Moon (2009)

[megladon8]

I first heard of this earlier this year when I was looking up other projects involving Matt Berry (a British comedian who starred in "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace").

This film is directed by Duncan Jones, starring Sam Rockwell, Matt Berry and the voice of Kevin Spacey.

Synopsis from IMDb:


Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter while stranded on the moon for a three-year period.

I was interested because it sounded like a potentially 2001/Solaris/The Fountain type of introsepctive sci-fi film, and I love both Sam Rockwell and Matt Berry. But when Bloody Disgusting posted 18 images from the film this morning (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/14361), my interest has shot through the roof.

Here are four of my favorite photos from the bunch...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/4-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/3-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/1.jpg

[D_Davis]

Nice.

Very nice.

[megladon8]

A review of the film from Cinematical. (http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/16/sundance-review-moon/)

Score is by Clint Mansell? I must see this movie.

And it's pretty neat that it's directed by David Bowie's son.

[number8]

Apparently it's kind of Wall-E ish.

[megladon8]

Some spoiler-ific clips. (http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2009/01/15/Five-clips-emerge-for-Duncan-Jones-MOON#extended)

[Watashi]

Really awesome trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIexG8179K8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashfil m.com%2F2009%2F04%2F09%2Fmovie-trailer-duncan-jones-moon%2F&feature=player_embedded)

[Qrazy]

Really awesome trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIexG8179K8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashfil m.com%2F2009%2F04%2F09%2Fmovie-trailer-duncan-jones-moon%2F&feature=player_embedded)

That was a good trailer. I'm anticipating this much more now. I really hope GERTY isn't another HAL though.

[MadMan]

Sam Rockwell is probably one of the most unique and awesome actors in Hollywood right now, and a favorite of mine.

And that trailer was excellent. This just became one of my most anticipated movies of the year.

[megladon8]

I really can't wait. It looks and sounds fantastic.

[Ezee E]

Lunar will be HAL, but this looks awesome.

[DavidSeven]

Wonderful trailer.

It's :|'s big screen debut!

[Mara]

Um... this looks crazy terrific.

[number8]

Trippy-ass poster, too. Try scrolling up and down! Although the tagline is a typo that is already being fixed.

http://www.justpressplay.net/images/stories/moon-poster.jpg

[Mara]

Try scrolling up and down!



WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[D_Davis]

This is going to be awesome.

[Amnesiac]

Very intriguing. I'll check this out.

[megladon8]

I hope it isn't filled with wordplay.

"I went to the moon to find myself. I never thought I would find myself."

[Sxottlan]

This is rocketing up my most anticipated list for the year.

[Sycophant]

I hope it isn't filled with wordplay.
I hope it is.

[The Mike]

Interesting they're not promoting Spacey being there. People might mistake it for a Honda ad.

[MadMan]

I want that poster on my wall. Its one of the coolest, most trippiest things ever.

[Russ]

Another poster, but with a better tagline.


http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/7476/moonmovieposter.jpg

[Kurosawa Fan]

I didn't realize that the director, Duncan Jones, is David Bowie's son until just now. I missed it when it was posted earlier in the thread.

[Winston*]

I didn't realize that the director, Duncan Jones, is David Bowie's son until just now. I missed it when it was posted earlier in the thread.

"A film by Zowie Bowie"

[Lucky]

Wow, never heard of this until now. I'll echo everyone else and say I'm greatly anticipating it.

[Mara]

I don't like either tagline.

[number8]

Hey, forgot to mention that I saw this a few days ago. I liked it a lot.

[B-side]

Really? I'm the only one completely indifferent to the trailer? Between the doppelganger and the HAL talking ship... it's all been done before, and likely much better than Moon will. I'm also unsure of Rockwell in this role. I hope my skepticism is unnecessary.

[Qrazy]

Really? I'm the only one completely indifferent to the trailer? Between the doppelganger and the HAL talking ship... it's all been done before, and likely much better than Moon will. I'm also unsure of Rockwell in this role. I hope my skepticism is unnecessary.

There aren't nearly enough films even trying to be semi-intelligent sci-fi so I'll take what I can get.

[number8]

I don't know how much you guys like spoilers, but...

GERTY is not at all like HAL. In fact, he's the complete opposite, and his relationship with Rockwell is quite touching.

[B-side]

There aren't nearly enough films even trying to be semi-intelligent sci-fi so I'll take what I can get.

You have a point.

[D_Davis]

This is reminding me a lot of The Flaming Lips' Christmas on Mars, which was quite thoughtful, if a little dull, and totally surprising because I never imagined a Flips film being a little dull. Or more precisely, it wasn't overly wacky.

I bet it and Moon would make a great double feature.

[Dukefrukem]

So when can i see this in theaters around me?

[Dukefrukem]

you guys see the pics on imdb? (http://www.imdb.com/media/rm427526912/nm0005377)

[number8]

EDIT: Woah, I just realized this news is a spoiler of this movie.

From chud:


I loved Duncan Jones' directorial debut Moon, and I'm really excited about his follow-up movie, which he has said takes its cues from Blade Runner and will be set in a future Berlin. Now new and nerdily cool info about that movie has surfaced, and it turns out that while the new film will not be a sequel to Moon, it will be set in the same universe.

At a post-Tribeca Film Festival screening Q&A Jones told the audience (and confirmed to me via Twitter) that he's bringing Sam Rockwell back for a quick cameo in his next film to play Sam Bell, stranded lunar miner.

[Mara]

It's supposed to open in a limited run today, but I can't seem to find out where. It doesn't appear to be in DC-- is it just NY and LA? How can I find out?

I wanna seeeeeeee it.

[Mara]

Found it. (http://www.sonyclassics.com/moon/dates.html)

It's in Irvine, and not in DC? I knew I shouldn't have moved.

It won't be here until 07/10.

[Raiders]

Found it. (http://www.sonyclassics.com/moon/dates.html)

It's in Irvine, and not in DC? I knew I shouldn't have moved.

It won't be here until 07/10.

