X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (2011)

MyRating: YYYYY

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Lucas Till, Caleb Landry Jones, Edi Gathegi, Jason Flemyng, Álex González, Oliver Platt, Ray Wise

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language

Telling the beginning story of an already popular movie series is not always easy to do. Sometimes it's also a risk to take, as not all people are really interested to know what happened in the beginning, especially if you have known the outcomes of the story, on what will happen to this character or what that character will finally become. Also, not all audiences like to see one or more of their favorite characters, played and popularized by certain actors before, are being replaced by some new guys. Not saying if one or more of the most famous characters will not appear as part of the story (in this case Wolverine). However, this is not the case for X-Men: First Class. This movie not only could cast aside all doubts and doubters, but also proof that storytelling and characterization are the keys to a great movie.

X-Men: First Class is the prequel to the X-Men trilogy, with the story set before the time of the original X-Men. The story about young Professor X and Magneto, before they discover their extraordinary powers for the first time. One boy, Erik Lehnsherr (later adult played by Michael Fassbender) finds his power at a German concentration camp in Poland in 1944, where he is forced by Dr. Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) to unleash his magnetic power through bursting anger. While another boy, Charles Xavier (adult played by James McAvoy), is raised in a wealthy family in New York. He knows he is 'different' from others, as he has a gift to read other people's mind. A born telepath. The young Xavier meets with a homeless young shape-shifting mutant named Raven (who later will become Mystique and played by Jennifer Lawrence), whom he invites to live with his family at his mansion and they become best friends.

The story then moves to 1962, following the journey of the grown-up Lehnsherr, who is now full of hatred and looking for Shaw to take revenge. While Xavier, who is now a professor with his popular thesis on 'mutation' subject, is invited to join the CIA by an agent named Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) to help the government, as the world is threatened by Shaw and his mutants, who has the intention of starting a nuclear war. Xavier's task is to find and recruit mutants into the CIA's secret "Division X" facility for training, and to lead them to stop Shaw. Fate brings Xavier to meet with Lehnsherr, and as they can relate and understand each other, their friendship slowly binds them to become best buddies. They team up to recruit a group of young mutants with various raw and unique powers. And together, they have to work hand in hand and complete each other in order to stop the world from destruction by the evil Shaw and his mutants.

What makes this movie great and standout from other superhero movies? I have to answer that the clever and very well-written story is one of the reasons to 'blame'. High praises should be given to the team of writers, who could write such a fresh, gripping and highly enjoyable script (The director Matthew Vaughn was also acted as one of the four screenwriters of this movie). The story was solidly told and flowed smoothly, with a perfect composition and timing between action and drama. Never a bore moment, even though the movie took its time to develop the story and the characters. And the more we went into the story, the more we were captivated by it. As for the special effects, they were good and effective, even though the movie didn't seem to pour itself with lots of fancy special effects.

A great story is never complete without great characterizations, and this movie has it. The characters were very well developed, especially the two main characters Charles Xavier (who will later on become Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (who will become Magneto), with great performances given by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, who somehow could escape from the shadows of the same characters played by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen before, as they made their own versions of young Professor X and Magneto. McAvoy as the good-hearted leader with a sense of humor and likeable personality, while Fassbender played a 'gray' character with a dark past, an angry man inside whose motives were unpredictable, which was also the most compelling character in this movie. How Xavier and Lehnsherr build their friendship is interesting to watch, as we also want to know how they will eventually become enemies at the end. One will become the founder of the X-Men and the other will become the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants. The great chemistry between the two made every appearance of McAvoy and Fassbender on screen together was a fun to watch.

As fresh as the story, the supporting casts were also turned out to be very fresh. Kevin Bacon was perfect as the cynical and cruel villain. The movie also has enough beauties, such as Jennifer Lawrence, who was interesting to watch as the young Mystique, with the ability to turn herself into a blue and scaly body to scare you away, January Jones as the sexy Emma Frost, who can change her body into diamond, and Rose Byrne as the human CIA agent. The other supporting casts worth to mention here were Nicholas Hoult as Dr. Hank McCoy, the former scientist with big simian-like feet, Zoë Kravitz as Angel Salvadore, a lady mutant with dragonfly wings and acidic saliva, Caleb Landry Jones as Banshee, a mutant capable of ultrasonic screaming, and Lucas Till as Havok, a mutant with the ability to absorb energy and discharge it into blasts. Even though there were so many characters, Matthew Vaughn successfully managed to give each of the important supporting characters a proper introduction, enough character development, and fairly screen time. The training scenes where one by one of the young mutants learned how to best use and control their powers were funny and exciting. Also watch for the evolution of one character to become Beast. And watch for the surprising cameo appearance of Hugh Jackman as the arrogant Wolverine.

