Wednesday, March 31, 2010

"Is this a dream?"

ComingSoon has posted a new interview with Jake Gyllenhaal, where he discusses adapting a videogame, becoming a warrior and most fighteningly, learning a British accent:



The interview appears to have been done at the same time Jake answered the Facebook questions. I think we probably have a lot of material from that day to look forward to.

And look, here's Jake in his youthful gaming days!




If you want to listen to the PoP Alanis Morissette song, go here:

The movie, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley and Gemma Arterton, was a natural vehicle for Morissette, who penned the song about Arterton's princess character. "It's an honor to write from the voice of an empowered princess about a love that empowers them both to new heights, healing and consciousness," Morissette said in a statement. "The song wrote itself and this story was the ultimate muse."

'I Remain' -- co-written with Mike Elizondo, who worked with Morissette on 'Wunderkind,' her track from 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' -- brings a Middle Eastern flavor and a soft backbeat to a dark and enigmatic flavor. Though written directly for the film, the song is vintage Morissette.



(Photo courtesy of IHJ.)

Sunday, March 28, 2010

"We’re getting really serious now."

As Brothers hits the DVD shelves in the U.S., it has recently opened in Australia. And that has given us another intriguing Jake Gyllenhaal interview, this time from Alive Sydney. The first answer can be interpreted in many ways, but one can't help but think of January 22, 2008, among other things, when reading it.

Having interviewed you several times over the years, you seem more at ease with yourself nowadays?



Yes, I do feel that. I think that’s part of growing up. A lot of things happened in my life while I was making this movie, and it made me think that we never know what’s going to happen in the future. All we have is right now, so what do you have to lose but to go for it?



You spent your first day of shooting in a jail?
Yes. People are most open and most vulnerable when they feel it is safe, and it is hard to feel that way in a jail, that’s for sure. It was weird to start the first day of a movie in a jail.



That must have been tough?
It was. I went to LA County Jail and then I went to a couple of juvenile halls which was life changing.




How so?
I think we tend to generalise and to just look at anybody who is in jail a certain way. We don’t look at the story of each person who is in there which is what I think is frustrating. It’s the same as people saying, ‘Is this movie a war story? Is this a story about war?’ I feel you tend to generalise each individual story, what the story is. If someone is a soldier and they are at war, does that mean they are just a soldier at war? Or do they have their own story? And has that story become a war story because they are a soldier? People are coloured by things and that type of prejudice because it’s not what the story about. But in this movie, as in every movie, I found myself learning a different lesson and the biggest lesson I learnt from this movie was from my experience with these boys in juvenile hall.


Working in the same field as your sister (Maggie) do you feel pressure to compete with her?
No, I think we have a lot of other complications, but I don’t think that’s one of them.




Like what?
The idea of competition, particularly in a creative atmosphere, is always present and if you don’t acknowledge that then you are doing yourself and the process a disservice. What made it so much fun working with Tobey for example, is that he’s my contemporary, and what’s great is the acknowledgement of admiration, the acknowledgement of competition, the acknowledgement of the complications. As regards my sister, if you are really with someone from the beginning of your life, like I have been with Maggie, she had a couple of years on the earth before me but I’ve been with her since the beginning of my life. This would take so long to explain. Sorry, I’ve gone off on a tangent. Can you ask me the next time you interview me


OK, I’ll hold you to that. In this movie Tobey again will be seen as a great actor. A lot of people just remember him as Spiderman – do you think people will be surprised?



Yes. It’s like when I worked with Heath Ledger. When we started working together I think people were blown away by his performance in the movie (Brokeback Mountain). I don’t think people expected that from him. At least that’s what I heard that from the journalists and people who saw that movie. It is wonderful to see someone who everybody talks about. It is wonderful to hear. It is wonderful to have either fooled the people as he has done or to have been honest in the way that he has been that they go, wow!.

Are you spiritual – for instance do you meditate?
Yeah, of course, I do lots of things. Yeah, I do.




What does meditation give to you? What does it give me?
Sometimes it gives me gas, sometimes it creates a sense of ... God. We’re getting really serious now. Sometimes I think that. ... one can’t separate the world from one’s self, and it kind of brings you back to, this is me and that’s what’s happening in the world, and what’s the difference? Is it me that’s doing it, or is it just what’s happening? It just gives perspective.


Actors always say they love each other when they’re talking about a film they’re promoting, but the three of you actually do seem to like each other.



I was honoured that Tobey wanted to do the movie, because I know he’s very picky. And he’s had so many opportunities to choose to do movies and he picked this one. So, from the beginning I felt kind of honoured that he wanted to do it. I don’t believe and I could be wrong, that there are filmmakers who are so extraordinary, that they can make something charismatic, or they can make something moving, when two people don’t like each other at all, or have no connection. I do think that’s possible, and there are those famous stories about all those things that people love, but in this case there was real camaraderie between us. Tobey and I would work out together, we played basketball together, I tore both ligaments in my leg and my ankle because of it ... and I don’t think either of us ever pretended like there wasn’t great admiration and great competition. And I think that made for the experience.