June 26th at the Landmark in Bethesda.

[Mara]

June 26th at the Landmark in Bethesda.

I'm there.

I don't really know Bethesda (I find it an annoying town to get in and out of) but I know they have some high quality restaurants, etc. Is there anywhere in particular I should check out if I'm in the way?

[Raiders]

I'm there.

I don't really know Bethesda (I find it an annoying town to get in and out of) but I know they have some high quality restaurants, etc. Is there anywhere in particular I should check out if I'm in the way?

For simple dining that is very close to the theaters, my wife and I really love Cafe Deluxe. Not top-of-the-line, but decent prices and some great sandwiches.

[NickGlass]

I'm there.

I don't really know Bethesda (I find it an annoying town to get in and out of) but I know they have some high quality restaurants, etc. Is there anywhere in particular I should check out if I'm in the way?

Ugh, Bethesda. I have friends from the area (and Rockville). It's quite a boring area, but the movie theater is nice and there's a reliable Thai place around the corner (Tara Thai, I believe).

[number8]

Got lucky today. Swung by the publicist's office to interview some other filmmakers and they were shipping back a bunch of unused promotional posters. Asked me if I wanted one of Adoration and one of Moon signed by Mr. Zowie Bowie. I said hellz yeah, finished the interview and went home happy.

[Mara]

June 26th at the Landmark in Bethesda.

Apparently, this has changed.

I'm pretty annoyed. I really wanted to see it.

[NickGlass]

Apparently, this has changed.

I'm pretty annoyed. I really wanted to see it.

Go see $9.99 instead then.

[Mara]

It looks like it's opening July 10th or so.

I'll probably just sulk until then.

[chrisnu]

I enjoyed this a lot. It's not much like 2001 at all, save some shots and motifs it gets out of the way almost immediately. I didn't even realize how small the cast and setting were until after the film was over. Loved the use of practical effects. Clint Mansell's music is outstanding.

[number8]

I enjoyed this a lot. It's not much like 2001 at all, save some shots and motifs it gets out of the way almost immediately.

I love how it plays on the HAL expectations, though.

[baby doll]

I saw this yesterday, not knowing a thing about it, except the title, that it was science fiction and that Sam Rockwell was in it. And it was kind of mind blowing.

[trotchky]

I saw this yesterday, not knowing a thing about it, except the title, that it was science fiction and that Sam Rockwell was in it. And it was kind of mind blowing.

Word. Maybe I'll try to see it tonight.

[Henry Gale]

This is a stunningly good film.

For so long I've been waiting for Rockwell to be in something he can really carry on his own and shine in, and wow is his work here that and so much more. Of any recent sci-fi films, I'd say it most feels like Soderbergh's Solaris or a dialed-down Sunshine, but my comparisons would basically stop at the similarities in the settings of people working on spacecrafts for prolongued periods and filmmaker's own spin on the effects of that. Jones' movie really shines because it manages to throw out so many ideas and bits of mythology to the world in which it takes place and incredibly manages to have them all make perfect sense emotionally and story-wise by the end.

I don't want to say too much or discuss it much further until more people have seen it. What I will say is right now with things like Up and Coraline having been my favourites of 2009 so far, Moon isn't the best live-action film for me by default, it's probably just my #1 overall.

****

[NickGlass]

Disappointing. Its drowsy camera takes don't tap into Rockwell's ennui so much as simply recall how much better Kubrick and Tarkovsky controlled their environments in 2001 and Solaris, respectively. The moderately mind-bending revelations culminate in a few, very highlighted "aha!" moments. Jones touches on issues of identity, the human/machine dichotomy, and corporate ethics--but he doesn't earn the title of "sharp commentator." The ideas are there, but there's no effective execution within the poor storytelling. They're just dropped along, like random bombs in a mostly barren wasteland.

[baby doll]

Disappointing. Its drowsy camera takes don't tap into Rockwell's ennui so much as simply recall how much better Kubrick and Tarkovsky controlled their environments in 2001 and Solaris, respectively. The moderately mid-bending revelations culminate in a few, very highlighted "aha!" moments. Jones touches on issues of identity, the human/machine dichotomy, and corporate ethics--but he doesn't earn the title of "sharp commentator." The ideas are there, but there's no effective execution within the poor storytelling. They're just dropped along, like random bombs in a mostly barren wasteland.You know, hating everything doesn't make you a connoisseur. You have to be able to appreciate the good as well. It's not enough to shrug and say, well, Kubrick and Tarkovsky did it better. Duh, of course they did it better!

And I think this movie is very straightforward as storytelling: you have the character's situation, which is very gradually revealed to us (and him), and then you see how he responds to it. So who cares about ideas? It's a movie, not philosophy class. The reason the movie works on an emotional level is because I empathized with the situation of the Sam Rockwell character, which is really inhuman.

[BuffaloWilder]

I saw this just a couple of days ago, when it was running at the Angelika - it's probably the only time I've seen a trailer make a film out to be more 'cryptic' than it actually turned out to be. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit.


(I'm back, by the way. Middle finger to Time Warner.)

[Ezee E]

Disappointing. Its drowsy camera takes don't tap into Rockwell's ennui so much as simply recall how much better Kubrick and Tarkovsky controlled their environments in 2001 and Solaris, respectively. The moderately mid-bending revelations culminate in a few, very highlighted "aha!" moments. Jones touches on issues of identity, the human/machine dichotomy, and corporate ethics--but he doesn't earn the title of "sharp commentator." The ideas are there, but there's no effective execution within the poor storytelling. They're just dropped along, like random bombs in a mostly barren wasteland.
Perfectly said.

There's interesting things here, but I just never got emotionally involved or interested. Just waited for it to end.

[NickGlass]

You know, hating everything doesn't make you a connoisseur. You have to be able to appreciate the good as well.

Yes, because it's well known that I'm a brutally masochistic "cinephile" who has I've never enjoyed a film.


It's not enough to shrug and say, well, Kubrick and Tarkovsky did it better. Duh, of course they did it better!

