No, this movie isn’t a sequel or prequel to Hobo with a Shotgun, although I can see how you may make that mistake. Instead, we’ve got Gerard Butler wielding the weapons and taking care of business in this Marc Forster-directed action/drama film with a heart.

Coming soon from Relativity Media, the film is based on the true story of Sam Childers, a tough guy who’s seen and done too much. After some particularly brutal misadventures his life takes a big turn when he finds purpose in establishing a haven for Sudanese children.

We’ve got the trailer for the film for you today and in it we can see what we need to see to know this movie could go one of two ways. Those two ways depend pretty much on if we believe Butler can pull off another tough but inevatible self-sacrificing role.

We’re betting he can, but you be the judge. Watch the trailer after the jump.

In addition to Butler, Machine Gun Preacher also stars Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon. It’s set to be released on September 23.

Continue Reading →

In 2009, director Duncan Jones made a splash on the indie scene by bringing us a smart, trippy sci-fi film called Moon. The film was warmly received by critics, but fell short of being a commercial success.

Despite the fact that Source Code has all the trappings of a studio film (bigger budget, bigger stars, bigger advertising campaign) Jones has remained remarkably faithful to his indie roots. The result is the rare mix of a smart thriller with wide audience appeal. We’ve seen that audiences don’t always shy away from smart films (case in point, Christopher Nolan’s Inception); maybe we are finally starting to see the studios warm to the idea that smart and commercially viable are not necessarily mutually exclusive concepts.

Source Code proves that the two can concepts can co-exist in perfect harmony. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Captain Colter Stevens, who finds himself on a train in Chicago one day and is completely panicked to find out that he has no idea who the woman sitting with him is, and he doesn’t know how he got on the train. Before he can put the pieces of the puzzle, the train blows up.

Colter finds himself waking up in a pod-type device, listening to the soothing voice of Colleen (Vera Farmiga), a military officer who explains that he has been sent back in time (before the train exploded) to find out who placed the bomb on the train. They believe that another attack is planned, and the only way to stop it is to find the perpetrator of the attack on the first train.

Continue Reading →

It’s time for us to officially get excited for this year’s SXSW film festival.  We’ll be heading down March 10th and will have writers in Austin for the duration of the festival.  The first few nights of the festival always feature some great film premieres, and this year is no exception.

The opening night feature will be Source Code, a trippy mind-bender featuring Jake Gyllenhal, Michelle Monaghan, and Vera Farmiga. This is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Duncan Jones’ Moon, a film that debuted at the festival in 2009 to high praise from audiences and critics alike.

In case you’re not familiar with the film, here’s the synopsis:

When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens 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.

Source Code will have its world premiere on Friday, March 11 in Austin. It will open in theaters everywhere on April 1. Click through to check out the trailer.

Continue Reading →

Sci-Fi is the new action in 2011 as one of the bigger films, Duncan Jones’ Source Code has gotten it’s second, and International trailer. This is Jones’ second major science fiction release after last year’s thriller Moon. The film follows a pretty simple premise…for sci-fi nerds.

When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens 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 relives 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.

A little bit Twelve Monkeys, a little bit Quantum Leap, with the charm of Jake Gyllenhaal and the unique guerrilla directing style of Duncan Jones. Check out the new international trailer after the jump, and catch Source Code in theaters on April 15th.

Continue Reading →

Duncan Jones passed the writer’s strike test and managed to put out an amazing sci-fi thriller called Moon back in 2009. Now that things are back on an even(ish) playing field, Jones is getting another attempt to bend the minds of moviegoers with his newest psychological thriller, Source Code. Here’s the studio’s extensive synopsis.

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. Filled with mind-boggling twists and heart-pounding suspense, Source Code is a smart action-thriller directed by Duncan Jones also starring Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffrey Wright.

From what we can see, consider this film Twelve Monkeys meets Quantum Leap, with a few Inception elements thrown in. Check out the full trailer after the jump, and catch the film in theaters on April 15th.

Continue Reading →

I don’t think I’m alone here when I say I love Zack Galifianakis. He’s amazingly funny and also has a certain vulnerability you can respect and that also makes him so believable in any role he plays. He pretty much stole the show in The Hangover and is knocking them dead on HBO’s Bored to Death. Now, he’s in a new movie called Due Date and we’ve got a trailer for that film to share with you today.

We started talking about this movie last year when news of it first surfaced. In the Todd Phillips directed film, Galifianakis plays opposite another superb actor we all love, Robert Downey, Jr., in the story of fatherhood as an expectant dad and his unlikely travel companion (Galifianakis) race cross-country in hopes of making it home for the birth of his first child. I know what you’re thinking. Based on The Hangover Galifianakis + baby = Comedy Gold. Let’s hope history repeats itself.

In addition to Downey, Jr. and Galifianakis, the film also features Juliette Lewis, Michele Monaghan, Jamie Foxx and Alan Arkin. It hits theaters on November 5th. In the meantime, check out the trailer after the jump.

Continue Reading →

Since playing the leading role in Iron Man Robert Downey, Jr. has rocketed back onto the film scene and everyone it seems wants to work with him. The latest is director Todd Phillips in his new film Due Date. If you don’t recognize Phillips’ name you’ve certainly heard of his last project, The Hangover, which grossed over $400 million worldwide. With that film such a critical success, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Due Date become another hit.

Downey leads an all star cast including Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover, Bored to Death), Michelle Monaghan (Made of Honor) and Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, who starred opposite Downey in The Soloist. Due Date also brings back much of the talent behind The Hangover and sounds like it will draw on the same elements that made that film so hilarious:

“Downey plays Peter Highman, an expectant first-time father whose wife’s due date is a mere five days away.  As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan—on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter’s last nerve.”

Downey and Galifianakis’ journey will be as much a road trip on film as it is in real life.  Production is set to take place across the USA in Georgia, New Mexico, Arizona and Los Angeles. Due Date is scheduled for a Fall 2010 release.