Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Future, present, past




Southpaw is just past its first weekend in theaters, but there's already news about Jake's upcoming movies. Word today is that Demolition will open the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Now we just need the trailer!

But you know the Southpaw promotion hasn't stopped. Here's the third part of the Youtube sessions with Eminem:



Sky news:



Andrew Freud interviews Jake, Rachel and 50:






This year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of Brokeback Mountain. As the Venice Film Festival and TIFF announce their lineups, we can't help but think back to the heady festival days of 2005. There will no doubt be many remembrances of BBM. Out has one of the first looks back with an oral history of the film.

Jake has been asked about the anniversary, with regard to the recent Supreme Court decision on marriage equality:



(Starts around the 1:50 mark.)

You can also hear jake talk more about the decision here (around 1:17).

Interesting excerpts from the Out story:

Hathaway: When I got the part and had my first rehearsal, one of the things Ang told me was: “On the night Lureen and Jack first meet, that’s her Brokeback Mountain, the only one she ever got.” So that kind of fed into the bitterness.

That stings.

Gyllenhaal: I’d known Heath for a really long time before that movie. We were friends. We went to a sort of boot camp, where we’d all hang out and learn to ride. Heath already knew how to ride really well, but we’d ride and hang out on the ranch outside of Los Angeles. It was really, really amazing.

Gyllenhaal: For the first month of shooting we all lived by this river in little trailers, and I had my dog there. We all just lived on a campground and would walk to set. You know, in a world driven by commerce, particularly in the movie business, there’s no time spent together—relationships are fleeting. But in the old-school way, people really used to spend their time together. They became a family. And that’s what Ang created on the movie. It’s why we are all still close— not just bonded by the success of the film, but bonded by the experience. It was an intimate project in that way. We’d wake up and make breakfast for each other, and hang out. Heath and Michelle fell in love. It was a really special, special time.



Gyllenhaal: That line [“I don’t know how to quit you”] has moved, it has been mocked, it has been everything in between, but I remember coming out of that scene, off that ridge of the hill, and seeing a number of the crew, some of whom didn’t even know what the movie was about, crying. When I first read that line, I was like, What is that? Now I realize that anybody who has loved knows what that feels like. The interesting part of casting us at such a young age was that we didn’t completely understand what we were involved in, and that’s the beauty of the movie as well.

Gyllenhaal: While there are many parts of the real story that are sad, one of the saddest things is that I won’t be able to exchange ideas creatively with Heath again, because that was one of the most beautiful things to come out of that.




So poignant. And heart-breaking. But it's good to remember the happy times.

87 comments:

BlueJean said...

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to read this post. I wasn't around when Brokeback came out, I only first saw the movie in 2012, but it has been in my heart since then. It's just so, so special.

bobbyanna said...

UV thanks for posting the Out Magazine interview with Diana, Ang, Anne, & Jake. Some wonderful new information in that piece. I was @ TIFF in 2005, and unfortunately arrived too late on that Thursday to see BBM. : ( Never got to see Heath or Jake, but I did run into Philip Seymour Hoffman later, when he was doing press for Capote.

I'm getting such a kick out of Eminem and Jake! Priceless. LOL! Who knew : )

Anonymous said...

There is still that autoplay video with 50 Cent, it is the same as Jake is talking about BBM, too around 3 posts ago. Is that possible to switch it off please? Thank you. SV

UltraViolet said...

Is anyone out there? :)

Interesting potential new project:

Jake Gyllenhaal Circles Boston Marathon Bombing Pic ‘Stronger’

Following “Southpaw’s” strong performance at the box office, Jake Gyllenhaal looks to have his eye on another underdog tale, this time following the tragic events of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Sources tell Variety that Gyllenhaal is in early talks to star in Lionsgate’s “Stronger,” which tells the true story of Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman, who lost both legs in the attack. Sources say that after execs met with several A-list actors, Gyllenhaal is the favorite to land the role and that an offer is expected to come shortly. ...

“Stronger” is based on the book by Bauman and Bret Witter. It details the aftermath of the 2013 attack at the marathon finish line, where Bauman had been cheering for his girlfriend. A photo of Bauman moments after the blast remains one of the best-known images from the tragedy, which killed three and injured more than 260. When Bauman awoke the next day after surgeries and realized he could not speak, he asked for a pad and paper and wrote: “Saw the guy. Looked right at me.” That set off a massive manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted of the murders in April.


This is the third marathon film in development, apparently. Tricky subject matter. We'll see.

Hagen said...

This is the third marathon film in development, apparently.

That sounds a bit worrisome. But apart from that it's certainly a very promising project. I liked "Snow Angels" by David Gordon Green, but haven't seen his other movies.

UltraViolet said...

One of the movies has Mark Wahlberg attached. Which doesn't mean much (IMO) for the quality of the movie. But he will have the strong local connection.

Forgot to post this yesterday. Demolition has a 100-minute running time. I hope TIFF will have a little trailer or some video soon.

UltraViolet said...

Fun tweet:

Southpaw - Interesting? No. Surprising? No. Ground-breaking? No. Jake Gyllenhaal? Yes. He's a human cheat code who makes films worth seeing.

