#222. Adjusted Timelines

If there’s one theme in fiction that is difficult to do well, it’s time travel. Fortunately, some of the best film franchises have shown us this theme is doable. What brings difficulty to the time travel theme is continuity. When things are being changed in the past, the future is equally affected. We’ve seen from films like Back to the Future (1985) and The Terminator (1984) that traveling to the past can have disastrous consequences unless the main characters fight to maintain the continuity. The interesting aspects of the time travel theme come when a timeline is adjusted to produce a more beneficial outcome. These altered timelines almost insist that traveling to the past is necessary to fix the problems of the future before they even begin. This week’s two films are great examples of time travel being used to adjust a timeline.

Source Code
Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13
Length: 93 minutes / 1.55 hours

One of the “adjusted timeline” forms is that of the repeating loop. This form will continuously run the same sequence of events until a key set of criteria is met, at which point the timeline continues on its now-adjusted path. The best example of this is Groundhog Day (1993), which can then be used to describe similar movies. For instance, Edge of Tomorrow (2014) could be described as “Groundhog D-Day.” The lynchpin of the repeating loop plot is that the main character can make changes to the timeline, but these changes are erased each time the timeline resets. As such, the main character must learn as much as they can in each iteration of the timeline so they can make the necessary changes needed to escape the infinite loop. If anything, the repeating loop form is the most forgiving of the adjusted timeline plots in that it gives the main character multiple tries to arrive at the most optimum timeline.

The repeating loop of Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the last eight minutes of the life of Sean Fentress, a school teacher traveling on a train to Chicago. Captain Stevens was found to be compatible with Fentress and is now a part of the “Source Code” device in an attempt to gather information about a larger terrorist attack about to hit Chicago. With each eight-minute loop, Stevens watches as the train explodes, killing everyone on board. He is helpless to stop the explosion, as the Source Code only allows him to glean information, not change these past events which are already set in stone. However, as he learns from his surroundings and pieces together a plan, Stevens manages to push the limits of the system, saving the people on the train and adjusting his timeline to one that does not confine him to the realm of his imagination.

Looper
Year: 2012
Rating: R
Length: 119 minutes / 1.98 hours

Unlike the repeating loop form of the adjusted timeline, most time travel stories give their protagonist only one attempt to change the fate of the world. While films like Donnie Darko (2001) and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) (both of which star the aforementioned Source Code actor, Jake Gyllenhaal) do loop back upon themselves, the ability to repeat that loop is limited to a single iteration. That being said, the effects of adjusting the past are often not seen until a return to the future. Very few films examine the small alterations to the timeline in real-time. The Butterfly Effect (2004) came close with repeated trips into the past to change future events. Similarly, About Time (2013) takes this approach in a more comedic sense, but without an immediate result evident to the audience. The one film that has managed to show the realized effects of changing the past as they happen would have to be Looper (2012).

Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) earns his living as a hitman known as a “looper.” All he has to do is wait for a target to be sent back in time and shoot said target upon their appearance. His reward for this task is a set of silver bars, delivered with the target. If he were to kill a target with gold bars, he would have just killed himself, the gold bars being payment for the termination of his employment. However, he doesn’t get a chance to use these gold bars, as his future self (Bruce Willis) manages to escape before he is killed. Now it’s up to the younger Joe to make sure his older self does not kill the child who will eventually grow up to become the “Rainmaker,” the usurper of five major crime syndicates who is “closing the loop” of many loopers. As the two singular men find the child, young Joe discovers that the events of his interference will create the Rainmaker in the future. He has only one option to prevent it.

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2 tweaked timelines

#160. “Time Travel”

We all would like to travel to the past. Perhaps we want to fix a problem with the world, or we just want to go back and prevent ourselves from making stupid mistakes. Whatever the reason, we have a desire to relive the past. Similarly, we are obsessed with the future because we can then predict the present. We can also take advantage of advances in technology if we manage to travel forward in time. Even though we all dream of time travel, the fact of the matter is that it is impossible. But what if there was a way to travel through time without physically doing so? What if we could see the future? What if we could influence the past? While there is no way to physically travel through time, some theoretical physics could allow for a few actions that might resemble time travel. This week’s two films examine time travel without actually traveling through time.

Donnie Darko
Year: 2001
Rating: R
Length: 113 minutes / 1.88 hours

The idea of a “Reset Button” has been covered in this blog before. While the desire to go back and correct our mistakes can be controllable, like in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), it can also act outside of our control until we learn a deeper lesson about ourselves, like in Groundhog Day (1993). Occasionally, something that should have happened doesn’t. When this deviation from a predetermined path is created, the world will put its full force toward “fixing the glitch.” In the 2011 film, The Adjustment Bureau, these fixes were performed in real-time to direct the paths of individuals back to their destiny. But what if the new destiny is irreversible? In these instances, the world will rewind and restore itself through the successful execution of the event in question, even if it results in a disaster.