I'm not just shrugging (although that is what the film evokes in me: a shrug), and that's not exactly what I was saying; I just prefer their amount of control over the atmosphere to the rather laissez-faire--and, I think, tedious--approach Jones takes.


And I think this movie is very straightforward as storytelling: you have the character's situation, which is very gradually revealed to us (and him), and then you see how he responds to it. So who cares about ideas? It's a movie, not philosophy class. The reason the movie works on an emotional level is because I empathized with the situation of the Sam Rockwell character, which is really inhuman.

Cool, empathy. I wish I felt that. I might have enjoyed the film then.

[Mara]

Since I can barely schedule a trip to the theater for films that are screening everywhere in the world, it will be interesting to see if I can actually swing a trip to see this today.

It's good to have goals.

[baby doll]

I'm not just shrugging (although that is what the film evokes in me: a shrug), and that's not exactly what I was saying; I just prefer their amount of control over the atmosphere to the rather laissez-faire--and, I think, tedious--approach Jones takes.Okay, you're going to have to explain this one to me. What does control over atmosphere mean? Were there shots in the film where the space station looked too clean or too crowded with the hero's friends and loved ones? I think the art direction did a fine job of creating this dingy, run-down outpost.


Cool, empathy. I wish I felt that. I might have enjoyed the film then.And why didn't you?

[Mara]

Victory.

In case anyone was wondering, this is the sort of film I really like. Rockwell's performance was amazing, to the point where I forgot we weren't watching two different men interacting, but one talking to bare air. It was quiet and thoughtful and sad, and I liked it immensely.

The only two parts I didn't like were the commerical at the beginning and the voice overs at the end. I think the reason is that the film falters when it tries to contextualize itself. The rest of the film feels like a play: self-contained, intense, and careful. When it tries to enter a larger arena, the focus is lost.

Lovely, for the most part.

[Milky Joe]

Victory.

In case anyone was wondering, this is the sort of film I really like. Rockwell's performance was amazing, to the point where I forgot we weren't watching two different men interacting, but one talking to bare air. It was quiet and thoughtful and sad, and I liked it immensely.

Yes, this. Though I really liked the voice-overs at the end.

[Mysterious Dude]

I can only remember a few times when it occurred to me that it had to be a visual effect to show two Sam Rockwells at once. Even during the fight scene, I was totally oblivious.

[Spaceman Spiff]

This was good, but I do have several reservations. The first half seemed like it was trying to crib 2001 a bit too much. The movie got more interesting as it went along, but I think the ending could have been written and directed with more clarity.

By the way, whatever happened to Kevin Spacey? Talk about a fall from grace.

[BuffaloWilder]

I don't know about that. He hasn't done anything big in the last two years, but I'd hardly say he's fallen by the wayside. In 2006, he played Lex Luthor.

[[ETM]]

He's shooting a biopic, and talking about his dogs on Twitter... I guess he's just getting older.

[Watashi]

Fantastic film. One of the best science ficiton films I've ever seen.

My only complaint is the commercial at the beginning. It felt studio-forced.

The music is amazing. Clint Mansell can do no wrong.

[Spaceman Spiff]

My only complaint is the commercial at the beginning. It felt studio-forced.

No way. Excellent way to start the film.

[Ezee E]

No way. Excellent way to start the film.
Agreed. Works pretty well with the corporation angle that is used.

[Mara]

I can only remember a few times when it occurred to me that it had to be a visual effect to show two Sam Rockwells at once. Even during the fight scene, I was totally oblivious.

I remembered during the ping pong scene, because the table kept moving, and that must have been hard to do.

[Mara]

My only complaint is the commercial at the beginning. It felt studio-forced.


I kept giggling and thinking of Veridian Dynamics. (Fictional corporation from Better Off Ted that makes feel-good commercials.)

[HoboJoeBob]

First, let me start by saying that this review is spoiler free. In fact, after all this talk I’ve heard of Moon spoilers and whether or not the trailer gave something major away (it didn’t), I feel obligated to say that its not all that easy to spoil. Traditionally, it may be a mystery movie, but one of the film’s major charms is that it doesn’t act like the major science fiction mystery that it is. Instead, it chooses to stay low key, and focus more on characters and small personal interactions then it does grand realizations and twist endings. There is no big reveal; in fact, there really isn’t a reveal at all. I’d say Moon is a prime example of how to give the viewer answers without needing big moments or spelled out answers. Everything comes naturally, and not once does the film hesitate to give anything away or stop to explain the question it just answered. It’s a mystery movie without reveals, a refreshing change in the direction of modern cinema.

But enough about the so called spoilers, lets talk about Sam Rockwell. To say that this is the best performance of the year so far is a grave understatement. His ability to create a character is astounding, and the emotion he shows makes us begin to care more about his reactions to the growing realizations then the realizations themselves. As I mentioned earlier, the film plays more on characters and interactions then it does plot or “mystery”. This is do in no small part to Sam Rockwell. As much as I think this was a fine debut from Duncan Jones, this is Rockwell’s movie. He carries it from start to finish and without him; the whole movie would probably have fallen apart. It’s his biggest roles yet and he does wonders with it. Kevin Spacey, too, does a great job as the amiable robot. This brings me to my next point.

*MINOR SPOILERS*

Robots. They keep killing people in sci-fi movies. Or, at the very least, attempting to kill people. So often do they end up killing people in modern science fiction, that when they don’t, I breathe a sigh of relief at the originality of whichever movie choose not have made the robot a soulless insane human-killer. In this case, that movie is Moon. It doesn’t make a big deal about it, in fact, for most of the film’s runtime the robot’s intentions are ambiguous in such a way to suggest that it’s neither good nor bad. The bad guys, if there are any, are humanity. Which is unique in modern sci-fi. I don’t really care about robots, but that was to illustrate a point.

