Jake Gyllenhaal may be a SXSW newbie, but he's an old pro at promotion. Nice video interview with Jake, Vera and Michelle from CNN:
SXSW kicked off on Friday night with Jake Gyllenhaal's new movie, "Source Code" premiering at Austin's Paramount Theatre. He made his way down the red carpet, joined by co-stars Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan, to the delight of many a local teenage girl (and a few 30-something ladies) who were screaming "Jake! Jake!" from along Congress Avenue.
Gyllenhaal tells CNN he's a big fan of Austin and SXSW and hopes to extend his stay for a few days and check out the rest of festival. So who is he listening to lately? The Civil Wars and the new album from Adele. We enjoy your playlist, Jake.
It's panel day for Jake and the Source Code crew. No photos allowed officially, but some are sneaking through. With lots of twitter accounts, as well.
Thanks to tweeter rboulding for transcribing many of the questions. (Warning: There is apparently a spoiler in there, so proceed with caution.) Some highlights:
All the questions are for Duncan. Asked about shooting in Chicago. "Chicago doesn't matter..." laughter
Gyllenhall: I think because they didn't get the Olympics we wanted to set it there... laughter
Can you actually travel through time?
Jake: yes, I do know how to travel through time. I have a time machine if you want to join me. My delorian is out back
Some nice shots of Just Jake from last night's Q&A, plus a couple more Q&Areports:
Opening night at SXSW kicked off with its usual unfettered enthusiasm. The elegant Paramount Theatre, the regular venue for high-profile premieres, had lines around and down each block as Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, writer Ben Ripley and director Duncan Jones worked their way inside to introduce Source Code.
For his part, Gyllenhaal talked about some of the philosophical implications he drew from the story, which he said finds a metaphorical way to explore “the little births and deaths we experience every day.” Some audience members certainly walked away with questions about the implications of the ending (as well as the mechanics and logic of the plot), but response was generally positive, proving that when the storytelling is novel and intriguing not all of the pieces need to make perfect sense.
SXSW Film attendees sat star-struck in the aisles, angling to get a look at Jake Gyllenhaal in the flesh — and that was before his latest vehicle, Source Code, premiered as the opening night headliner. As in the film, which focuses on Gyllenhaal in various states of confusion as an war veteran recruited to re-live the same eight minutes in time in hopes of averting a terrorist attack, Thursday night’s screening was all about Jake — and that could very bode well for Summit as they look to open strong next month.
For example: Not every SXSW premiere sees festival-goers breaking out their cameras during every waking moment before and after the lights go dim in the hopes of capturing a snap. (Blogger reports of one SXSWer’s bathroom run-in with Gyllenhaal became full-blown legend overnight; whether or not it’s true, it illustrates the point.) The first question following the screening, which played well to an enthusiastic crowd: “I’m a huge fan of Jake Gyllenhaal.” [Pause] “Is that the question?” teased director Duncan Jones.
At Q&A’s end, co-star Michelle Monaghan summed it up with an appropriately Gyllenhaal-centric tale of long days alone on the Source Code set. “You know, we sat across from each other on that train for 12 hours a day and I don’t know how many weeks,” teased Monahan “So we got to know each other really well. He’s fun and easy to be around and wonderful to work with, and as every chick knows, he’s really easy on the eyes.”
Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Duncan Jones all attended the premiere of Source Code at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, on Friday night. The film was selected as the festival's opening night showcase.
The twit reviews are streaming in, and they seem very enthusiastic. A sampling:
larry411: Source code @sxsw from @manmademoon dir duncan jones is spectacular, edge of your seat fun #sxsw another hit for summit
lmelnick: 4 stars for source code now q and a with cast, dir and writer. awesome
shivvy: SOURCE CODE was a great lil thriller. Audience did roar w/ laughter when Jake G used Bing on a cell phone. #productplacement
screenjunkies: Source Code is great. Tight thriller, smart science and a positive worldview.
cdab: SOURCE CODE was awesome!! What a great way to start #SXSW. Thank you so much for that movie, @ManMadeMoon. #DuncanJonescanmakeamovie
dooglar: Loved "Source Code" it also moved me emotionally. You get save-the-world drama, sci-fi suspense of belief & the value of relationships
georgkallert: Source Code is fantastic / great performances and an intense story / loved it !!!
crispyfuller: Source Code was AMAZING. Inception fans will love it. Actually, I think everyone will.
movingreviews: Instant Review: SOURCE CODE is fantastic. One of the best films I've seen come out of @SXSW. A must see
They are not all positive - I'll post the negative ones in the replies :)
And according to Cinematical, "Duncan Jones' sophomore effort, 'Source Code,' is not nearly as original as his first film, but it is the next best thing to unique: it's two or three familiar ideas tossed into a blender, whipped into a tasty concoction, and delivered with a great deal of style and confidence."