The final battle between the good mutants and the bad mutants was fantastic, intensified by the confrontation at sea between the United States and the Soviet Union fleets in the brink of the Cuban Missile Crisis, that may lead to World War III. A jaw-dropping moment that hit you just at the right time. And when you see some of the supporting characters getting their time to shine in the battle, such as Banshee, Havok and Beast, you will hold your fists and shout in cheers. Such a brilliant and perfect timing of culmination. It was the reward for building your characters well, even the supporting ones, so as the audience will care as these characters finally step up. The final drama will show you what you've been waiting for, on how Charles Xavier will become like 'this' and how Erik Lehnsherr will become like 'that'. And will Lehnsherr finally embrace his dark side? Full stop.

The movie did end well, but with an open ending to a sequel, as if we did not actually finish watching the movie yet and it was just a beginning. What Matthew Vaughn did with this prequel of the X-Men franchise, on how he cooked and served it as a fine dish with delicious meal, just showed what a talented director he is (this movie was his fourth movie after Layer Cake, Stardust and Kick-Ass). This is an excellent job with an excellent result. And Vaughn has put himself in the line of good promising young directors whose next projects are worth to be waited for.

I liked the first X-Men movie (2000), loved the second one, X2: X-Men United (2003), which was also the best of the original trilogy, and I hated the third one, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) for its bad and boring storytelling. While X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) has placed itself as a mediocre and underwhelming spin-off. However, from all the movies in the X-Men series, I genuinely think that X-Men: First Class (2011) is the best of them all and the one that I loved the most. It didn't have the greatest special effects, but it certainly has the greatest story. A wonderful movie that will make you want for more. It deserves a sequel. Definitely one of the very best movies of this Summer. (MJ)

MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT

REAL STEEL (2011)

MyRating: YYYYY

Director: Shawn Levy

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand, Hope Davis, James Rebhorn, Olga Fonda, Karl Yune

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language

This is one of the movies that I came into the theater with a low expectation, as I am not a big fan of robot movies, and partly also thanks to the rating from the critics in Rotten Tomatoes (in which the average rating number seems to finally end up thinly undecideable, whether the movie is 'fresh' or 'rotten'). However, what I got instead when I came out of the theater was a surprisingly big loves that I felt towards the movie. To more clearly express my feelings, 'This is a movie that I will definitely regret if I end up never watching it'.

The movie has the tone and settings of the 'old fashioned' Americana with the underdog 'Rocky' formula, even though the movie itself is set in the near future and the boxers fighting in the ring are not humans, but robots. Hugh Jackman was a great fun to watch here, playing Charlie Kenton, a former washed-up boxer who now becomes a small-time promoter for his discarded and reprogrammed robots to fight in the underground robot boxing matches. When the robot boxing is becoming a new popular sport to replace the no more popular human boxing, Charlie finds the needs to become part of the fortune that this new sport could offer, but still struggling to earn enough money for living and falling into big debts, one after another, as he keeps buying new robots with a dream to make his robots a champion and a money maker, besides keeps losing money in his boxing bets. And he always ended up with his robots being knocked down in the rings by other more sophisticated and stronger robots, with completely broken body parts that are no good to be fixed again.

 

When things are seemed to not getting any better, Charlie is informed that his ex-girlfriend from the past has died and reminded him that he has an 11-year-old son named Max Kenton, played impressively by Dakota Goyo. As an absent and never a responsible father, Charlie gets an idea to help him out from his red situation by selling his son for money to Max's aunt Debra (Hope Davis) and her husband Marvin (James Rebhorn), a wealthy family who wants a full custody for Max at the first place. But as a condition and request from the couple, Charlie has to take care of Max for three months as the couple are going away for their second honeymoon. Charlie reluctantly agrees with the deal and he brings Max to live with him and his current girlfriend Bailey Tallet (Evangeline Lilly), a woman who deeply loves Charlie for who he is and always being supportive to fulfill his dreams.