The disaster that begins Donnie Darko (2001) is that of a jet engine crashing into the bedroom of the titular character. Fortunately for Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), he was sleepwalking away from his house when the incident happened. Unfortunately, during his walk, he came across a grotesque rabbit by the name of “Frank” who told him that the world will end in 28 days. As Donnie returns to his life as a high school student, Frank tells him to commit various crimes that end up revealing the darker side of many other individuals. At the same time, he has befriended Roberta Sparrow (Patience Cleveland), who wrote the book “The Philosophy of Time Travel.” This philosophy refers to an unstable “Tangent Universe” which can only last a few weeks. Donnie’s current universe is a Tangent Universe, which corrects itself with a vortex that consumes a jet engine and places it in Donnie’s bedroom, except with him now in it.

Paycheck
Year: 2003
Rating: PG-13
Length: 119 minutes / 1.98 hours

Considering how much money is spent on “fortune telling,” we all desire to know what the future holds. From palm reading to horoscopes to crystal balls, all these methods do is give you generalities that could happen to anyone. But what if you could actually see through time? What if a machine was built that could bend time so the future could be observed? This predictive machine could easily be used to prevent tragedies; but, if it were to fall into the wrong hands, could actually be used to create the very tragedies it was meant to prevent. Physics can be an interesting beast sometimes, especially in its theoretical constructs. Black holes and traveling at the speed of light are both ways that physics says we could potentially look into the future. However, as it now stands, the only place where this could happen is in the realm of film.

Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) works as a reverse engineer, but to keep from revealing the secrets he learns during his jobs, he receives a memory wipe at the successful completion of the project. For his time and skills, and the erasure of his memories, Michael receives a large paycheck from the company. However, a new project has emerged that will require a different type of memory wipe, since the project is supposed to last over many years. Once completed, Michael goes to pick up his paycheck, only to receive an envelope with a random assortment of useless items. Feeling like he was robbed, Michael sets forth to figure out where his money is and what he reverse engineered during the last three years. In doing so, he finds the useless items are links to his past and his future and must be used to solve the mystery hidden in his missing memories.

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2 trippy travels through time

#066. The Reset Button

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

This famous quote by George Santayana sums up a very poignant idea: if we don’t learn from our mistakes or the mistakes of others, we are doomed to the same fate. How often do we long for that second chance? The opportunity to right our wrongs and fix our mistakes is perhaps why time travel is so popular as a theme. And while hindsight is always 20/20, the only way we can correct a fatal error is if we are in a video game. Unfortunately, real life is much less forgiving. However, movies are not real life. As a result, some films have explored the idea of going back in time and re-experiencing something again. A “Reset Button,” if you will. While some of these “Reset Buttons” can be controlled and used by the protagonist, some are out of their control as a way to induce character growth. This week’s two films look at what happens with a “Reset Button” at your disposal.

Groundhog Day
Year: 1993
Rating: PG
Length: 101 minutes / 1.68 hours

What if you just had the worst day of your life, would you want to repeat it? I know most of us would answer with an emphatic, “No.” However, what if that day was a learning experience? Something that would change your life forever? Still “No”? OK, I’ll be the first to admit that reliving failures is not fun, but in the long run, they are good for personal development and growth. Now, the only reason anyone would subject themselves to a day repeated over and over again is probably because they are so oblivious to their faults that it takes a while for them to realize what needs to change. Of course, the flip side is that, if you find yourself trapped in a never-ending loop of February 2nds, you can do pretty much anything you want, since you don’t know if February 3rd even exists anymore.

Phil (Bill Murray) has a personality that often rubs others the wrong way. After being assigned the annual puff piece on Groundhog Day for the fourth year in a row, he’s pretty much had it. When he begrudgingly finishes the news segment and goes to bed, he figures he’s done with it. Until he wakes up and finds that he needs to do it all again because it’s still February 2nd. After the initial frustration, he tries to use the knowledge of the day to his advantage. When that fails, he becomes depressed and tries to exit the loop by suicide. After multiple successful deaths, he figures that doesn’t work either. Finally, he concludes that, if he’s trapped in that one day, he might as well use it to his advantage and do all the things he’s never had time real.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Year: 2010
Rating: PG-13
Length: 116 minutes / 1.93 hours

The origins of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) are directly from the realm of video games. In 1989, Prince of Persia was released as a computer game which featured a multitude of somewhat gruesome deaths, all of which would reset your character to an earlier part of the level. With this standard video game structure, one could become very frustrated when trying to get past guillotines or spikes, while always dying at the same points and being forced to replay the level again. In the 2000s, the series was rebooted with “The Sands of Time” added, still maintaining the “Reset Button” dynamic. As a result of the entire series’ success and influence on video games, it was eventually turned into a movie in 2010, under the title of the millennial reboot.

