"And so it was when I ran into Jake Gyllenhaal in the kitchen. Not my kitchen -- where the only thing I do well is stir the occasional pot -- but the kitchen in Sotto Sotto, where one of the many things they do well is spoon-feed the stars. On Thursday, late, I just happened to be at the back of the Avenue Road restaurant, talking to some of the staff, caught in the storm of spaghetti and serendipity, when just a few seconds after being there, and to everyone's surprise, the actor suddenly appeared. Deeply V-necked, pleasantly broad-shouldered, and with that paralyzing dopey smile, he turned up solo, like one of those bit-partridges who had mixed up the time he was supposed to appear in a junior high production of The 12 Days of Christmas. His deep, baby-blue V-neck, by the way, looked comfortable but meticulous, as did the black tee underneath the sweater, and his near-pristine dark jeans. All very back-to-school clean. All coming together quite nicely under the unforgiving, hard and harsh kitchen light. The only thing casting a shadow? Jake's 10 o'clock fuzz. ''Mama would like a picture,'' seized one of the maybe five men, standing with me and the movie star in a part of the kitchen just marginally bigger than Nelson Mandela's old digs on Robben Island. Actually, said one of the friendly wait staff, Mama has no idea what a Gyllenhaal is. She just likes the idea of having her picture taken with famous people. In fact, just a little later, Mama was insisting on having her pic taken with a friend of mine. ''I'm not a celebrity,'' my friend told her, to little avail. It was a glimpse, I guess, of the wider celeb-serum that much of the city takes at this time of year. Jake, meanwhile, gave us a glimpse of his singularly sporty-brainy-emo brand in Hollywood -- the kind of chap who can competitive-bike-ride, do crosswords and get teary-eyed via Keats. The night was almost done, and he, polite to the end, thanked everyone and told Mama in particular that he dug her lasagna. But Ms. Witherspoon did come to whisk him away after dinner. Take from that what you may, and indulge your deepest, vicarious fantasies.
Meanwhile, back at Sotto Sotto-- where Jodie Foster and Sienna Miller has also dined that night, incidentally -- Mama sent me packing with some of her secret recipe chili sauce". Shinan Govani, National Post. Published: Saturday, September 08, 2007 Source: Canada.com/NationalPost
There is no ranking perfection, so I will discuss the perfect films in alphabetical order. The first is “No Country for Old Men,” by the Coen brothers, and the second is “Rendition” by Gavin Hood. The Coens are among our national treasures. Gavin Hood, at 44, was the South African director of “Tsotsi,” the masterpiece which won the Oscar for best foreign film of 2005. Deserves nominations
Now to ”Rendition.” I owe director Gavin Hood an apology for writing, in a Toronto festival preview, that it is a “CIA thriller.” It involves the CIA and among other things it is a thriller, but it is no more a “CIA thriller” than Macbeth is a swashbuckler. It is a movie about the theory and practice of two things: Torture, and personal responsibility. And it is wise about what is right, and what is wrong. The original and tightly coiled screenplay, by Kelley Sane, should get one of several nominations the movie deserves.
The story involves the arrest of an Egyptian-American scientist (Omar Metwally) who is “disappeared” from a flight from Cape Town to Washington. His very pregnant wife (Reese Witherspoon) simply doesn’t believe “he was never on the plane,” and enlists a former lover (Peter Sarsgaard), now an aide to a senator (Alan Arkin), to investigate through back channels. This runs him up against the head of the CIA (Meryl Streep) who is terrifyingly professional.
Meanwhile, in an unnamed north African country, the new American attaché (Jake Gyllenhaal) is told that the scientist has been brought there to take advantage of its expert torturers, an interesting use of outsourcing. And we meet the country’s chief of security, his daughter, her forbidden boyfriend, and others, as several story strands are relentlessly gathered into a conclusion that makes perfect sense and causes us to rethink everything, and no, that doesn’t mean what it sounds like it means". Source: Rogerebert.suntimes.com
September 7 - Arriving at the 'Rendition' Press Conference.8 September, Rendtion: Toronto Film Festival Screening. Pictures by Iheartjake.com RENDITION - World premiere at Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto
6:30 pm, 7/11 TIFF 2007 Rattler’s Thoughts "There is a certain point in Rendition when a haunting image will strike you. As the good battles despair, the bad seeks glory and the ugly raises its hydra-heads, Douglas stands and watches. He turns, as shadows on his face coagulate; and suddenly the light balances the dark. You notice the sadness within the blue, and the rest just turns into mundane. It is this simple sense of grief that will permeate through the rest of the film, linger while the note on the flute turns into whisper, gradually seeping into your heart. You realize that this sadness is meant to be universal; for the derivative emotions invoked will just depend on who is watching the film. A rapid chill will run through every immigrant’s heart, some will polarize into red and blue, some may just shake their heads, while quite a few will be glad that Arar received a settlement.