Drawing on time-shifting concepts reminiscent of “Groundhog Day” and “Run Lola Run,” Duncan Jones’ “Source Code” inhabits the spirit of old-school sci-fi while effectively providing a measure of pathos. As he did in his prior film, “Moon,” “Source Code” showcases Jones’ ability to provide ample entertainment value with sharply drawn characters in a minimalist setting.
More than anything, "Source Code" is a film full of emotion as Jones gets as strong a performance out of Jake Gyllenhaal as he did with Sam Rockwell, Gyllenhaal ably fitting into the type of everyman protagonist role that helped Hitchcock's thrillers work so well. You're really pulled into Stevens' dilemma as he interacts with his handler, played by Vera Farmiga, and tries to figure out how to fulfill his mission, while also using his military background to explore how real soldiers are affected by returning from war. ...
The Bottom Line:
This is an impressive and ambitious second feature from Jones, one that shows he's capable of handling a fairly complex premise with lots of moving parts. Like the best science fiction, "Source Code" is quite deep and affecting on many levels with a premise that never gets dull or predictable or feels gimmicky. It's very much the type of movie one can see over and over again and appreciate more of its intricacies each time despite knowing some of the many twists going in.
Its four main actors play sharply delineated characters, not with much depth but, hey, who has time for depth when Chicago is about to blow up? Source Code, which premiered at South by Southwest, could develop into a minor hit for Summit Entertainment, thanks to the fine casting, a sense of claustrophobia and an intriguing race against time.
Solid execution and some provocative ideas can't save "Source Code" from a fatal hubris, as it thinks itself far more clever than it actually is and assumes it's earned emotions at which it's only hinted. Sophomore director Duncan Jones is becoming an adept craftsman of such modestly scaled, cerebral speculative fiction, and had this been a SyFy original movie, it would have been most impressive. But as a follow-up to the startlingly inventive "Moon," "Source Code" just doesn't quite compute. SXSW opener ought to do solid but unspectacular business, with better odds in ancillary.
Gyllenhaal could likely do this sort of bedroom-eyed soldier role in his sleep, but he plays the part with great energy and conviction. Farmiga uses the opportunity to add another warmly maternal bureaucrat role to her scorecard, and Wright makes for a nicely sinister string-puller. Earlier in the day, Jake and Michelle taped Moviefone's Unscripted at the AOL Studios.
An interview with Jake about the SC game:
Plus some late pics from the Q&A:
Jeff Wells praised the movie and also took some video of the beginning of the Q&A.
Finally, Jake in the audience for his own movie :)
A new week brings a new batch of Prince of Persia paraphernalia.
Tired of looking at that old screensaver on your phone? Well, if you have a Nokia phone, you can look at Jake Gyllenhaal, aka the Prince of Persia, instead. Just don't Dastan and drive!
I really like the first one. A lot.
I assume they will have these things for other phones, but I don't know where or when. Courtesy of IHJ and Disney, more production stills of Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia. We get to see him with Sir Ben in the second one.
I don't know if this is the kind of video for which Jake was doing voiceover work, but it's fun! A commercial for the PoP LEGOs:
Two more Chicago shots from SC filming:
Do you think that was in the script or Michelle's ad libbing? :)
Updated with a few more from IHJ. I love the one where they are looking at their reflection in the Bean. I've done that!
So many tweets and photos of Jake Gyllenhaal (and Michelle Monaghan) filming Source Code in Chicago today that we needed a new post. Filming was done in Millennium Park, near The Bean, as well as a chase scene on the city streets.
This series of photos was taken by a blogger who wandered onto the set:
I love "The Bean." It's fun public art:
These were the first pics on twitter. Front:
Back:
More fan photos. You get a sense of the crowd surrounding Jake:
Nice wheels, Jake!
And yet more:
(Four photos courtesy of Just Jared. Twitter photos by suesues and its_kelseyy. SC series photos courtesy of the Parsons Family. Other photos from Facebook.)