*END SPOILERS*

Moon is a completely original sci-fi movie. When pressured to think of something to compare it to, I keep falling short. In general, sci-fi likes to be big and grand, but Moon seemed to revel in being low key and personal. It had grand ideas, but it kept them on the small scale. It is possible that this choice was not a conscious one, and was instead a product of small budget, but even so, it made the film that much easier to relate to and ultimately that much more powerful. Second perhaps to Rockwell, this is the film’s greatest strength. Too often a film can get carried away with its ideas or its attempts to create an “epic world” for its characters, and loose track of the characters themselves or the small things that make the world so interesting. That’s where Moon shines, and from this, it creates a unique experience that is ultimately more charming and relatable then things like Blade Runner or 2001.

Maybe it’s for this reason that everyone is hailing this as the next big thing in sci-fi. “The future classic of the genre”. I can say that I, for one, agree. I would not be surprised if many years from now people looked back at Moon as being revolutionary or groundbreaking. Certainly, it is a refreshing change in a tired genre. And I would love to see it revive the genre in a way that isn’t simply continuing it. Originality is hard to come by these days, but Moon’s got it. By the handfuls.

[Benny Profane]

I freakin' loved this movie.

[Mara]

I enjoyed watching the film, but I've found the aftertaste to be sweeter than I expected. The film is getting even better upon reflection, and I think I need to see it again.

[Mara]

Actually, the scene I want to watch again most is a little out of character with the rest of the film:

When New Guy is trying to have a serious discussion with Old Guy and Old Guy keeps dancing to "Walking on Sunshine." It was just so perfectly played.

[baby doll]

Actually, the scene I want to watch again most is a little out of character with the rest of the film:

When New Guy is trying to have a serious discussion with Old Guy and Old Guy keeps dancing to "Walking on Sunshine." It was just so perfectly played.Yeah, that's pretty much the best thing ever: Sam Rockwell's angry dance.

[Amnesiac]

I'm going to have to take quite the trek into the city to see this sometime this week. I hope it will be worth it.

[Sycophant]

I wish I had more to say about this, but I loved, loved this.

I want more movies starring Sam Rockwell. He's incredible.

[The Mike]

I wish I had more to say about this, but I loved, loved this.

I want more movies starring Sam Rockwell. He's incredible.
This is about exactly what I was gonna say. Just flat out wonderful.

Need to see again immediately.

[The Mike]

One thing I didn't get at all:

Hallucinations of dark haired girl? Huh?

[Henry Gale]

One thing I didn't get at all:

Hallucinations of dark haired girl? Huh?

I'm pretty sure it was his daughter.

At least in the way we saw her as a 15-year-old. Afterwards I thought it brought up a lot of possibilities about shared consciousness or something along those lines that I realized the rest of the film didn't play into. Then I believe it was in the Slashfilm interview with Jones that he said it ended up being more of an ambiguous dramatic beat taking from something like the idea of alleged shared experiences in twins (or in this case something similar). I still think it is a nice spooky thing in a film that otherwise deals very much in the science of the things it presents.

[Sxottlan]

Good point. I had completely forgot about this by the end of the movie. Perhaps it's just another...


...hole in the cloning process (not a plot hole, but a hole in the technology itself). Maybe its a memory that didn't properly upload.

Yeah by the end, that particular hallucination didn't make sense to me.

But I don't see how that would be some badly done memory if his memory of his daughter is that of a young baby. That's too specific to be a botched implanted memory.

[Mara]

I assumed:

The hallucinations were part of the biological breakdown of the three-year-old clone. He's falling apart, including his brain, and so he's hallucinating.

Why he's hallucinating about his grown daughter is more perplexing, and I agree that the film didn't give us a clear-cut answer. As dramatic foreshadowing, it works, but it doesn't have a clear niche in the logic of the film.

[Amnesiac]

Yeah by the end, that particular hallucination didn't make sense to me.

But I don't see how that would be some badly done memory if his memory of his daughter is that of a young baby. That's too specific to be a botched implanted memory.

Yeah, that's true. My original assumption doesn't exactly work if that was his daughter.

It's ambiguous, creepy, intriguing. I like it. Henry Gale may be on to something with the whole 'shared consciousness' idea.

[trotchky]

Every time I see a movie that visually quotes There Will Be Blood, I feel all warm and fuzzy because Anderson has finally made a visible crater in the American cinematic landscape.

Oh yeah, and Moon was great.

[trotchky]

Where were these visual quotes?

The repeated shot of the hummer spraying fountains of dirt reminded me of the hellish geyser of oil in There Will Be Blood, especially because Moon is about private contractors harvesting energy. Ditto the control towers.

[Amnesiac]

The repeated shot of the hummer spraying fountains of dirt reminded me of the hellish geyser of oil in There Will Be Blood, especially because Moon is about private contractors harvesting energy. Ditto the control towers.

Ah, cool. I was thinking it might be the radio towers but I couldn't remember if it actually seemed like it was borrowed from There Will Be Blood. In fact, I think the monolith from 2001 came to mind for me first during one of those instances.

[MacGuffin]

How similar to 2001: A Space Odyssey is this movie, exactly? It sounded a bit too similar to me.

[trotchky]

It's not very similar at all. There are a lot of references but the actual plot/themes are totally different. In fact, a lot of its meaning comes from the juxtaposition between it and 2001.

[MacGuffin]

Oh, interesting. Well, I'm all for reflexive cinema as long as it isn't reflexive to the point of risking artistic integrity.

[trotchky]

Oh, interesting. Well, I'm all for reflexive cinema as long as it isn't reflexive to the point of risking artistic integrity.

What sort of movie would be self-reflexive to the point of risking its own integrity? Genuinely curious here. I can only think of something extreme like Gus Van Sant's Psycho.

[MacGuffin]

What sort of movie would be self-reflexive to the point of risking its own integrity? Genuinely curious here. I can only think of something extreme like Gus Van Sant's Psycho.

