 'The clever narrative structure that blends the events on two separate continents will keep you riveted... Hot off the headlines, this is one timely thriller that delivers its message with a huge punch and no heavy speechifying. The marvellous script by Kelley Sane juggles the dense plot, violent action, political intrigue and liberal anti-Bush sentiments with unnerving force.' Any review that gives a shout out to the Gorgeous Kelley Sane is all right by me.


Includes pictures from Flynetonline and IHJ.

A wonder of Rome - WDW's report from Jake's appearance on Rome's red carpet

The Wonders of Rome

Here's one...


...and here's another.


I know which I prefer - the one that looks good in a suit.

I'm back! Good to see you all. Not only could I get no internet access but then British Airways and the Italian airtraffic controllers decided to gang up on me and go on strike. I hope Jake wasn't one of the many left stranded in Rome today - although I imagine they'd put him up somewhere special. But better late than never, hopefully, here's my account of yesterday - a special day when yet again my dream came true and I saw Jake Gyllenhaal. Any mistakes, please blame Xenia because I wrote it while drinking the bottle of absolutely gorgeous wine she gave me. This also explains the fact that I refer to 'tonight'. I wanted to retain that.

Incidentally, you might remember that when I was in Toronto I mentioned the Jake Quake effect - well, it happened again in Rome. Whenever I see Jake and I'm holding a camera there are seismic tremors for which I accept no responsibility. It is either the fault of tectonic plates or Jake's hotness, neither of which I can control.


Tonight marked the finale of Jake Week, and the week couldn't have ended any better as it ended in the company of Jake – well, OK, there were also several hundred other people who shared that company with me, but you won't find me complaining. Rome is such a beautiful city – it's been 21 years since I spent some time here and I can't believe I'd forgotten how gorgeous it is. Around every corner there's something spectacular, whether a Roman ruin, a medieval tenement, a neoclassical palace, a fountain or a park. Surely there's no more beautiful or romantic city than Rome in which to have a Jake encounter? I now have special memories of beautiful cities around the world – London, Cannes, Toronto and now Rome – and three of them I would never have visited without the incentive of Jake.


The Roman red carpet was a gorgeous one (although the grandiose red steps of Cannes will always be a winner). One side was lined with trees and flowers; the crowd lined the other side. It ended in a circular area in which the stars could pose for press and TV. It was also by far the dirtiest red carpet I've ever seen – not helped by the number of dogs I saw being walked up and down it. This was also the first carpet I'd been to within sight of bars (clearly a bonus) and so one could watch the crowd gather while enjoying a Peroni and/or a particularly fine glass of red Sicilian.


The crowd grew fast and Jake's was the name I heard most. Reese had her fans there too, of course, but it was good to see so many people in Rome out especially for our Jake. More so than in Cannes. There were some who couldn't pronounce the name but they still uttered it and it was music to the ears. I enjoyed chatting (as far as I'm able with two words of Italian) with two young girls next to me who'd travelled in to see Jake because of Brokeback. A photographer on the carpet teased another girl by saying he was so much better looking than Jake now that Jake had his beard. I think not.


It was so cold and Jake was so late. The film was due to start at 7.30pm and there was no sign of Jake at 7.15pm. We heard a security guard say that Jake was in the next car - that didn't calm the nerves much. In the meantime we'd had a very scary looking Gerard Depardieu, a famous Italian footballer (don't ask me whom but he had black hair tied back in a very short ponytail), Rome's mayor and several politicians, and women in various states of dress/undress despite the not much above freezing temperatures. They soon gave in to coats, leaving the men to chill instead.


After four hours of waiting and shivering, I knew Jake must be close because I'd stopped shaking with the cold; hypothermia had set in.

Finally, at 7.20pm, Jake arrived in a convoy that also included Reese Witherspoon, Gavin Hood and Gorgeous Kelley Sane. Jake was in grey, reminding me so much of the Jarhead premiere but without the orange tie, and he just looked tall, standing head and shoulders above everyone else, but that may be my sense of proportion being upset by Jake again. There were dignitaries to greet and then Jake was whisked off to be interviewed by E!, which took place right in front of us. The girl interviewer received a kiss on both cheeks from Jake – I don't think she deserved them because I could see her prepping for her interview with Reese by reading Reese's interview in Elle, which the interviewer had marked with pink post-it notes – not impressed. Jake was then almost physically moved along by the familiar unsmiley BG (bodyguard, but I need a nickname for him) and Jake was off – they had arrived too late.




Reese looked stunning in her purple dress but she soon gave in to a coat, which she took off right at the end of the red carpet. It was way too cold to be wearing anything other than Jake's SNL polar bear coat. But Jake was so beautiful that I couldn't stop looking at him – I heard some people call Reese's name and I realised she was standing right in front of me and I'd never noticed her. This isn't her fault – all Jake's!




I was thrilled to see my favourite, Gorgeous Kelley Sane, the screenplay writer, was there. I'm impressed with myself that I managed to tear my concentration away from Jake (who was right in front of me) to call out to Kelley. He seemed surprised to hear someone call his name and he looked at me. I told him how great the film was and that I'd seen it in Toronto, and he looked pretty pleased. A guy behind me patted my shoulder and said 'well done' – I suppose, for remembering that there is more to a film as good as this one than its stars.



When Jake moved further down the line, we tried to follow him but the crowd was big and not a little excited. So our next tactic was, as we had tickets, to go inside the theatre and watch from the foyer. There were two screens showing live action from the carpet; one showing Jake, the other showing Reese. But soon we could see Jake himself. He was laughing and smiling and just radiating! But then he was quickly marched into the theatre a few feet from me but it was madness at that point. Once Reese was in, we were let through and managed to get our seats in time to see Jake and the others take their seats. The spotlight was on them and they were announced in turn. The announcer messed up Reese's surname completely. Jake's was no problem unusually and he got a huge ovation. The film started and for much of its beginning I couldn't focus as I could see Jake.




But they disappeared long before the end and I was so disappointed that, at the end, they were nowhere to be seen. In Toronto, they returned to accept graciously the standing ovation. This time, they didn't bother. I don't blame Jake for this but I would like to blame someone. We were applauding, ready to get to our feet, until we saw that those we wished to congratulate on a truly great film experience had left us to it. Not good, New Line Cinema.

One thing though, I wish I'd had a flu jab before this event - I've never been in a cinema with so many sick people! Coughing, sneezing, hacking, spluttering - no wonder the talent did a runner...


My overall impression of tonight's event was that the stars were late and they didn't hang around a moment longer than necessary. Their reception was fabulous and I was so proud to see how well regarded Jake is in continental Europe. I was also proud to be part of another audience seeing Rendition with Jake, however briefly. But, I suppose this event went along with these so-called premieres (like the LA event last week), when the intention seems to be to entice the media and disregard the audience. Fortunately, Toronto and Cannes were nothing like that. Nevertheless, I can only be delighted that I saw Jake again tonight – looking lovely! - and he's made me fall in love again with this most beautiful of cities. And, it meant that I could meet and spend time with Xenia. Perfecto!


In the 'proper' pics of last night, do you think it looks cold? I'm still warming up. I have a lot to catch up on and so that's why I have two days off work. Thanks to everyone for your emails and comments, to Twisted Logic and Anouska for keeping me sane and thanks to Jake.


Good pictures from IHJ and the others from WDW.