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Have I told you guys how much I loved MOON? No?!?! Well, let me just say that MOON is not only one of the best sci-fi films I’ve seen in the past decade, it’s easily on my list of best sci-fi films of all time. Director Duncan Jones crafted a beautiful masterpiece of filmmaking with that movie, complimented ever-so-nicely by what I consider the finest performance of Sam Rockwell’s career. Since seeing it, and seeing how it was grossly overlooked by the various award shows, I’ve been anxiously awaiting Duncan’s next directorial effort… and last month we presented the trailer for his new film SOURCE CODE, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright. Today we got some great news, as SOURCE CODE is going to be the movie opening the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2011. This is very exciting. Jones needs and deserves this kind of exposure, and hopefully SXSW will help people realize this man cannot be overlooked any longer. Check out the full press release below, and if you haven’t seen MOON yet, finish reading this, forward it to everyone you know, and go out NOW to buy (not rent) a copy of the film. You’ll thank me later.
Austin, Texas – December 16, 2010 – Earlier today, the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced it will host the world premiere of the Summit Entertainment film Source Code for its 2011 Opening Night. The smart action thriller is the second feature from SXSW Alum Duncan Jones (Moon), and stars Jake Gyllenhaal (Love and Other Drugs, Brokeback Mountain), Michelle Monaghan (Eagle Eye, Due Date), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed) and Jeffrey Wright (Quantum of Solace, Syriana). The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival runs March 11 – 19, 2011 in Austin, Texas.
When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he’s ever known, he learns he’s part of a government experiment called the “Source Code,” a program that enables him to cross over into another man’s identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second, much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Colter re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack.
Opening in theaters nationwide on April 1, 2011, the film was written by Ben Ripley. A Mark Gordon Company production, and presented by Vendóme Pictures, the film was produced by Mark Gordon, Philippe Rousselet and Jordan Wynn, with Hawk Koch, Jeb Brody, and Fabrice Gianfermi executive producing.
“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!”
The complete festival lineup will be announced in early February 2011. In addition to nine full days of film screenings, SXSW Film will ultimately feature over 80 sessions of panels and workshops in the Conference. SXSW is also pleased to announce that native Texan and visionary director Catherine Hardwicke will share her approach to filmmaking in a special Directing Workshop at the 2011 event. Hardwicke’s workshop joins an exciting array of over 40 sessions already announced. For details on these confirmed sessions, selected from proposals submitted via the SXSW PanelPicker™ interface, visit www.sxsw.com/film/talks.
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Here’s the official studio synopsis of SOURCE CODE:
Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes with a jolt to find himself on a commuter train heading into Chicago. Although the other passengers all seem to know him, he has absolutely no idea where – or even who – he is. The last thing Colter remembers is flying a helicopter mission in Iraq, but here he is in someone else’s life going through someone else’s morning commute. Before he can do anything an express train zooms by on the opposite track and a bomb explodes, seemingly killing Colter and all the other passengers. Colter comes to in an isolation chamber, strapped to a seat, and wearing his military flight suit. He still has no idea what’s happening, except that he’s being spoken to by mission controller Carol Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), who calmly recites a series of memory questions to which Colter is shocked to realize he knows the answers.
He learns he’s part of an operation called “Beleaguered Castle,” but before he can progress any further, Goodwin starts up the machinery and suddenly Colter is back on the train, at exactly the same time he first appeared there, once again speeding through Chicago with the same group of commuters. Colter figures he’s in some kind of simulation exercise, with his task being to find the bomber on board the train before it goes off again. Living the explosion over and over, Colter must uncover the identity of the bomber, while also figuring out what the alternative universe of “Beleaguered Castle” is. Adding to the puzzle, Colter uses the second chance opportunities to make peace with his father, and to find romance with a fellow passenger on the train.
SOURCE CODE officially opens April 15, 2011
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