Interesting, if true. From the Southpaw reddit. Spoilers ahead!

I worked on this movie, obviously I can't say too much but I feel like a third of what we shot didn't make it in. Forrest as Tick suffers the most. His character was supposed to have more depth, concerning his dead son and how Billy kind of filled that void. It was related to Tyrese but he was completely cut from the film.
It was pretty good, but everyone who is giving props to jake and rachel for their performances, all the credit really goes to John the editor who crafted that. The script was constantly being re-written and the director let them improvise way too much.

Oh and Hoppy, lol. He was a late addition to the script, and we shot the ending before that. He was supposed to be killed by tyrese, but that was really to just explain why he wasn't at the last fight.


Also from reddit, about Demolition:

Saw this movie a few months ago at a movie screening and all I'll say is that once again, jake is on point and what a good moviE!

Piruleta said...

There were some comments on AW after Demolition's screening and all were positive, there's a girl or a boy who saw it that said good things, now she/he is retracting tho. Yeah, I know, I keep going there lol

I don't know how I feel about the news about 'Stronger', not the kind of movie I would be eager to watch if it weren't because Jake is linked to it, tbh. But this "after execs met with several A-list actors, Gyllenhaal is the favourite to land the role" is really good :)

FP said...

That's great about Stronger UV!

In those sad days, the city of Boston was such an example of humanity pride and strength.

Is Jake in UK again?

https://instagram.com/p/5wCfl7qaAR/


Looks like a London radio

Sag Actor said...

What a great post UV. Can't believe its been ten years.BBM is a masterpiece in filmmaking with stellar acting by all.

I was wondering what happened to Tyrese in SP since I remember seeing FB/twitter/instagram photos if him and Jake on set. They must have cut his scenes for timing. Too bad about some of the scenes that were cut with Jake and Forest according to that Reddit link UV. I thought that his character was underdeveloped.

Saw the film on Sunday and the best thing about the film was Jake who gave an outstanding and believable performance. Oona and Rachel gave fine performances and the fight scenes were right on the money.

The script was full of clichés and I didn't care for the pacing of the film but the performances are well worth recommending this movie !

Anonymous said...

For Tyrese, maybe that is why his name was never on the cast list from the beginning. Maybe Fuqua wasn't sure if he was going to use his scenes, but I always wonder why Tyrese was not mentioned or listed on IMBD.

Ann said...

There were some comments on AW after Demolition's screening and all were positive, there's a girl or a boy who saw it that said good things, now she/he is retracting tho. Yeah, I know, I keep going there lol

LOL Me too. They're really intent on hating everything Jake does. There's already a thread full of complaints about the Boston Marathon bombing film.

I did a quick search on the other two films in production on the Boston Marathon and there isn't much. Mark Wahlberg is doing one and Casey Affleck was attached to the other but dropped out. Neither one seems to have anything else happening. Plus it sounds like the other two films focus on the police and the hunt for the bombers so it's a different story than 'Stronger'.

BlueJean said...

"Southpaw - Interesting? No. Surprising? No. Ground-breaking? No. Jake Gyllenhaal? Yes."

LOL!

BlueJean said...

Is Jake Gyllenhaal the official star of the fall festival season?

"Yesterday, the programmers of the Toronto International Film Festival announced the first batch of movies that will be screening there in September, including opening night selection Demolition, featuring Gyllenhaal as a bereaved husband. Today, the programmers of the Venice Film Festival followed suit, laying out their own lineup, and as it turns out, they’ll be kicking things off on a Donnie Darko-ish note, too: Venice, which overlaps with TIFF by two days, will commence with Everest, a mountain-climbing drama starring (you guessed it) Jake Gyllenhaal.

How you going to chase that trend, New York Film Festival? Does the actor have a secretly shot Nightcrawler sequel you can slot into opening night?"


http://www.avclub.com/article/venice-lineup-confirms-all-film-festivals-must-inc-223066

Anonymous said...

"Is Jake Gyllenhaal the official star of the fall festival season? "


I hope so. As for AW I went there and noticed that comments were coming from 3 or 4 snarky people who probably hated every Oscar nominated film last year. It funny because it was AW that had Jake in the Oscar race with Demolition in January and then with Southpaw.

bobbyanna said...

Not comfortable with the Boston Marathon movie project. In some ways it's almost too soon, but I understand the idea of focusing on one person's experience of it. I just don't feel excited about it even though I know Jake would do a great job.

As for Tyrese being cut from Southpaw, I didn't miss it. I do wish we'd have seen more of Rachel, more of Forest with Jake, but maybe the length had something to do with it, and honestly, there's something to be said for the spare storyline. Fuqua would have been criticized for going off on a tangent with Forest if they'd probed into his backstory. I found something very poignant about the Hoppy storyline. To me it felt real. We saw this kid who obviously loved being at the gym, loved the attention from "the champ" and then suddenly,shockingly, he's gone. It felt realistic for me. Cluttering up the movie with too many plot points would have taken away some of its power, IMO. I'm just hoping there's a director's cut that'll give us a little more of Rachel & Forest.

UltraViolet said...

