End of Watch is a very cool looking police action flick that just had its first trailer come out this past weekend. A few days ago I was as clueless about this film as any of you, but now I’m a believer.

Watch the trailer below:

End of Watch is an action drama centered on the long-term friendship between two cops.

This film was written and directed by David Ayer who previously worked on films like The Fast and the Furious, Training Day, S.W.A.T. (writer on all) and Street Kings (directed), so obviously the guy has a thing for law enforcement. I liked all of those films so I’m down for this one.

Also interesting to note is the way End of Watch was shot, similar to a found footage flick and, if you watch the trailer, you’ll know it’s more like Cops and less like The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick and America Ferrera, End of Watch opens in theaters September 28th in North America.

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Jake Gyllenhaal has been fairly quiet on the movie front since last year’s Source Code. The Oscar-nominated actor was in talks for the lead in Motor City, but bailed the day after the news broke he was attached. Now, it looks like the actor is taking on a project with a smaller scope. Variety reports he’ll play two parts in the upcoming indie film An Enemy, and this one sounds pretty intriguing. More details after the jump.

The film is set to be directed by Denis Villeneuve, and “revolves around a dysfunctional history teacher who accidentally discovers his exact double on a rented DVD, seeks him out and ends up turning both of their lives upside down.” Sounds more like a clone than a twin, which makes things even more interesting. The script is being written by Javier Gullón, and is based on Jose Saramago’s book, “The Double.”

The book’s Amazon page gives us a bit more insight into the plot elements, saying that the identical version of the main character is actually what he looked like five years prior, so there’s clearly some sort of time element at play. All in all, this sounds like great material for an independent film, and with a heavy-hitter like Gyllenhaal behind it, it’s sure to generate some buzz. Whether that buzz is good or bad remains to be seen. Are you interested in An Enemy?

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Here’s another reason to keep Motor City on your radar: Deadline reports that Jake Gyllenhaal is in negotiations to play the lead in Albert Hughes’ revenge thriller. Gary Oldman was recently cast as the villain, and Amber Heard is playing the female lead, so this one is building a solid cast. Read on for a refresher about the film’s plot, and a bit more info about who Gyllenhaal will play.

Motor City is unique because in its earliest incarnation, it only had one line of dialogue in the entire film. No one knows if that gimmick has stuck through to the current version of the script, but it’s interesting to note. The story follows ex-army ranger John Miller (Gyllenhaal) who, like seemingly every protagonist in this genre, is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, and now he must hunt down the man responsible for setting him up (Oldman) and stealing his true love (Heard).

Dominic Cooper was once attached as the lead, and since that conflicts with Deadline’s report, we’re not sure if Cooper is still appearing in some other capacity or if he’s left the project altogether. Gyllenhaal obviously has the chops to handle a role like this, but I’m really hoping Motor City keeps with the “one line in the whole movie” angle to separate it from other similar projects in Hollywood.

Update: Variety says Cooper left due to scheduling conflicts.

Another Update: Gyllenhaal is no longer involved due to scheduling conflicts of his own.

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You can now pre-order Source Code from Amazon on: DVD | Blu-ray

Summit Entertainment have announced that Duncan Jones’ sci-fi thriller Source Code will have a DVD and Blu-ray release date of July 26th, 2011.

Not only is Source Code one of the best movies of 2011 so far, it also made $93 million at the worldwide box office. Having only cost $32 million to make it trippled it’s budget, and will hopefully give director Duncan Jones the chance to make more great sci-fi movies in the future (with bigger budgets).

You can check out the specifications for the DVD and Blu-ray release below.

Blu-ray
- Access: Source Code — Activate dynamic “scene specific” features, including interviews with the cast, expert opinions on time travel, trivia & more!
- PLUS Audio Commentary with Jake Gyllenhaal, director Duncan Jones & writer Ben Ripley

DVD
- Audio Commentary with Jake Gyllenhaal, director Duncan Jones & writer Ben Ripley
- Cast Interviews
- Science Focal Points
- Trivia Track

Source Code follows a soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. The movie also stars Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright.

You can now pre-order Source Code from Amazon on: DVD | Blu-ray

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Duncan Jones’ sophomore feature is a fast-paced, well-acted, and all around excellent look at multiple realities. Just don’t call it a time travel movie. I had high expectations, and Source Code met them all: it’s one of my favorite films of 2011 so far.

