9 photosGaze Upon Jake Gyllenhaal's Gleaming Dome In 'End Of Watch' Set Photos

“As the way a consumer’s consumption of feature films evolves, we are always looking for new ways that meet these demands. While we are optimistic about the consumer appetite for this type of home entertainment release pattern, we are only conducting a test in this case and not making an overall policy shift at this time. Once the results are in we will analyze the data and see what the consumer has to say.”

So, if you want to keep getting your grubby mitts on DVDs, better wait until the DVDs come out on July 26 to see Source Code, or they might stop making DVDs altogether. Which would be a shame, since they make such terrifically shiny Frisbees (just kidding DVD, I love you). The VOD release is on July 8, in case you’re an enemy of DVD.

Kind of depressing that a tossed-off future “did that really exist?” movie like Hop, starring a candy-shitting rabbit voiced by Russell Brand, would do so well in a weekend with two decently reviewed genre movies like the scifi thriller Source Code and the haunted house movie Insidious, but oh well. Now, to begin working on the next draft of my screenplay, April’s Fool, about a CGI wacky fish who teaches an absentee father played by Ashton Kutcher the true meaning of April Fool’s Day. (via Box Office Mojo)

Whoa these links are all mixed up! Not really, though:

An Interview With The Human Centipede Director (AdultSwim)

The First Six Minutes Of Sucker Punch (MovieLine)

Local Smokeshow Of The Day (BarstoolSports)

What Your MMO Says About You (HolyTaco)

Your Highness Gets Kind Of Raunchy (FilmDrunk)

Kim Kardashian GIF (CelebJihad)

Ash Ketchum Was A Girl (Unreality)

15 UK Comics Funnier Than Russell Brand (MovieFone)

Courtney Cox Is Still Hot (PopEater)

The 10 Types Of Zombies (Smosh)

Weird Stories About Finding Dead Bodies (Ranker)

Attractive Colombian Model (BroBible)

Dreamcasting The Great Gatsby (Pajiba)

Women With Tools (Maxim)

Movie Stars As Animated Characters (NextMovie)

Brock Lesnar Is A Good Sport (CagePotato)

Nuclear Dawn Walkthrough (GameFront)

How To Take A Punch (MadeMan)

Justin Bieber Meets Slipknot (TuVez)

Source Code, which opens this weekend, tells the story of Captain Colter Stevens, and his quest to find a terrorist bomber on a train headed for Chicago. That plot might sound predictable, but there’s a catch. The bombing has alread taken place, and the terrorist is already dead. Using a secret government program, Stevens is able to relive the life of one of the bombing victims during the eight minutes before the bomb detonates. He is forced to do this over and over again, gaining new clues each time, until he is able to unravel the mystery and identify the bomber. Isn’t virtual reality wonderful?

Of course, that technology hasn’t been invented yet. But filmmakers, especially those from the 1990′s, seemed to think that we’d all be wearing virtual reality helmets on a daily basis by now. As it turns out, their predictions were as bad as their movies. In honor of the abundance of horrible movies involving virtual reality, I give you the nine lamest virtual reality films.

The Lawnmower Man

No, this isn’t a film about penis enlargement pills. It’s actually about a future world where virtual reality games threaten to destroy our perception of reality…or something like that. The film was made by David Cronenberg, who also made Videodrome which I left off this list because it’s supossedly a classic. eXistenZ? Not so much.

The 13th Floor

If you ever find yourself as part of a team developing a top-secret virtual reality world depicting 1937 Los Angeles, make sure that the company you’re working for doesn’t house the project on the 13th floor. That’s just asking for bad luck.

Virtuosity

Before Russell Crowe was famous for playin Robin Hood and throwing phones at people, he made this steaming pile of virtual shit. In it, he plays a computer composite of multiple serial killers who somehow ends up in the real world. Denzel Washington was also in the film, and after looking back at this trailer, it’s amazing to think that they both went on to win Oscars.

Spy Kids 3D

As an adult, I don’t have the patience to sit through Spy Kids 3-D, but little kids seem to enjoy it. Then again, little kids seem to enjoy putting random things in their mouths and shitting themselves, so I’m not sure that’s exactly a vote of confidence. At any rate, the film takes place in a virtual world, so it made the list.

Matrix 3

The first Matrix was awesome, and may be the greatest virtual reality related film ever made. But by the time they rolled out the third installment, most people were ready to unplug.