“This is my first torture”, you will hear Douglas say. You will laugh at the wordplay, and will be sad again. And this, indeed, is Gavin Hood’s coup the grace. He has done his homework well, and uses Morocco and Washington deftly, like an artist mingling two colors on her palette. Two cities and two cultures contradict and contrast each other, but in the end turn into shades of gray. He develops characters with both naiveté and brilliance. Some are stereotypes – Meryl Streep scorches, Alan Arkin slithers, while Peter Sarsgaard’s empathy soothes Reese Witherspoon’s despair. But it is the brilliance of Omar Metwally, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Yigal Naor that will mesmerize you. Three sets of eyes will cut your attention into three equal parts.
The plot is well-known, so there is no point going there. The plot twist is not novel; you have seen time wrapping up into one, and space splitting into two. Wong Kar-wai, Alejandro Iñárritu, and Chris Nolan have been there, done that. But what Gavin Hood offers is a poignant point of inflexion. Moral polarities neutralize amidst blood and gore. It is also at this point that the broken pieces of Douglas simply glue up. There is just one thing that irks you in the end – every sub-plot has a conclusion except one. Is there a hidden message after all? Perhaps hope is not supposed to end.
Rendition, like any other film that deals with moral issues, treads on thin ice. You always wonder – what is right and what is wrong? The answer could be simple – embedded within a name. While Metwally scintillates, that name belongs to Jake Gyllenhaal.
"A fellow journalist just informed me that Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal are scaling back their Toronto publicity for Oscar hopeful Rendition (the movie is Gavin Hood's follow-up to Oscar-winning Tsotsi, about a man yanked off a plane in the U.S. and shipped off overseas, where he can be tortured for information in connection with a terrorist attack). Seems the two actors — part of an impressive ensemble that includes Alan Arkin, Meryl Streep and Peter Sarsgaard — have canceled one-on-ones and will only be doing the press conference. Read into that what you will. UPDATE: New Line publicity informs me that Reese and Jake will be doing a "handful" of one-on-ones, though they have been scaling back on plans". —Posted by Peter Debruge. Source: Weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood. "Rendition’s thought-provoking chronological structure particularly distinguishes the film. Narrative strands that seem to be moving linearly are suddenly woven in a brilliant series of loops suggestive of the sad reality of violence – that it only ever leads to more violence. The cast, which also includes Peter Sarsgaard and Alan Arkin, is tremendous: Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal passionately embody an American conscience waking up to the vileness of acts committed in their name, while Streep is quietly ferocious as the matronly governmental face that glosses over these same despicable crimes". Source: Tiff07.ca.
"Today Jake Gyllenhaal was spotted leaving Toronto's premier 5 star hotel, the Hazelton Hotel on Yorkville Avenue. And I know this because I saw him! I couldn't get a photo - it was so quick but nevertheless a wonderful moment". Posted by Wet Dark and Wild at 04:55 Source: Wetdarkandwild.blogspot.com. September 4 - Visiting a Medical office in LA. September 4 - Dinner at Jar Steakhouse in LA. Courtesy of Iheartjake.com. "When the Toronto International Film Festival comes around, I do pretty much the same stuff — it’s just 10 times as much work every day (on a side note, if you have any pressing questions for Jake Gyllenhaal, feel free to post them in the comments section below, as I’ll be interviewing him tomorrow).
It’s not unusual for me to go through the entire memory card of my dictaphone twice and fill up four or five notebooks with my scrawled observations about Rachel Weisz’s unflattering top, Elijah Wood’s surprisingly cute and un-hobbit-like demeanor or the wilted salad Chloë Sevigny was eating for lunch". Source: Greenasathistle.com.
