Source Code (2011)

A very interesting concept indeed.  Not totally new, but spun differently enough that it felt fresh.

Jake Gyllenhaal chooses such interesting roles.  His range is clear here.  He goes from the frightened and depressed downed chopper pilot to the Bond-esque terrorist-fighter literally in the blink of an eye.

Most leading men are happy with great chemistry with one co-star.  Here he gets it very right with two.  I'm not sure which relationship I liked better.  There both touched me but were so different.

Watch this with someone who who might need to get the moral or the story - when life, or death, gives you lemons, make the best possible lemonade.

Eagle Eye

Hang on for a wild ride. This movie starts a little slow but makes up for it quickly. It's billed as a thriller and it's that a more. You will also find a little sci-fi, a little conspiracy theory, and a little family drama here. It's a bit like a tossed salad where you keep finding interesting surprises.

Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are the main characters, but in my opinion, Billy Bob Thornton steals the show. Billy Bob provides some of the best comic relief and a great counter point of focus for the story. This is the first role of his in a long time, that I actually liked.

This movie far exceeded my expectations. Once it got ramped up it flew. I found myself pausing just to catch my breath and get my brain caught up with who was doing what and why and to whom. This is a great example of why I prefer watching movies on DVD, at home, to watching them in a theater.

Watch this movie with someone who can keep up.

Gone Baby Gone

No this is absolutely not a Dr. Seuss story. That would be something more like "Spitzer Hires A Ho". But I digress.

In his first directorial outing, Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare In Love, and Sum of All Fears), shows that he can write AND direct, and on occasion, act. In this movie however, he just writes and directs. He is not yet a Streisand or Eastwood.

Ben's baby brother Casey (Oceans 11,12, and 13) does an outstanding job here. Acting opposite Michelle Monaghan (Bourne Supremacy, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith), how could you not do your best? The two play a couple of underestimated private investigators hired by a family to find a lost girl. Of course I can't tell you WHAT they find, but it's way more than one might expect.

Morgan Freeman plays a totally different kind of character than I expected. And I loved it. Another favorite of mine, Ed Harris (The Right Stuff, The Abyss, China Moon, and on an on) proves he can still howl with the big dogs.

There are a few other very worthy supporting actors, but I fear if I get into them all, I will by default, give away too much of the plot, which is by no means, predictable. This is much more of a "Who Done What?", than a "Who Done It?"

Watch it with someone who enjoys guessing what will happen next.