Yesterday, I learned about a lunar eclipse by visiting Google. I felt ignorant for not knowing about it already, because I'm somewhat interested in astronomical happenings.
Unfortunately, it was not visible from the United States (which is probably why we didn't hear more about it on the news). But, in parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle-East, and Australia, they got quite a show. It was supposedly the longest eclipse in about 100 years. (nearly 2 hours)This brought to mind a film I saw a while back called, appropriately enough, Moon.
Moon director Duncan Jones does a fabulous job of capturing the weird loneliness that must accompany three years of solace aboard a Lunar station. Sam Rockwell does a fairly apt job of portraying Sam Bell, a guy working for the Lunar company called Helium 3 on a three year contract,...by himself. Utterly, absolutely alone in the vast void of outer space. His only company is the on board computer named "Gerty" (voiced by Kevin Spacey.) Gerty does keep him company, but since it's a robot, Gerty can only provide a sort of cold, utilitarian function. He helps Sam eat, get ready, and keeps him abreast of new lunar activities.
There are interesting twists and turns as we explore the motives of the mining company that put Sam on the moon for three years. As the end of his contract approaches, strange things begin to happen on the moon that may sabatoge his plans to return normally to Earth. As these events progress, (won't go into detail), I was caught up in the interesting ambiance and strange tone of this film. It is somewhere between art film and sci-fi suspense drama. overall, it is an interesting and fairly unique sci-fi story that is worth one watch. The down side is, it is lacking in much humor or joy. The story gets more intense as it progresses. If you're in the mood for some serious sci-fi, check it out.
my rating: 3 out of 5
Unfortunately, it was not visible from the United States (which is probably why we didn't hear more about it on the news). But, in parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle-East, and Australia, they got quite a show. It was supposedly the longest eclipse in about 100 years. (nearly 2 hours)This brought to mind a film I saw a while back called, appropriately enough, Moon.Moon director Duncan Jones does a fabulous job of capturing the weird loneliness that must accompany three years of solace aboard a Lunar station. Sam Rockwell does a fairly apt job of portraying Sam Bell, a guy working for the Lunar company called Helium 3 on a three year contract,...by himself. Utterly, absolutely alone in the vast void of outer space. His only company is the on board computer named "Gerty" (voiced by Kevin Spacey.) Gerty does keep him company, but since it's a robot, Gerty can only provide a sort of cold, utilitarian function. He helps Sam eat, get ready, and keeps him abreast of new lunar activities.
There are interesting twists and turns as we explore the motives of the mining company that put Sam on the moon for three years. As the end of his contract approaches, strange things begin to happen on the moon that may sabatoge his plans to return normally to Earth. As these events progress, (won't go into detail), I was caught up in the interesting ambiance and strange tone of this film. It is somewhere between art film and sci-fi suspense drama. overall, it is an interesting and fairly unique sci-fi story that is worth one watch. The down side is, it is lacking in much humor or joy. The story gets more intense as it progresses. If you're in the mood for some serious sci-fi, check it out.
my rating: 3 out of 5
I watched this for the first time a couple of months ago. It was Tim's Netflix instant pick one night, and I have to say, my initial reaction was to prepare myself to tolerate it. I generally can't stand movies set in small enclosed spaces for the majority of the running time (Breakfast Club notwithstanding). But I was pleasantly surprised. This film dealt with some pretty deep themes concerning the nature of humanity in an interesting way. I was pretty moved by Sam's plight and by GERTY's compassion for him. Also, I thought Sam Rockwell was pretty great.
ReplyDeleteCool! It is a very thought-provoking film. I enjoyed it, but it also made me sad. I feel like it's a bit harsh toward "evil" companies who will do anything to continue. Although, I have had some experience with that. It did have some things to say about humanity, I never thought about it like that. Very cool.
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