The father and son find it difficult to live with each other at the beginning, but their hobby and desire for the same thing, which is the robot boxing sport, slowly bonds them together. When they go to a junkyard to look for parts for the damaged robot, Max finds an old Generation-2 robot named Atom, that used to be a sparring partner for real fighter robots in the past and has a unique mirroring skills. While Charlie thinks that they have found junk, Max somehow has a strong believe that he has found a perfect robot that has what it takes to win. And the only person who can train the robot to become a champion is his father. You probably know where the story might go from here, or you may say that the movie was predictable. However, it is not about where the story will go or how it will end, rather it is about how well you tell the whole story. That is the different that will make even a typical and predictable movie to become an outstanding one.

This movie was a blast due to the wonderful actings from both father and son. Hugh Jackman showed what a fine actor he is, as he nailed the role as the father. Desperate, stubborn, irresponsible and egoistic, as all he cares is his world of boxing and robots. His acting was not only fun to watch with his wide range of facial expressions, but also he breathed a complete soul into Charlie Kenton, an ordinary man with flesh and blood who did mistakes and took wrong decisions, and practically a loser at the beginning of the movie. And the meeting with his son challenged him to not only change how he sees thing, but also how he should change his priority of life.

While as the son, Dakota Goyo was incredibly amazing. I was really impressed by the performance of this very talented young actor, who has a lively and very natural acting skills. Acting is seems to be running through his blood, as he lives up the character of Max, who is persistent, smart, determinate and as stubborn as his father. Not only he can step up to the plate and match the acting of Jackman, but in some scenes, he actually stole the show. A new young star has born. The chemistry between Jackman and Goyo was very solid and emotionally touching, one of the best chemistries between a father and a son roles in a movie for a very long time. And the chemistry between Max and Atom the robot was also tender and warming.

This movie has an amazing story, thanks to the engaging and well written screenplay by John Gatins, with wonderful characterizations and smart dialogs. And two thumbs up to the director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum), who knows how to translate the story to become a great movie, and who knows exactly how to grab and when to rumble your emotions, over and over again. The idea of Max dancing along with his robot before the match was a brilliant one, that will make you smile everytime you see him and the robot dance. Another brilliant scene was when Max running for and grabbing the microphone in the ring to make a speech. Clever, as no one will definitely expect that. Or when Max showed that he was brave enough to accept a bigger bet for his robot's match, while his father was chicken out, unexpectedly following the same thing that Charlie did before when he was very sure with his bet, while his son scared out. And all these worked so well because the characters were developed well, as it will not only make us care for them and what they did, but also make what they did to look believable. Their acts are just the reflections of who they are.

The boxing scenes between the robots were awesome and were a delight to watch. They were funny at times. It is like watching real humans boxing each other with a complete human-like boxing moves, such as uppercut, jab, hook, energetic legs movement, blocking, grappling and knocked the other opponent out to the ring floor. The CGI and special effects were astonishing and looked very real, as well as believable. And the boxing scenes were choreographed and shot in such a way that you still can see the robots fighting in such details, without making you feeling dizzy or confused (Sugar Ray Leonard was involved as the adviser in the boxing scenes). It's amazing to realize that you hold your breath and cheer for the robots while fighting.

I will never forget the expression in Hugh Jackman's face when he enthusiastically punched out his fists to show all out his boxing abilities outside the ring, while Atom the robot fighting inside the ring, with his son and his girlfriend watching him closely and feel happy for him, as they can see him very happy at the moment. Maybe that was the happiest moment of his life. It's just like an expression of a child who is very excited to play with his most favorite toy. The happiness to do the things that you love the most and passionately about. And I cannot but to also feel happy for him. That was a very uplifting moment of the movie.

This is a feel good, very inspiring and heartwarming family movie that will make you cry, smile, laugh and cheer at the same time. What makes this movie great was actually not because of the robots (even though the robots did absolutely look great), but the gripping and emotional human drama inside. Couldn't find myself an inch to NOT to love about this movie, and couldn't understand 'even' for an inch for the people who have watched this movie and hated it. One rock solid entertainment and a must see movie. A champion for the heart. (MJ)

MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011)

MyRating: YYYYY

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Cast: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Ayelowo, Tyler Labine

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a reboot of the famous science fiction series Planet of the Apes, first introduced in 1968, which was followed by four sequels up to 1973. With a story that stands on its own, which retells the tale from the beginning, this reboot also has no correlation with Tim Burton 2001 remake version. This is a surprisingly well made summer blockbuster movie with an emotionally engaging storytelling that may make you see the apes never the same again.