Disclosure

This isn’t a virtual reality film, per se. It deals more with sexual harassment in the workplace, and the double standard sometimes faced by men. I can totally relate to that, since I’m constantly being fondled at work. Of course I work at home and live alone, but that’s not the point. What is the point? I’m not exactly sure, but it had something to do with the pointless virtual related subplot depicted in the clip above, where Michael Douglas uses an VR prototype to hack into his company’s mainframe.

Webmaster

The quality of a film is inversely proportional to the amount of times its title is said aloud in the trailer. That doesn’t bode well for Webmaster. That fact aside, it’s by far the greatest Danish film about virtual reality…on this list.

Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace

We can’t include the original Lawnmower Man and not include its even crappier sequel. This time, Jobe is back, and he’s taking over the world…or something. Who cares? You’d think the computer graphics would have improved with time, and in a way, I guess they are better than the original. But they are so overused in the sequel that they actually look worse. Not even Matt Frewer could save this film, and he played Max Headroom!

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-lists/9-lamest-virtual-reality-films/feed/ 17 http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/duncan-jones-michelle-monaghan-and-vera-farmiga-talk-source-code/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/duncan-jones-michelle-monaghan-and-vera-farmiga-talk-source-code/#comments Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:16:44 +0000 Fred Topel http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=204251

Source Code was the opening night premiere movie of SXSW and I got to interview three of the key players in Austin. The Friday everyone can relive the eight minutes Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) relives on a doomed train so he can find out who bombed it.

Moon writer/director Duncan Jones directed Source Code, this time from a script by Ben Ripley. The idea of connecting to the eight minute memory of deceased terrorism victims still seems like the kind of highbrow science fiction in which Jones specializes. Jones also happily gave some spoilers, easter eggs for time travel fans to watch for, but wait until you’ve seen the movie if you want them to be a surprise.

Q: Do you see the connection between Moon and Source Code as intelligent sci-fi that doesn’t condescend to the audience?

Duncan Jones: I think Inception really is the obvious, had to say that one. Inception has kind of opened the floodgates a little bit. Mine was a little tiny film. I think District 9 did an amazing job of both visually and in some ways intellectually stimulating the audience but Inception has really proven that there is an audience out there for films that really challenge the audience to work out what the hell is going on at times. I think that’s going to open up some opportunities for some kinds of sci-fi that haven’t been made since maybe the ‘70s. I think it’s a good thing.

Q: Were you a “Quantum Leap” fan?

DJ: Did you pick up on the voice I am a “Quantum Leap” fan. I did notice the similarities when I was reading the script and I don’t know if you were going to say, but the voice of Colter’s father is relevant in bringing up “Quantum Leap.”

Q: I totally missed that. I was asking because of the mirror reflection.

DJ: It is. Scott Bakula is the voice of Colter’s father. In fact, if you get the chance to watch it a second time, you’ll notice he does actually say, “Oh boy.” You can tell [your readers] that and you can even say that you realized that.

Q: Are we supposed to debate the ending or is it definitive?

DJ: It’s definitive to me. I am more than happy to see what the reaction is and see what people’s interpretations are but I feel very comfortable I know what’s going on. I think there is a real head scratcher for the audience at the end there and I think it involves where our main protagonist has ended up and what the implications of that actually are.

Q: The questions about your father, David Bowie, and legacy were covered for Moon. My only question is were you a Labyrinth fan growing up?

DJ: I’ll tell you what. It was difficult to separate myself as my dad’s son watching that film, so watching the film was not as enjoyable as being there while it was being made because I was actually on the set while they were making Labyrinth. That to me was the extraordinary experience and the thing that did stick with me and change me.

Q: Were you there for the Helping Hands?

DJ: Oh, I was there for the Helping Hands. I was also there for the goblin village. I think to me the most exciting thing was the actual all-embracing set. It’s like my favorite thing about Blade Runner, the idea that you could leave the characters, you could pan the camera off the characters and you’d feel like you were still in that world. On the Labyrinth set, I was in a world where they were shooting that way but there was still this huge goblin village over here and stuff over here. You really felt like you were in that world.

Q: Just off Moon, you could probably get a budget of at least $10 million for a reasonable second feature. Is Mute too ambitious for that type of budget?

DJ: I think so. I think Mute would’ve been more comfortable in the same kind of budget as Source Code was, but I have lived with it for such a long time and I have such strong feelings about how to do it right that at this stage, I don’t want to take any shortcuts. If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it right and that means I have to be patient. I have to wait and I have something else I’m working on which I know I can get made and I feel very excited about. I think by making it a graphic novel, I can probably expand on certain things which I had never intended to expand on as a first feature film

Q: When you say “can get made next,” what are the elements that make you think that?