I'm not sure off the top of my head, but I guess that's about the point where you might call the director a hack and the movie a rip-off. I haven't seen Psycho, but if I recall from things I read about it (I'm not sure if it was here or elsewhere), it struck me as a borderline avant-garde sort-of movie in the same vein of a found-footage film, in which Van Sant examines the results of what a "rip-off" really is in art. By questioning the boundaries, he is at once exploring them: adding little flourishes of his own along the way in order to examine the contrasts of an original work and an unoriginal work. Then again, I haven't seen the movie.

[Amnesiac]

Speaking of 2001 references


Yeah, that's the big one that stood out for me.

[trotchky]

I messed up the spoiler text in that post and deleted it out of haste. I'm glad you caught it in time.

[Mara]

As many have noted, the trailer makes it seem a lot more complex than it actually is. There is some initial complexity and intrigue, but this film decidedly does not aim for the ambiguous heights of 2001.

It's actually a very straightforward narrative. I read a review that complained, "What kind of mystery is solved halfway through?" I thought, "The kind that isn't a mystery, dorkbutt."

[Mara]

dorkbutt

Nobody has posted on match-cut in an hour and a half and I'm worried that it's because I'm a potty mouth.

[The Mike]

Nobody has posted on match-cut in an hour and a half and I'm worried that it's because I'm a potty mouth.

Fuck that theory! :D

[DrewG]

Man...I don't know how I feel about this movie at all. I thought it did have a ton of redeemable facets: Sam Rockwell, the restrained cinematography and editing, the general atmosphere and its feel and of course, Clint Mansell's score which definitely helps the aforementioned atmosphere. I thought the relationship between Sam and GERTY was one of the more interesting relationships between a human and artificial intelligence that I've seen in quite a while...

But I realize that this is interestingly complicated by the fact that Sam is a clone. It's cool that GERTY is a machine that has emotional attachment and rational thinking but in the vein that GERTY is a representation of technology and A.I. as something that can think and sympathize. Sam as a clone to me was an attempt to regulate this attachment...but it fails completely in this light (the makers of the clone, not the film itself). To me the best scene in the movie is EASILY when one of the Sam's (I'm sorry I can't remember which) is making the call to home while in the space cruiser and he realizes the illusion that has been built before him when he hears the REAL Sam Bell on the tape. That was really powerful stuff to watch someone have to reconstruct all their previous feelings and connotations as something that have been artificially constructed...powerful stuff there. I kind of wanted that taken farther...

My real problems are small but nag me...I thought the pacing needed a little tweaking (even for this short of a film) and I just wanted it to be more trippy. I know that last complaint is absolutely horrendous (my analytical skills have gone to dogshit I apologize) but I wanted for the hallucination and deterioration angles to become more nightmarish...I wanted that distance between home and the moon to be more apparent. I think the isolation works in doses for portraying Sam but I wanted there to be something else. Another character, another conflict, another environment for comparison, etc. I don't know...I'm kind of torn. I wanted to be a bit more involved but as it was I found myself bored from time to time.

I have nothing but respect for the movie though, it admirably went for a different angle in the whole slew of sci-fi we get.

[trotchky]

I think it's interesting how in 2001: A Space Odyssey the computer is a manifestation of the rugged individualist and in Moon the computer is more empathetic than the corporate shitsacks who fund the whole operation.

[Qrazy]

Victory.

In case anyone was wondering, this is the sort of film I really like. Rockwell's performance was amazing, to the point where I forgot we weren't watching two different men interacting, but one talking to bare air. It was quiet and thoughtful and sad, and I liked it immensely.

The only two parts I didn't like were the commerical at the beginning and the voice overs at the end. I think the reason is that the film falters when it tries to contextualize itself. The rest of the film feels like a play: self-contained, intense, and careful. When it tries to enter a larger arena, the focus is lost.

Lovely, for the most part.

Ehh I found those moments to be rather crucial.

[Qrazy]

This was good, but I do have several reservations. The first half seemed like it was trying to crib 2001 a bit too much. The movie got more interesting as it went along, but I think the ending could have been written and directed with more clarity.

By the way, whatever happened to Kevin Spacey? Talk about a fall from grace.

He's been running his theater in England.

[Qrazy]

I assumed:

The hallucinations were part of the biological breakdown of the three-year-old clone. He's falling apart, including his brain, and so he's hallucinating.

Why he's hallucinating about his grown daughter is more perplexing, and I agree that the film didn't give us a clear-cut answer. As dramatic foreshadowing, it works, but it doesn't have a clear niche in the logic of the film.

I think it works. It shows that subconsciously he's already figuring out that something is wrong. Somehow he's registering that more time has passed than he's being led to believe. I also thought of the daughter angle but I'm interested to know if the same girl played the hallucination and the daughter I can't remember the hallucination well enough.

[Qrazy]

The repeated shot of the hummer spraying fountains of dirt reminded me of the hellish geyser of oil in There Will Be Blood, especially because Moon is about private contractors harvesting energy. Ditto the control towers.

Ehh, seems like a stretch to me.

[Melville]

I think it works. It shows that subconsciously he's already figuring out that something is wrong. Somehow he's registering that more time has passed than he's being led to believe. I also thought of the daughter angle but I'm interested to know if the same girl played the hallucination and the daughter I can't remember the hallucination well enough.
When I saw the movie, I definitely thought the girl in the hallucination was played by the same actress who played the daughter. I could've been wrong, though.

[Qrazy]

Good point. I had completely forgot about this by the end of the movie. Perhaps it's just another...


...hole in the cloning process (not a plot hole, but a hole in the technology itself). Maybe its a memory that didn't properly upload.

That reminds me, there was also that missing frame from that one video message from his wife. I assumed she mentioned something that referenced a memory or fact that they didn't successfully upload into the clone so they just deleted that part of the message.

That or I think Gerty was probably trying to hint to Sam about the illusion (on a small scale to not alert company suspicion... there are two times when the images becomes strange... the cut and later a cut to another Sam in the monitor... Judas is acting up). Gerty systematically breaks down the illusion for him. But only when Sam is ready for the next segment in unraveling the mystery. That is to say only when Sam needs help, that way Gerty can follow it's directive and straddle the border between the company and helping Sam. Which is not to say that Gerty has become self-aware, although possible, I think it may also just be that Gerty was caught between two directives and after enough time in operation and seeing the fall out the other Sam's experienced, moved over to it's other directive in order to better 'help' Sam.

