In the US it is, of course,the Independence Day holiday weekend. This does not mean that aliens invade the country's cities while cigar-smoking heroes blast them to smithereens under the direction of Roland Emmerich. But it does mean a chance to celebrate freedom from British rule while shedding tears over having to call chips fries and crisps chips. It appears that Jake Gyllenhaal is spending the holiday (or at least part of it) in one of his very favourite places - Martha's Vineyard. We know how Jake spent his summer holidays as a teen helping out in restaurants on the islandd, it looks as though he's doing the same thing now. Every penny helps. It's possible that my eyes deceive me, but isn't that Jake's old friend, Chris? Photo thanks to IHJ.
With thanks to Mermon for the heads up, we have release dates for Prisoners and it looks like some of us won't have to wait as long as normal. The film is out in the US on 20 September but now has the release date in the UK of 4 October - just a fortnight later. Good news! Although, as we know, these things have a habit of changing.
Incidentally, if you're in the UK and have LoveFilm Instant, I believe that Prince of Persia is now available to watch.
WDW Interlude
The weather has been hot and muggy this week which doesn't just mean that Wimbledon can behave itself and get the games played but that events don't get rained off for a change. Last weekend we attended the Chalke Valley History Festival in deepest Wiltshire, although most of our day visit was spent queuing up in a very hot car waiting to get in while catching glimpses of a WW1 dog fight being fought above our heads, through the tree canopy... When we eventually got it, there were historical experts to see, London mayors to laugh at, bubbles to drink and cakes to eat.
Below are the very familiar faces of Tom Holland and Dan Snow.
Mayor of London Boris got the chair.
On the way home we passed a small church I had to stop an photograph.
I'm off to Rome for a few days on Monday so it's a near certainty that photos will follow of a bunch of old stones...
On Martha's Vineyard, in the summer, non-famous people are so few and far between, they stand out as a bit of a curiosity. Every summer the island sinks a few inches further into the Atlantic Ocean, such is the weight of the influx of arty, movie, music types. At the same time, as the Exodus empties Beverly Hills, one can wander through the deserted streets of Hollywood, tumbleweed blowing past one's ears, vultures circling overhead. Should you be fortunate enough to be on MV at this golden time of year, it is more than likely that you will be outnumbered by the famous, who will mill round you, excited to hear what life is like for this outnumbered breed of non-famous.
Last Friday, there was an account on Facebook that 'Mitchell enjoyed dining with the stars (tho not dancing with them) Friday at the home of Tamara Weiss of Midnight Farm on Martha's Vineyard. Name dropping--impossible to resist...Tamara's husband cooked for Mitchell and Carly Simon, Jake Gyllenhall, Jim Belushi, Amy Brennerman (Private Practice/Judging Amy), Busy Phill...ipps (Cougartown), and NY restaurateur Keith McNally (Pulino's, Balthazar, Minetta Tavern...)...'
It's great to see Jake spending more time with fellow godparent for Matilda Busy Philipps. I wonder how these parties go when the stars turn up - do they get introduced, I wonder, or are people expected to know who everyone is and what they do? What is MV Star etiquette? Do you learn it or are you just born with knowledge of it? I will also admit to thinking that 'Cougartown' was another place on MV, like Edgartown. Sounded like an interesting place.
Source Code
Source Code is coming together! A Jake Gyllenhaal director who tweets is to be reasured and Duncan Jones has been doing a great job of keeping us up to date with developments to Source Code. Admittedly, Duncan's about as good as most other people in knowing how to spell Jake's name, but he had this to say on 19 July: 'Just finishing the edit. it's called Source Code, and Jake Gyllenhall is in it! Should be fun!'
On 14 July there was a significant and triumphant tweet: 'Finally got a chance to show a cut of Source Code to a small audience last night... saw a woman in front of me jump in her seat! Victory!' This means one of three things: a) Duncan gave her a tickle; b) the audience was very short; c) SC was bloody good and full of surprises. I believe that Duncan will be at Comic-Con in San Diego this week but not because of SC, but as a visitor.