I know what you mean, Bobbyanna, but I wish they could have done something to make Hoppy less of a Plot Device. I loved his interactions with Billy, so it added to the film. But just a few tweaks could have elevated the material. Just make his descent into bankruptcy more believable, for one thing.

I added Jake and Oona on GMA, as well as a couple of other videos.

I finally got to watch the Youtube Sessions. Boy, that interviewer was out of his depth. He could not handle Jake and Eminem's strangeness.

LOL:

confirmed: jake gyllenhaal DOES ride the subway, i spent half an hour trapped on a stalled train three feet away from him this morning

on that note, turns out a good way to whittle away stalled train time is in a "wait. is that? no. yes. it is! no, it can't be" spiral

did you kiss him for me

no i just stared & doubted myself. he was a very polite train boy though, he just stood and held the pole and looked at his phone/got on at union square, was still politely looking at his phone at 42nd. he is Extremely Tall And Large i didn't know this/i always thought of him as like 5'7" &spritely but turns out he is a Big Lumberjack Man. maggie g is also weirdly tall

UltraViolet said...

How you going to chase that trend, New York Film Festival? Does the actor have a secretly shot Nightcrawler sequel you can slot into opening night?"

I love this idea!

I'm on the fence eon Stronger. It feels like it could be cheesy; I don't know if it's necessary. But I think Jake would be great.

Ann said...

I'm not sure I understand all of the "is this movie necessary" comments. And it's not just here that I've seen this said. Are any films really necessary? You could make the same argument for a film like Jarhead or Zero Dark Thirty or any of the films made about 9/11 or any other real life tragedy.

I can understand the "it's too soon" sentiment but Hollywood rushed to make 9/11 movies not long after that happened so I'm not surprised they're looking to make films about this.

Anonymous said...

"I can understand the "it's too soon" sentiment"

I don't understand that sentiment, to be honest not living in Boston, it really doesn't resonate with me any longer but 911 does and I don't live in NYC either. Has anyone read the book? The movie may be about one man's struggle not to let evil destroy him or his country. I don't think its too soon for that message, terrorism is around us everyday it seems.

FP said...

I agree with Anna and the Anon 1:25 PM,

and I trust in the sensitivity of Jake to treat such a subject as tactfully as necessary.

bobbyanna said...

FP/ Ann, as I said, "...I understand the idea of focusing on one person's experience of it. I just don't feel excited about it even though I know Jake would do a great job."

Let me clarify my "too soon" comment: When this happened, I was riveted to the story for a long time. Like millions of other people, I poured over every single development, and followed the accounts of the people directly affected by it. So for me, it is still very fresh. In fact, in some ways, it's exhausting to continue to dwell on it, and relive every aspect of it. It's not that I want to forget about it, just that I'd like to find a balance.

I guess focusing on one man's struggle would be very compelling, but
I 'm just not there yet. I also feel like this kind of story, in general, is not unique even though the event itself is.

The fact that movies were made about 9/11, like The World Trade Center movie Maggie was in with Nic Cage and Michael Pena, or Flight 93 Paul Greengrass's movie, doesn't necessarily mean they were good movies, even if they were well intentioned. (I happen to like Zero Dark 30, and I've watched it several times. I know a lot of people weren't crazy about it, but whatever.; ) )

I understand how an artist, directors, actors, writers, etc. feel compelled to express their own emotions abut a major event, and I'd never challenge an artist's right to express themselves. But there's also what's commonly referred to as the "disaster porn" of exploiting a major news event, a tragedy, and exploiting public interest in it for commericial gain, and usually with appalling results.

I believe Jake absolutely has artistic integrity, and I don't believe he would ever participate in something that is exploitive. The focus on what happens after the news cameras leave, and victims and their families are left dealing with the aftermath of such a tragedy, can be an important way to place these events in a broader human context. It can be uplifting and help the general public see the personal impact of these attacks.

But I'm still not comfortable with this project, and I won't be until I read or hear more about it. I worry that it will be obvious, repetitious or heavy-handed in its approach, and I don't know if this is something I would want to see, at this point. I know. It's "too soon" to form a judgment, so I will await further developments.

bobbyanna said...

I will also add that maybe a story such as this one that Jake is being considered for might help a lot of people find some kind of peace, or closure and help them heal, and that's all to the good, if art can do something like that.

FP said...

I totally get your point of view now Bobbyanna, and everything you say is absolutely acceptable and your arguments just show the sensitive and intelligent person you are, I'm European, and still speak in films of the dark period of Nazism, sometimes, it's like throwing salt on the wounds, and I have not experienced that time on my skin as unfortunately has happened to you with the tragedy of September 11 and the attack on the Boston Marathon, but art, and cinema is master in this, sometimes has a cathartic function, it helps to draft and possibly overcome trauma, that alone, we can not even analyze.
if there is one thing in which I have total confidence in Jake's artistic integrity.

I think telling the story of a man and his courageous way to face a tragic and unexpected event that forever changed his life and his perception of things, it is to honor that man and show how fanaticism is stupid cruel useless and destructive.

JMHPOV

Ann said...

Thanks for sharing that bobbyanna. I always like to see different sides of things so reading your viewpoint clarified a lot for me.