A lab experiment to develop a cure for Alzheimer's disease seems to go wrong when one of its genetically-enhanced chimpanzees goes on a rampage and attacks an important board meeting in Gen-Sys, the pharmaceutical company that develops the cure. For showing dangerous and ultra-aggresive behaviors, all the chimps are put to rest, except one baby chimp, who is being hidden by the main scientist who leads the experiment, Will Rodman (James Franco).

Will raises the chimp in his house with his father Charles (John Lithgow), who also suffered from Alzheimer's disease (his father's disease is the reason that drives him to find the cure at the first place). The chimp, being named as Caesar (played by Andy Serkis), inherits his mother's high intelligence, due to the engineered-genes that are running in his blood, which makes him can learn and develop quickly. At age of 3, Caesar has completed puzzles for ages 8 and up. He possesses a human level of intelligence and displays cognitive skills that far exceed that of a human counterpart.

As Caesar grows older, Will's house, which kept him inside for not being exposed, is starting to become too small for him. And his attic's window, where Caesar spent all of his chimp childhood staring outside the window watching the human kids playing on the street, has become a cage for him. After a series of incidents, Caesar is being sent to the San Bruno Primate Sanctuary, where he is being locked up with many other different kinds of apes, all of them being treated poorly and cruelly by the sanctuary chief guard (Tom Felton). Doesn't like to be treated that way, Caesar uses his extraordinary mind and intelligence to plan for a perfect escape and lead all of his fellow apes into freedom, to the better and wide world outside.

I always believe that the main element which makes a movie 'great' is the 'storytelling'. And this movie not only has a clever script with great story, but also an excellence execution by the director Rupert Wyatt (who has no 'hit' before and has only directed less than the number of fingers in your one 'primate' hand). As I sat down in the theater, I was carried away by the engaging and thoughtful story, that not only grasped my mind and my ego towards appreciating good movies, but also grasped my heart inside. This movie has a lot of heart. Never before I thought that watching a movie about 'apes' could be so touching. And never before I thought that an ape (Caesar) could touch me as real as a human being.

The special effects and the computer graphics were top-notch. It was so difficult to separate the 'unreal' from the 'real', as the apes were looked so real, which will make you think that there are indeed apes like that in the real world, who can feel, think, and even talk, all cohesively blended well into the real world. The only thing that separated the 'real' from the 'unreal' was a thin hair that you cannot see.

Andy Serkis, who played Caesar with the performance capture technology, stole the whole show with his amazing and brilliant performance. The way he moved, the way he looked and glanced, and the way he expressed his 'ape' expressions were soulfully possessed into Caesar, as if the ape possessed into him. His great performance here should be acknowledged and remembered as one of the best performances of the year. He is definitely the specialist and the top name in the shelf when talking about 'mocap', as he has played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) and Kong in King Kong (2005), and also in the upcoming The Hobbit dwilogy (2012-2013) to reprise his role as Gollum.

As for the 'real' human characters, I must say that the interesting line of casts were not disappointing at all, even though you may say that they were overshadowed by Serkis' performance. James Franco was fine as the scientist. His chemistries with both Caesar and John Lithgow were well connected and touching. Lithgow also played sympathetic and fun to watch as the 'Alzheimer' father. While as the lover of Will and a primatologist, Freida Pinto's character and acting was a bit underdeveloped, but her beautiful face surely did a better part for her in this film. There was Brian Cox who run the Primate Sanctuary where Caesar was being locked up with other apes. And surprisingly, a quite impressive acting came by Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter saga), who successfully played the villain with his cruel behaviors that will make you feel disgusted for him.

 

This is not a non-stop action movie, as the movie took its time to tell the story, strengthened its dramaturgy, and developed its characters. It's the right way to make you care for them. However, when it came into action, this movie surely did not play it soft. The scene where the apes rushing the Golden Gate Bridge was thrilling, breathtaking and mindblowing, with apes screaming, running and jumping from cars to cars, including a gorilla jumping over a flying helicopter. S.U.P.E.R.B.