You seem to have a natural style about the way you work – what kind of role do you think you wouldn’t be able to pull off?



Well, I definitely couldn’t play Denzel Washington’s part in Glory. That would probably not work out so well. But it would be interesting in some strange way.


No, Jake, I don't think you could pull that one off!


Thanks to an anonymous poster for pointing out these IMDb user review raves for Love and Other Drugs. A sampling:

It was much much better than I expected going it. I was expecting something good from Ed Zwick and Anne Hathaway but Jake Gyllenhal really tore it up. ...

This is absolutely, hands down the best role Jake Gyllenhal has ever played. ... he is so comfortable as the smooth talking, answer for everything, sex seeking Jamie it really shocked me. I actually have faith he will be good in Prince of Persia after seeing his range in this. He is the cocky part of Thank You For Smoking, with better and more prolific dialogue, but the heartwarming lead of 500 Days of Summer, but with even more redeeming qualities. ...




The film, which is like 'Up in the Air' with more humour or '(500) Days of Summer' with less quirk, is fantastically acted by the leads and supporting ensemble of familiar faces. The writing is phenomenal with some of the freshest dialogue and wittiest banter I've seen since Howard Hawks's 'His Girl Friday.' The story is also very topical, especially in the days of the fight for healthcare reform. Director Edward Zwick (Glory, Blood Diamond) puts forth one of the best films of his career alongside a list of solid past work, creating some of the most heart-wrenchingly sad and gut-wrenchingly funny cinematic moments in years. The film is also full of some of the hottest and funniest sex scenes I've seen in a long time, so the movie's humour isn't all guys will want in this romantic-comedy. Overall, 'Love and Other Drugs' is a great variation to the 2010 romantic comedies thus far, giving something worthwhile outside of the typical 'The Bounty Hounter'-type rom-coms.

Normally, I'd be suspicious of such glowing reviews, but all of the reviewers have at least one other review, and one has many other reviews. So let's hope this isn't studio hype but genuine enthusiasm.

(Screen caps courtesy of IHJ.)

Friday, March 26, 2010

"Why sign up for a film like this if you’re not game for some real action?”

In a new interview, Jake Gyllenhaal talks about running, jumping and having fun being bad.

IN the trailer of the upcoming film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, a muscular Jake Gyllenhaal is seen doing amazing moves in exciting action sequences.

One has him scaling a high castle wall by pulling himself up using arrows half-buried in the wall that had been shot at the castle by a comrade.

“I look pretty cool doing that,” says the soft-spoken Californian actor when interviewed in Santa Monica.


"Can I help it if my arms are too big?!"


“But what you don’t know is the behind-the-scenes goofs. My arm and shoulder muscles were so big that the chest plate I wore prevented me from reaching up to grab the arrows,” he says.

“There were many funny takes of me doing that and in the end, they literally had to cut wider arm holes in the chest plate,” he says with a laugh.




“I’ve always loved watching action-adventure films and dreamt of being one of those characters as a kid. You know, like Indiana Jones and the cool, swashbuckling Errol Flynn flicks,” he says.

“When I read Prince, I saw a clear role for me. This guy is wry, gets to do lots of fun stuff and best of all, is ‘bad’ and funny.”




For the film he learned parkour, which sees the environment as a jungle gym obstacle course. It was founded by David Belle. ...

“There is a scene where my character runs along a wall, which seems impossible, but Belle made it happen. It’s one of my favourite scenes from the film,” says Gyllenhaal ...




He says he does many of the stunts himself, including a 10.6-metre jump with wire work. “I wanted to do everything,” he says.

“Why sign up for a film like this if you’re not game for some real action?”



Remember last summer, when we heard that Jake went to the White House with Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd? Still no photo of Jake with the President, but here he is at the back gate:




We're getting closer!

(Some photos courtesy of IHJ.)

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Another Screening for Love and Other Drugs

The focus in Gyllenland has been on Prince of Persia and Source Code. But tonight, there was another screening of Jake Gyllenhaal's fall movie - an unfinished cut of Love and Other Drugs. A sampling of impressions and reviews from across the net - first from twitter:

In OC saw an early release of a Jake G movie great stuff!



Just saw a free screening to "Love and Other Drugs". I loved it. Can't wait to see it when it comes out in theaters.



H&K movie screening adventures, volume #7,048: if you enjoy jake gyllenhaal's nekkid butt, go watch "love & other drugs" when it comes out.



Love & Other Drugs was great! Funny, sweet & lots of Anne Hathaway nudity.



