Friday, September 13, 2013

Prisoners premieres



Prisoners held its Los Angeles premiere tonight, and the whole cast was there, along with director Denis Villeneuve. After Toronto, you might think they are sick of each other. But everyone seems very happy to be there. Must be all those rave reviews!

















Jake with a Freudian slip/misstatement. He is energized and enervated, I think:


For anyone who missed the link in the last post, here's a good chunk of the Q&A following the Enemy premiere in Toronto: Really? The Wrap asks which cast member they would want to be held hostage with: They really are like brothers - neither Jake nor Denis can give a real answer! And like little kids:

38 comments:

Repost for FP said...

Film.com Enemy review:

Gyllenhaal, here delivering both of his best performances (okay, perhaps save for “Zodiac”. And “Brokeback Mountain”. And “Prisoners”… okay, it turns out that he’s a pretty good actor), does a magnificent job of bridging the gap between the two Jakes, carving out two distinct characters without submitting either of them to caricature. And while Gyllenhaal carries the film
on his shoulders, he’s provided a considerable assist by a strong supportive cast, all of whom are clearly on board with Villeneuve’s vision. The filmmaker, whatever his faults, has always displayed a strong instinct for casting – Laurent and Gadon (Cronenberg’s new muse) perfectly compliment one another, the latter adding crucial dimension to a pivotal character whose undercurrents unexpectedly prove to be the film’s most resonant.

Brimming with borderline ridiculous portent from the very beginning, “Enemy”’s wry hold is a thoroughly unexpected one, as though the film’s self-seriousness is deliberately intended to disarm the viewer into taking it less seriously. Villeneuve wants you to laugh, he wants you to drop your guard, he wants to earn your vulnerability and then prey on it, a spider building an intricate nest in some dark corner of the room you’d never think to check. To that end, “Enemy” is a deviously sneaky success – a blundering B-movie with a wicked bite, Villeneuve’s seedy wank resolves itself as a venomous and universally relatable portrait of how self-analysis can be the quickest road to self-harm. The unexamined life may not be worth living, but it sure is easier to live.

Oh, and did I mention that ending?

SCORE: 8.2 / 10

Hagen said...

"Prisoners" will be released in more than 3,150 theaters (September 20 Estimates). That's pretty good compared to Jake's previous movies.

Hagen said...

The "Prisoners: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" by Jóhann Jóhannsson will be released on Tuesday, September 17th (90 seconds clips).

Hagen said...

TheFilmStage: Denis Villeneuve's 'Enemy' w/ Jake Gyllenhaal has been picked up by A24 Films, which plan to release it next spring.

UltraViolet said...

Thanks, Hagen. I hope that's good news. I think they released The Spectacular Now and seem to have done a good job on it. This movie will need some attention.

That's a huge number of theaters for Prisoners. Good sign, I hope.

Here's the first clip of Jake from ITAS, talking about Heath a bit.

Hagen said...

Deadline: It’s shaking out to be a low 7-figure deal with an aggressive rollout to take place sometime in the spring and following a pattern of prestige film successes like Spring Breakers, The Spectacular Now and The Bling Ring.

Sounds very promising.

bobbyanna said...

Great news about Enemy being picked up! Thanks for the ITAS clip, too. I have to say, there is nothing I am looking forward to more, than seeing Jake on ITAS. Not Prisoners, not Enemy, nothing I'm looking forward to more than this. : )

That clip got me kind of teary-eyed.

Anonymous said...

I'll say it. I don't like the hair. I liked him with his hair like this http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x183/lawgoddess/Jake%2007/gylly_brown.jpg?t=1206307075

But aside from that. I'm happy Enemy has been picked up.

Lily

Monica said...

I also don't like the hair. And neither of the shoes.
I'm tired of them.
But he looks good.

I saw some pictures. Viola was so beautiful. I love her!

UltraViolet said...

I hope someone (probably Stephanie) got the beginning bits on Kimmel when Jake was flirting and sucking spaghetti with Jimmy Kimmel's wife. That was pretty funny.

I like Kimmel because he asks about specific things, and usually Jake has funny responses. Loved hearing Jake discuss the train tour.

Hagen said...

