Double Feature Duel (Rd2): Source Code vs. Traitor

Double Feature Duel (Rd2):
Source Code vs. Traitor

A perfect 10 that came out of nowhere vs. a movie that was a 4 for 2/3rds and a 7 for the other third, thus making it half as good in total. Let’s see how the numbers fall.

Title: “Source Code” peaks your interest you without giving away a crucial plot twist. “Traitor” doesn’t. (Point, Source Code, 1-0)

Funnier: Russell Peters was in Source Code and told a joke. That’s enough. (Point, Source Code 2-0)

Better Turn: Remember that one party hat you went to where they said “keep going straight up the hill – it’s gonna turn into a dirt road and maybe gravel and you’re gonna think to yourself ‘I must have missed it already’ – keep going. Then you’re gonna want to turn, not at the next tree stump, but the one after that.” Well, that was Traitor’s turn. (Point, Source Code 3-0)

Better Ending: I do like endings which don’t reach happy little conclusions for our tormented protagonists. And I like scenes with Guy Pierce. But I also really like quantum physics applied into mainstream movies. (Point, Source Code 4-0)

Better Message: I’m not a huge fan of loyalty beyond reason. As Thomas Jefferson approximately maybe said “Patriotism is the belief that your country is the best because you were born in it.” But this guy seemed loyal to a cause that he believed in. Plus, Source Code wasn’t really all about messages. (Point, Traitor 4-1)

Better Acting: This is a tough one. Mostly because I haven’t seen the movies in about two months now. But there wasn’t much special from what I recall about Source Code. There was slightly less nothing special about Traitor, specifically Guy Pearce. (Point, Traitor 4-2)

More Creative: Um. Even Big Fish would lose this race to Source Code. (Point, Source Code 5-2)

Poster: These posters are actually quite similar. I still don’t like that Jake Gylenhall is carrying a gun. And I still think I came up with a better tagline than “Make every second count” in 20 seconds. But “The truth is complicated” is just as bad. No, worse. No, just as bad, but not worse. Both could be taglines for every movie ever made. Seriously, pick one. Titanic? Citizen Cane? Do the Right Thing? So in this case, I’ll give props to the whole world disintegrating into tiles thing that Source Code is doing. It adds to the geekiness. (Point, Source Code 6-2)

Watch again: Definitely Source Code. No need for extra words. (Point, Source Code 7-2)

Overall: A much more dominant Source Code victory. I still wish – for the sake of this contest only – that I had waited two movies to watch Moon. I wonder how it would have done in the Cincinnati Quadrant. Winner: Source Code (7-2)