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Written by Gregg Shapiro
Apr 7, 2011
Jake Gyllenhaal shares a ride with Michelle Monaghan in “Source Code.” – Photo: Courtesy
‘Source Code’
With more than a subtle nod to “Inception” and “Avatar,” “Source Code” is a decent, tautly paced sci-fi thriller.
Unknowingly part of a top-secret government project, Afghanistan-deployed helicopter pilot Colter (Jake Gyllenhaal) finds himself on a commuter train heading for downtown Chicago. He’s seated opposite Christina (Michelle Monaghan), who insists on calling him Sean. Looking in a mirror, he sees someone else’s reflection.
But before he can figure out what’s happening, a bomb explodes on the train, killing all the passengers. Colter suddenly wakes up in a metallic pod where he is being addressed via monitor by military personnel, including Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) and a government-funded (mad) scientist (a completely miscast Jeffrey Wright).
As it turns out, Colter, who was killed while on a mission, is in a state of post-mortem suspended animation and is being utilized in a series of simulations, a time reassignment known as a “source code.” In 8-minute increments, Colter is returned to the train at the same moment, each time with more knowledge than the previous time, to track down the bomber, who plans to detonate an even more powerful explosive device in the city itself.
While director Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie) doesn’t improve on his excellent directorial debut “Moon,” he does make good use of special effects and succeeds in keeping the audience on the edge of their seats for most of the movie. One could certainly do worse than having to look at Jake Gyllenhaal for 90 minutes.
‘Trust’
When it comes to being an actor/director, David Schwimmer is no Ben Affleck. But his latest film “Trust,” about the dangers facing teenagers on the Web, shows signs of improvement.
Annie (Liana Liberato), a 14-year-old who wants to play on the school volleyball team, is a reflection of her generation. When she’s not texting on her phone, she’s making friends on the Web with people she believes are her age.
But, sadly, she’s wrong. It turns out that Charlie, with whom she’s been chatting on a regular basis, is older than the 16 years he claimed to be online. Like the 2011 gasoline prices, Charlie’s age keeps going up. First he apologetically admits to being a 20-year-old college sophomore and then a 25-year-old grad student.
Annie is initially put off by these revelations, but during a phone call Charlie persuades her that their age difference is not a big deal. He then proceeds to coerce her into having what amounts to phone sex. But Annie knows her electronic relationship won’t sit well with her parents, advertising agency head Will (Clive Owen) and realtor Lynn (Catherine Keener) or her older, college-bound brother Peter (Spencer Curnutt), so she keeps Charlie a secret.
Before long, Annie agrees to meet Charlie (Chris Henry Coffey) face to face at the mall. But when she does, she can barely disguise her disappointment at discovering that he’s really in his late 30s. Listening to him talk to Annie, it’s obvious that he’s done this kind of thing before. He lures her to a hotel room, where he has her model underwear he brought along and then he rapes her, videotaping everything.
There’s a noticeable change in Annie, but it isn’t until her best friend Britney tells the school guidance counselor what she knows that the truth is revealed.
Schwimmer gets the most out of his cast, with Liberato, Owen and Keener all giving nuanced and praiseworthy performances. Topical and troubling, “Trust” is sure to spark many discussions and debates between parents and teens.