LA Times: Jake Gyllenhaal refocuses his career - Jake Gyllenhaal seeks darker roles, like that in 'Prisoners,' as he carefully constructs his career path.
Gyllenhaal has begun to lose weight for "Nightcrawler," trying to pick up on a theme of hunger, spiritual and physical, in the film. And he is ready to go a little bigger in "Everest," a survival-themed action movie in which he'll play the leader of a team of doomed explorers, because it contains some existentialist themes and will be directed by the Icelandic auteur Baltasar Kormakur.


I don't like the hair.

I don't think that Jake will wear the same hair-style in "Nightcrawler" (and definitely not in "Everest") as in "Prisoners". So I guess he will change his hair-style pretty soon.


Loved hearing Jake discuss the train tour.

I particularly liked the part when his mum sent him contact lenses. LOL

FP said...

Heatherr ‏@heatherroachh 1m

It was great getting to meet Jake Gyllenhaal last night at the #Prisoners premiere! He did an amazing job! pic.twitter.com/01E5gsqi6K

Translator said...

LA Times article is wonderful. Less philosophical than VMAN but just as detailed. VMAN is an inside look into Jake's thoughts and acting process. LA Times is a complimentary and honest look at his career. And the first informative article: the reason for his recent weightloss ("Nightcrawler"), plans for "Everest".

Kimmel interview, with Mumford&Sons story, playing the trumpet and living "Almost Famous" with sewn pants and FedEx-ed contacs, was a riot. Even the vinegar and flashy tie stories were fun because you could feel the personal connection. Jake is such a funny storyteller when he's engaged in a lively conversation. Even Melissa Leo says it in The Wrap clip: "I'm gonna go with Jake. Because, although I had a wonderful time working with everyone on the set, Jake and I never ran out of conversations".
The ribbing between Denis and Jake continues: "Not Jake Gyllenhaal. Tell him that" :-) I love how Denis still struggles to pronounce the "h" in Gyllenhaal. And how Jake is always his first thought.

Monica – Fallon has done nothing wrong. But unlike Jon Stewart - who will have both Jake and Hugh as guests - JF will only have Hugh. I was expecting a "lets get my buddy Jake too" from him, but as UltraViolet wisely pointed out, maybe the schedule is exclusively his producers' decision.

Gonna watch "Enemy" Q&A. It's like the gift that keeps on giving. In the good sense.

UltraViolet said...

Good LA Times story but it makes me a little sad tha tthis perception has become reality:

And his well-regarded role as the author Robert Graysmith in 2007's "Zodiac" led to the maligned desert action-adventure "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" several years later. Some actors grow into themselves when they move to a bigger stage (think: Denzel Washington). But for Gyllenhaal, these movies didn't play to his strengths, and he seemed dwarfed by his surroundings.

I just disagree with that premise and hope that one day he gets to be in a big movie again. I don't want it to be a super hero, but the thought that Jake will never be allowed to be in an epic production is sad. And unjust, as the movie was better and performed better than people credit it for.

This was also interesting:

Dano, who worked so intensively with Gyllenhaal that they once filmed a single-take 20-minute interrogation scene (about a minute of it can be seen in the film) which Gyllenhaal crafted from weeks of studying interrogation techniques, said he sees a kind of directorial impulse in the actor.

“On ‘Prisoners’ he was always conscious of what works not just for his character but for everyone in the scene, which is rare,” said Dano. (Indeed, “Night Crawler,” which will mark the directorial debut of “Bourne Legacy” writer Dan Gilroy, has Gyllenhaal halfway there, producing for the first time.)


It seems almost inevitable that Jake will direct at this point.

The story was also edited oddly -that jump from film talk to the personal seemed abrupt. But the Rosh Hashanah comment was so sweet.

Nightcrawlers and Everest ill be interesting, that's for sure!

UltraViolet said...

Loved this Enemy tweet, and I tihnk JAke and Denis V would, too:

The film that confused the hell out of me but has asserted itself into my psyche every day - Denis Villeneuve's "Enemy" #TIFF13

I keep seeing Jake's name mentioned in stories about the new JD Salinger documentary. Apparently, this is why:

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal tells us Caulfield is "the Malcolm X of white suburban boys."