From the IMdb LaOD MB:

It is a love story that is very funny and complex, but it remains, at its core, a love story.

And in another thread:

It was definitely too long and paced awkwardly, but some is bound to be cut before release. Anne is great and so is Jake, very good really but not Oscar worthy. Its a different style of filmaking a little bit and sticks in your head. There were many stand out moments in the film and lots of laugh out loud moments. But yes it is crammed full of information and subplots and layers but I found them all to be entertaining and believable.



From Facebook:

Just saw an advanced screening of Love and other Drugs with Anne Hathway and Jake Gyllenhal. Anne is unbelievably sexy and Jake can actually act. Holy shit it was really good.

dammmnnn... the movie screening just saw " Love and Other Drugs" was very good! kind like A walk to Remember but better?doesn't come out till Nov. 24th of this year.



Finally, a longer and more ambivalent review, from FanForum:

Of course, we love Jake, and it was great to see him in this movie. He's in almost every scene! (you get to see A LOT OF HIM, trust me.) But for me, the movie was a bit all over the place. The nudity was a little overboard. Sometimes it felt like a typical "guy movie" with crude jokes, which made me kinda uncomfortable, then it was suddenly a serious drama with heavy subject matter, and then there were very cute and tender moments, but not enough to balance out all the raunchy sexual jokes, which i didn't find that funny. But I loved the sweet moments, and of course they were my favorite scenes in the movie. So It was different. It was different to see Jake play a Womanizer type guy. Maybe the final cut of the movie will be better.

Sounds like some editing is needed, but they certainly have the time. And I'm certainly looking forward to the end result.





Reminder: If you want to win a free copy of the Brothers DVD, I Heart Jake could make this your lucky day:

To celebrate the release of 'Brothers' on DVD, Lionsgate Home Entertainment is giving away 2 copies of the 'Brothers' DVD to 2 lucky IHJ visitors! To enter, all you need to do is send an e-mail with your name and age to iheartjake.com@gmail.com. This contest is open to everyone but please keep in mind these dvd's will be shipped from the US. Therefore, all participants must be able to play Region 1 DVD's. 2 winners will be chosen at random this Friday (March 26th). Good luck!


(Photos courtesy of IHJ and flickr.)

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Saturday stroll

Update: If you want to win a free copy of the Brothers DVD, out today, maybe I Heart Jake will make this your lucky day:

To celebrate the release of 'Brothers' on DVD, Lionsgate Home Entertainment is giving away 2 copies of the 'Brothers' DVD to 2 lucky IHJ visitors! To enter, all you need to do is send an e-mail with your name and age to iheartjake.com@gmail.com. This contest is open to everyone but please keep in mind these dvd's will be shipped from the US. Therefore, all participants must be able to play Region 1 DVD's. 2 winners will be chosen at random this Friday (March 26th). Good luck!


A couple of pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal out for a stroll with his dog Atticus on Saturday, March 20, in Montreal.




Due to the delicate nature of Atticus's activities, we've left him out of the post :)


I'm sure many of you remember this photo of Jake from the LA Times:



I found a bigger and smilier version of it. Figured we could all use a lift after this weekend!



(Montreal photos courtesy of IHJ.)

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

PoP Visual Guide



It looks as if Stephanie got her hands on the Prince of Persia Visual Guide. We never had visual aids like this when I was in school! IHJ has just posted some scans from the book. Some very nice shots of Jake Gyllenhaal and his co-stars.

Here's Dastan with his brothers, father and friend:






And more with the lovely Tamina:






Finally, some great shots of the Prince himself, in action and in stillness:






All of this just in time for the first full public showing of PoP tomorrow at ShoWest. We'll post any news as soon as we get it.



(Many more photos at IHJ. And many thanks to Stephanie for being on the job!)

Young Dastan

Disney has released another featurette for Prince of Persia. In it, we meet William Foster, who plays young Dastan. This is the character later played by Jake Gyllenhaal, i.e., the Prince of Persia.



We learn a little about the life of the young boy and how he comes to the attention of the king.



The video shows Foster running and jumping and being thrilled to work with David Belle, the originator of Parkour. There's also a brief shot of Foster joking around with Jake.




You can also see in the video more of the hundreds of extras and the elaborate sets that were involved in this production.

And in case you missed the update to the last post, a new still of grown-up Dastan, thanks to IHJ:

Monday, March 15, 2010

More from Session 30

Update: New PoP still:




IHJ just posted more photos from Jake Gyllenhaal's recent photo shoot. One can only imagine what they'll have left for the magazine. But I can't wait to see. No new settings or clothes in this set. Just the same old gorgeous subject.






More from the Double 007/Double a-l set:

If James Bond had a Yearbook photo...





(Photos courtesy of IHJ.)