I definitely agree with disaster porn and how people can want to take advantage of tragedies in order to turn a profit so I understand the concern for that. Especially when more than one is being produced, it can feel like cashing in on a tragedy.

As it's been said I trust Jake's judgement and that he wouldn't contribute to something like that. When I read the article about the film I thought of how much the story fits into the types of roles Jake's been doing lately so I'm not surprised at all that this could end up being a future film for him.

Hopefully we'll have more information on it soon and know if he's definitely going to be taking the offer.


Ann said...

I'm going to miss the interviews and photos of Jake with Oona they seem to have fun together. Plus, they're just too adorable together, lol

UltraViolet said...

Are any films really necessary?

Okay, this made me really laugh out loud. It's true that no film is really necessary to life. But I think what people mean - or what I meant - is that it's a familiar story, one we've seen many times. Kind of like another boxing movie :) And since I gave Southpaw a chance, I would certainly give this one a chance. But the risks of its seeming exploitive or mawkish definitely concern me.

Also, I forgot to say that the autostart should be fixed. I fixed it a couple of days ago.

UltraViolet said...

Ann, I agree. That GMA interview so totally adorable.

FP said...

They are the cutest

Oona was you intimidated to meet Jake?

Oona "A little bit"

soo cute :)

UltraViolet said...

This is a really fun read for Jake fans:

Eight movies that prove Jake Gyllenhaal’s the best actor working right now

RIGHT now, Jake Gyllenhaal is killing it. There is nobody better.

We will wait while you stop scoffing and then we will ask you to, if you disagree, suggest an actor who has had a better run of late. Chris Pratt? Great, but he’s only three films in. Ryan Gosling? His last knock out role was in 2011. Michael Fassbender? We will hear your argument but we will still win.

In the past 15 years, and especially the last three, Jake Gyllenhaal has amassed a collection of roles to match anything anyone else has done in the same time.


I love all the examples, especially that they gee Jake props for BBM, for which he is way underappreciated. And I love this:

NIGHTCRAWLER
There is not one person on the list of Best Actor Oscar nominees in 2015 that you could reasonably say did a better job than Gyllenhaal in this movie, including Eddie Redmayne, who won. Bradley Cooper? Please. Gyllenhaal as the hollow-eyed, ruthless Louis Bloom was the performance of 2014, hands down. He haunts that movie. It’s more of a transformation movie than Southpaw, with just enough weight lost that his eyes sink and throw all his proportions off. He makes Louis, a man who wants to muscle into the grubby world of video crime journalism, a wholly unnatural person. Not in the sense of being unbelievable, but in the sense that none of his actions seem to come from a place of normal human emotion. Show us someone who’s better. Go on. Whoever you are currently pointing at, you are WRONG.

Ann said...

That article is great, UV. I found myself nodding in agreement as I read it. I really liked this point about Enemy:

The switch between playing both men is so delicate that most actors would get lost in it, or give in to the temptation to give the two men some identifying tick. It’s the sort of film that has so much potential to be disastrous — the end is wilfully insane — yet, in no small part due to Gyllenhaal, it’s like the kind of dream that obsesses you for weeks and that you bore your friends with.

Enemy is one of my faves and it's for this very reason. Jake mastered playing Adam and Anthony with subtle but notable differences that made it compelling to watch.

Also...

Are any films really necessary?

Okay, this made me really laugh out loud.


I meant to add a LOL after that :P

FP said...

Are any films really necessary?


Of course they are

What would have been my life without The Goonies or Pretty in Pink? LOL!:)

UltraViolet said...

Yes, the Enemy section was wonderful. They nailed it. I haven't watched Enemy in a while. I'll have to do that soon.

I realized I forgot another fear for the marathon movie. I'm afraid it could lapse into jingoism. I don't know enough about the director to know how he will approach things. And I haven't read the book.

bobbyanna said...

I enjoyed the article, but with one glaring omission...They didn't mention Source Code... : (

Piruleta said...

I've been reading some Spanish blogs about 'Stronger' and while everyone is like "whatever Gyllenhaal is in, I'll watch it" most agree is too soon for a movie like this, even more if we consider there's other two projects about the subject. This year we have like three boxing movies coming, there is no need to see him involved on another repetitive subject matter. Another thing I don't like is that it looks like the typical film made to win Oscar's… Meh. As bad as it may sound, I hope he says no, I would like to see him in something more original :/

Tweetland is still liking Southpaw very much, is great to see the movie doing so well.

And a funny note: someone called Jirka Väätäinen draw real life illustrations of Disney princes, and there are a lot of tweets and comments saying Aladdin looks like Jake lol I always thought Aladdin looked a little bit like him, he almost played Aladdin in PoP anyway lol

That article is great, UV. I found myself nodding in agreement as I read it.

Me too!

Piruleta said...

LOL

*brother explains Night Crawler* "Jake Gyllenhaal becomes this guy who records things for the media and..." "You had me at Jake Gyllenhaal"

Anonymous said...

Source code cannot replace any movie from the list it is far behind all of them. So the top list is very well picked.