For me, this is hands down one of the best movies of this summer. An excellent filmmaking that knows how to play your emotions. The message of the film, which showed by how Caesar treated his enemies, was also well delivered. This movie has laid a very solid foundation for the upcoming sequels. If you have watched this movie and fell for the apes, then it is impossible for you to not wanting a sequel anyway. (MJ)

MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT

SEVEN SAMURAI (SHICHININ NO SAMURAI) (1954)

MyRating:

YYYYY + A CROWN

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Isao Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke Kato, Minoru Chiaki, Keiko Tsushima, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Bokuzen Hidari, Kamatari Fujiwara

Seven Samurai  (Shichinin no samurai) is, without a doubt, one of the greatest and most influential films of all time by the legendary Japanese director, the great Akira Kurosawa. So influential, not only it became the pride and gem of the Asian filmmaking and set a new standard in the filmmaking industry at that time, aside from becoming Japan's highest grossing movie, but it also strongly inspired and influenced the West, whom adapted the film later on into the western version, The Magnificent Seven in 1960. Seven Samurai is one of Kurosawa's bests, a timeless cinematic epic masterpiece ever made in the movie history.

 

A timeless classic? Needless to argue, as every movie lover would agree. The black and white picture of this film is showing nothing more than the fact that this is an old movie, a more than 50-year old film which was released in 1954, but once you have seen this movie, you would certainly be grateful to become one of the witnesses of the brilliant filmmaking that this movie has achieved more than 50 years ago. This movie may have a lifelong impact and stay at a special place in your heart. And nothing good or bad that I said would add or detract even a drop in the ocean of greatness this movie has set itself to be.

The story (co-written by Akira Kurosawa) is actually a simple one, yet so strong, about a poor village of farmers, tired living under the terrors of a gang of ruthless bandits, hire seven free samurai (ronin) to help them defend themselves from the bandits, who will return to attack their village and plunder their crops after harvest time. A powerful story telling, combined with great characterizations, wonderful cast, solid actings, and a brilliant direction by Kurosawa, were the perfect mix of potion that made this a standout movie that stands against the test of time.

The movie was felt so complete, as it contains of drama, action, romance, as well as comedic moments. The story was emotionally attached with the values of friendship, dignity and sacrifice. The setting of the Japanese small town and villages in 1587, the timeline as the movie was set, brought your senses back to that era and gave a secluded feeling at the same time, as if you were there, in the era of samurai warriors, with their samurai swords tied to their waists, walking proudly across the streets, and in the era where you will feel theaten by the barbaric bandits, freely roaming the earth.

The characters in this movie are the characters who will make you care for their fates, all hands down to the excellent characterizations. The movie did take its time to introduce its characters one by one, some intimately on their backgrounds, their reasoning, their motives, their feelings inside and their fears. The plot of the samurai recruiting and gathering process was interesting to watch as the introduction to all the heroes, and this movie was among the first films that used such plot, which was followed by many movies afterwards.

The variation of the seven samurai characters also gave a perfect combination to the group, as there are the leader and the strategic thinker Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura), the reckless and hot-headed would-be samurai Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune), the inexperience young warrior Katsushirō Okamoto (Isao Kimura), the wise skilled archer and second in command Gorōbei Katayama (Yoshio Inaba), the nice swordsman and once Kambei's lieutenant Shichirōji (Daisuke Kato), the friendly and cheerful fighter Heihachi Hayashida (Minoru Chiaki) and the serious and highly dangerous samurai Kyūzō (Seiji Miyaguchi). There are also several villager characters who have important roles in the story, as the seven samurai train the villagers how to fight and defend themselves. By the end of the movie, you will feel that you have known them all very well. And you will feel sorry for the characters who died.

There was a forbidden love romance, that added up a conflict to the plot, between the youngest samurai (Isao Kimura) and the poor village girl (Keiko Tsushima). Afraid of her beautiful daughter might get raped by the bunch of samurai coming to their village, the father asks the daughter to dress-up like a boy. But it's only time before the young samurai finds out that she is actually a girl. And they fall in love.

