The Source Code, 2011

The Source Code, 2011
Director: Duncan Jones
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga


Stage: Home theatre


Source Code in short: Colter Stevens, a US Army helicopter pilot whose last memory is flying in Afghanistan, wakes up on a commuter train. However, he discovers that he has assumed the identity of another man. 8 minutes later, the train explodes and Stevens finds himself in some kind of pod. He then talks to someone named Goodwin, who tells him he has to go back and find out who the bomber is. He is sent back to go through the whole thing again and attempts to find who the bomber is but fails. The bomb goes off and Stevens finds himself in the pod again. He is sent back another time, yet still cannot find out anything. When he returns, he asks what is going on. Goodwin and Rutledge, the scientist in charge, tell him that he is part of a project that can put someone in another person's consciousness during the last 8 minutes of their life. Stevens then asks why he cannot just stop the bomb.


Preps: some recommendations + a hot thing at the theatres a while ago


Reality: What would you do if you only had one minute left? Made it count? Burn a bridge you left behind, or build it?
Waking up in the "groundhog day" - in this case, groundhog eight minutes, just before a big explosion of a train, trying to figure out where the bomb is and who the assassin is, this is the reality of a soldier, that keeps going back to this train, searching for the villain. To imagine that he's a sort of an avatar that can have as many lives as possible, is the first obstacle in trying to get into this piece. After all, we aren't meant to be a leading actor in a video game. Furthermore, does he play himself or the character he obviously has overtaken in physical sense? The idea you linger quite a long upon, before you see him changing his mind constantly.

The game is simple - retreave the enemy and let us know who he is. In the mean time, get killed as many times as you like, but get us the information. The governmental programme Source code is abusing leftovers from a soldier, whose mind is still functioning, although he's missing more than a half of his body. With the use of technology, they drive him back again and again to that train that only has eight minutes before the explosion takes its place. And every time he's back in the train, he is making a completely new story. Somehow very similar to the Groundhog day guy - it is so obvious to make parallel assumptions, although the topic of the movie is quite different. This, being an action movie, tries to play mind trick with the audience, because even though he is a soldier, the body of the man he possesses, isn't or hasn't been in a combat before. So the question is, if you possess one's body, does this include also the upgrade/downsize of the skills that are in this mind? In this sense, the cute guy, he now is, doesn't know how to be a soldier, yet alone to fight. And there are many fights in this movie. In some sense, when you are playing your avatar, you can also influence his skills, whereas we aren't really in the avatar world here, nothing is played on the computer and noone but the people in the train can see the actions.

The fact, that the government abuses people's trust in order to receive their service (and hide it behind the "do it for the country, son" phrases), isn't something extra new. What is one guy if there are millions of lives at stake? Nothing to the country. In this piece, they try to give him the background so you could develop emotions to him. But fail, because this side story isn't strong enough to survive. The last time he's on the train, he calls his father and speaks with him. And kisses the girl, he continously sees across his seat, whenever he wakes up. And makes people in the train laugh. Because the last minutes should obviously count.
In some strange fiction, this parallel world is continuing without the accident. Now just think how many duplicates could you have with the usage of such a device and how many parallel worlds would exist?

My personal rate: 7,0 (a good way to think about your time and things you care about. And an anti-commercial pointed to the country and its deeds).


The Source code on IMDB

Brokeback Mountain, 2005

Brokeback Mountain, 2005
Director: Ang Lee
Cast: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid, Michelle Williams


Brokeback Mountain in short: In 1963,two young men hire on as ranch hands in the Wyoming mountains.During the long months of isolation,an unusual bond starts to develop between them, one which they are only vaguely aware of--until one night when it rises to the surface in a passionate encounter.When the season ends,they part ways,only to realize the true depth of their feelings.Thus begins a decades-long affair that the two of them desperately try to hide from those around them--one which will prove simultaneously beautiful and devastating.