As for Stronger production, I am not going to watch this movie, even if I'd play there by myself. There couldn't be picked the less interesting topic for me. Even if this may give a space for big acting range, I can imaging tons of different scenarios, where Jake may excel. Moreover I find it as cheap theme to beg for awards. But it's his choice, so he is only one who may challenge it, I just secretly hope he back out of it. SV

bobbyanna said...

SV I never suggested SC replace anything on that list. I did feel it should be included. It's a personal favorite of mine, and often overlooked. In my opinion Jake did an extraordinary job on SC, especially in his scenes inside the pod as Coulter, and if we are tracking the excellence of his acting skills, I feel as if that movie deserves a mention. I'm sure many of us have personal favorites we might consider adding to the list.

FP said...

UV I found the results of the French box office and SP is going very well it seems

BOX-OFFICE FRANCE: "Pixels" disappoint, Jake Gyllenhaal puts Pio marai KO

Some novelty of the week came to head the French box office. The biggest weekly outing, SF comedy with Adam Sandler Pixels, ranks only fourth place with 307,415 entries in 500 theaters. Rage stomach with Jake Gyllenhaal offers much better per-screen average with 233,016 entries in less than 200 theaters. Two most widely distributed films are beaten: Pitch Perfect 2 (the first part was a flop in France) starts softly with 157,564 entries on over 300 copies, while our future Bezançon with Pio Marmaï and Pierre Rochefort is a flop with only 111,186 in 305 odd theaters.

http://www.filmdeculte.com//cinema/actualite/BOX-OFFICE-FRANCE-Pixels-decoit-Jake-Gyllenhaal-met-Pio-Marai-KO-21710.html

bobbyanna said...

Really happy SP is doing so well in France, FP. A side note some may find interesting, FP:
Marcel Cerdan is generally regarded as Frances greatest boxer. He won 47 fights in a row and fought against Jake LaMotta ( Raging Bull) for the championship. My father had a chance to see him fight. Marcel was the love of Edith Piaf's life, and she was inconsolable when he was killed in a plane crash. He was French Algerian. So France has a rich tradition in the sport itself.

UltraViolet said...

I saw that, too, FP. I am curious about how it translates into dollars. From the few things I've seen, I think it's about $8 per admission, which would mean over $1.8 million. But I'm not sure if that's accurate.

Bobbyann,a I had a feeling that the French audience likes boxing movies, but I didn't know that history.

As for Source Code, I think it does get short shrift. Most stories name End of Watch as the movie marking Jake's turning point. Aside from the fact that I think the whole "turning point' narrative is overblown, if there is one, I think it would be Source Code.

We haven't heard from Mary for a while, have we? Hope all is well out there with you, Mary!

Mary said...

I'm fine UV thanks for asking. Just having trouble posting with the new verification thing not sure how it works. Haven't seen Souhpaw yet hope to see it this weekend but I check in here daily:)

UltraViolet said...

Hi, Mary! Sorry the authentication is being a pain. I think you just click the box and it somehow determines you are a real person. Are other folks having issues with it?

This is funny:

I watched a video of Jame Gyllenhaal training for Southpaw while eating cookies for breakfast... Lol @ life.

Flashback Friday from Selma Blair:

therealselmablairOne of my favorite friends. A lifetime ago. Seattle. #jakegyllenhaal #fbf

They are babies!

Mary said...

Think I finally figured it out😀

Ann said...

I love that pic from Selma Blair, LOL I haven't watched Highway in years. I may need to fix that over the weekend :))

bobbyanna said...

Awww! Great picture of Selma & Jake!

UV, I think boxing is pretty popular in the UK, France & Italy. Marcel Cerdan was an international celebrity. He fought in New Jersey and won the world championship. Then he fought Lamotta. The Jake LaMotta/Cerdan fight took place in Detroit, and Cerdan lost to LaMotta. It was his last fight. I remember how excited my father was when he talked about actually seeing the fight. Many years later, my father met Jake LaMotta when they were both long past their prime. LOL!

I'm hoping word of mouth will keep Southpaw in the top five this weekend....I might see it again, unless I can restrain myself. LOL!

Hope Jake gets to Venice and to TIFF What a great run he's having lately! : )

Anonymous said...

"I'm hoping word of mouth will keep Southpaw in the top five this weekend...."

Might be kind of tough with newer releases have such higher theater counts than SP

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to ask time ago, I always forget, is there any link and video posted, where Jake is talking about his dream? There was few months ago that session, but I've never saw it. SV

Anonymous said...

CORRECTION: I've never seen it. SV

Extra said...

My sister and I will be seeing Southpaw tomorrow, can't wait!
I hope word of mouth will keep it in the top 5 this weekend, fingers crossed.

I have mixed feelings about Jake's latest rumored project, I think it's a bit too soon imo after the Boston bombing.

BBM was such a groundbreaking film. Jake , Heath, Michele and Anne were incredible , still makes me cry.

Anonymous said...

And a funny note: someone called Jirka Väätäinen draw real life illustrations of Disney princes, and there are a lot of tweets and comments saying Aladdin looks like Jake lol I always thought Aladdin looked a little bit like him, he almost played Aladdin in PoP anyway lol

LOL! Well, I've always thought he looked like Prince Hans in Frozen... He could have been a great villain, he can sing... too bad they didn't cast him! :)
Tina

UltraViolet said...