Jones stepped out of his father’s shadow with his feature debut back in 2009, the excellent Sam Rockwell science fiction film Moon. (Jones’ father is rock legend David Bowie, who has dabbled in film with performances in Labyrinth and The Prestige, among many others.) Here, he improves on Moon‘s budget by almost 30 million dollars, and puts every bit of that money on screen for us to see. The opening shots – beautiful aerial photography of Chicago – recall Chris Nolan’s breathtaking introduction to The Dark Knight. Jones is an artist on the rise, and definitely someone to keep an eye out for in regards to upcoming projects. He was up for the directing job on the new Superman film (a gig that eventually went to Zack Snyder), and has at least one other science fiction project lined up before he wants to move on to other genres.

Source Code is essentially Groundhog Day meets Deja Vu, an action thriller that utilizes time and repetition to great effect. The film follows Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he enters the Source Code, a new technology that allows him to take over the consciousness of the last eight minutes of another man’s life. This man is Sean Fentress, a teacher on a train that exploded outside of Chicago, killing everyone on board. Stevens’ mission is to relive these last eight minutes over and over again, learning more each time, until he can find the bomber and prevent a later attack that is scheduled to arrive back later in the day back in real time. That’s where Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) and Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright) are peering into cameras and speaking remotely to Stevens, giving him just enough information before whisking him back onto the train again, where he sits across from the beautiful Christina (Michelle Monaghan), Fentress’ potential love interest. It’s all a bit complicated, but that’s why I love this movie – it forces you to pay attention and actually makes you think a little bit.

It takes a special kind of director to make the same eight minutes interesting and avoid annoyance with the gimmick, but Jones pulls it off without a hitch and actually makes it look easy in the process. Movies like this also beg to be done properly, with all realities and storylines nicely wrapped up by the end; Jones doesn’t disappoint on this front, either. His effectiveness specifically reminds me of a few other movies I’ve seen: the Spanish thriller Timecrimes and Christopher Smith’s criminally underseen – and kind of brilliant – movie called Triangle, both of which I’d highly recommend if you’re into time travel movies, theoretical physics, or philosophy.

Every great movie begins with a great script, and this one is a coming out party for writer Ben Ripley. You may not expect the writer of Species III to be able to put together a coherent, kinetic, and fleshed out story, but previous credits can sometimes be deceiving. Remember, James Cameron’s first film was Piranha Part Two: The Spawning. Ripley manages to create an engaging story that keeps the audience guessing throughout the film; all of the pieces fall into place eventually, but I relished the slow reveal. Too often these days, films will put all their cards on the table too early, leaving the savvy audience member bored out of his or her mind for the remainder of the movie while the story sputters to the finish line. Here, Ripley does a great job of keeping us interested and slowly presenting us with more information about Stevens’ conditions and situation. Even during the parts of the movie NOT in the Source Code – the sections which allow the audience to catch our collective breath – we’re not entirely sure where (or when) Captain Stevens is until the climax of the film.

Gyllenhaal, an actor who has been pretty hit-or-miss in my opinion, does some excellent work in this movie. I’m sure this was a difficult project to work on as an actor, with most films (and I’m assuming this one) being shot out of sequence, so I’m sure there was an added layer of confusion as to how confused Stevens should be in any given shot. Apparently he was the one who championed Jones to direct this project, and the two worked well together. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two collaborated on many more things in the future. Michelle Monaghan, gorgeous and talented as always, turned on the charm in a role that unfortunately didn’t require much. She has such a great screen presence; she was one of my favorite actresses back in 2009 and that hasn’t changed in the years since. Vera Farmiga was quietly effective as Goodwin, a role unlike anything she’s ever done. But the glaring standout (in a HORRIBLE way) was Jeffrey Wright, who inexplicably affected his speech with the most ridiculous delivery he could fathom. How Duncan Jones could make such an otherwise spectacular film and yet allow this egregious distraction to persist is this movie’s greatest mystery.