Stage: Local theatre, home theatre (2. time)


Preps: Seeing this at the movies for the first time, I was in the Oscar fever - wanted to see the finalists before the real award ceremony, as I did each year. Now, when I am aware of the greatness of the movie, I am thrilled to see it again at home. I always discover something more in the movies I liked before. This one has also a strong message, that can relate to any kind of relationship.

Reality:
Gay theme is something that drives masses in the theatres, as I go and see it. It's something that isn't exposed very often and when it is, it isn't as vivid and direct as it is here. The scenery, chosen for the cowboy romance, is amazing. The scenario is not only believable, but also put in times, when you truly buy it. Hiding behind a "real" family or what the public expects from both of men, they do get married and they do have children, but all along, they find themselves as soul mates that cannot forget what they shared that summer on the mountain.

Against the policy of those times, they are crucified by society and misunderstood, finally the viewer is faced with depressed actions that might happen, if the society finds out about man's "status": one of the couple drinks, loses the family and loses everything he had in his life but his love and unwillingness to admit it. The other one is beaten to death by people in his town. Sadly enough, they never decide to move together and they never are truly a couple.

At the end, everything that remains, are the memories of that summer and the mountain. Because they never had the courage to make something out of the special gift they were given with the love, they are left with nothing.

The movie is sad and inspiring in terms of making something out of things you can influence on (not leaving it to the fate anyway) or building your relationship, even if the crowd doesn't accept it, even if it's not the right time, place or energy. The important thing is, that the person is.


My personal rating: 9,0 (Although it is long and sometimes lacks dynamics, it is a very strong one with a good message. One of Ledger's best performances in my opinion. Worth seeing).
Brokeback on IMDB
Brokeback natural official site

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, 2010

Prince of Persia: The sands of time, 2010
Director:Mike Newell
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley


Prince of Persia in short: Based on the video game, which follows an adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world.


Stage: Local theatre; Colloseum.

Preps: Hm. I know the video game. It was the first on my first-ever-computer at home, when I was a kid. However, I didn't enjoy it as much as some other teens did. So I never got to play it a lot. In spite this fact, the technology nowadays can be impressive and serve to its purpose precisely in these cases, like Prince Of Persia. I hava a strong feeling about a spectacle, deriving from the impressive trailer I saw.



Reality: Well, it's a good remake of the famous PC game. At least in sense of finding / or storekeeping the treasure, getting the princess, while you are at it, chasing through the streets of the main city (as the PC game vividly showed 20 years ago). The story is somehow predictable, and the director should stick to it also in the beginning. The invasion on Alamut is simply something taken out of a different picture, different stage. I don't see this as a good example for setting up the movie. I don't get, who's who, who's fighting, what are they fighting for. In spirit of lately seen hystorical movies I subconsciously corelate this scene with all the others and this one doesn't even touch the knees of the others.

Nevertheless, I seem to think through the whole movie, what movie is that this one reminds me of. I am more than satisfied to realize, that it reminds me of the Pirates of the Carribean. The dialogues between Prince and the Princess are just so.. black-humoured, straight forward, like between Depp and Knightley in the Pirates. I see later on a poster in front of our theatre that it's the same producer (makes sense then, however, it's just a reminder, far from the real Pirates gig).

As a package, the movie won't dissappoint you, but you need to accept certain phantasy driven miracles - jumping through roofs, falling several meters down and just standing up, like you haven't broken a single bone; going back in time and changing things.

Philosophically it seems going back in time and having the ability to change something you think changed your destiny is a powerful tool every person in this world would want to have. It has inspired many pictures and many artists. In this case, Disney-like ending; everyone is happy and everyone gets what they deserve. A bit naive, but so is the video game ;)


My personal rating: 6,0 (you will see it reminds you of the Pirates of the Carribean, however, it's just a reminder, not as close as you would want it to be. And only in terms of dialogues, that is).

Prince of Persia on IMDB
Prince official site