Looks like Jake is back on Martha's Vineyard.

First reports on Southpaw's second weekend are not great - a 53% drop. Hope those numbers come up a bit.

SV, not sure what video you mean?

Anonymous said...

I mean there was one session, not sure if with psychologist where he was talking about his dreams and that psychologist was supposed to analyse it, I don't know where it happened, but the video never came out, but maybe I just missed and someone has it. SV

Kristie said...

On tonights movie menu: Rendition, Prince of Persia and Enemy! The last three of his filmography that I have to see;p

UltraViolet said...

Oh, that sounds like fun, Kristie. Well, Rendition and Enemy might not be strictly considered fun. but it will be a fun evening!

SV, I totally forgot about that Brainwave event. I did a quick search and couldn't find any video. I'll try again later.

Forbes described SP's Friday drop as "atrocious." I hope it was a mistake?

Ann said...

The Friday drop doesn't really surprise me, there's alot of movies out this weekend. Imagine if SP had been released on Friday the 31st as initially planned. It'll only get more competitive in the next few weeks.

UltraViolet said...

Most of Jake's movies have a 40-something % drop. This was a popular movie with an A Cinemascope in the summer. It's a bad drop. If it goes up to 53%, that's better but still bad, comparatively. There was less competition but still. Disappointing.

Damn you, Tom Cruise!

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised we haven't seen Rita Ora doing promo work for SP.

BlueJean said...

Please let us know what you think of 'Enemy', Kristie! Jake's fabulous in it. It's such a weird movie - but in a good way! :)

On 'Southpaw': auch. That's too bad.

Didn't Rita Ora have like, one scene in it?! ;)

Piruleta said...

@ScottFeinberg: Hats off to Jake Gyllenhaal for yet another fierce performance, this time as a boxer in SOUTHPAW, supported by two very impressive ladies.

Hagen said...

The latest "Everest" poster reminds me of "Cliffhanger". It's probably difficult to visualize the real problems on Mount Everest - like the lack of oxygen - in a poster.
Boxoffice.com thinks that "Everest" will gross roughly as much as "Southpaw" at the US box office. We'll see. Still three weeks to go until "Southpaw" will open in Germany.

canuck_cutie said...

Southpaw took in $7.5 mil this weekend, dropped 55% but less than pixels (57%) or Paper Towns (63%). Current total is $31.5 mil. I personally think Everest should do better box office wise but I guess I'll have to wait and see!

Anonymous said...

Boxoffice.com has been wrong so much this year, how can you take them seriously? All the experts have been wrong because they depend on social media index, they even underestimated the Mission Impossible movie because there wasn't enough buzz on social media that people would see it. Boy were they wrong. These are the same people who thought PaperTowns would out earn Southpaw and that Pixels would beat The Ant Man, why because of social media index. Paper Towns had over 12 million likes an ten of thousands of tweets during the opening week, SP didn't even reach 100,000 likes before the opening and the tweets were no where near Paper Towns. Box office prediction now rely too much on social media which can be bought.

Even I know the audience that Everest will try to attract don't so social media.

UltraViolet said...

Not sure whom you're ranting at or about what. The Southpaw estimates weren't that far off the mark, except that absurd one that had it going under $10 million for the opening weekend.

Southpaw slightly over performed opening weekend but was under this weekend. And it's going to have to hold up better if it wants to hit $50 million, which was BO.com's overall prediction.

I'm hoping the UK and France results stayed strong this weekend.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't find this brainwave event neither, only few articles, but no recorded clip, on twitter they have commented it will be recorded and posted on youtube, but they never did.

So in terms of searching I found one retro article with Jake from 2007 and I find those questions quite interesting, wondering how he would answer them today, by accident he mentions Eminem there, too:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-488968/I-tend-analyze-things-says-Jake-Gyllenhaal.html

SV

Kristie said...

Please let us know what you think of 'Enemy', Kristie! Jake's fabulous in it. It's such a weird movie - but in a good way! :)

I'm not great in explaining what I think of movies (I like almost every movie I see or eve saw expect Only God Forgives, it's horrible), you can say I'm not so much a reviewer ;)

I thought Enemy was great! Do note that I've already read quite some in- debt reviews/explanations/theories about it before I saw it yesterday. While watching the movie I felt like I could follow the plot and get it. Although you shouldn't ask me to explain it;p Jake is amazing and did such a great job, especially in making the distinction between the characters. The scenery and color of the movie is so odd but works great for it. I really really enjoyed watching it, I will definitely watch it again. I do think, now having seen it, that some over-think/over-analyze this movie. Just like you said BlueJean it's a weird movie but in a good way. Just see it like that and it's quite entertaining. The more Jake onscreen looking handsome and great as usual is also not a bad bonus :)

Rendition was good, I liked it, but found it a bit predictable or something? Normally I know what happens in a movie cause I love spoilers, but with Rendition you could just know that Jake's character wasn't going to let the torture continue and believe the lies he gave so the torture would stop for long without reading Wikipedia in advance. So as Anne Hathaway would say "I felt pretty neutral about it", don't think it's a movie I'll watch again soon.