I generally only mention a film’s score if it is particularly memorable or outstanding, and this one is both. The initial plan was for longtime Aronofsky collaborator Clint Mansell to compose Source Code‘s score, but he had to drop out due to a schedule conflict. Enter Chris P. Bacon, a man I’ve never heard of before, but a composer for which I will assuredly be keeping an ear open in the future. His blasts of triumphant spirit mixed with Zimmer-esque strings made for a winning combination, and I’m interested to listen to this score separate from the film and see if it is imminently listenable as some of the more popular scores of 2010. If I compile a list of my favorite scores of 2011, expect this to be on it.

If I could somehow pinpoint a formula for a movie I know I’d enjoy, Source Code would be it. It’s exactly what I want: a visually compelling, well-edited film with plenty of action, solid acting, a bit of romance, and a story that leaves you with something to think about as you walk out of the theater. Hey 2011 – more like this, please. Until next time…

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The casting search has begun over at Universal for an actor to lead The Bourne Legacy, which has Tony Gilroy (Duplicity, Michael Clayton, writer of previous Bourne films) in the director’s chair. The movie won’t involve Matt Damon or Jason Bourne, and will instead focus on a new character in the same universe.

So who is in contention for the lead role? Just about everyone.

Variety and Deadline give the following list of names:

Joel Edgerton, Josh Hartnett, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Paul Dano, Michael Pitt, Oscar Isaac, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Luke Evans, Alex Pettyfer, Taylor Kitsch, Benjamin Walker and Kellan Lutz.

According to Variety Gilroy has an idea of what kind of actor he wants, but Universal has also brought its picks to the table (most likely the more known actors). So far no front-runner has emerged and lesser-known actors still have a shot as Gilroy wants to screen-test all candidates.

Last year Gilroy cleared up what The Bourne Legacy is actually about and insisted it won’t prevent Matt Damon from returning in the future.

“It’s a completely original screenplay.” Secondly, “This is not a reboot or a recast or a prequel. No one’s replacing Matt Damon. There will be a whole new hero, a whole new chapter…this is a stand-alone project.

“The easiest way to think of it is an expansion or a reveal,” Gilroy says. “Jason Bourne will not be in this film, but he’s very much alive. What happened in the first three films is the trigger for what happens. I’m building a legend and an environment and a wider conspiracy…the world we’re making enhances and advances and invites Jason Bourne’s return [down the road].

Universal is targeting an August 2012 release for The Bourne Legacy with filming expected to begin later this year.

Who’s your pick?

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Summit Entertainment has released a new trailer for Source Code, which comes from Moon director Duncan Jones. The trailer only lasts around a minute long, but it manages to explain it’s sci-fi time-travel plot and shows off some cool scenes.

Watch below, courtesy of Moviefone:

When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake 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.

The movie also stars Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright, and is set for a March 11th release in the UK, and April 15th release in the USA.

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Best known for films like Glory, The Last Samurai, and Blood Diamond, director Edward Zwick tackles somewhat lighter subject matter in Love and Other Drugs. Ostensibly a romantic comedy (and it does have many of those elements), the film manages to eschew the stale atmosphere of the genre and instead becomes a highly watchable tale of a relationship between a high-end pharmaceutical rep and a woman with a case of early-onset Parkinson’s disease.

Set in the medicinal boom of the mid-to-late nineties, the movie keeps with music from that period and opens with “Two Princes” by The Spin Doctors – a song (and band) of which I’m an unabashed fan to this day – so for me, this was the best opening to a movie since Yes Man, which opened with Journey’s “Separate Ways.” But back to the movie…

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, a fast-talking stud who could sell ice to an Eskimo (is that politically incorrect?) and is just as efficient as a womanizer as he is as a salesman. He has smarmy confidence down to a science here – he channels Tom Cruise’s ’80s persona and convincingly pulls it off. Jamie has his career on the brain, moving his way from an electronics salesman to the upper echelon of Pfizer reps as Viagra hits the mainstream market.

While trying to convince a doctor (played by Hank Azaria) to prescribe his company’s drugs, Jamie meets the bold and beautiful Maggie Murdock, a character who provides a wonderful change of pace for the talented and underrated Anne Hathaway. Sure, Maggie is sick – but that doesn’t mean she’s feeble. In fact, she’s more brazen than the sex-crazed Jamie; she sees through his tactics and is totally up front with him about her intentions, avoiding the typical tropes of playing hard to get. Later, she is the one who resists a meaningful relationship. Maggie’s illness pops up occasionally in the movie, but it doesn’t define her character and Hathaway handles that aspect of her performance with tact and grace.

