[trailer] Moon

[Rumpy]

It has a 2001 vibe to it. Looks good. The robot reminds me of HAL.

[Clanwolfer]

Okay, to bring this back on topic!

Saw it this afternoon after work, and thought it was really good.  Yes, some of it was pretty predictable, but at no point was I waiting for the thing to end already.  I will say that it's not a movie that depends on a twist alone to entertain - you may have a pretty damn good idea of what's coming (the trailer plus the reviews leave little doubt), but the movie's not about just getting you to a twist, dumping you there and going 'Done!' - it has enough interesting things to say about what's going on after the fact to keep entertaining.  I will say that, for those of you afraid of it not making sense - it DOES lean towards answering questions instead of leaving them open, and there's definitely closure to the story - no space-baby mysteries here.

I thought some of the visual design was fantastic - they did a really good job with the external shots, giving a good sense of scale and desolation, and I loved the 'was once white and clean' run-down look of the base itself.  Score (by Clint Mansell) was well-paced.  Gerty was well-done and believable all-around (if you can accept its motivations), and there's a little touch near the end that I thought was just fantastic.  Running time was pleasantly tight - not a ton of wasted scenes here.

There are a few minor quibbles I have with the story, but they're not even worth saying in spoilers until some more people see this one.

Overall thought?  Go see it when you can, I think at worst you'll think it's a good film, and at best you'll think it's a great two-hours.  This one probably won't win any awards or change any lives, but it's overall a well-done and entertaining movie.

[EngineNo9]

Cool, thanks for the impressions Clanwolfer.  I'm not sure if I will see this in theaters (still haven't seen Terminator, Up, ...) but definitely looking forward to checking it out as soon as it hits DVD.

[CeeKay]

I'm hoping the local theater that gets all the oddball indie movies will get this one too.  heck, they're showing the Tyson movie starting Friday so the odds are good it'll end up there.

[Ironrod]

Today's Globe ran a short Q&A piece with Zowie Bowie -- erm, I mean, Duncan Jones. It's mostly a personality puff piece, but it has a couple of interesting tidbits:

Q. Talk a little about ‘‘Moon.’’ Though it has echoes of ‘‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’’ it’s actually influenced by other sci-fi films, correct?

A. Yes. It’s influenced by a group of films that includes ‘‘Outland,’’ ‘‘Silent Running,’’ and the first half of Ridley Scott’s ‘‘Alien,’’ which is very different from the horror film it ultimately turns into. In tone, those are the films Sam Rockwell and I are really into.

(...)

Q. You may get a chance. There’s a lot of online chatter about your next film, which is described as a sort of sequel to ‘‘Blade Runner.’’ And it’ll be filmed in Berlin, no less.

A. That’s what I’m hoping. I’m crossing my fingers that people will respond to ‘‘Moon.’’ But I wouldn’t say sequel. More like a love letter to ‘‘Blade Runner.’’ Berlin is a place I know fairly well from the unusual life I had growing up. I lived there when the wall was still up and you heard people getting shot trying to cross over.

I said earlier that the trailer reminded me of Silent Running, so I was gratified to see the conscious influence acknowledged. I see that Netflix now lists the DVD, so I'm glad that we'll be able to see it eventually.

[Isgrimnur]

My local artsy theater has Moon opening on July 3rd.  Yay!

[CeeKay]

woohoo! this is coming to a local theater on July 10th 

[Isgrimnur]

It has entered a slightly wider release today.

Release Dates

[JSL]

I might go see this tomorrow night. I noticed it has an R rating, is there any gore in it?

[pr0ner]

This movie is absolutely outstanding.

[ROTC1983]

I will try to catch it on Friday.  If I have to go myself to watch it, I will

[EngineNo9]

Looks like it's playing a a nearby theater, I may have to try and catch it this weekend.

[Isgrimnur]

I will try to catch it on Friday.  If I have to go myself to watch it, I will

What, does your designated movie watcher have the week off?

[ScubaV]

Just saw this yesterday.  Great movie.  It reminded me a lot of 2001, except that I hated 2001 and loved Moon.  I guess then I shouldn't be surprised that 2001 isn't listed by the director as one of the primary influences.  I look forward to seeing what else he puts out.