The actings were great and rock-solid. As the leader of the samurai, Takashi Shimura, one of the finest character actor Japan ever had, was always fun to watch, with his cool, charismatic and sympathetic performance. While Toshiro Mifune's character was the most interesting one. Rude, temperamental, half crazy attitudes, but with a good heart, gave a different color to the characters of the other fellow samurai. And his character and memorable performance set a dynamic tone to the whole story. Mifune was the most famous and considered as the greatest Japanese actor of his time, who worked together with Kurosawa in 16 movies. The other actors also acted very well, including the stone-faced samurai Seiji Miyaguchi, who looked cold and without mercy at the beginning, but also managed to steal our hearts at the end .

The final battle between the samurai, the villagers and the bandits was a breathtaking scene. A long scene of combat with a careful strategic battle plan to ambush and defeat the bandits, including protecting the all entry posts to the village, flooding part of the village, and alluring the bandits to come inside the village before the villagers gang them up. The actions may look and feel a bit old due to its age, but still very well crafted and impressively shot, especially if you put yourself in that era. Watching this movie was an absolute enjoyment. Never a bore moment despite its long running time (giving the running time of 207 minutes for the restored version). The wonderful feeling of watching this movie will forever stay in my heart. It's a masterpiece and an absolute classic. And I would like to add by saying that this is one of the movies that you should watch before you die. (MJ)

MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT

SOURCE CODE (2011)

MyRating: YYYYY

Director: Duncan Jones

Writer: Ben Ripley
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Arden
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violence including disturbing images, and for language

Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal), an American Army helicopter pilot serving his duty in Afghanistan, finds himself wakes up inside a body of another man, sitting in front of a stranger named Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan) on a commuter train headed for Chicago. Eight minutes later the train explodes and Colter finds himself strapped inside a small geodesic dome. The only person he can communicate to is Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) through a computer screen. He then learns that he is inside the Source Code, a government time loop program that enables him to cross over into someone's body in the last 8 minutes of his or her life. And his mission is to go back to the train and find out who has bombed the train, before the bomber could detonate a second more explosive bomb in downtown Chicago that could kill millions of innocent people.

And Colter travels back again and again to the train, gathering clues as much as possible each time, in order to find the bomber and prevent the second attact from happening. Every time his eight minutes is up, the train will explode and he will be sent back to the secluded geodesic dome. But as he starts to feel exhausted and frustated, he begins to sense the oddity and learns that some secrets are being hidden from him regarding the program, and he needs to find out what. So, as he is back again to the train and tries hard to find the bomber before it is too late, Colter also desperately tries to solve the mystery behind the program, as his life is also at stake. And as he is falling for the woman travelling with the man whose body he resides, Colter is convinced that he needs to fix the 'already written' fate of their train and all its passengers inside, in his own way.

This is an intelligent sci-fi thriller with a fresh and original premise. Brilliant and very smart written script by Ben Ripley, and excellent direction from Duncan Jones (the man who brought you "Moon"), who successfully translated the script into an amazing movie that stood out among the other sci-fi movies. I was really amazed with the outcome and I really loved it. It still makes me think and deeply feel about the movie, even though I've watched it some time back.

When you heard about the premise, it may at a glance sounds like something that we've seen before. Quantum Leap? Groundhog Day? Inception? I even felt a chunk of feeling that Vanilla Sky left me when finished watching the movie. Yes, some of the elements were there, especially Quantum Leap where the main character can jump into another person's body, and Groundhog Day where the character has to go through the same event over and over again, if you die then it will start all over again. But still, after watching Source Code, actually it was not a merely rip-off from the other movies. I must say that the slightly similarity with the themes of other movies was only skin deep. It has something very different in its content and was executed in its unique way. The Source Code program in which you can access into the life of an already deceased human being for the last 8 minutes of his or her life is something new and I don't think it has been told before. Again, a brilliant piece of idea. This is what makes this movie original.

I also admire on how Duncan Jones directing this movie. This is a small budget movie with not much special effects needed and limited settings, as most of the scenes were shot inside the train, nonetheless it was rich in emotions and suspense, as well as thoughtful and complex, but not complicated, that may create some perplexities among the audiences. And the way Jones handled the repeated 8-minute scenes was also very effective, since the experiences and actions that the main character has to go through were varied, as Jones did not hesitate to move fast into many other new possibilities that the main character may explore, which made this movie very well paced with no boring moments.