A little more Jake in this red carpet interview.

Added a couple of videos to the post, including the one where their cast says which of their cast members they'd want to be held hostage with. Oy.

And the one Translator mentioned above, in which Denis calls Jake an asshole, lol.

Hagen said...

"Enemy" will be screened at the San Sebastián Film Festival on Friday, September 20th at 7:30 PM local time. The movie will be shown as the first movie in competition on the opening day of the festival. There will be another four screenings on the following two days. The actual "Opening Night Film" ( "Foosball") is out of competition and is scheduled for September 20th at 11 AM (!) and will have another screening on the same day after "Enemy". Organizers obviously bank on Jake's star appeal.

bobbyanna said...

I agree, UV. PoP is a $335 million "failure." Neither Bruckheimer or Mike Newell, (who screwed up his Harry Potter contribution) have ever been taken to task for PoP's shortcomings.
The reason it succeeds is because it had an outstanding cast, led by Jake.

I hope they can get enough $$$ to do a proper job with Nightcrawler. I think he'll be amazing in it. From his recent comments I believe Jake is lo0oking for dark & edgy.

Chica said...

What great photos from the premiere and I really don't mind his hair slicked back, it gives him a different look:)

The L.A Times interview was interesting but choppy. You may be right UV that it was probably edited. Love the story about his nieces!

Great news about Ememy!

Hagen said...

Culture Curators: TIFF 2013: Enemy Review (9/10)
Fittingly set against the backdrop of a never-uglier Toronto, Enemy is visually claustrophobic and concrete, every bit as labyrinthine as its subject matter. One of the film’s more articulately dream-like sequences sees a giant spider looming over the hazy city, making it seem small and toy-like, destined for destruction. The film is full of these lingering existential images, dream and reality bleeding into one another in a way that will doubtless prove frustrating for some and deeply engaging for others. I find myself in the latter camp: it has been a few days and a few films since I saw Enemy, yet still I feel it working itself out in my headspace, begging to be considered, dwelled upon. Villeneuve’s stomach-turning nightmare of a film is admirable in its refusal to make it easy, yet it is a decision that never feels antagonistic or unsatisfying: the movie is compelling from the very first scene – a subterranean sex show a la Requiem for a Dream – right through to its sudden and horrific end.

Moviefone: TIFF: Ranking the 20 Films We Saw at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival
4. "Enemy"
The second doppelganger film of the festival belongs to Denis Villeneuve's "Enemy." Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, who worked with Villeneuve on another headlining TIFF film, "Prisoners," the movie follows a university professor who soon discovers there's a replica of him living a completely different life on the other side of the city. If that doesn't sound sinister enough, there are also giant spiders, alien-like creatures, and secret societies involved. By the end, this film will leave an imprint on your brain. Or, as Gyllenhaal told the Huffington Post," "I wouldn't even necessarily call it a film; I would call it an experience."

Tweety said...

I'm so happy that Enemy is getting just as much love as Prisoners! It's an art house film so it will have to find an audience.

I can't wait till Sept. 20, it can't come fast enough for me. I'm enjoying Jake's interviews.

FP said...

Aside from his editor, Villeneuve attributes the success of ENEMY to one other significant player, Gyllenhaal. “The biggest special effect in ENEMY is the actor. The audience needs to believe that he has just met himself – the power of this kind of encounter, how unbearable is it to see yourself. I needed to find someone who could make the audience feel the power of such an encounter,” Villeneuve explains of the burden Gyllenhaal had to bear in the role and he couldn’t be happier with the results. “He’s such a strong actor, just the way he moves, the way he breathes; he didn’t overdo it but man, they are still so different. I wanted to make it as subtle as possible and I have to give all the credibility of this equilibrium to Jake.”

http://blacksheepreviews.com/the-black-sheep-interview-denis-villeneuve-enemy/


I Just Love Denis!:)

Hagen said...

The Wrap: Steve McQueen’s harrowing “12 years a Slave” has been named winner of the BlackBerry People’s Choice Award at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF announced at an awards lunch on Sunday. The runners-up to “12 Years a Slave” were Stephen Frears’ “Philomena,” with Judi Dench as a woman looking for the out-of-wedlock child the Catholic Church took from her decades earlier, and Denis Villeneuve’s tense kidnapping drama “Prisoners,” with Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Anonymous said...

