July 27, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • Page 19 ‘Source Code’ focuses on a most unusual mission by Dennis Seuling “Source Code” (Summit Entertainment) is a clever science-fiction film that places script ahead of special effects. The sci-fi premise is that a new program, designed by the military, allows technicians to tap into someone’s consciousness and access the last eight minutes of that person’s life. The story opens with a man (Jake Gyllenhaal) awakening aboard a train. A young woman (Michelle Monaghan) is speaking to him, but he has no idea where he is or who she is. When he sees his reflection, the face staring back at him is that of someone else. Within minutes, the train explodes in a fireball and all on board are killed. The scene immediately switches to a capsule where Captain Colter Stevens (also Gyllenhaal) finds himself being monitored by Air Force Captain Goodwin (Vera Farmiga). His last memory is of leading his men in battle in Afghanistan. It takes him awhile to comprehend the purpose of his new mission. Because his handlers have tapped into the right frequency, they can have him replay those eight minutes before the explosion again and again until he locates the bomb. He can draw on what he learns each time, but the amount of time is always the same, so he must act quickly, often on instinct. In a “Groundhog Day” spin, director Duncan Jones shows viewers numerous the arts, humanities, pop culture, and science. A forerunner of such shows as “60 Minutes,” “Dateline,” and “20/20,” it was shown for most of its run on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m., hosted by Alistair Cooke, and broadcast by all three networks at one time or another. The two-disc set contains 14 segments including profiles of Life magazine photographer Philipe Halsman, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, middleweight boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Authors William Faulkner, James Thurber, Pearl Buck, and E.B. White are also profiled. There are features on The New York Times, Grand Central Station, Dr. Seuss, and a look at the city that never sleeps, “New York’s Night People.” A bonus is a 16-page booklet with written contributions by Richard Leacock, Rosemary Thurber, Edgar S. Walsh, and the Archive of American Television. “Park Benches” (IFC Films) weaves three main story lines involving a lonely man and the office workers across the way, the people in a local park, and those in a Michelle Monoghan and Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Source Code.’ iterations of the same scene. The variations are often minute, but in some instances the outcome is dramatically different. “Source Code,” which draws assorted plot points from “Avatar,” “The Hurt Locker,” and “The Time Machine,” combines clever cinematic touches with a suspenseful mystery and intense performances by Gyllenhaal and Farmiga. The Special Blu-ray Edition contains cast interviews, audio commentary with Gyllenhaal and the director, and experts speculating on the possibility of time travel. “Omnibus: American Profiles” (E One Entertainment) is a new release in the Archive of American Television series. “Omnibus” originally aired from 1952 to 1961, the height of TV’s Golden Age, and offered diverse programming about nearby home-improvement store. Director and co-writer Bruno Podalydes presents a microcosm of modern life with an unusually large cast, for 90 speaking parts. The action starts with Lucie joining her colleagues at the office with a smile on her face as she does each morning. It’s a work day just like any other in the wealthy suburb of Versailles. Then suddenly, all activity at the office stops and attention turns toward a window of the building across the way and a banner reading “Man Alone.” Is it a hoax or a cry for help? Everyone has a different interpretation, and will try to discover what lies behind this mysterious message. Stylistically, “Park Benches” embraces both the conservative behavior of office etiquette in the first segment and the wildest of slapstick when the third segment shifts to a store in which machines run amok and customers purchase bizarre items in a manic dose of Monty Python-inspired comic lunacy. The film’s middle segment is its most affecting, as short vignettes present a cross section of society and cinematic (continued on page 22) Bistro Ristorante PRIVATE ROOM FOR PARTIES AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS Open Daily at Our Old Location: 97 W. ALLENDALE AVE, ALLENDALE Lunch Available On Our Patio 7 Days a Week Starting at $9.95 Right Across the Street! 96 W. ALLENDALE AVE, ALLENDALE Newly Remodeled. Beautiful Decor. Same Owners. Same Great Menu! Available On Our Patio Reservations Suggested for Parties of 6 or More OUR NEW LOCATION Complete Lunch Mon-Fri $9.95 BYOB at Both Locations Tel: 201-327-6556 Fax: 201-327-6679 www.mezzalunanj.com