The scene where Gerty finally tells Sam he was a clone didn't quite work for me though... I felt like Sam should have had to issue a command or turned a switch that overrode something so that Gerty would finally tell him the truth... i.e. override one of his commands to not tell Sam about the clones. Having Sam get to a point where he would make Gerty override would of course be a part of Gerty's 'plan'. Still I guess I can just accept that the computations occurred rapidly within Gerty and Gerty overrode his own directive.

[Sycophant]

When I saw the movie, I definitely thought the girl in the hallucination was played by the same actress who played the daughter. I could've been wrong, though.

I was under the same strong impression.

[Qrazy]

"Jones is currently planning a follow-up film, which will serve as an epilogue to Moon. "Sam has agreed to do a little cameo in the next film," says Jones, who ultimately hopes to do three films in the Moon series."

Sweet.

[Sycophant]

I'm all for that.

[Qrazy]

In terms of the overall plot about the cloning I thought it was a great angle both because I could see a corporation doing something like this if cloning ever actually became cost effective and also because the real cost in relation to space is getting objects out of the earth's atmosphere. This way they don't have to spend nearly any money to do this.

[Qrazy]

"The film pays homage to the films of Jones's youth, such as Silent Running (1972), Alien (1979) and Outland (1981)."

Has anyone else seen Outland? It's actually not that bad. Kind of cool, basically High Noon with Connery in space.

[baby doll]

I think it's interesting how in 2001: A Space Odyssey the computer is a manifestation of the rugged individualist and in Moon the computer is more empathetic than the corporate shitsacks who fund the whole operation. Wait, HAL is the manifestation of what? And rugged, no less?

[Eleven]

Has anyone else seen Outland? It's actually not that bad. Kind of cool, basically High Noon with Connery in space.

I liked evil Peter Boyle.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, this is another plausible explanation.



This reminds me of a comment I came across yesterday:



I personally don't think it's that big of a problem that the film 'cribs' any of these ideas but, barring Solaris (which is really not that similar to Moon unless you boil it down to the more general idea of 'outer space paranoia') I haven't seen any of those other films so I can't definitely say whether or not Moon is a deeply derivative film or if it simply recalls those other films while still moving toward something that is uniquely its own.

It's not very derivative of Outland or Silent Running and thank god for that. So it borrows one idea or two, big deal. It's not like it's cribbing an entire storyline Tarantino style.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Yeah, this was pretty fantastic. I can see where Nick is coming from, because for a little while I felt similarly, but the moment that sold the film and made me realize my level of emotional investment was

When Sam calls home and realizes that there's a clone of him there with Eve.

Devastating stuff. The film was much different than I thought it would be, and that's a good thing. Pretty much everything clicked for me, especially the score. Rockwell was unbelievably good. I've been a fan for years, but I wasn't aware he had a performance quite that convincing in him.

[Winston*]

When Sam calls home and realizes that there's a clone of him there with Eve.


I thought that was the original with her?

[Watashi]

I thought that was the original with her?

Yep.

I'm pretty sure the original Sam has never even been to the moon.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I was under the impression, and the nice thing is it doesn't matter too much if I'm wrong, doesn't lessen the impact of that scene at all, that he had gone to the moon, and when the original three years were up they sent one clone home and kept one clone there to pick up where the original Sam left off. It would make the wife's videos make more sense. I'm not sure I buy that she's spent all this time making fake videos for clones. She'd have to be one heck of an actress (in the realm of the film, that is).

[Qrazy]

I was under the impression, and the nice thing is it doesn't matter too much if I'm wrong, doesn't lessen the impact of that scene at all, that he had gone to the moon, and when the original three years were up they sent one clone home and kept one clone there to pick up where the original Sam left off. It would make the wife's videos make more sense. I'm not sure I buy that she's spent all this time making fake videos for clones. She'd have to be one heck of an actress (in the realm of the film, that is).

My impression was the original went to the moon and was sent home and they set up all the clones there and then the clones continued the operation. Because the original has 'rights' and the clones presumably don't.

[number8]

My impression was the original went to the moon and was sent home and they set up all the clones there and then the clones continued the operation. Because the original has 'rights' and the clones presumably don't.

This is what happened.

[Mara]

This is what happened.

That's how I saw it, yes.

[Kurosawa Fan]

My impression was the original went to the moon and was sent home and they set up all the clones there and then the clones continued the operation. Because the original has 'rights' and the clones presumably don't.

This makes sense, but I certainly think it's open to interpretation.

[Mara]

Ultimately, it doesn't matter to the theme or tone of the film. I kind of like that they don't need to spell it out.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Ultimately, it doesn't matter to the theme or tone of the film. I kind of like that they don't need to spell it out.

Yep, that's what I said before. The nice thing about that moment is that it didn't matter if I was wrong. Just as devastating either way.

[Melville]

I was under the impression, and the nice thing is it doesn't matter too much if I'm wrong, doesn't lessen the impact of that scene at all, that he had gone to the moon, and when the original three years were up they sent one clone home and kept one clone there to pick up where the original Sam left off. It would make the wife's videos make more sense. I'm not sure I buy that she's spent all this time making fake videos for clones. She'd have to be one heck of an actress (in the realm of the film, that is).
I agree that the original Sam must have gone to the moon, otherwise the videos from his wife wouldn't have made much sense, but if your interpretation is correct, then what happened to the original when his three years were up? A bunch of clones stayed on the moon, another clone went to Earth, and the original did what? Did he die like all the clones?

[Kurosawa Fan]

I agree that the original must have gone to the moon, otherwise the videos from his wife wouldn't have made much sense, but if you're interpretation is correct, then what happened to the original when his three years were up? A bunch of clones stay on the moon, another clone goes to Earth, and then the original does what? Did he die like all the clones?

