May Movie #2: Source Code

Thursday, May 5, 2011

May Movie #2: Source Code

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
Directed By: Duncan Jones
Run Time: 1 hour 34 minutes

Source Code is about a government experiment that enables a solider to relive the last eight minutes of one man's life over and over again, trying to find clues to the identity of the person who bombed the train in order to prevent a second, larger scale attack perpetuated by the same bomber.

I will give this movie credit for being original... if you consider that its predecessor Groundhog Day wasn't sci-fi/thriller/action slanted. This movie was a good mystery. I was incredibly engrossed with why Colter, the solider who leaps into the identity of a man on the doomed train (played by Gyllenhaal), doesn't remember how he got roped into this mission in the first place. But I quickly became highly annoyed that a trained soldier would seek to make the mission about finding himself, his own identity, what had happened to him and why he was on this mission, instead of the true task of the mission - stopping the bomber. He's supposed to be disciplined, trained to follow orders. He certainly wasn't following orders. And the fact that he was being selfish and caring about only himself was very unsoldier-like. It didn't make me like him as a character. I did feel bad for Michelle Monaghan, who had to keep repeating the same lines over and over again as Gyllenhaal's character was being forced to leap back into the same scenario over and over again because he wasn't getting the job done.

The opening scene floating through the skyline of downtown Chicago was absolutely beautiful. It definitely gives you a sense of serenity and naivety, that the people of Chicago have no idea that in a few short minutes their town will be ravaged by a maniac with a bomb. For the first ten minutes of this movie, as I tried to figure out what's going on, I liked it. But then Colter's actions and the fact that he had to keep reliving the same moment over and over and over again without learning anything put me off. I kept thinking in my head that someone would shout, "Groundhog Day!" It didn't happen.

The true nature of the Source Code (the government program) was upsetting and cruel. I didn't like that part. And I didn't understand why it had to be so. And I really didn't like the ending. Strike that. I liked what I thought was the ending - the freeze-frame glimpse at all the people on the train, happy in their final second, thinking that was how they were going to spend eternity. And I kinda liked what I thought was the ending again a few minutes later - [perhaps a glimpse of the characters in their version of heaven. But the final ending, how things changed, bothered the holy heck out of me. Talk about violating the space-time-continuum! So highly unlikely. Why, oh why, did they have to go that route? To teach the Dr. Rutledge (played by Wright) a lesson that you can't mess with the unconscious world? That you can't violate time travel by playing God with people's lives (or deaths)? That ending landed this movie squarely in my "do not like and will never watch again" category. Had me until then. Had me by a string until then. You seriously can't do that ending. Ugh.

Oooh, ooh! Just a bonus note: As Colter was speaking with his father on the phone, I kept thinking to myself, "That voice sounds familiar. I should know that voice!" It belongs to Scott Bakula. I find it very amusing since he played a character who leaped into the identities of others, setting right things which once went wrong. Hee hee hee. That I liked.