DJ: My producer and I have been realistic about both tonally and character-wise what is needed in order to find people who are willing to invest both as performers and financially to get the film made, but still do it in such a way that I feel that it’s worth making. It’s a story that I want to tell.

Michelle Monaghan plays Christine, a woman on the train sitting across from Colter when he wakes up in the body of Sean Fentriss. She replays the train scene seven times, a little differently each time Colter tries to fix things. She was almost on her way out of Austin to catch a plane when we spoke.

Q: Was it your job to bring the reality to this outrageous sci-fi concept?

Michelle Monaghan: I think so. I think that’s sort of the heart. I think it was my job and Vera’s job because Vera’s really conflicted. She’s morally conflicted obviously and I think really the heart of the matter is really about living your life to the fullest. I think that’s what Christine is conflicted with in her own life.

Q: Is the film saying that even if none of these changes last, it’s still worth making it better for 8 minutes?

MM: Yeah, I think. Yeah, because I think that’s life. We all do things that may not last but hopefully they inspire other people and they pay it forward. I think absolutely, I totally agree. Good will lingers.

Q: I first spoke to you for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. What has this ride been like for you?

MM: Oh my gosh, it’s so amazing. That was one of the best experience I’ve ever had. It was just a great film. I still love it to this day and I’m good friends with Shane and Robert and Val still. I just had a really good run and I’m really grateful. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of great filmmakers. I’m really proud of the films I’ve been in and I just want to continue to do films that are big and small.

Q: That’s what you’ve done.

MM: Yeah, it’s important to me. Nowadays it’s really tricky to find a good story, a story that’s compelling with really rich, colorful characters that are really reflective of true life. I find that the meat of that is in independent film. So as long as we keep getting festivals like this to appreciate and honor independent films, wow, by god, I’ll still be doing them.

Vera Farmiga is on the other side of the source code. Every time Colter returns to present day, Goodwyn (Farmiga) is debriefing him for intel. Colter’s not the most cooperative soldier either, and Goodwyn can’t really explain exactly what he’s doing going back in time for eight minute increments.

Q: What was your take on the dilemma of motivating Colter when you couldn’t explain what he was involved in?

Vera Farmiga: I think keeping in mind the urgency of the situation and urgency of the task at hand, which is life saving and preventing catastrophe. The frustration, that’s where it comes from, keeping in mind the urgency of what’s going on. It’s called parenting.

Q: Does Source Code deal with faith in a way like you dealt with in Higher Ground?

VF: Well, to me there’s a lonesomeness in this, stuck in space and time and this loneliness where that might echo Higher Ground in a way that when doubt enters the faith equation, you’re in limbo. In that respect, I feel like Colter is a man who’s lost in knowing who exactly he is. He’s in limbo. He’s lost.

Q: Do you agree with the worldview that even if these eight minutes won’t matter, we should make them the best eight minutes we can?

VF: Sure, and I think that was the note the film left me on upon the first reading really was a reminder to cherish everything that is most dear to you in your life and to acknowledge it, be present and not take it for granted and treasure those things.

Q: Who is Goodwyn when she’s off work?

VF: Yeah, we’re clued into the fact that she has a marriage that expired, that didn’t work. You have to suppose that she’s married to her job and thus is probably a very lonesome person. Honestly, I don’t necessarily think that whether you think of her as someone with children, I don’t know if any of that is imperative to the dynamic between her and Colter and the mission and what the story is. We decided that she was someone who just is consumed with work and that when career comes first, oftentimes it’s a pretty lonely existence. More often than not, if you’re career minded you’re coming home to an empty house and I think that’s why connections with her are life changing.

Source Code hits theaters Friday.

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/duncan-jones-michelle-monaghan-and-vera-farmiga-talk-source-code/feed/ 0 http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-review/sxsw-review-source-code/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-review/sxsw-review-source-code/#comments Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:16:07 +0000 Fred Topel http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=201393

Source Code is not a time travel movie. It is a time re-assignment movie. Dr. Rutlidge (Jeffrey Wright) would want me to make that clear. It is a smart sci-fi movie and a thriller that happens to support my worldview.

Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is part of a military experiment designed by Rutlidge. They send Colter into the body of Sean on a train eight minutes before it explodes. Goodwyn (Vera Farmiga) debriefs Colter each time he returns, so they can find out who bombed the train and stop his next attack on Chicago.