That was my feeling. That he died up there. That there was an accident, caused by the weight on a person of having to be secluded for three years. And the corporation was ready for something along those lines, and created the clones for security purposes. Maybe I just want to believe that Sam wasn't involved in that decision, that he wouldn't willingly leave an infinite number of clones up there to die. But then again, he admits he wasn't a great guy and had some temper issues, so perhaps I'm giving him more faith than he deserves.

[Melville]

That was my feeling. That he died up there. That there was an accident, caused by the weight on a person of having to be secluded for three years. And the corporation was ready for something along those lines, and created the clones for security purposes. Maybe I just want to believe that Sam wasn't involved in that decision, that he wouldn't willingly leave an infinite number of clones up there to die. But then again, he admits he wasn't a great guy and had some temper issues, so perhaps I'm giving him more faith than he deserves.
That interpretation totally hadn't occurred to me, though I can't remember anything in the film that contradicts it. My only question would be why the company would provide the wife with a clone (presumably without her knowledge)? That seems like it's needlessly asking for trouble. But as far as I remember, you're absolutely right that the film doesn't give us enough information to really be sure either way, and that the ambiguity might actually add to the emotional and thematic weight of the story. Good call.

[Kurosawa Fan]

That interpretation totally hadn't occurred to me, though I can't remember anything in the film that contradicts it. My only question would be why the company would provide the wife with a clone (presumably without her knowledge)? That seems like it's needlessly asking for trouble. But as far as I remember, you're absolutely right that the film doesn't give us enough information to really be sure either way, and that the ambiguity might actually add to the emotional and thematic weight of the story. Good call.

Well, as a corporation there would be issues to deal with if that person died. Bad publicity, is it worth it to continue sending men up there for that amount of time. It casts a suspicious eye on their venture. Seems easier, if you know cloning is successful, to send a new Sam down to earth (and now that he's away from the space station, he'd have no way of figuring out he's a clone) so that you don't have to deal with those issues and can operate as planned, with no one asking any more questions. Though the one area where my theory may fall apart is why do the clones expire after three years? That's never really explained, so if that's just the lifespan of a clone, my theory doesn't work. I know the corporation was killing them at the end of three years, but that video suggested they were all about to die anyway. Perhaps they were engineered that way to avoid any issues after the three years is up? I don't know.

The film has certainly stuck with me.

[Melville]

Well, as a corporation there would be issues to deal with if that person died. Bad publicity, is it worth it to continue sending men up there for that amount of time. It casts a suspicious eye on their venture. Seems easier, if you know cloning is successful, to send a new Sam down to earth (and now that he's away from the space station, he'd have no way of figuring out he's a clone) so that you don't have to deal with those issues and can operate as planned, with no one asking any more questions. Though the one area where my theory may fall apart is why do the clones expire after three years? That's never really explained, so if that's just the lifespan of a clone, my theory doesn't work. I know the corporation was killing them at the end of three years, but that video suggested they were all about to die anyway. Perhaps they were engineered that way to avoid any issues after the three years is up? I don't know.

The film has certainly stuck with me.
Yeah, I assumed the clones were engineered to die after three years. That way the company could just keep repeating the original Sam's successful three-year stay, without having to make new videos from his wife or worry about the clones going any more stir-crazy than the original did.

[Qrazy]

I think the original Sam went home (circumventing the three year death issue with the other story) but he also had an accident on the moon before he was sent home (perhaps the initial arrival accident mentioned by GERTY which may have been orchestrated by the company) and may have been an unwitting pawn in the company's plans (tissue sampled when he was unconscious and clones grown without his knowledge).

[Kurosawa Fan]

I think the original Sam went home (circumventing the three year death issue with the other story) but he also had an accident on the moon before he was sent home (perhaps the initial arrival accident mentioned by GERTY which may have been orchestrated by the company) and may have been an unwitting pawn in the company's plans (tissue sampled when he was unconscious and clones grown without his knowledge).

The only reason this doesn't sit well is that one would think he would have met his replacement before leaving. Leaving on the same ship he arrived on or something to that effect. I guess that could be easily worked around by the corporation.

[Spinal]

I'm doing some early Match Cut Award lobbying. Sam Rockwell for Best Actor. Boy, he was fantastic. Enjoyed this a lot. Poignant, mysterious, funny, thoughtful, unpredictable.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'm doing some early Match Cut Award lobbying. Sam Rockwell for Best Actor. Boy, he was fantastic. Enjoyed this a lot. Poignant, mysterious, funny, thoughtful, unpredictable.

I wouldn't worry too much about the Match Cut Awards. It's the real awards I'm worried about. Really hoping he doesn't get left out of the discussions.

[Derek]

I'm doing some early Match Cut Award lobbying. Sam Rockwell for Best Actor. Boy, he was fantastic. Enjoyed this a lot. Poignant, mysterious, funny, thoughtful, unpredictable.

I'm right there with you. I've always liked Rockwell, but wasn't sure how he'd handle a role this demanding. Knocked it out of the park.

[Ezee E]

I wouldn't worry too much about the Match Cut Awards. It's the real awards I'm worried about. Really hoping he doesn't get left out of the discussions.
I predict Match Cut is as far as he'll go for a possible award.

[Qrazy]

I predict Match Cut is as far as he'll go for a possible award.

Saturn Awards.

[Ezee E]

Saturn Awards.
I'm pretty sure the Match Cut awards have equal significance.

[Qrazy]

I'm pretty sure the Match Cut awards have equal significance.

Hehe.

[Skitch]

I concur. After my showing, I told my buddy, the competetion is over. Rockwell for Best Actor.

[Ezee E]

I concur. After my showing, I told my buddy, the competetion is over. Rockwell for Best Actor.
for the Match Cut Award? That's kinda cool.

[Derek]

Thinking about it, I'd honestly be more disappointed if the MatchCut Awards were canceled than any other awards show. I'm sure that's in part because of the bang up job Ben Lyons did last year.

[Skitch]

for the Match Cut Award? That's kinda cool.

It's really the only one that matters, right?