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List O' Movies Watched

2016 Movies
16). Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
15). Suicide Squad
14). Star Trek Beyond
13). Ghostbusters
12). The Legend of Tarzan
11). The Secret Life of Pets
10). Finding Dory
9). Central Intelligence
8). X-Men: Apocalypse
7). Captain America: Civil War
6). Zootopia
5). Deadpool
4). Kung Fu Panda 3
3). Norm of the North
2). Spectre
1). Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
2015 Movies
45). Peanuts Movie
44). Goosebumps
43). Scouts Guide (to a Zombie Apocalypse)
42). Suffragette
41). Burnt
40). Last Witch Hunter
39). Crimson Peak
38). Bridge of Spies
37). The Martian (3D)
36). The Intern
35). Hotel Transylvania 2
34). Everest
33). Man from U.N.C.L.E
32). Vacation
31). Terminator: Genisys
30). Ant-Man
29). Pixels
28). Minions
27). Jurassic World
26). San Andreas (3D)
25). Spy
24). Inside Out
23). Ex Machina
22). Tomorrowland
21). The Age of Adaline
20). The Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D)
19). Danny Collins
18). Fast and the Furious 7
17). Home
16). Cinderella
15). Focus
14). Kingsmen
13). Paddington
12). Whiplash
11). The Imitation Game
10). American Sniper
9). Selma
8). Birdman
7). Theory of Everything
6). Boyhood
5). Jupiter Ascending (3D)
4). Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb
3). Taken 3
2).The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (3D)
1). Into the Woods
2014 Movies
20). Big Hero Six (3D)
19). Gone Girl
18). Dracula Untold
17). Boxtrolls (3D)
16). A Walk Among Tombstones
15). Frank
14). Expendables III
13). Guardians of the Galaxy (3D)
12). Chef
11). X-Men: Days of Future Past
10). How to Train Your Dragon 2 (3D)
9). Maleficent
8). A Million Ways to Die in the West
7). Transcendence
6). Captain America: The Winter Soldier
5). Muppets Most Wanted
4). The Grand Budapest Hotel
3). The LEGO Movie
2). Non-Stop
1). Saving Mr. Banks
2013 Movies
52). Philomena
51). Delivery Man
50). Frozen (in 3D)
49). Homefront
48). Hunger Games: Catching Fire
47). Thor: The Dark World (in 3D)
46). Free Birds (in 3D)
45). About Time
44). Escape Plan
43). Gravity (in 3D)
42). Don Jon
41). Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (in 3D)
40). Riddick
39). Planes
38). Red 2
37). Despicable Me 2 (again)
36). Turbo
35). Despicable Me 2 (in 3D)
34). The Heat
33). Monsters University
32). This is the End
31). Now You See Me
30). What Maisie Knew
29). The Hangover III
28). Star Trek: Into Darkness
27). Fast and the Furious 6
26). Gatsby (in 3D)
25). Iron Man 3 (in 3D)
24). Disconnect
23). Pain & Gain
22). Place Beyond the Pines
21). Side Effects
20). G.I. Joe: Retaliation
19). The Croods
18). Jack the Giant Slayer (in 3D)
17). Oz the Great and Powerful
16). A Good Day to Die Hard
15). Snitch
14). Zero Dark Thirty
13). Life of Pi (3D)
12). Beasts of the Southern Wild
11). Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films
10). Warm Bodies
9). Parker
8). Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (3D)
7). Django Unchained
6). Amour
5). The Last Stand
4). The Impossible
3). Les Miserables
2). Silver Linings Playbook
1). Lincoln
2012 Movies
42). Wreck it Ralph
41). Skyfall
40). Argo
39). Hotel Transylvania (3D)
38). Looper
37). Taken 2
36). ParaNorman (3D)
35). Ice Age 4: Continental Drift
34). The Expendables 2
33). The Odd Life of Timothy Green
32). Total Recall
31). The Amazing Spider-man
30). Brave(again)
29). Magic Mike
28). Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (3D)
27). Brave
26). Prometheus
25). Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
24). Snow White and the Huntsman
23). Men in Black III (3D)
22). Battleship
21). Dark Shadows
20). The Pirates! Band of Misfits
19). The Avengers
18). Mirror Mirror
17). The Hunger Games
16). Titanic (3D)
15). Coriolanus
14). The Lorax (3D)
13). The Artist
12). Extremely Close & Incredibly Loud
11). The Help
10). Hugo
9). Journey 2: Mysterious Island (3D)
8). Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts
7). Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts
6). Safe House
5). A Dangerous Method
4). My Week with Marilyn
3). The Grey
2). The Descendents
1). Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
2011 Movies
56). Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
55). The Muppets
54). Arthur Christmas (in 3D)
53). Puss in Boots (in 3D)
52). In Time
51). Martha Marcy Mae Marlene
50). Margin Call
49). Real Steel
46). Dolphin Tale
48). 50/50
47). Ides of March
45). Killer Elite
44). Moneyball
43). What's Your Number?
42). Drive
41). Winnie the Pooh
40). Fright Night
39). Crazy, Stupid, Love
38). Captain America: The First Avenger
37). Cowboys and Aliens
36). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
35). Cars 2 (again)
34). Zookeeper
33). Midnight in Paris
32). Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (in 3D)
31). Bad Teacher
30). Cars 2
29). Mr. Popper's Penguins
28). Green Lantern
27). X-Men: First Class
26). Kung Fu Panda 2
25). Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides
24). Bridesmaids
23). Thor
22). Rio
21). Hanna
20). Source Code
19). Fast Five
18). Hop
17). The Adjustment Bureau
16). Limitless
15). Rango
14). Beastly
13). The Housemaid (Ha-nyeo)
12). I Am Number Four
11). True Grit
10). The Kids Are All Right
9). 127 Hours
8). Unknown
7). Oscar Nominated Live-Action Short Films
6). Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films
5). The Fighter
4). The Mechanic
3). The King's Speech
2). The Green Hornet (in 3D)
1). Black Swan

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Movie Reviews

Thursday, May 5, 2011