Sounds like a more limited “Quantum Leap.” Sounds like a serious Groundhog Day. It’s more. There are familiar elements of time travel stories for fun. The same woman spills coffee each time. The same guy knocks a bunch of files on the floor. Colter gets better at moving through the scenario to piece together the attack.

The film doesn’t just drop red herrings. It beats up its red herrings. Colter also tries to save Sean’s girlfriend, Christina (Michelle Monaghan), which you’d surely wonder about if you watched the train explosion over and over.

What’s deeper is the science of the source code is both quantum and metaphysical. Rutlidge explains the energy field that remains after death and the memory remaining in a postmortem brain. Together, they let Colter’s unique DNA explore a version of the tragic events. Read any spiritual text for more on the metaphysical connection between all living things.

We see the train scene repeat seven times, and there are two more trips we don’t see. Each time, they think of a new way for Colter to die, triggering his return to the present, so it’s not always in the explosion. The eight minute timeframe is a tight increment of suspense. You watch the clock on both sides, Colter’s and Goodwyn’s.

Some nitpicks don’t undermine the power of the story, but the CGI explosion is really bad. There is also a train jump that looks ridiculous, but I appreciate the effort to slam Jake Gyllenhaal around. The ideas behind the effects are worth it, and some of the shots of flames within the train have an aesthetic beauty, if not realism.

The film ultimately asks a beautiful question. Even if you can’t ultimately change the past, shouldn’t you still do it just for the sake of making that temporary alternate history better? Duncan Jones was not a one hit wonder. He’s the go to guy for intelligent sci-fi with thoughtful themes.

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-review/sxsw-review-source-code/feed/ 0 http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/new-source-code-posters-range-from-classy-to-crazy/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/new-source-code-posters-range-from-classy-to-crazy/#comments Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:18:09 +0000 Geoffrey Golden http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=102744 These are two new posters for the Duncan Jones helmed Source Code. It’s Jones’ new sci-fi thriller after the awesome Moon, where we learned that moon jobs are really, really shady.

First we see the UK poster, which is super-crazy. It’s like Jake Gyllenhaal has broken through to Square Town, a dimension where everything is a bunch of squares. Good thing he brought a gun to shoot all those squares, otherwise he wouldn’t stand a chance if they all decided at once to eat him or something.

The second poster was made special for the SXSW premiere of Source Code. It was designed by Olly Moss for Mondo Tees. Moss also made a Moon poster in a similarly retro style. I think this one’s pretty cool. It’s like Gyllenhaal’s become part of a clock, a distinction that puts him in the same club as Felix The Cat. Wow, I’ve just described a pretty fancy club.

Source Code will be in theaters nationwide April 1st. Click the images to embiggen them. (FirstShowing)

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/new-source-code-posters-range-from-classy-to-crazy/feed/ 0 http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/jake-gyllenhaal-is-a-creepy-and-talkative-passenger/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/jake-gyllenhaal-is-a-creepy-and-talkative-passenger/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:27:30 +0000 Wookie Johnson http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=Video&p=29391 The second trailer for Duncan Jones‘s Source Code wastes no time getting to the point. If you like your intrigue sprinkled with cool special effects and Jake Gyllenhaal jumping around on a train, this is your leading source of joy. 

Jake Gyllenhaal is beamed into the body of a doomed train passenger and only has eight minutes to locate a bomb before it explodes. When he fails to do so, he’s beamed back. The more he travels back. the more events shift and change. Careful playing with that kind of fire, Jake. If you mess around too much, your father may never beat up a rapist outside the Enchantment Under The Sea Dance. Then where would you be?

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/jake-gyllenhaal-is-a-creepy-and-talkative-passenger/feed/ 2 http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/hanna-and-source-code-drop-some-posters-on-us/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/hanna-and-source-code-drop-some-posters-on-us/#comments Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:35:16 +0000 Penn Collins http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=22253 The widely-anticipated Source Code, Duncan Jones‘ follow-up to Moon, shows Jake Gyllenhaal running away from photographs that are trying to eat him. Which is always a tricky situation. Jake plays an operative who becomes embedded in the last eight minutes of a man’s life in order to both solve a crime and prevent another one, but to do so, he must relive those minutes over and over in order gather clues. So the photos are clues. Or keepsakes. Only time will tell. (Coming Soon)

Today also marks the release of a poster for Hanna, starring Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan, in which a girl (Ronan) is trained to kill her CIA agent father (Bana). By all accounts, the movie is supposed to be exceptional, and the poster does those sentiments justice. The simplicity of it is striking, as are Ronan’s baby blues. (Film School Rejects)

