Decoding Jake Gyllenhaal

I cannot remember the last time I watched a film in a movie theater.  Either I've been too busy, or there just wasn't a film that caught my interest.

Last weekend was different.  One of my dearest friends (and my frequent movie buddy) is soon to be an OFW. Before she leaves Manila, we had to watch something!  But I'm not going to watch Justin Bieber.  Or Sara and Gerard.   Or Hop.  

So it was Limitless or Source Code.    We chose the latter.  And I'm glad we did, because Source Code is the most refreshing thriller I've seen in quite some time.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to write a synopsis of the film because even the basic plot already reveals too much.  Basta Jake Gyllenhaal is solidier for the U.S. Army, who finds himself in a train heading to Chicago with no recollection of how he got there.  And...that's about as much plot as I can give.  Really.  This film made me Google and read up on "quantum physics" on a Saturday night when I should be resting my brain for the week ahead.  That's how much I love it.

Even if you don't end up loving the film like I do, at the very least you'll have to agree with me that this film is thought-provoking (I hate using that term, but there you go), without being pretentious.

And since I can't reveal anything more, let me just marvel at how, in a span of ten years, Jake Gyllenhaal can go from this:

Bubble Boy, circa 2011

To this:

Source Code, circa 2011

He has matured quite nicely, don't you think?  He reminds me a little bit of Matt Damon... character actors packaged as a leading men, not traditionally "handsome" but still appealing anyway and watchable even in films that are utter failures (Jake:  Love and Other Drugs, Matt: Hereafter).   Now all Jake needs is a critical and commercial hit, like the Bourne series.  No more Prince of Persia sequels, please!

Bottom line:  Source Code gets B+ marks from me (Jake gets A+). Go and watch the film before it gets pulled out in local theaters (and I suspect it will be pulled out soon, since the theater was barely half full when we watched.  And this was a Saturday night!)