Rendition Premiere - Toronto International Film Festival

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.


If Rendition does not win an Oscar, you will hear Rattler’s sigh for sure.

Sharp Dressed Man

Jake once again did not disappoint in Toronto. Mixing and matching looks for his interviews, press conference and premiere effortlessly.

Sealing the deal as the best dressed man of the evening.




His red carpet look is the epitome of men's fashion for Fall 2007. Monochromatic classic style with a twist of casualness. The subtle tone on tone striping of the suit with the patterned tie. The formality of a French cuffed shirt with a black cashmere sweater stepping in as a non traditional turn for a vest. Jake once again is keeping on fashion point and making every one notice.

And it is not only what he wears but how he wears it. Impeccably tailored, perfectly appointed, and layered with ease. He is the picture of the confidence, style and sophistication.

More Toronto Pictures:

Rendition Press Conference Pictures at IHJ

Rendition Premiere Pictures at IHJ

Rendition Portraits

Premiere Just Jared

Press Conference Just Jared

Earning his Wings

Arriving in Toronto, Jake looks like he is ready for TIFF. Cool, confident and casual, he will be making Air Canada wings the hottest new accessory by the weekend.

The big question is the red carpet. Will he or won't he?

Wear the wings I mean.

Just Jared

More Pictures at IHJ

photo- IHJ

UPDATE: Rendition Reviews
Globe and Mail

The Star

Rendition Press Conference
Just Jared

An Open Door is called (a)JAR

Jake's back at one of his favorite restaurants JAR. And was dining with a mystery man.

Now who could that be? There is one Man of Mystery that comes to mind. He may not be International yet. But I am sure he will be, and who's to say what Powers he possesses.

Jake's Jar-ing Dinner Date

Doctor Doctor, give me the news.....

Looks like Jake is in LA, with another trip to the doctor.

Looking healthy there Jake. Maybe it is all those Dr.'s visit that are helping helping him look so good.

More pictures at Just Jared.

Is there a Doctor in the House

Toronto

All eyes maybe on Venice, but don't count out Toronto!

Toronto International Film Festival has become one of most important film festivals and seen an ideal venue to premiere films. It is the considered the premiere film festival in North America. And has been described as "the most important film festival in the world – the largest, the most influential, the most inclusive."*

Rendition has a lot of company at this year's festival. 349 films from 55 countries, including 275 feature and mid-length films, 85 per cent of which are world, international or North American premieres, and 71 of which are feature directorial debuts. Who will be on that guest list with Jake? Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Lou Reed, Jonathan Demme, Peter Bogdanovich, Sidney Lumet, Lord Richard Attenborough, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, and Mira Nair are just some of those attending.

Does Toronto have the touch at picking Oscar contenders and fan favorites? Yes the do. Do any of these ring a bell? Chariots of Fire,The Big Chill, The Princess Bride, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Roger and Me, Strictly Ballroom, Life is Beautiful, American Beauty, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, AMÉLIE, Hotel Rwanda, Brokeback Mountain and Gavin Hood's Tsotsi.

But really what is going to be the toughest competition of Toronto? It has to be who really has the bluest eyes. Christopher Plummer, Ed Harris or Jake? All of whom have movies at TIFF.

A big thank you to Rattler who has agreed to cover TIFF for OMG. We can't wait to hear what you have to say about Rendition and maybe who really does have the bluest eyes.

Toronto International Film Fest
TIFF's page for Rendition

Gotta give some Austin love today too.
Two polls about best summer shows. Go vote and show them that JFC and Austin were the best part of summer.

HBO's Viewer's Choice

E! Online's Best of the Summer


*Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail, September 3, 2005.

Natural Selection

Pushing past all the spin and buzz and smoke and mirrors, Rendition premieres in Toronto and brings with it an important and topical message. Not about co-stars, billing or Oscar contention, or the social political dialog about the War on Terror, but a message about the gray area of left and right and right and wrong. And more importantly, how there are no easy answers.

This seems to be a pattern in Jake's movie career. If we look at Jake's past few movies, we see this in the characters and stories he's chosen. From Jarhead to Brokeback to Rendition, and even in Zodiac, no easy answers or in some cases no answers at all. Movies that show that there is no right answer or no perfect ending that wraps up all the lose ends. Movies that are more like real life than escapism of Hollywood fantasy. Movies that you have more questions when leaving the theater than you did when you came in. Kind of the way Jake is to many of his fans right now.

Are Jake's movie choices showing us a reflection of him? Or is he a reflection of his movie choices?