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

Nothing but the truth, 2008

Nothing but the truth, 2008
Director: Rod Lurie
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Vera Farmiga


Stage: Home theatre


Nothing but the truth in short: Thinking Pulitzer Prize and hoping to bring down a President, D.C. political columnist Rachel Armstrong writes that the President ignored the findings of a covert CIA operative when ordering air strikes against Venezuela. Rachel names the agent, Erica Van Doren, a woman whose young daughter is in Rachel's son's class at school. The government moves quickly to force Rachel to name her source. She's jailed for contempt when she refuses. She won't change her mind, and the days add up. Chaos descends on Van Doren's life as well. First Amendment versus national security, marriage and motherhood versus separation. What's the value of a principle?


Preps: I don't know the movie, but I reckon since the cast seems more than decent, it should be a finer piece. Also, the title is intriguing.


Reality: The movie makes a strong point when following someone's principles and to what extent. The journalist that doesn't want to reveal a source is treated normalwise as a saint and noone can make him/her tell about the source. But not when it's in the interest of a state. Which in my opinion can happen every time the state makes up its mind that it's this perticular case that drives danger to society.

The movie could be a relic to all the journalists that have been treated similar, but to the normal crowd perspective, it's simply unfair to go to that level with principles to neglect all the aspects of the family this journalist has.
The following of the idealism is so severe that when she stays in the prison for such a long time, the crowd outside forgets about this case and it's only her, living this horrible reality behind the bars, that gives a damn about the idea. When idealism is overrun by time, the crowd / people are merciless - noone cares and noone will do anything about it. All that has been a great idea, just vaporizes in void. In this movie, the journalist takes the burdon of media messiah - however, even though she is praised, she is also soon forgotten. Like the people fighting for some sort of a cause in political emprisonment in Ireland, for instance. There are a lot of ways to make a point. But if you try to make it, maybe you should reconsider how many people you are dragging into this and whether it's also worth losing a family over a dead body - or a principle in this sense.


My personal rating: 6,5 (it will make you think about your principles and how much they are worth to you. Philosophically speaking, the movie is worth seeing).


Nothing but the truth on IMDB

Up in the Air, 2009

Up in the Air, 2009
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast:George Clooney (Ryan), Vera Farmiga (Alex)



Stage: Home theatre



Short Synopsis: With a job that has him traveling around the country firing people, Ryan Bingham leads an empty life out of a suitcase, until his company does the unexpected: ground him.


Preps/expectations: I am one of those wackos, watching a piece just because one of the actors I admire is inside (ok, or is cute enough for me not to worry about the content too much). There are some interesting actors in this special club, including Sean Connery, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and also George Clooney. However, the last guy is always attached to the ER period he had and will always be a sexy ER doctor in my head. And god forbid taking me this imaginative image. The "tube him", "give him a CT" and "55 mg of something" while him being a doctor there always sounded sexy coming from this guy's mouth.

Anyhow, I am seeing this as one of potential oscar holders and because I believe Clooney made some interesting movie pieces ever since ER and has grown significantly (take Ocean's 11, 12 for example -ok, 13 is an exaggeration anyway). So I am excited to see it, even though in home theatre.



Reality check: The idea of having a company coming around to fire your employees is superb. Takes off the guilty moral aspect from a boss that doesn't dare to let you go or has another reasons not to look you in the face. And he pays for people coming in and telling you this, giving you the goodies pack and telling you how your life is now one big opportunity. So sarcastic it's really cool. When Clooney does it, you actually have the feeling that he cares. Mistake. Those kind of companies don't care. It goes so far they don't even care for the atmosphere in their own ranks. Seeing a younger, perspective-filled woman, coming in the company and revitalizing all working process without the management even discussing it with their own employees, gives me the sad feeling that they don't even perform in their own house what they sell to the outsiders.

Another story is occuring here - the one, where someone is so caught up in his career and shows and conferences etc, that he doesn't have a life of his own. No serious romances, no home, no family. And for half of the movie I am totally convinced it suits him this way. He neglects all so called family virtues, but everyone around him is married, on the way of getting married, he just seems so calm and satisfied with the way his life is. As a spectator, you don't get the backgrounds for this, just the pure image that he chose this way and he's happy.



The complication begins with a nice lady he has a romance with. Alex is this strong woman he runs into on one of his trips, where they have a hot evening and even a sexier night. And he likes her. He likes her in such a way that at the end he wants to create what he tried to deny existed in him. He actually wants to be with her, romantically, spiritually, maybe even a family? We never see that. It turns out that she's already having a family, kids and he is suddenly a puppet he always thought women were for him. Fortunately, the drama moments are spared until the end of the movie, because it's really depressing seeing someone, being "grown up" and alone. And the moral of this.. I don't actually get it. Maybe, don't be alone? He says it in the movie (one of more inventive quotes: We all die alone, make no mistake about that).



However, I like more this one, that she (his unexpected goddess), tells to his junior colleague: Life is more fun if you can share it with someone.


My personal rating: 7,5 (you will like it, if not for Clooney, then for the message. A more chick movie really, but inspiring in a way that you can even change your deepest values you nurtured for the whole life). I don't suppose it will get the oscar, but it's more than decent fun.




p.s.: IMDB peak: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/

See also this, really cool movie site: http://www.theupintheairmovie.com/
Now, something for the ladies -collection of Clooney footage: http://images.google.com/images?q=george+clooney&rls=com.microsoft:sl:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7SKPB&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=H3dcS6SdONWM_AbA3KigBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB0QsAQwAA