[NickGlass]

I don't even like the movie, but I agree Rockwell is fantastic.

[monolith94]

Just saw this movie, in theaters no less. Very intriguing, moving, beguiling. Perhaps not quite on the level as the all-time scifi classics, but then again perhaps.

[[ETM]]

Yeah, I saw it too.
My interpretation is that the company perhaps tried with several people, and Sam proved to be a successful model - he managed to survive and be productive for three years, in part thanks to the strong bond with his wife and child. He is safely back home and probably doesn't know what the company is doing. I see no significance in his wife being dead, save for convenience in the plot, with clone Sam finding out the facts without revealing anything in the video call. As for the Moon operations - the clones were imprinted with Sam's memories from about a week into his term, and they expire in three years. I doubt this is a limitation of the process, since they don't degrade gradually, but start to get sick rapidly during the last week. That way, if a clone survives the three years, it's easier to persuade him to get into the cryogenic pod/incinerator, as he's almost to sick to move, or he just dies there and is collected and replaced by Gertie. The company doesn't send "rescue" teams for every one, just when there's a possibility of a "clone in the wild".
One thing that is left unsaid is - did Sam who escaped realize he had a 3 year life span? I don't think the other Sam told him, but it was pretty obvious, I think. Also, what if the clone death is not genetic, but somehow induced from the outside, through food and water?

Anyway, I liked how it's obvious from pretty much right away what the major plot points are, yet it doesn't really matter because the film never dwells on that. And yes, Rockwell for awards consideration.

[The Mike]

Just finished a second viewing of this. The t-shirt Sam's wearing when we first see him had me lol-ing.

[Adam]

Gave this a re-watch a couple of days ago and I'm still reeling from being so thoroughly underwhelmed. If you're gonna call it a throwback to a bygone era of sci-fi flicks, fine, but where's the ambition in Moon that all those other films you're comparing it to had? It's especially damning that, for a movie working on such a small scale, Moon never manages to come up with enough new or interesting ideas to fill even its own limited scope. And it's not like its too engaging on a visual or any other technical level. I don't even think Rockwell's all that impressive in the film, though he is the only thing that makes devoting 3.5 hours of life to this ruckus anywhere near almost worth it for me. And I sound like I hated it, but I didn't, really. Just seems like a total waste

[Melville]

And it's not like its too engaging on a visual or any other technical level.
Overall, I felt like it was too much of a shuffling around of standard sci-fi elements, but the shots of the moon-rover thing driving after the moon-mining thing were pretty stunning, and the score was terrific. Sam Rockwell was also pretty great.

[Adam]

Overall, I felt like it was too much of a shuffling around of standard sci-fi elements, but the shots of the moon-rover thing driving after the moon-mining thing were pretty stunning...

Yeah, actually, that was cool and unique. I remember reading a pretty neat interview somewhere with Duncan Jones where he went into detail about the miniatures used there and whatnot

[Qrazy]

Gave this a re-watch a couple of days ago and I'm still reeling from being so thoroughly underwhelmed. If you're gonna call it a throwback to a bygone era of sci-fi flicks, fine, but where's the ambition in Moon that all those other films you're comparing it to had? It's especially damning that, for a movie working on such a small scale, Moon never manages to come up with enough new or interesting ideas to fill even its own limited scope. And it's not like its too engaging on a visual or any other technical level. I don't even think Rockwell's all that impressive in the film, though he is the only thing that makes devoting 3.5 hours of life to this ruckus anywhere near almost worth it for me. And I sound like I hated it, but I didn't, really. Just seems like a total waste

Well, it's no Soylent Green.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Holy shit, I loved this movie. One of the best sci-fis of its decade, easily, and that performance by Sam Rockwell is insanely good.
Matching the "twin" acting of Cage in Adaptation, since, in both situations, I stop being aware of the trick and become fully invested in the two characters. Like, immediately.

As for whether it's as good as the greats of the seventies, I can't say. This one seems more story-based, less subtext-based than 2001 and Silent Running, but that's not a problem for me. I'd have to watch it again to be sure. But that's a re-viewing I look forward to.

My favorite moment was
when Bell 1 drove the rover, contacted his daughter, and then started sobbing, pounding his fists against the seat and crying, "I want to go home." Completely sympathetic, doubly so when I remembered that's a home he's never been to.

Got me thinking about the past decade of science-fiction. There was a lot of great stuff, be it high-action space-opera or low-key "hard" sci-fi.

[Morris Schæffer]

Thinking back on that fave moment of yours, Damu, and how I initially found the two Bell's conversing a bit banal, I've gotta say that a rewatch might reap some rewards for me. The movie wasn't entirely clear to me when it ended, I hadn't quite grasped its emotional reach, but came around a bit when I read this entire thread.

[balmakboor]

I too loved this. Very smart and certainly one of the performances of the year. Duncan Jones says in the interviews on the DVD that he already has a sequel in mind that'll take place on Earth during the same timeframe and will possibly feature a cameo with Sam (played by Sam). I'm really looking forward to that sequel.

[megladon8]

Wow, this was quite something.

I was a little worried that my guessing nearly every major plot-twist in the film after 20 minutes would ruin my enjoyment of it, but nope, Rockwell's performance in particular makes the whole thing engaging from start to end, regardless of how much you do or don't know about the plot.

Very good. Though I can't help being disappointed by the minuscule amount of Matt Berry.

[Henry Gale]

Very good. Though I can't help being disappointed by the minuscule amount of Matt Berry.

I started laughing with the biggest smile on my face the first time he showed up. Luckily the people I saw it with also love Darkplace, so I was actually able to quietly explain.

"One Track Lover" was still stuck in my head later that day.

[Mal]

I wanted to like this movie, but it reminded me of K-Pax in its failure of being anything but a mood piece (not for the Spacey factor). Rockwell was decent but I didn't find anything compelling nor interesting - feels too slight to really get its hooks in me by any means.

[Dukefrukem]

This was fantastic. Totally wasn't expecting this performance from Rockwell.

[Sven]

Found it.