Great!! Huge boost for the film. Hope so bad that the film does good next week on B.O.

Anonymous said...

Jake has a busy interview week. He's on Jon Stewart on Tues, Kelly and Michael on Weds, inside the actor's studio on Thurs and Queen Latifah on Fri

Lily

UltraViolet said...

Yay for Prisoners! I wonder how many votes Enemy got :) I hope that bodes well for the box office.

This is a busy week for Jake interviews. And at the end of the week, I hope he'll be in Spain.

Love that Black Sheep story, FP. Thanks for posting. Denis Villeneuve is proving an unexpectedly delightful Jake director.

Thanks for the other Enemy reviews, Hagen. The reception has been great for the movie. I hope A24 knows how to market it.

It will be interesting to see how it's reviews shake out in the end. I expect many critics will not be on board.

Exciting times. As Bobbyanna said in the last post, I think, I'm looking forward to seeing Inside the Actors Studio as much as I am to Prisoners.

UltraViolet said...

Funny bit from a Korean interview.

It appears there was another Prisoners screening Saturday night.

Never heard this first bit before:

Q: How did you get involved with Denis Villeneuve?

A: I moved to New York, made a lot of changes in my life. I just sort of had a different philosophy. I had just finished "End of Watch." That movie had a big effect on my life. A script arrives at my door, and it's not sent by my agent obviously. It was just hand delivered there, and it had this manifesto in the front of it about identity and masculinity and struggles with intimacy and sexuality and how the two are intertwined and why this director was desperate to make it at this time of his life, why he thought it was important and why he couldn't make any other film until he made this movie and he wanted me to do it. The letter was from Denis, and it was "Enemy." Something about that letter made me go, "I want to work with this person."

That movie was an extraordinary collaboration. It was an experiment every day. We had so much fun shooting it here in Toronto. We were really, really understanding each other's mind's unconscious and strange themes and stuff, experimenting. It was so fun. Then in the middle of it he said, "I'm making this movie with Hugh Jackman, and there's this character in it I would love you to play." Really, out of the great joy of working with him at that time and having arrived at some changes in my life and feeling very strongly about relationships and time actually ticking away and wanting to work with people who you enjoy and who you could actually share your true self with, one way or another, who you love and hate at exactly the same time, I said I wanted to do it and then began the journey of developing the character of Detective Loki.


Don't know if this google translation link will work. It's another article but haas a fun last bit.

http://www.lapresse.ca/cinema/201309/13/01-4689203-jake-gyllenhaal-prisoners-enemy-et-freres.php

Hagen said...

"Enemy" starts with a 100 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes after just five reviews.

I expect many critics will not be on board.

Like AV Club: Craftsmanship can’t salvage Enemy (Grade: D+), a ludicrous psychodrama based on José Saramago’s novel The Double.

A24 Films seems to seek out risky controversial movies like "Spring Breakers" which split critcs and audiences alike. Their upcoming release "Under The Skin" starring Scarlett Johansson will most likely be polarizing, too.

Critics can't agree on "Prisoners" either: David Denby from "The New Yorker" praises the movie, particularly Denis Villeneuve: Villeneuve has what I keep looking for in directors: a charged sense of the way the world actually works, but David Edelstein from "The New York Magazine" thinks his efforts are in vain: Villeneuve is trying like hell to elevate what turns out to be a dumb genre picture.

UltraViolet said...

Some photos of Jake's Inside the Actors Studio appearance.

Director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) should join Jake's PR team. I think he praised EoW, as well:

William Friedkin ‏@WilliamFriedkin 7h
Rarely have I seen a film that is so terrifying it ranks
With Psycho and Seven. PRISONERS is that strong.
One of the scariest ever.

Mr. Villanueva, I salute you.

Yes, I know, it's Villenueve...my iPad has a mind of its own.

UltraViolet said...

If you scroll through this flickr set, you can see some shots of Jake and then Alyssa at the Enemy premiere, including this nice one.

And LOL at the AV Club review, Hagen. Not a surprise. I see more of those coming. Love the Denby review, but not the Edelstein. You can't win all the Daves, I guess!

