Source Code trailer - oh boy, bring it on!

Well, doesn't this seem interesting! The Moon director Duncan Jones meets Jake Gyllenhaal and I like what I see. Damn, can't wait!

My TOP 5 favourite (nice) robots

Yesterday's Moon rewatch inspired me to do this list. These are five of my favourite robots! ... This was actually an easy one, mostly because I wouldn't call myself a sci-fi expert, and these five were pretty much the only likable ones I came up with. I didn't want Schwarzenegger on my list - with all due respect of course, Mr Governor! I'm not very much into ruthless killing machines, so I'll leave Optimus Prime and co. out of my list, too. Call me a sissy, but I like my robots nice and sympathetic! Or just handsome.

5. Gigolo Joe (Artificial Intelligence: AI)

I admit, it's been a while since I saw Spielberg's futuristic sci-fi fairytale, but as it popped into my mind when making this list, I began to plan a rewatch. I was quite young when I saw AI, and it'd be interesting to see how I like it now. Jude Law's Gigolo Joe looks like Barbie's Ken in the picture indeed is what the name suggests: a lover robot. I wanted to include him on my list, because he is handsome there is something very tragic about this film and yet it is fascinating and same goes with the character. I think the quotes summarize it better that I can say:

"We are the guiltless pleasures of the lonely human being. You won't get us pregnant or have us to supper with mommy and daddy. We work under you, we work on you and we work for you. Man made us better at what we do than was ever humanly possible."

"They hate us, you know... The humans. They'll stop at nothing."

4. Marvin (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Marvin is very depressed. He's stuck with a bunch of idiots, and he can't put his enormous brain into action. There is really nothing that could cheer him up. After all, he's programmed to be depressed, the poor robot! Voiced by the wonderfully smooth Alan Rickman in the 2005 version of Douglas Adams' hilarious sci-fi adventure novel, he is the bright spot (no pun intended) of the otherwise mediocre interpretation. (Yeah, it has a good cast - including Sam Rockwell - but still. Nah.) Marvin is unintentionally hilarious, sarcastic and melodramatic, and Alan Rickman is just great... Who knew depression can be so much fun?

"I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed."
"Well, we have something that may take your mind off it."
"It won't work, I have an exceptionally large mind."

"I've been talking to the ship's computer."
"And?"
"It hates me."


"Life? Don't talk to me about life!"

3. GERTY (Moon)

GERTY is the only one keeping company to Sam Rockwell in his one man show Moon. GERTY is programmed to help and take care of Sam and that's what he does, whatever it takes. What I like about GERTY the most is Kevin Spacey's soothing voice and the smiley face icons.

"I'm here to keep you safe, Sam. I want to help you."

"Sam, get some sleep. You're very tired."

2. Wall-E (Wall-E)

Wall-E isn't just a sidekick, a supporting character or a comic relief. He's the star of his own (fantastic!) film. Disney/Pixar's animators have really done a great job creating this little robot - he doesn't talk much, but we know how he's feeling, all the time.Wall-E is disarmingly cute and adorable, in a way that no machine has even been before or after. An honorable mention to his badass love interest EVE (when has love between artificial things ever been so real?) and MO, who's just funny ("Foreign contaminent. Foreign contaminent.").

"EEEEEEEEVEEEEEEEEEE!"

1. R2-D2 & C-3PO (Star Wars)

"I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. And this is my counterpart R2-D2." This is a legendary pair and the only option for number one. They work best together, so I didn't dare separate them here either. (Plus I couldn't decide which one I like more.) I don't think I need to explain myself here. They are some of the best characters throughout the Star Wars saga, and never fail to amuse and entertain, even then the humans (and the Gungans...) do. Their "dialogues" are always great, even though the other one doesn't even speak. Now I'll let myself go crazy with these quotes... 

"I thought that hairy beast would be the end of me."
"Beep!"
"Of course I've looked better."

  
"Just you reconsider playing that message for him!"
"Beep?"
"No, I don't think he likes you at all."
"Beep?"
"No, I don't like you either."

 

"R2, why did you have to be so brave?"
 

"For a mechanic, you seem to do an incessant amount of thinking."

"I beg your pardon, but what do you mean, 'naked?'"
"Beep!" 
"My parts are showing? Oh, my goodness, oh!"

The culmination of Sam Rockwell's awesomeness: Moon

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 the lamer 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.

"I hope life on Earth is everything you remember it to be."