[Huw the Poo]

I saw this a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it.  Watched it again the following night too.  The director really captured the old sci-fi look and feel.  All the way through I was thinking of Silent Running so I was pleased to read he'd cited it as an influence.

The combination of the great soundtrack, Rockwell's superb acting, the general atmosphere and the fantastic GERTY made for an awesome film. 

[Turtle]

Yeah, this isn't a movie all about a big twist.  It's a movie that does a great job of posing questions about future technology in relation to human situations, like most good classic scifi does.

[leo8877]

Saw this last night.  It was an interesting flick.  I really liked the soundtrack.  I kind of had an idea what was coming, but not how far they took it.  Worth putting on Netflix imo.  Just don't expect much action.

[Pyperkub]

M-O-O-N, that spells Tom Cullen

[Ironrod]

Saw this last night.  It was an interesting flick.  I really liked the soundtrack.  I kind of had an idea what was coming, but not how far they took it.  Worth putting on Netflix imo.  Just don't expect much action.

It's at the top of my queue already because hey, Zowie Bowie's all growed up! I don't like action movies so this should be right up my alley.

[Isgrimnur]

Just got done watching it. It truly is a well done piece of film.  Everything was put together really well and didn' thave any real moments where it threw me off.  I highly recommend it.  My only regret is not helping it with its box office numbers.

[Ironrod]

I enjoyed it too. Cerebral sf is my favorite kind. If you make a couple of considerable leaps of faith that the premise asks of you, it's very well made. Technically speaking, I wish they'd made some show of 1/6 gravity inside the station, but I know the movie was made on a budget. The exterior shots were pretty good. It wasn't a great movie, but it's a very good movie. I look forward to Zowie's next work.

I saw a review somewhere that said it's loosely set in the 2001 Space Odyssey universe. The visual parallels are obvious. We know there were lunar operations in 2001, and this movie was made in 2009; when it takes place is never revealed. Their comm link is at Jupiter, where we know there was a mission in 2001.

[EngineNo9]

I just watched this one this weekend and enjoyed it as well.  It was less psychological thriller than the trailers led me to believe, but it had its own thing going for it.  I think Sam Rockwell did a very good job.

I don't know about being in the 2001 universe, but you could certainly see some direct influences from that one here.  It seems like they almost play that up in the beginning to get you thinking one way, and then it takes a back seat not long after the "other guy" enters the picture.

[Eduardo X]

After seeing this when it was released in Chicago last June, I was instantly frustrated that the movie wasn't more widely marketed. It deserves a huge release.
It was smart in design, in the utilitarian nature of the work on the moon, the psychology of Sam Rockwell's character and his meeting the other folks on the moon... etc. I loved it, and think it deserves better.

[Harkonis]

finally saw this and was very impressed.  favorite movie of the year

[LoneStarSpur]

Finally got to see this tonight. Really well done movie. Two thumbs up!

Loved the music. Visuals were good, particularly the moon shots where you could see the mining scars.

[CeeKay]

watched this last night, definitely liked it 

[Ragnarok]

Missed this thread.  I've had this one on standby for a while now.  Might have to give it a shot.

I was pretty young when I saw Silent Running and SaturnThree (Hector scared me too) but parts of them have stayed with me to this day and I love that Moon is influenced by them.

[Huw the Poo]

I was pretty young when I saw Silent Running and SaturnThree (Hector scared me too) but parts of them have stayed with me to this day and I love that Moon is influenced by them.

Heh.  Thanks to Moon I finally got around to buying Silent Running (it's as good as I remember it, too) and Saturn 3 is on my rental list.  The last time I saw that film I was a kid as well, and I found Hector scary as shit.  Can't wait to watch it again!

You're gonna love Moon.

[disarm]

i'm definitely late to the party, but i finally saw Moon this afternoon.  i think it's a really interesting movie and very high production quality for a so-called 'indie' picture.  the story does become pretty predictable once you learn the 'twist,' but the execution is so good that it doesn't really matter in the end.  i'm glad that i finally got to see this movie, but i'm a little disappointed that i wasn't able to do so at a time that my support would mean a little more...

[hispanicgamer]

Just added this to my Netflix instant play queue! Sweet!

[deadzone]

I really, really, enjoyed this movie.  Highly recommended!  Heck, my wife even liked it and she rarely likes anything I like.