Comic-Con
One other person who may well be at Comic-Con this week in San Diego is our very own Peter Sarsgaard. Peter, of course, plays the baddie (Hector Hammond) with the very big head in the Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds. Tim Robbins plays his father. Peter is expected to be in San Diego, as is another of Jake's co-stars Natalie Portman, who will be publicising Thor. More details here and here. This will be a fun event to follow.
Many thanks to IHJ for some wonderful new old stills and on set photos from that most amazing of Jake movies, Zodiac. They illustrate the post tonight.
As Jake Gyllenhaal's summer holidays continue in Martha's Vineyard, it's good to hear little snippets about some of the things he's up to - when he's not building sandcastles and eating ice cream sundaes. A recent report of Jake has him in Edgartown enjoying an evening's comedy with Superman himself, Tom Welling (aka Clark Kent in Smallville). Apparently, they were 'yukking it up'.... I do hope it wasn't something they ate.
Boston Herald: 'Hollywood sibs Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal shopping and stopping to chat with friend Chris Fischer at the West Tisbury Farmers Market . . . Jake and pal "Smallville" actor Tom Welling, along with boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and Black Dog top dog Rob Douglas, yukking it up at Lenny Clarke's comedy show at David Ryan's in Edgartown.' Lenny Clarke played Edgartown on 9 and 10 July.
A lucky tweeter saw Jake twice over the last few days - at a barbecue (he was 'very low key, quiet, cooool. Yes, hot!') and in something called an 'eggroll line' at West Tisbury Farmers Market 'hiding behind a bushy beard'.
A September DVD date for PoP?
The indications are that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will be released on DVD as soon as 14 September. If this report turns out to be true, then there will be two releases available - a single DVD and a Blu-Ray/DVD pack which will contain one Blu-Ray and 2 DVDs (no doubt, that'll be the one with the extras). So, not long to wait at all. We just need to find out what the goodies will be.
Take That Brokeback
Another bit of 'news' today caught my attention. The news that Robbie Williams and Take That's Gary Barlow are to reunite later this year with a song that will compare their relationship to that of Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar. Not only that, the video will include a parody of Brokeback Mountain. One wonders if they've even seen it. I doubt it.
And finally...
Talking of Hot Jake, the winner of American Idol, Kris Allen, was asked which male celebrity he would take to a desert island. Kris replied Jake. He gets my vote.
Comment update: Blogger has regurgitated the comments! Normal service resumed :D
As Jake Gyllenhaal, probably, continues to enjoy his holidays in the peace and quiet of latte-free Martha's Vineyard, my mind goes back to last summer when the tranquility of this sunkissed (and hurrican-swept) isle took a beating thanks to BatGate. But one thing was sure, whatever the whats and wherefores of bats, paddles, oars and canoes, Jake rose above the stormy waters of international dissent by virtue of being Jake 'shirt is optional' Gyllenhaal.
In 2007, one of Jake's few summer appearances was at the Chilmark Village Store on MV. Even holidaying movie stars have to leave the beach for supplies on occasion. Two years later, in August 2009, Chilmark Village Store had other visitors in the shape of myself, BBMISwear, President Obama and a Portuguese Water Hound (the third picture below is from just down the road on MV, West Tisbury).
Not too far away from the Chilmark store, is the community centre where Jake is known for playing 'Hoops' (translation: Basketball), no doubt working through his caffeine needs on this non-coffee-shop-chain island. BBMISwear here models the hoop, while I test the spectator's bench.
More MV memories to follow, no doubt, as the summer continues.
Meanwhile, Jake may be having a rest, but no rest for the rest of us as we cross oceans, mountains, lakes and cities back to Russia. I realised that I haven't posted the video of the press conference from Moscow from May. It's entertaining to watch, not least for the playful banter between Jake and Gemma Arterton and also because only Jake looks that good with an earpiece, but it's less easy to listen to unless you're Russian.
Therefore, it's great that we have an account of the press conference. Admittedly, it too is in Russian, but with the help of The Internet, here are some bits (without the bit where Jerry Bruckheimer is asked if he can make a movie about Tetris next): 'The huge influence on me for this have been Indiana Jones and Robin Hood. I've always admired these heroes, their sense of humor, which I don't have, because they always get into all sorts of adventures and scrapes. Yes, I was very inspired by movies with these characters.'
