Film
March 28, 2011
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SXSW → Film
Hesher is grungy film success Natalee Blanchat Campus Editor
The movie Hesher, starring Joseph GordonLevitt, Rainn Wilson, and Natalie Portman, tells the story of a family who lose their loving wife and mother, and are now trying to cope with their emotions. Gordon-Levitt plays Hesher, an obscene metal head, who comes in the family’s life and unexpectedly, for better or for worse, rocks their world. Gordon-Levitt breaks out in the role of Hesher, really doing the dead-beat, malnourished, chainsmoking character some hard-core justice, so much so that Hesher himself would be proud. The character is the exact opposite of roles you would expect Gordon-Levitt
to play. He’s typically seen in more fluffy supporting roles in movies such as 500 Days of Summer and 10 Things I Hate About You. However, in the past two years, Gordon-Levitt is starting to come into his own, with a leading role in 2010’s big name action movie Inception, and now Hesher. Director Spencer Susser said that it was hard to cast Hesher, because he didn’t want a big name actor who audience members would easily identify with. However, when he watched GordonLevitt audition, he saw potential. “Hesher represents a lot of things. He’s a complicated person. He’s got a troubled past, and he put up these walls to protect himself. He decided he didn’t want friends, didn’t want a family,
because he doesn’t want to get hurt,” said Susser. “When I got into the room with Joe, I saw that he was an amazing actor and thought that we could pull it off with him.” Other notable actors include Wilson, who gets to the heart of the matter playing the father, mourning the loss of his beloved wife. Wilson’s serious personification is a break away from the stereotypical comedic characters he usually plays, like his most-known television character, Dwight K. Schrute, on the NBC series, The Office. Up-and-comer Devin Brochu, a thirteen-year-old boy who plays the son, T.J., was a character Susser was also worried about casting. He said that it was tricky and wondered where he could
“find a thirteen year old boy to carry the film?” However, when he saw Brochu tap into his emotions, Susser knew he had found his T.J.. “I feel that with almost all of the scenes that include Devin in the film are real. He’s not pretending. He’s just feeling with his emotions,” said Susser. “That’s the thing that’s so great about child actors. Not all of them can do it, but a lot of them can access their emotions in that form.” According to Susser, it was important to make Hesher, a hard core early day Cliff Burton Metallica fan, as well as a representation of life and death. “You start the movie with death. Here’s this terrible, scary thing that shows up at this family’s door, moves in, and there’s nothing they can
SXSW → Film
Source Code movie brings action Erica Bean Staff Writer
Source Code begins with a jolting start. The film premiered on March 11 at the Paramount Theater. It was the opening night film for SXSW film festival. It was directed by Duncan Jones, who other film Moon, which premiered at SXSW in 2009. The story begins quickly, taking place on a Chicago train. After eight minutes of watching the film, the train explodes as another train passes by. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain) plays the role of Captain Coulter Stevens, a solider who finds himself in a metal capsule without any recollection of who where he is. The source code is a computer program that allows a man to use it to return to the last eight minutes of another man’s life. The program is part of a sector of the military, functioning to prevent terrorist attacks after they
have occurred. Michelle Monaghan (Due Date) and Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) star opposite of Gyllenhaal, who is thrown back repeatedly into a sort of parallel dimension where he can exist in the mind and body of another person who died in the explosion. It should be said that Gyllenhaal and Monaghan have great on-screen chemistry. There’s never a moment where the story line feels forced or contrived. The entire goal of the “source code” is to find the bomber who planted the explosives on the train, and attempt to prevent another major attack on the city of Chicago. The story, written by Ben Ripley, follows through despite it’s winding and at times cryptic turns. Though the repetitiveness of the first scene of the movie does tire after the fourth and fifth time, the film is both action packed and thought provoking, and rises to the challenge
Photo courtesy of Wrekin Hill Entertainment
do about it,” said Susser. “He also represents life and living life to the fullest, and he points out some very obvious concepts that we all know but take for granted.” Whichever character the audience identifies with - the sweet grocer Nicole, the father Paul Forney who
SXSW → Film
A Bag of Hammers inspires Natalee Blanchat Campus Editor
Karissa Rodriguez • Editor-in-Chief
SOURCE CODE— Actor Jake Gyllenhaal answers questions from a local reporter before the screening of his movie Source Code at the Paramount Theater on March 11. of both. Gyllenhaal, Monaghan, and Farmiga, along with Jones, walked the red carpet at the sold-out premiere and participated in a Q&A with the audience after the screening.
must figure out how raise a family, the son T.J. Forney looking for a beacon of hope, or the slightly-off, eccentric Hesher - one thing’s for certain, go see this film. It’s funny, it’s real, and it makes people think about life in ways that other movies don’t. On steroids.
A Bag of Hammers, starring Jason Ritter and Alan Sandvig, is an offbeat comedy about two lifelong friends who work as valet employees, but steal cars as a side job. The film was part of the spotlight premiere categories featured at the SXSW film festival. First-time director Brian Crano, along co-screenwriter Jake Sandvic, brought to the festival a film that is not only witty, but inspiring. It brought back a reminiscent ‘80s feel, similar to movies such as Say Anything, starring John Cusack. In the film, two satirical childhood friends, Ben (Ritter) and Alan (Sandvig), are now roommates who lead a carefree life of plotting
and scamming. Everything seems to be going great until Alan decides to take in the orphan boy across the street, played by Chandler Canterbury, who turns their world upside down. Canterbury, who was also seen in the 2008 large blockbuster movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, does the movie justice, touching on the somber, highly depressive state of emotions as a 13-year-old boy who has just lost his mother. Rebecca Hall, who plays Alan’s responsible sister, pulls the film together, and possesses star potential. With a surprise cameo from Amanda Seyfried, the movie, while touching on some dark places, leaves the audience with thought provoking metaphors, and genuine messages.