jake gyllenhaal – NZ Film Freak

Director: Duncan Jones
Writer: Ben Ripley
Released: April 2011
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
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I love time travel films! This is a brilliantly simple story combined with the mind-bending possibilities of time travel.

‘Source Code’ is a top-secret military experimental operation where injured pilot Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is given the ability to repeatedly relive the final eight minutes of a man’s life. The man is Sean Fentress who dies in an explosion on a train.

Each time Stevens relives the final eight minutes of this man’s life, he is given the opportunity to seek out the person responsible for planting the bomb on the train in an attempt to stop it from ever happening.

But, time travel being the way it is, can he really stop it happening? Or will he only stop it happening in that alternate version of life.

(Watch Back to the Future if you need an explanation on this theory.)

The story line reminds me of the Tom Cruise film Edge of Tomorrow, where he is able to relive the same day over and over until he figures out the solution. Except, Source Code is a intelligently simple film (in other words, clearly had a far tighter budget). At it’s core, it’s basically three location and four characters. So smart! Maybe it could be developed into a stage play.

It’s intense and brilliantly written. I looked it up, apparently the guy who wrote it really struggled to get his script to see the light of day. The director hadn’t had much experience either, while the cast is star-studded.

Source Code is an easy-watch, and despite its action/sci-fi themes, is actually quite an emotional film where the main character contemplates death and family a lot.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Director: Dan Gilroy
Writer: Dan Gilroy
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed and Bill Paxton (the dude from Titanic)
Released: November 2014

This film is by far one of the creepiest films I’ve seen. It’s not so much scary, but it does put you on edge and makes your skin crawl. I guess, hence the film title.

Jake Gyllenhaal with his goggly, baby-bird eyes and sharp cheek bones, is enough to make you squirm. Let alone the control he has over everyone. It is so captivating.

He lost more than 13kg (30 pounds) to play the ‘literally and figuratively hungry’ character, Lou Bloom. Gyllenhaal did so by running a lot and eating only kale and chewing gum. He said the diet was completely safe and healthy.

Lou Bloom, is searching for a job he’s really good at. He soon discovers the media industry where freelance camera operators use police scanners to find car crashes, shootings and what-not, to film and sell to local news outlets.

Bloom dives into this career and quickly makes a sweet sum.

He basically represents the media industry and the control they have over broadcasts and the law. He steps on and manipulates every relationship, smudging the lines of ethical coverage along the way.

Having recently gained a degree in journalism, I found the subject relatable. I don’t think I’ve seen a movie like Nightcrawler before where the story is from the media industry’s point of view.

It’s a fascinating film that is quite difficult to explain. But it certainly gets you thinking. But if you just want to be entertained, you’ll certainly find yourself laughing at Bloom quite often! His intense delivery of lines is sure to give you fits of nervous giggles.

Actually, come to think of it, his character sometimes reminds me of Jim Carrey’s Andy Kaufman character in Man on the Moon.

The only thing I was disappointed about was how there were no consequences for Bloom – which I know is the point because he represents the gigantic conglomerate of the untouchable media. But just when there was a major conflict, the movie ended.

Despite that, I loved it, and I am definitely going to watch it again.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10