Tag Archives: Jeffrey Wright

Source Code

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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.

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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.

 

sourcecode4.jpgBut, 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.

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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

 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

cf-1Director: Francis Lawrence
Writers: Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt and Suzanne Collins. Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins
Released: November 2013
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci
and Donald Sutherland
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What a total disappointment!

Catching-Fire-Katniss-and-PeetaThe first movie was INCREDIBLE! A breath of fresh air. A new and exciting concept – different to the usual slog. Themes of anti-corporation, anti-government and shining a light on the absurdity of focussing on reality television rather than the actual reality.

But the second movie barely mentioned these themes. And if they did, it was literally one line of dialogue which summed the whole idea up, causing an originally important theme to become meaningless and redundant. It is pretty much leaving the best parts for the third movie. Catching Fire is just a set-up for Mockingjay.

the-hunger-games-catching-fire-comic-con-trailer“Yes” I have read the book, which was incredible. The first movie covered the book well, the second didn’t. I know one shouldn’t compare the book to the movie because they are very different mediums. But quite frankly, the makers left out all of the good parts and focussed on the Twilight-esk star-crossed lovers storyline. Which I felt was a mere footnote in the novel.

However, if you haven’t read the book, I will expect you to find the movie slow-paced, underwhelming and lacking action. The movie spends WAY too much time outside of the arena trying to set up the situation of district rebellion, which isn’t done convincingly anyway.

hunger-games-catching-fire-trailer-1When you FINALLY make to the arena, it’s literally like you’re being shown one problem after another with no time to catch your breath or analyse character development. There is very few battle scenes too. Very disappointing.

The actors were well cast and the acting was very good. Particularly Jennifer Lawrence who is equally as convincing as she was in the first movie… Despite the inexhaustible crying.

In terms of shots and visuals, there is one kinopoisk.ruimpressive birds’ eye shot, and the fire on Katniss’ dress is more realistic. But I can’t say it was worth the hype I’ve heard recently.

I’m so upset. The movies are expected to make a lot of money, to ensure this, the deep themes and interesting ideas have been ditched for a cheap love story to cater for a wider audience. Which goes against the entire point of the actual Hunger Games story! Anti-corporation and anti-consumerism.

I reckon a small independent film company would have done a far better job; staying true to the ideas of the story, rather than aiming for a cheap buck.

…the musical score were average. But perhaps the soundtrack will be different.

What a sell out. Going to go have a fat cry now.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10