David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones burst on to the film scene last year with “Moon,” a taut, thoughtful sci-fi thriller/drama featuring a much underrated (at least awards-wise), powerhouse performance from Sam Rockwell. As debuts go, “Moon” was a bit of a stunner; Jones displayed a strong ability to create a wholly believable setting on a limited budget, and already had an atmospheric, stylish sense of editing and camerawork. Combine that with Neill Blomkamp’s debut “District 9,” and the future of independent sci-fi looked bright.
This year, we’ve already had another worthy entry in that trend with Gareth Edwards’ “Monsters,” which I have yet to find playing at any theater near me and will probably have to catch on DVD. Now we’ve got a first look at Jones’ sophomore feature, “Source Code,” due in theaters next year. From the look of things, “Moon” convinced the studios that Jones has the goods, as he clearly had a massively expanded budget to work with here. Here’s hoping a small slew of familiar faces and a few extra explosions don’t ruin Jones’ preference for ideas over thrills. I remain optimistic: Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright and Michelle Monaghan are all actors who can really bring it, and while I’m not entirely sold on Jake Gyllenhaal there’s no denying he’s got the talent if the role is right for him. Check it out:
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