'M. Newell: Don't believe him, he has a wonderful sense of humor (laughs).'
On being told that he has a spiritual face and should perhaps consider playing a biblical character, Jake replies: 'Oh, thank you very much. So, it wasn't just my hair (laughs)? The fact is that after reading the first two pages of script, I immediately wanted to play Dastan. My character lives a good life, enjoying all its forms, that's what made me want to do it. All of my former heroes approached these issues too seriously.'
On how they picked such a beautiful actress for Tamina, Jake replied: 'We went out and chose the first available person (laughs). '
When asked if Jake still has any of the muscles left and if he can show them: 'Thank you! I don't know. I prefer that you see the movie and see me on screen, but not here. I'm not going to strip! Yes, you are right, everything has gone ... Oh, you look disappointed (laughs).'
Jake also says again how he admired Val Kilmer's character in Willow and that 'I hope to star someday in a movie in which I can fly.' More here.
While I'm at it, here is another bad translation from another interview:
'For me the main thing isn't even the role itself, but the fact that I get pleasure from the process and the outcome... I worked so hard that my heroes seemed a little far-fetched ... But now I realize: it's important that you yourself have fun with what you're doing. I'm very pleased with Prince of Persia, I still have only the most positive emotions from this role, I think what happened was wonderful!'
'I like adventure, but within reasonable limits. Of course, I look like this character, except for the long hair. We both love to enjoy life and all that we do.'
'Actually, after the shooting, I don't think that I will get a dagger, which changes the time. You know, I wouldn't change the past. I just look back and try to change the future, to correct some mistakes and not repeat them in the future.'
'Yes, I was very fond of this game as a child: I could spend hours jumping over obstacles, running away from enemies, fighting at loggerheads. Before the shoot we were asked to remember all this to get used to the idea, so I sat down and played, when I had free time. But Gemma was even worse at the game - she couldn't even climb the wall! (Laughs.)'
'Dastan really liked Tamina, but he had to behave like that, because the events of the film did allow tenderness. Well, I'm currently free.'
Is the acting a mission or a job: 'Before I would say: yes, I have some extraordinary specific goal, once I'm an actor. But now I realize that this is just a wonderful job. Thanks to it I can tell and show people different stories that will help someone become better.'
Jake's own heroes: 'Indiana Jones. I really like this character: he's smart, brave, strong and with a sense of humor. The family, of course, is also an example of heroism for me, because it always supports you always, even in the most difficult moments, no matter how you are ...' More here.
Many thanks to IHJ for the timely and lovely new old Russia pics!
Little drips of info about Source Code continue to plip and plop their way to us through the leaky taps of the internet. As the puddle of knowledge forms, it becomes clear that it's not all about Jake Gyllenhaal (a'random guy') and a train. There are others are on that train, including Soda Can Guy.
Soda Can Guy, aka Quebec actor Albert Kwan, has been talking about his month on the Source Code set in March. Duncan Jones has been so impressed by Kwan's energy levels, he immediately typecast him as an energy soda drinker, a label he may never cast off. 'In total, there may be about thirty people in the car and there were 13 or 14 actors on the lot.'
Unfortunately, Kwan didn't share a scene with Jake (Colter in the film) but he did get to meet him. 'He was super generous and gave all of us our moment... We talked, but we didn't really have time to sit down and talk. He is caught up in Hollywood, He'll have to retire because he's constantly surrounded by people. When he arrived on set, he was always nice, always courteous and pleasant to work with.' It should be pointed out that Kwan saw Jake on a quiet set in Montreal and not in Hollywood and so he may well be interpreting what he's seen in the tabloids.
'In Source Code, we had to shoot three scenes a day... It takes an hour to light the set, it takes an hour ... there's sometimes a very long wait. We can wait two or three hours doing nothing. There was one day when I left my trailer to eat and that was all.' Sounds like my kind of day (so long as I didn't have to walk too far).