In a realm often covered with sand, Persia can be unforgiving to anyone who would drop their guard for even a moment. As an adopted prince, Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) did his best to fit in with royalty, but could never shake his orphaned origins. This is why he is on the run after being accused of his adopted father’s death. However, two discoveries have changed his fate. One is meeting Tamina (Gemma Arterton), a princess who has noticed that Dastan now holds the second discovery: a dagger that can reverse the flow of time. While Dastan is on the run, he aims to prove his innocence and to uncover the real killer of his father. Fortunately, the mystical dagger filled with magical sand is the key to unraveling the mystery and restoring Dastan to his princely position.

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2+ chances

#065. Bill Murray

Bill Murray is one of those actors who really made us laugh in the ’80s and ’90s. His name was almost synonymous with many comedic hits that are still referenced today. And while films like Ghostbusters (1984) and Caddyshack (1980) are what Bill Murray is initially known for, he has done well to keep in the acting game even today. As his career has progressed, Bill Murray has strayed somewhat from the goofball comedies of his earlier years, and has instead developed into more of the “serious comic.” While roles like Lost in Translation (2003) are good Oscar bait, his collaborations with film director Wes Anderson have created some truly inspiring performances. Movies like Rushmore (1998), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), and Moonrise Kingdom (2012) show that, while Bill Murray is still funny, he’s funny with depth. Even though these recent films are all worth watching, this week’s two films highlight the comedy work Bill Murray did in the early part of his career.

                                               The Man Who Knew Too Little
Year: 1997
Rating: PG
Length: 94 minutes / 1.56 hours

One of Murray’s strengths is playing characters who pretend they know what’s going on. There’s this swagger and confidence that is based on absolutely nothing that is somehow as funny as it is intoxicating. Of course, the key to that kind of personality is definitely optimism. Even if you’re wrong, even if everything keeps pointing back to the fact that you’re clueless, you take it in stride and just keep going. This is a difficult role to play because, if you play it in one direction to heavily, you’ll come off as just plain stupid. If you play it in the other direction, the character will seem so arrogant as to be offputting. The fact that it takes balance to portray the charmingly oblivious is just one of many reasons that Bill Murray is one of the great comedic actors of our time.

Have you ever wanted to live the life of a spy? No, this isn’t the beginning of Total Recall (1990), but instead is the real situation that Wallace Ritchie (Bill Murray) finds himself in after he accidentally walks in on a real crime happening, thinking it’s all an act. He is genuinely impressed with the level of detail and commitment the actors are giving to their performances. Of course, what he doesn’t realize is that he is not participating in the “Theatre of Life,” but has in fact gotten himself entangled in a plot to start the next Cold War. Not wanting to hurt the feelings of the “actors,” Wallace plays along, all the while unaware that the guns, bombs, and implications are all very real. And yet, the optimistic goof manages to survive, save the day, and get the girl.

Groundhog Day
Year: 1993
Rating: PG
Length: 101 minutes / 1.68 hours

On the flip side of Bill Murray’s ’90s comedies is the role of a man who knows what he wants, but doesn’t get it. There’s a subtle charm in the deadpan frustration that racks Murray’s character in Groundhog Day (1993). Much of this kind of performance from Murray was later seen in his Wes Anderson collaborations (as mentioned above) when life kept throwing curveballs, and his character didn’t quite know how to deal with it at first. If you want a good example of character growth, look no further than Groundhog Day. The best way you can improve yourself is to tweak all the little mistakes that you make during a day, even if it takes more than one try at that same day to accomplish this. Bill Murray’s comedic timing was spot on in this film that should be watched every February 2nd.

Everyone has those assignments they hate doing. Phil (Bill Murray) is no different. For the last few years, he has been sent out to Punxsutawney to cover Groundhog Day for a local news channel. And while this weatherman despises this annual assignment, he’s about to despise it a lot more. When he finishes the job and goes to sleep for the night, he figures that he’s done with it until next year. That is until he wakes up the next day and has to do the whole thing over again. Naturally, he goes through a few stages to deal with this odd occurrence: using it to his advantage, multiple suicides, and (finally) using the time to better himself. After all, if you’re stuck in February 2nd forever, you might as well make the most of a bad situation.

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2 monumental Bill Murray performances

Bacon #: 1 (She’s Having a Baby / Kevin Bacon)