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/hanna-and-source-code-drop-some-posters-on-us/feed/ 4 http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/uncan-jones-wants-his-very-own-blade-runner/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/uncan-jones-wants-his-very-own-blade-runner/#comments Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:27:14 +0000 Penn Collins http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=17405 Wunderkind director Duncan Jones is making the most of his downtime, discussing his third feature before the second one, Source Code, has even been released. While he had indicated that his next project would be Mute, the story of a mute Englishman searching for his girlfriend, it appears now that due to the lukewarm reaction to a leaked script, he’s looking past that one for the time being. He clearly puts a lot of stock in the opinion of the blogosphere if he’s willing to sit on a project because of lukewarm public reaction to an early draft of a script. Perhaps too much?

Fortunately, his new project sounds interesting, so don’t shed too many tears for that mute Brit. He’ll find his girl one day. In the interim, Jones is working on an untitled Blade Runner homage that he is writing himself. If you are a fan of cities and of the future (and honestly, who isn’t?) then you’ll be drooling over this next project, which Jones refers to as a “city-based future film.” Granted there isn’t too much to get excited about in that revelation, but anything with Blade Runner in its DNA is probably going to garner some buzz. No details are available regarding production schedule or release, but if it’s not taking place in the distant future, he should probably get crackin’. (/Film)

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/uncan-jones-wants-his-very-own-blade-runner/feed/ 0 http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/2011-sxsw-kicks-off-with-source-code/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/2011-sxsw-kicks-off-with-source-code/#comments Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:22:52 +0000 Col. Longshanks http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=12671

Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't take notes.

Duncan Jones‘s second feature, Source Code, will open the 2011 South by Southwest (SXSW if you’re cool) Film Festival in Austin, TX on March 11. Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson had this to say in a press release:

“We are delighted to welcome Duncan Jones back to SXSW. His debut Moon showed an intelligence, skill, and exceptional use of limited resources that’s exactly the kind of filmmaking we love to support,” said Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson. “Source Code is a terrific follow-up; it’s a smart, suspenseful thriller, and a perfect fit for our 2011 Opening Night!”

In the film, Jake Gyllenhaal is inserted into an operation to stop a train from crashing that’s almost as difficult as remembering how to spell his last name. It also stars Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffrey Wright. You’re an amazing actor, Jeffrey, but you’re bringing down the sexy meter. Let Vera say your lines.

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/2011-sxsw-kicks-off-with-source-code/feed/ 0 http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/jake-gyllenhaal-experiences-commuter-hell-in-source-code-trailer/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/jake-gyllenhaal-experiences-commuter-hell-in-source-code-trailer/#comments Sat, 20 Nov 2010 01:50:25 +0000 Col. Longshanks http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=Video&p=8856 Summit has dropped the trailer for Duncan Jones‘s Source Code, and it’s a good ol’ fashioned brain tickler. Jake Gyllenhaal is a Captain who wakes up in the body of another man. He soon finds out that he’s part of a government experiment called the”Source Code,” which enables him to cross over into another man’s identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. He relives a massive train explosion over and over and over again in an effort to find the bomber and get the damn train safely to its stop. It looks one notch more intense than your average NYC work commute, which is saying a lot. Michelle Monaghan plays the love interest, and Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright run the program. I wish more code writers at my office looked like Vera Farmiga. And smelled less like Pringles. Love you guys! (Please don’t destroy my site).

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/jake-gyllenhaal-experiences-commuter-hell-in-source-code-trailer/feed/ 1 http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/vera-farmiga-michelle-monaghan-join-duncan-joness-source-code/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/vera-farmiga-michelle-monaghan-join-duncan-joness-source-code/#comments Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Moon director Duncan Jones will be following up his debut with another sci-fi entry. Source Code stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a soldier investigating a terrorist bombing of a train. Using an experimental technology, Gyllenhaal enters the body of at unknown commuter and must relive the bombing over and over again until he finds who is responsible for the act (Could it be him? What are the twist-ending chances??). Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan have just joined the time-travel mystery.

Farmiga will play the communications officer controlling Gyllenhaal and Monaghan will play a love interest he encounters while travelling. Time to come clean a little bit. I originally planned to group the above pictures of the actresses together in the hopes that one thing may lead to another and that they would start to kiss a little bit. Then that baby had to show up and spoil my genius plot. I’ll get you for this baby! Just as soon as I can pull my pants back up. (THR)

  

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/vera-farmiga-michelle-monaghan-join-duncan-joness-source-code/feed/ 0