'For his role in Source Code, Albert Kwan pocketed $23,000, the equivalent of half of his full salary last year... The film was shot over nine weeks in March and April. Almost all the scenes were filmed in the Michel Trudel studios, along the Bonaventure Expressway.' More here.
Should Jake's future directors ever require a 'Shiraz Lass' or an 'Ice-cream Gulper', I can send in my cv.
Picture perfect
That fine publication, American Cinematographer has listed the results of its recent poll, in which more than 17,000 people around the world voted for the films they thought had the best cinematography and were made between 1998 and 2008. Amongst the top fifty films are Brokeback Mountain at no 42 and Zodiac at 39.
Way, way back, shortly after WDW began in the Spring of 2007, I put up the scans from a great article in American Cinematographer, which looked at the work of Harry Savides for Zodiac. The article included very revealing insights from visits to the set of Zodiac and I recommend that anyone who is discovering some of Jake's previous great roles should take a look. I've enjoyed a revisit myself tonight.
The cinematography of both Brokeback Mountain and Zodiac is clearly memorable, not to mention excellent, and they stand the test of so much longer than a mere decade. The Dark Knight is placed right up there in the top ten, while another favourite of mine - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - is at 30. An interesting list, but no Schindler's List. The best thing about such a list is that it opens up a discussion.
And finally...
It looks as if Jake has headed back to that most beautiful and tranquil (except when I go and there's a hurricane) of islands, Martha's Vineyard. Tweets have put Jake (and Atticus) at Woods Hole on the mainland - when you catch the smaller ferry over to the island - and then on the ferry itself.
BBMISwear and I caught the same ferry ourselves last summer - it was cheap, very relaxed and so beautiful - especially if you're used to Cross Channel ferries and Irish Sea ferries like me which are, in fact, the opposite (although they have duty free). It's a very nice thought, thinking of Jake going back to this private island for a holiday (even if I wasn't able to get a single latte there - the one machine at the Chilmark Store was broken and I had to make do with a pizza slice - not the same thing at all).
So I'm finishing this post with a little bit of a WDW/BBMISwear interlude, which involved a visit to Jake's favourite place on earth, Gay Head, with its lighthouse, stunning cliffs and blue seas.
We've heard Jake mention recently that his best friend (Chris) has a farm on MV. We visited its honesty shop and BBMISwear was good enough to invest in a tomato. I think you'll agree, it's a goodie. Very red. I still don't know what happened to it...
Update: After what's been quite a while, it's great to have new pictures of Jake out and about. Jake and Reese were on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice Beach on Sunday,walking back from Intelligentsia where they purchased Red Stuff. A worrying development is the new hat. Thanks IHJ! You can see many more there.
We have a shopping list for May 2010 - time to make room for a lot more than just lego ostriches and camels. McFarlane Toys have announced a new range of Prince of Persia toys that will include figures based on the 'exact likeness' of Jake Gyllenhaal. The 'toy line allows fans of all ages to bring home all the excitement and adventure of the live-action movie with a range of movie figures, battle horses, play sets, and even a collectible movie replica weapon all hitting retailers nationwide in conjunction with the movie’s release in May 2010.'
We will have fully articulated deluxe (6 inch) and standard (4 inch) action figures of Warrior Dastan and Desert Dastan. Then there's the elaborate battle horse set including a 4 inch articulated Dastan. Not forgetting the Alamut Gate play set with another Mini Jake who will have to dodge spear pits and other devious traps and contraptions. Finally, you can get an exact replica of the 10 inch Dagger of Time. No word yet on whether we can expect life-size and articulated replicas of Jake Gyllenhaal himself but it's a possibility - make some space, especially if you'll have more than one.
Martha's Vineyard Roadtrip Part 2
Jake once revealed that his favourite place on earth was Gay Head and its cliffs, on the end of Martha's Vineyard. I can now see why.
Back in Boston, having been driven off the island by tropical storm Danny, BBMISwear and I met up with a very special friend.
Includes pictures from IHJ, WDW and Ted and BBMISwear. I owe huge thanks to BBMISwear for providing me with very fun memories - they will be treasured!
