As I told you I went to see Source Code while I was last in Gent. I saw the trailer before I saw the film, and it was promising although a confusing story. Luckily I read fantasy novels so I'm used to a little unrealisticness :). I found this to be a really good sci-fi movie, with a great performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, who always steps up to the plate (and is easy on the eye too, always a plus!). The story goes as follows:
A man wakes up on a train, with no idea where he as and being addressed as Sean by a woman he doesn't know. He knows himself to be Captain Colter Stevens, a US helicopter pilot, whose last memory is of flying over Afghanistan. As is to be expected, the man is totally confused and eventually ends up going to the loo and sees that the man in the mirror is not him. Then BAM, to my utter shock (I'm jumpy :D) the train explodes, killing everyone! Then it gets even weirder. Colter wakes up as himself this time, in a metal sort of pod and starts talking to a military woman through a computer. She tells him the train he was just on was attacked by terrorists, killing everyone on board, and that they might strike again any minute in the centre of Chicago. Without much extra information, she tells him that he's on a special mission to find out where the explosive device is on the train and who might be triggering it. He has 8 minutes before the train explodes again. Utterly confused Colter doesn't find anything in his next try, but he does start bonding with the girl who's travelling with the man in who's consciousness he is in. When he gets back, the military woman, Goodwin, explains that he is in a special program that allows him to re-live the last 8 minutes of someone's life. She urges him to go back, even though he gets sick of exploding, and find the terrorist before another attack occurs. Colter finally starts figuring things out about the train attack, but he also starts falling for the sweet girl in front him, the girl who he is now determined to save, which according to Goodwin is impossible.
Not too confused? Don't worry, everything reveals itself as the movie progresses, and some shocking truths are revealed. I found this film very exciting, you get thrown into the story immediately without explanation and there is never a dull moment. The acting is great and although complicated the story is unique and intriguing. The only real critique I have is about the ending. I'll try and not give any spoilers. At one point you think the movie has ended, and I found it to be a perfect and beautiful ending. Unfortunately they decided to drag it on for another fifteen minutes and made it soppy, which I found was completely unnecessary. But apart from that, great film for a night at the cinema!
I watched this film on my laptop on the train, and I really liked it, although totally different style of film than the one above. I didn't really regret not seeing it in the cinema though, it's an alternative film and is perfect for a relaxing night in front of the television. Cinema is great for special effects and epic scenes, but for films like this one you don't need to pay all that money to go to the cinema. You can appreciate it just as much from your couch (or in my case the train booth. The film is about the speech problems (stuttering) of King George VI (who is the father of the current Queen), played by Colin Firth. Firth does an amazing job playing this role, the stuttering can't have been easy to do, and he really portrays the frustration and embarrassment of having speech issues perfectly. Also, Colin Firth, as the ideal British gentleman, couldn't have been picked better to play King George.
After his brother abdicated the throne (because he wanted to married a divorced American woman, also a commoner, which was not allowed in that time) George reluctantly takes the crown and is faced with the dreaded public announcements and radio broadcasts. His wife (played by Helena Bonham Carter, I love her, she's a great actress) urges him to find a speech therapist to fix the problem. Eventually he ends up with a rather unusual speech therapist named Lionel Logue, who uses very unexpected (and often embarrassing) techniques, regularly annoying the King and causing arguments. Eventually though, after spending so much time together they develop an unexpected friendship, and King George finally finds a way to get his voice heard.
Truly, Colin Firth deserved that Oscar, he was utterly brilliant. It was amazing to watch, and interesting to see the story of King George VI, who lead his country to war and was forced on the throne without desiring it, because of his brother's decision. The performance of Firth alone makes the film really worth watching. Check it out when you can, and even if you find it a bit slow, give it time and you will definately get into it. After all the blockbusters we're just not used to watching films where not a whole lot happens and things don't explode :D
Let me know what you think if you've seen them!
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