Moon (2009)
Directed by Duncan Jones. Starring Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey.
Long story short: Sam Bell works in a station on the Moon alongside a robot, GERTY, sending valuable resources back to Earth. He's just finishing his three-year contract, when he starts seeing weird things and suspecting he's becoming a real lunatic.
(AHA! experience number 483726: luna = moon, therefore lunacy = moon madness. Ha! Experience no. 483725 happened just recently, as I realised 'Citymarket' actually means something. City, market. Whoa. Never thought about it like that before. These things are amusing. And you feel so stupid when you finally realise something so obvious.)
I know this is the second headline in a row with the word 'awesomeness' in it, but sorry, some things just can't be descriped with any other word. Moon is one of those things. Sam Rockwell is another one, so I had no choice but to be repetitive. And besides, 'awesomeness' is a nice word! An awesome word, too.
This was the second time I watched Moon and liked it at least as much as last time. I'll try to write down something at least half-sensible.
In many ways Moon is a very minimalist film. The music is simple and often absent, but at the same time very eerie and forceful. The story revolves around just one person. The setting is very simple, too - the Moon is a plain, lonely place and the station is white and decorated and built to look quite modest, despite all the technology. The pace of the film is pretty slow, especially the first half. This all empasizes the total isolation, which has been Sam Bell's reality for three years. (In addition, the film was shot in 33 days with a budget of only five million dollars. (Apparently that's not much in movie business. Hmh. Well.))
I bet I'm not the only one who imagined themselves in the similar situation. How would I manage? Could I live thousands and thousands of kilometres away from home, without any face-to-face contact to other people, for three long years? I decided I would loose my marbles in less than a couple of months - but a week or two of isolation could actually be refreshing and worthwhile! Something I have to try sooner or later in life.
Sam "Awesome" Rockwell (I thought I should try to establish that nickname, because Sam Rockwell and Awesome just go hand in hand) is the star of Moon, and MAN does he freaking rock it!(!!!!!!) (See, no more F words. I'm back to using only thelamer nicer ones.) Not every actor can carry the weight of a whole movie in their shoulders, but Sam doesn't even seem to feel that weight. He's awesome, effortlessly. (Colin Farrell does kind of a similar role in Phonebooth - a favourite of the 14-year-old me. He's good too, but Moon is a better film.) I really really hope he gets to do more leading roles in the future!
Speaking of the future... The future in Moon in its simplicity is very cool, though we don't exactly know how far in the future the film is set (do we?). The technology is sophisticated, but doesn't go over board or too sci-fi. It's realistic and believable. The white station where Sam lives is in interesting contrast with the dark surface of the Moon.
I love the plot of Moon. It's - again - quite simple, but fascinating, suspenceful, thought-provoking and also touching. The film also evokes a few laughs. Sam dancing to Walking on Sunshine is naturally one of my favourite bits. And I love GERTY! Kevin Spacey's voice is one of the most pleasing to listen in the world and he makes the robot feel almost like a person. He's so adorable with his smiley face icons, which indicate his "mood". At one point Sam says to Gerty that he should get laid (he teases him like a real friend, which is cool and makes sense), and the face immidiately changes from worried to happy. Haha. Good one.
That's pretty much all I can say without spoiling the twist for those who haven't YET seen the film. But I can say that I thought the ending was brilliant, and leaving things slightly open worked well, again. Moon is a great film, and hasn't really got the attention it deserves. Also, it was Duncan Jones' first film. Apparently he's David Bowie's son. Didn't know that. Cool! ...Now I got Star Man stuck in my head. It replaced Walking on Sunshine.
This was the second time I watched Moon and liked it at least as much as last time. I'll try to write down something at least half-sensible.
In many ways Moon is a very minimalist film. The music is simple and often absent, but at the same time very eerie and forceful. The story revolves around just one person. The setting is very simple, too - the Moon is a plain, lonely place and the station is white and decorated and built to look quite modest, despite all the technology. The pace of the film is pretty slow, especially the first half. This all empasizes the total isolation, which has been Sam Bell's reality for three years. (In addition, the film was shot in 33 days with a budget of only five million dollars. (Apparently that's not much in movie business. Hmh. Well.))
I bet I'm not the only one who imagined themselves in the similar situation. How would I manage? Could I live thousands and thousands of kilometres away from home, without any face-to-face contact to other people, for three long years? I decided I would loose my marbles in less than a couple of months - but a week or two of isolation could actually be refreshing and worthwhile! Something I have to try sooner or later in life.
Sam "Awesome" Rockwell (I thought I should try to establish that nickname, because Sam Rockwell and Awesome just go hand in hand) is the star of Moon, and MAN does he freaking rock it!(!!!!!!) (See, no more F words. I'm back to using only the
Speaking of the future... The future in Moon in its simplicity is very cool, though we don't exactly know how far in the future the film is set (do we?). The technology is sophisticated, but doesn't go over board or too sci-fi. It's realistic and believable. The white station where Sam lives is in interesting contrast with the dark surface of the Moon.
I love the plot of Moon. It's - again - quite simple, but fascinating, suspenceful, thought-provoking and also touching. The film also evokes a few laughs. Sam dancing to Walking on Sunshine is naturally one of my favourite bits. And I love GERTY! Kevin Spacey's voice is one of the most pleasing to listen in the world and he makes the robot feel almost like a person. He's so adorable with his smiley face icons, which indicate his "mood". At one point Sam says to Gerty that he should get laid (he teases him like a real friend, which is cool and makes sense), and the face immidiately changes from worried to happy. Haha. Good one.
That's pretty much all I can say without spoiling the twist for those who haven't YET seen the film. But I can say that I thought the ending was brilliant, and leaving things slightly open worked well, again. Moon is a great film, and hasn't really got the attention it deserves. Also, it was Duncan Jones' first film. Apparently he's David Bowie's son. Didn't know that. Cool! ...Now I got Star Man stuck in my head. It replaced Walking on Sunshine.
"I hope life on Earth is everything you remember it to be."
2 comments:
This little movie definitely is a gem and I agree with you that Rockwell is awesome in it. I love seeing these debut directions that show so much talent. Jones' career really seems like something to follow in the future as well.
Agreed! Jones' next project seems kind of interesting, too. Also, it involves Jake Gyllenhaal, which naturally makes it even more interesting. ;)
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