New old Jake

Stephanie uploaded some lovely new/old Jake Gyllenhaal pictures, including a late Christmas present left-profile shot for FL:




Those are from an old People photoshoot. And now we know where IHJ's Jake birthday banner photo came from - it's an outtake from the Mario Testino book:

---

Brothers continues to open around the globe - in the UK next Friday and apparently in South Africa today, given the number of reviews popping up. The Globe and Mail nails it:

The adage has it that grown-up actors should beware of acting with children or animals, but the grown-ups in Brothers hold their own very admirably against this junior competition. Portman shows with each new film she makes that she is much more than the ridiculously attired but otherwise character-free Queen Padme of the later Star Wars extravaganzas. Here, she seems to be living very convincingly on an emotional hair trigger, and she makes one feel strongly for Grace. Maguire, in turn, demonstrates that he is not just a cutesy Spider-Man; his bug-eyed wastedness may feel a bit too self-consciously actorly in places, but overall it works. Shepard, as the crusty old warrior dad, adds a series of what one might call grace notes.

Gyllenhaal, though, is the most powerful presence here. Jittery and still rebellious when Tommy first comes out of jail, not fully in control of his responses, he lets the character develop subtly and strongly into something rounded and sympathetic. His trajectory is more complex, certainly, than brother Sam's, where the shocks are more in-your-face. In a film aiming for understated realism, with the attendant risk of a slight diffusion of effect, Gyllenhaal holds it all together.

Amen!

---

Jordan Mechner seems to have done a new round of interviews for Prince of Persia. Some excerpts:

Was the cast required to play the game?
You know, I think Jake Gyllenhaal played Prince of Persia games. He was pretty into it. What’s interesting is that when I was in London to meet the craftspeople – the people behind the set design and costumes and so forth... all the people working behind the scenes. I found that a lot of them were real gamers and they were deeply into the Prince of Persia games.

Gamers are often sceptical when their beloved series hits the big screen. How do you think loyal Prince of Persia fans will react when they see the movie adaptation?
Well, I hope they love it. I do. For me, Prince of Persia is the kind of movie that I’ve always loved – the ones that really inspired me to make games in the first place. It’s almost like an old fashioned, swashbuckling, romantic adventure. ...

Is Jake Gyllenhaal’s portrayal how you imagined Dastan would be in the real world?
I think Jake makes a great Prince Dastan. He looks a lot like the character in the Sands of Time videogame but also he has a lot of qualities that for me has always been a part of who the Prince of Persia is. He’s a warrior, and does incredible stunts and parkour and so forth but he also has a mysterious streak and an attitude and I think a vulnerability that is part of the character’s appeal.



(Photos courtesy of IHJ.)