I know Prince of Persia caused some "drama" with a lot of people (don't know about you guys, but in general) but I quite enjoyed it:# The first time Jake opened his mouth I straight up grinned, I knew he did a british accent for it but it caught me on guard (forgot about it). It was entertaining! Like I said in one of my first messages on here, I don't really watch movies very critical. I like movies which are labeled "bad" by a lot of people. I'll probably watch it again;p it's one of these movies you just put on and watch without thinking. Oh and I liked the hair on Jake haha, which is odd cause guys with long hair is just not my thing. Probably because it's Jake. That guy can't do a lot wrong in my eyes.

BlueJean said...

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/sandler-slam-peter-travers-on-summers-worst-movies-20150803

Peter Travers! Who has interviewed Jake many, many times - but...

"He's also gunning for Southpaw, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a down-on-his-luck fighter making a comeback. Travers grants the leading man some scum-bucket immunity, though he doesn't spare the film from a few sucker punches."

:((( Apart from Jake's performance... is 'Southpaw' really that bad?!


UltraViolet said...

Don't be persuaded by that, BJ. You've seen all the glowing praise and all the reviews. Some people really hate it, but a majority of critics have given it a positive review. Even if the reviews aren't As, they are still positive.

Pter Travers isn't exactly a respected reviewer these days. He's known as a "quote whore," because he seems to write reviews in order to get quoted on the ads or posters. He's done some good interviews with Jake, but he's not really a go-to critic.

UltraViolet said...

Kristie, I loved Prince of Persia. I consider it one of Jake's most rewatchable movies. He's in almost all of it; he looks great and sounds great. It's not great cinema but I found it enjoyable. Like Southpaw, some tweaks could have made it even better. But I like it for what it is.

Some funny tweets:

I'm straight and all but if Southpaw Jake Gyllenhaal and Ronda Rousey were in the same room I wouldn't know who to choose

Antoine Fuqua's SOUTHPAW: Goes to show you can do everything wrong, but as long as you cast Jake Gyllenhaal you'll be okay. #DoubleCheese

Saw @FuquaFilms #SOUTHPAW last night. Beautiful and powerful. This film is like being punched right in the heart.

UltraViolet said...

SV, that is an interesting read. The Eminem quote is funny. I'd say Jake has changed but is still the same in a lot of ways. Like all of us, I guess!

BlueJean said...

I feel a bit better now, UV. Thanks! ;)

BlueJean said...

I consider it one of Jake's most rewatchable movies.

That would be Brokeback for me. And 'Enemy'. And 'Brothers'. And... OK, even 'Love and Other Drugs' - just for eye candy! ;)

Kristie, forgot to say thank you for the audio interview you posted earlier. I've only managed to listen to it a couple of days ago. It was fun and Jake and Oona together are adorable.

bobbyanna said...

I enjoy PoP too, but probably not as much as you, UV...; ) Jake looked and sounded wonderful, and it has a great cast. Funny you should mention it, Kristie, but last night I watched Rendition which is a personal favorite of mine. I can't believe it was 8 years ago! I haven't seen it in quite a while, and Jake looks so young.

I didn't find Rendition predictable in terms of the story's structure. I remember an edge of the seat feeling the first time I watched it. I loved the way it unfolded with the seemingly parallel storylines of the Muslim families and the Engineer who was mistakenly arrested.

As for Douglas Freeman, I guess I was not certain Douglas would do the right thing. I sensed a certain ambivalence in the character at first, that he seemed to struggle before he came to his decision. I found it interesting to contrast Douglas with the character of Peter Sarsgaard. Both of them were faced with choices and each handled it differently.

What I found compelling about Rendition is the way it showed the humanity and the pain experienced by the Muslim families, and made the story such a personal one. Of course there were predictable aspects, and improbably outcomes like Douglas calling the Washington Post, or the Senate Aide telling off the CIA director. I loved the international cast, too. It's really amazing how much Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin and J. K. Simmons did with what amounted to cameo roles.

Anonymous said...

Btw. UV that movie he talks about he refused is called Dreamers from B.B. Michael Pitt took the role instead. There was a lot of nudity, but not very reasonable i'd say. SV

Anonymous said...

As for Peter Travers, I remember he makes all his guests sing, Jake sang lullaby for him, so so he could give better SP review :-). SV

bobbyanna said...

As for Peter Travers, I remember he makes all his guests sing, Jake sang lullaby for him, so so he could give better SP review :-). SV



LOLOL! Yes, SV, I agree. : )

I think Peter Travers is probably grouchy because Rolling Stone Magazine wants to get rid of him...

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6649231/rolling-stone-film-critic-peter-travers-job

BlueJean said...

Another one of those overviews... :)

http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/evolution-jake-gyllenhaal-movies/

UltraViolet said...

I thought the same thing about Travers, Bobbyanna!

I really loved Rendition. I loved the story of the young couple. I was less involved in Reese's storyline. But I was intrigued by Jake's, and I think they did a good job showing that he didn't do the right thing all along. And that he might have continued not to do it if it had gotten them good information.