For the performances, Jake Gyllenhaal did a good job as a soldier trapped inside a program that gave him no choice than to move on and finish his mission. Desperate, confused, frantic, frustrated, angry, sad, all come to him alternately, while still able to keep his coolness and charms. A fun performance to watch. As the stranger, Michelle Monaghan appeared lovely and sweet, as always. Playing a generic and ordinary woman here, whom you may meet in your daily travelling in trains or buses (but still a total stranger to you since you don't know her, as Colter didn't), Monaghan played her role just in the right proportion. And as soon as you know her, you would like to protect her. The fact if you fall in love with her in this movie, then it also makes sense for Colter to fight a different fate for her in the end. And the chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Monaghan worked well as two strangers who found attraction towards each other through 8-minutes of their lifetime. Vera Farmiga also played her role well as the only person who Colter could depend on, besides himself. Tried to be persuasive and firm, she has to convince Colter while at the same teased by her own moral obligations towards the guy. Above all, the most important thing is, the characters made us care for them, on how their fates will eventually lead them to.

Now about the ending, I must say that I like how the movie ended and it was a good way to end it. And I believe not all audiences can directly digest and really understand the ending as the writer intended it to be, as you will still have some questions in your head to be answered. Anyway, that is part of the perplexities that the filmmaker purposely left you to think after you walked out of the theater. I have such a good time in the theater with this movie. The amazing idea and the intelligent story gave an absolute satisfaction that will make you appreciate the movie even more every time you think about it. Loved it and highly recommended this. A gem. (MJ)

THE KING'S SPEECH (2010)

MyRating: YYYYY

Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi
MPAA: Rated R for some language

A fascinating British historical biopic drama about Prince Albert/King George VI (Colin Firth), the father of Queen Elizabeth II, who suffers from a lifelong stammer that makes him difficult to engage in any public speaking. Despite feeling unfit and reluctant, Albert has to assume the throne as the King of England after his elder brother, King Edward VIII (Guy Pierce), abdicates the throne. But as soon as he becomes King, and as he is expected to give speeches all the time, his real nightmares begin.

It's the story about the friendship between King George VI and Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an unorthodox speech therapist, whom the King seeks for help in order to cure his tongue-tied. Using unusual techniques, which the King hates at first, including exploring the past sad experiences and trauma that the King has gone through in his childhood, Logue begins to understand where all the fears come from. And only after the King is willing to surrender and trust himself totally into Logue's method, he is able to see the progress. With the love and continuous supports from his wife, Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Cater), and the miraculous coaches from Logue, the King finally sees himself as a true King, who can lead his country and comfort his people through one of the toughest times in history, World War II, but first, he has to prove that he can 'speak'.

This is one beautiful movie that steals my heart. Not because it got 12 Oscar nominations, and possibly will win the Best Picture. But after seeing it, I have to admit that it was indeed 'wonderful' and the nominations are surely worth it. The story was a charming, funny, and hilarious at times, especially when seeing the peculiar method, yet brilliant, that Logue used to train the King. It will draw a smile in your face, and in your heart. It is a movie that will leave you with heartwarming after watching it and makes you feel good. A great well written screenplay by David Seidler with many clever dialogues, and a great direction by Tom Hooper, with beautiful art direction and cinematography. Some of the shots were looked like being shot a bit from the bottom-up. I don't know whether it was only my feeling, but it think some of the shots were purposely being shot that way in order to show the inferiority of a man.

But what made this movie trully standout was the superb actings and performances by the stars. Colin Firth was amazingly great in his impersonation as the stutter King. He really made us tired with him by seeing and waiting him to finish his lines. And we felt pity for him for all his strugglings with strained muscles in his neck everytime he needed to speak. Yet, his acting was very believable. It's time for him to get an Oscar recognition for his brilliant work here. Definitely the greatest and the most memorable role of his career.

Geoffrey Rush was another splendid cast here as the King's speech therapist. Outspoken, brave, a believer, and no compromise in forcing his own way, even when he has to do it in a smart way when dealing with the King. This is an example of a great and enticing character, and Rush scored it with his marvelous acting that made him and his character so much fun to watch. And he seemed to do it easily, what a great actor. Another strong performance by a Supporting Actor of the year. Helena Bonham Carter also gave a very good performance as the King's wife with her agile mimics.

The chemistry between Firth and Rush was bonded very solidly in the movie and worked so well as a strong acting force together. An inspiring and true friendship that the real characters had until the end of their lives. What a wonderful movie that has bonded my heart. Long live the King! (MJ)