ELLEN POMPEO.SHERILYN FENN.MISCHA BARTON.SCARLETT JOHANSSON.ALICIA SILVERSTONE.MICHELLE WILLIAMS.KIRSTEN DUNST.GWYNETH PALTROW.MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG.NORA ZEHETNER. Plus a video featuring Nora Zehetner:
"Hollywood actress Maggie Gyllenhaal has taken over supermodel Kate Moss as the smouldering new face - and knockout body - of lingerie line Agent Provocateur.
Gyllenhaal stripped down for a series of sexually charged images, which see the scantily clad star splashing about in a bath and even posing in handcuffs.Serena Rees, co-founder of Agent Provocateur, said: "Maggie is not an obvious sex symbol."
"She is interesting looking, confident and beautiful in a way that is non-threatening, which makes her appealing to men and women alike."The coveted campaign has previously starred pop princess Kylie Minogue and burlesque star Dita Von Teese.
The images are part of 'Lessons in Lingerie, the first in a collection of books entitled The Adventures of Miss A.P. The next episode in the series, 'Lady of the Manor, will be released in November.
Agent Provocateur has a strong celebrity following - with Paris Hilton, Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra and Lily Allen are all fans". Source: Dailymail.co.uk
It's another Justice League of America rumor! When will they ever stop?We have a very trusted source fresh from the set of The Dark Knight, who has worked with Maggie Gyllenhaal doing live theater. As you know, Maggie stars as Rachel Dawes (replacing Katie Holmes) in the upcoming bat sequel. Our source confirms that Gyllenhaal has in fact been approached about appearing in the new Justice League of America film. Only, there is a catch. It would be a cameo, in which she would appear alongside her brother Jake. That's right. The Gyllenhaal siblings have been approached with the idea of playing Jayna and Zan, the Wonder Twins. One of them can turn into water. They other can turn into an animal (let the jokes commence). It's not known whether they would be using their powers on screen, but they are being added as a source of humor to the film. George Miller, who recently added The Martian Manhunter to the current circulating script, is also a huge fan of the twins. Our source claims that Miller only wants the Twins in for a quick wink and nod reference, but will probably abandon the idea if the Gyllenhaals decline their current offer. Our source has been right about 98% of the time when it comes to his little tidbits of information, but this sounds a little too goofy. I wouldn't even post this weird rumor, except I love the sound of Maggie Gyllenhaal in tight purple spandex. I bet Jake would look pretty good too. In the form of a toilet bowl flush". Source: Movieweb.com
"And so it was when I ran into Jake Gyllenhaal in the kitchen. Not my kitchen -- where the only thing I do well is stir the occasional pot -- but the kitchen in Sotto Sotto, where one of the many things they do well is spoon-feed the stars. On Thursday, late, I just happened to be at the back of the Avenue Road restaurant, talking to some of the staff, caught in the storm of spaghetti and serendipity, when just a few seconds after being there, and to everyone's surprise, the actor suddenly appeared. Deeply V-necked, pleasantly broad-shouldered, and with that paralyzing dopey smile, he turned up solo, like one of those bit-partridges who had mixed up the time he was supposed to appear in a junior high production of The 12 Days of Christmas. His deep, baby-blue V-neck, by the way, looked comfortable but meticulous, as did the black tee underneath the sweater, and his near-pristine dark jeans. All very back-to-school clean. All coming together quite nicely under the unforgiving, hard and harsh kitchen light. The only thing casting a shadow? Jake's 10 o'clock fuzz. ''Mama would like a picture,'' seized one of the maybe five men, standing with me and the movie star in a part of the kitchen just marginally bigger than Nelson Mandela's old digs on Robben Island.
Actually, said one of the friendly wait staff, Mama has no idea what a Gyllenhaal is. She just likes the idea of having her picture taken with famous people. In fact, just a little later, Mama was insisting on having her pic taken with a friend of mine. ''I'm not a celebrity,'' my friend told her, to little avail. It was a glimpse, I guess, of the wider celeb-serum that much of the city takes at this time of year. Jake, meanwhile, gave us a glimpse of his singularly sporty-brainy-emo brand in Hollywood -- the kind of chap who can competitive-bike-ride, do crosswords and get teary-eyed via Keats. The night was almost done, and he, polite to the end, thanked everyone and told Mama in particular that he dug her lasagna. But Ms. Witherspoon did come to whisk him away after dinner. Take from that what you may, and indulge your deepest, vicarious fantasies.