Plus, kI just love the way Jake looks in it. Those ending shots of him on the dock are some of my favorites in all of Jake's movies.

BJ: Glad you feel better. I do understand getting down about this stuff. Currently, I'm obsessing over Southpaw's dismal Friday and Saturday box office. The low numbers make no sense for a movie with such good word of mouth. But I'm trying to get over it :)

There have been a lot of Jake retrospectives. I'm hoping to mine some of that for a future post, once the Southpaw stuff dies down.

SV, I remember the Dreamers/Bertolucci discussion. As I recall, the movie wasn't very good. So probably a wise decision for Jake.

Piruleta said...

It looks like I'm in the minority here, don't hate me but I didn't like Rendition. Neither I liked Jake's character. His performance was OK but nothing remarkable IMO.

I'm sorry if someone has already linked this video: Anatomy of a Movie, is almost and hour and a half talk about Southpaw. Not all of them liked the movie, but it's interesting what they have to say about it. I have the feeling I shouldn't have seen it, tho, because now I know things that maybe I shouldn't lol So if you haven't seen the movie better avoid it.

Anonymous said...

UV, Re the Bertolucci "regret", I am sure for Jake in this one, it's not about the quality of the movie, but more about a missed opportunity to work with such a living legend in world cinema he obviously admires a lot and that he will never be able to do that again.

Hagen said...

"Everest" will open the 41st Deauville American Film Festival on September 4.

Deadline: Southpaw
The Weinstein Co’s boxing drama punched up another $3.3M in 12 territories this frame for a $10.1M purse to date. Among the highlights for the Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer is France where the film is No. 2 in terms of admissions with a $32% drop and a total of $2.5M. In the UK, Southpaw punched above its weight to move up a slot from last week and now has a cume of $6.2M. The Belgian and Greek cumes are $236K and $189K, respectively.

The Hollywood Reporter: 'Southpaw' Sound Team Describes Creating a Realistic Boxing Experience

Maybe the sound team aims for awards consideration.

BJ, Peter Travers gave "Southpaw" 2 1/2 out of 4 stars which isn't that bad.

BlueJean said...

"BJ, Peter Travers gave "Southpaw" 2 1/2 out of 4 stars which isn't that bad."

Oh, I hadn't read that review! Thanks, Hagen! :)

WHY did Travers put it in the Top 10 worst movies then, if it isn't that bad at all? Strange. Jake better not sing for him anymore! ;)

On 'Rendition': Uhm. I didn't understand it that well the first time I saw it. The young couple's story... I thought it was quite confusing. I liked it better the second time, and the third :) The cinematography is great. Jake looks gorgeous. As far as 'first scenes' go: Jake's first scene in 'Rendition' is one of the finest in his entire filmography! :)

I'm sooooooooo intrigued by the "Southpaw Anatomy of a movie" link Piruleta posted. I wonder if I'll be able to stay away from it... I guess not. But I'll try :) Still over a month to go here!

bobbyanna said...

Amen, Blue Jean! Gavin Hood certainly knew how to get our attention. : )

I had to watch Rendition a second and a third time for the young couple's plot line, too.

Hagen, I was disappointed with the 2.5 rating Peter Travis gave Southpaw. I understand some critics having a problem with the familiarity of the story, but still praising Jake's work. But IMO, that view ought to merit a 3.5 : ) For me anything below 3 is disappointing.

I get so impatient with these lazy critics who just dwell on the familiarity of plot, or the "cliches" They miss the point, IMO. Boxing movies are always going to be familiar territory. There's always an underdog with a compelling vackstory. He fights "for a reason." Pick any popular boxing movie, & you'll see it's true. The fact that many boxers in real life come from a harsh background isn't unusual. What makes any story unique is the characters and the acting. Most plots in most movies are "familiar." Pardon me for ranting at the critics one more time. : /

Ann said...

Piruleta said...
It looks like I'm in the minority here, don't hate me but I didn't like Rendition. Neither I liked Jake's character. His performance was OK but nothing remarkable IMO.



I'm not a fan of Rendition either Piruleta.


One review of Southpaw mentioned fatigue when it comes to boxing films. I'm curious to see if all these critics will be saying similar things when Creed or the Miles Teller boxing film comes out later this year.

BlueJean said...

Yes, that's also what I was thinking, Ann. Just because 'Creed' will have Sylvester Stallone won't make it less predictable. They'll probably compare that to Rocky part 1 to 13 ;)

"Gavin Hood certainly knew how to get our attention."

He sure did! :) 'Rendition' may have some issues, and it may not be one of Jake's most interesting films - but at least he looks hot in it! Sorry ;) I even think he looked better in 'Rendition' than he did in LAOD, but that's just me.

BlueJean said...

Has this been posted? If it was, I hadn't read it yet ;)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jake-gyllenhaal-southpaw_55ae83dde4b07af29d567e26

UltraViolet said...

I don't think that one was posted, BJ. Some interesting stuff in there!

I love Rendition, and I'm sticking to that :)

Thanks for the international numbers, Hagen. Glad to see Southpaw doing well. Do we know when it's opening in Spain yet?

New post.