The thing that struck me most about this movie? Love and Other Drugs (like this year’s Going the Distance) seemed to depict a more natural relationship than what we’re used to seeing on screen. Part of this is surely due to the nudity fearlessly displayed by both leads, a rarity in a studio film thanks to the inexplicable ratings methods of the MPAA, whose members consider nudity more harmful than violence these days. Aside from that, the film captures the little moments really well; in a musical montage, a scene with Maggie and Jamie in a library plays out wordlessly but comes off as totally believable. Hathaway has some highly emotional moments in the script and commits to the role so well that we feel her pain. Late in the film, Jamie is involved in a tryst with other women where, in a lesser movie, Maggie would walk in and discover him. In this film, though, the consequences of that action are left only to Jamie’s conscience and are never mentioned again.

Don’t get me wrong: there are many, many elements of the romantic comedy featured here. Nearly every member of the supporting cast – Josh Gad as Jamie’s overweight and sex-obsessed brother, Oliver Platt’s mentor figure, Judy Greer’s receptionist – is a rom-com standard, but their presence is thankfully overshadowed by the chemistry between the impossibly good-looking couple of Gyllenhaal and Hathaway. As the film progresses, it becomes clear what type of movie this is going to be and the elements start falling into place: The Separation, The Desperate Act To Win Her Back, The Final Impassioned Speech. But even with those check-the-box components, Love and Other Drugs somehow sneaks just above the eye-rolling quality of most of the movies in this genre.

If you haven’t deduced this by now, this movie is definitely not one to watch with the family. Awkward situations of all kinds abound – mostly in scenes with Jamie’s brother – but for those searching for a romance with more drama than outright comedy, this might be in your wheelhouse. As I said before, the movie is highly watchable; I’d take Love and Other Drugs over The Proposal any day. Until next time…

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The first trailer for Moon director Duncan Jones’s second feature film, Source Code, has just been released. Check it out after the break.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvn39RA1aok

Looks like this could be a very tense, twisty thriller. And if anything the underseen, wonderfully atmospheric Moon is to go by, it’ll also be brilliant.

Source Code follows the exploits of a soldier as his mind is planted into the body of a victim of a train bombing, in the past. He is forced to relive the incident over and over, until he can find out who the culprit behind the explosion was. And he needs to find out quickly, in order to prevent another attack that is believed to occur within a few hours. Like a cross between Groundhog Day and Assassin’s Creed. But if you watched the trailer, you (hopefully) knew all that already.

As with Moon, Clint Mansell will be composing the score for this. This is great news; I’m a huge fan of his previous scores, particularly those written for Darren Aronofsky’s films The Fountain and The Wrestler.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright, Source Code is set for release on 11th March 2011 in the UK, and 15th April in the USA. I’m hugely looking forward to it, just as I’m excited to see anything Duncan Jones has to offer us in the future. Thoughts?

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As Moon, from first time director Duncan Jones, turned out to be one of the best movies of 2009 the director was given a bigger budget for his next project, Source Code. The film follows a soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) who becomes part of an experimental government program that is investigating a train bombing. He is forced to relive the incident over and over again until he can find out who is responsible and how to prevent the next terrorist attack from occurring.

Wet Dark and Wild found the first image from the movie in the latest issue of Empire magazine, and scanned it for all to see. The image shows Gyllenhaal holding a gun to the chest of a fellow human while using a phone. We have no idea what the situation involves, but its probably important.

Empire also had a brief interview with the director:

‘On this one I’ve got four really talented actors – Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright. It’s a new test, a new experience…’ compared to the previous Moon. We hear that it was Jake ‘who pushed him to board the sci-fi thriller’ and, of the plot, Duncan says Jake plays ‘a military man who wakes up on a train not knowing how he got there. Before he gets a chance to work it out, things change in such a dramatic way, he doesn’t know whether the train’s real or not… When it was brought to me it was serious, quite cerebral, dark and depressing, My take was, “This could actually be quite fun…”‘ Especially with Jake on board ‘He’s a funny guy’.

The UK release date has apparently been set for March 11, 2011, although Summit Entertainment (the US distributor) has yet to confirm one. It should be sometime in early 2011.

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