FP said...

TheWrap ‏@TheWrap 1m

'Four Lions' Star Riz Ahmed to Join Jake Gyllenhaal in 'Nightcrawler' (Exclusive) http://bit.ly/14bavDG

FP said...

Rave from the film stage:)

Prisoners might be the most shockingly dark studio release since Fight Club, a grim, unsettling, occasionally convoluted, but undeniably gripping thriller. The nightmare America of Denis Villeneuve’s film is sadly believable, and it results in a truly moving experience — one that audiences might not see coming.
Jackman is coming off a wildly successful few months that saw a Best Actor nomination for his Jean Valjean in Les Misérables as well as robust returns for The Wolverine. But in Prisoners, he is shockingly unhinged, giving what is clearly his finest performance as a man who will do anything — anything — to save his daughter. He is matched by Gyllenhaal, whose performance is much more subtle, and no less effective. Loki is the heart of Prisoners, and in many ways Gyllenhaal has the more difficult part.


FP said...

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal In Surprising 'Prisoners'

Gyllenhaal takes the familiar role of the smart detective butting heads with his stupid superiors, and gives it new power. We never get an explanation for the tattoos on his hands, and don't need them. All we need to know is in his haunted eyes, his own driven urgency, and a single line about his childhood. (Maybe he didn't have to be named Loki, which today makes us think of Tom Hiddleston's character in The Avengers movies.)

http://blogs.indiewire.com/carynjames/prisonersreview?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed#.UjdO0Ii8aLM.twitter

Hagen said...

Apparently Jake won't be at the San Sebastián Film Festival to promote "Enemy" (at least not on the first weekend of the festival).

Anonymous said...

Clayton Davis ‏@AwardsCircuit
There is a 101 minute Prisoners cut that's a Best Picture nod. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal shine like never before.Deakins as always.

bobbyanna said...

I wonder if Jake will be involved with any overseas promotions for Prisoners.

Translator said...

Jake's schedule is tight this week: he tapes The Daily Show on Tuesday; 2 morning shows on Wednesday; Katie Couric on Thursday morning — to be able to walk the Spanish red carpet Friday evening, he should take a flight Thursday night. Still, I find it hard to believe that Jake and Denis won't be there to promote "Enemy". Maybe it clashes with "Prisoners" promotional duties?
"Enemy" being scheduled for 9/20 in competition at San Sebastian, then "Prisoners" having a screening on 9/27 seemed a bit odd. I wondered: will Jake and Denis make 2 trips to Spain? Now I'm confused but still holding hope.

In my opinion Jake should promote "Prisoners" at least in UK. He has strong ties to UK and is highly respected there. Warner Bros should be aware of it.
Then again, "Nightcrawler" is in full pre-production stage.

New clips:

UltraViolet mentioned this funny bit: Jake and Kimmel's wife sipping champagne around 1:20 min mark

2 ComingSoon.net interviews with Jake and Hugh

Jake and mostly Hugh discuss bromance

Translator said...

Metro News Canada looks back at the memorable moments that defined TIFF 2013 Jake is highlighted twice: Double Features and Memorable Performances:
"Jake Gyllenhaal — If ever there was any doubt this Hollywood hunk could play with the best, his riveting turn as a tightly wound detective in “Prisoners” smashes that to pieces. If that wasn’t enough, he turns in an equally captivating performance in the experimental psychological puzzle “Enemy”."

Top picks from TIFF 2013 Praise for Villeneuve, Hugh and Jake:
"And Jake Gyllenhaal turns in a risky but powerful performance as a relentless cop who doggedly pursues leads both false and true."

And a very interesting tweet by Matt Barone, Senior Staff Writer @ComplexPopCult:
"Prisoners" is a grade-A Hollywood thriller. Fincher-quality good. Also begins the reign of Jake Gyllenhaal. More on that later this week...

So say we all!

UltraViolet said...

Very intriguing, Translator!

Both of Jake's movies made the Playlist's TIFF Top Five.

Thanks for posting the Kimmel bit. There are a couple more parts. Nothing big, but it's a shame if no one captured them. I will check with Stephanie.