Moon: A review

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 10:24 am

Take two parts '2001: A Space Oddesy' and one part 'Outland', Sprinkle on a little 'Space 1999' and 'Silent Running' for taste. Add a twist of 'Castaway' and you've got 'Moon', the 2009 sci-fi un-blockbuster.
The main reason we watched this last night is because of our washing machine. Not how we watched it but why. Our son and his girlfriend live in a nice apartment across town. They come here (at our invitation) to do their laundry, because, A: it's free and B: it's free. Usually this is while we are both at work so either one of them is here alone.
The boy has installed teh Netflix on our PS3 so he can watch all his stuff while he's waiting for the spin cycle ect. ect. This came in very handy for us who want to watch a movie we haven't seen before. I spotted this title and suddenly remembered that I wanted to see this at some time, mostly because the miniature effects were supposed to be very good.
Now the story. No spoilers. It really doesn't have a twist ending or something like that, but it's good enough to keep the more interesting details off this review. Somehow I feel like Robert Heinlein wrote the screenplay. It's got some of that gee-whiz sci-fi thing and a darker view of humanity that he was so fond of writing about. He COULD have written it, is what I mean to say.
It's about Sam Bell and his three year contract to work at the energy base on the dark side of the moon. He only has two weeks to go before he is relieved and the next guy takes over. Sam's main job seems to consist of venturing outside and dealing with these large harvesters that drive around on pre-programmed travel paths and scoop up moon dirt. This dirt is then somehow processed into H-3 and then fired back to earth, thus solving 70 percent of the world's energy problems. Since the canisters of this H-3 are only about three feet long and the average diameter of a dinner plate it's hard to see how they could supply us with so much energy, but that's neither here nor there. The point is is that it works.
So this Sam Bell is on the moon, all by himself for three years. His only companion is the robot entity GERTY who is a LOT like the Hal9000, only with a Wal-Mart face and a therapist attitude. And for a robot he gets around better than HAL ever did. Being alone for so long Sam has developed some very odd quirks and quite possibly a body odor problem. Now, at this point you are already seeing plot holes that you could drive a lunar rover through. My biggest issue was how could the energy company be stupid enough to put one single guy (who is responsible for 70 percent of the Earth's energy supply, remember) so far out of touch with everybody else. What if something bad happens to Sam. Which strangely enough, did.
The first bad thing is that the communication relay with Earth is broken so Sam can't talk to anyone else. It's been broken for a long time because supposedly the company is too cheap to fix it. (Too bad the company never installed color monitors on any of the moon-base video terminals either. Talk about cheapskates.) At one point Sam catches GERTY talking live to the company people. Which means that all is not as it seems. GERTY denies this, telling Sam that it's only a recording and what are you doing out of bed, you've just been in an accident, thus spiraling Sam down into a dark level of suspicion and general robot paranoia. When the machines start to lie you know bad things are a-happening. There's been an accident involving one of the huge dirt harvesters and Sam's lunar tow truck. Then things get weird.
The visuals are pretty much generic 2001 spaceship on the inside. They decided to skip the whole 1/6 gravity issue in favor of better drama, though. The gravity seems to be less only when Sam is suited up and outside the base. But then again, it's rather understated. Doesn't matter that much either way. The miniature visuals are much better. As good as you could get anyway, you can't help thinking (Godzilla!) when you see them but I guess that's true for ANY miniature set in a movie. It does give you a feel for how desolate a place the moon really is.

I give this movie four out of five beers for overall interest, storyline goodness and exposing just how low an energy company can be.

THE
EAGLE HAS LANDED
AARDVARK

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 10:03 am

I like any understated, quiet sci-fi movie that's done half decently. Moon qualifies.

The only thing was, you (I) keep expecting it to turn into a psychological thing, and then it never does. It's charmingly up-front about what it is.

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 6:50 pm

I so wanted there to be a fight between the two sams and GERTY. Some kind of divide and conquer thing that disables it (maybe with a shovel or something) and they find out all the bad stuff by poking through it's memory. The actual storyline was better, though.

I wish it had more memorable lines. Not cheesy stuff (like Ghostbusters or anything) but just understated stuff that would make the whole movie sparkle a little more.

THE
STOP HITTING YOURSELF
STOP HITTING YOURSELF
AARDVARK

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:10 pm

pinback wrote:I like any understated, quiet sci-fi movie that's done half decently. Moon qualifies.

The only thing was, you (I) keep expecting it to turn into a psychological thing, and then it never does. It's charmingly up-front about what it is.

Is there a list of movies in that particular genre? Moon, 2001, Sunshine, Alien... er.... Russian Sunshine... erm...

I think there should be a list of them. Posted somewhere. On the Internet.

cheech · Post by **cheech** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:47 pm

thats a lotta shit to write about that ball in the sky mang

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 4:34 pm

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:
pinback wrote:I like any understated, quiet sci-fi movie that's done half decently. Moon qualifies.

The only thing was, you (I) keep expecting it to turn into a psychological thing, and then it never does. It's charmingly up-front about what it is.
Is there a list of movies in that particular genre?

There IS NOW MOFOS:

Moon
2001
Sunshine
Dark Star
Alien
Solaris (old)
Solaris (new)
Silent Running

Uhhh.

There's prolbllby more. SOMEONE ADD TO THIS LIST. Event Horizon would be on it if it was 1) quieter, 2) better. But it's loud and stupid, so it misses out.

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 4:49 pm

Prolly a much larger list of loud and stupid sci-fi movies. treat the genre kindly is what I say.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 11:12 am

I'd never heard of "Silent Running." And now I have to see it.

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:15 pm

Ugh, I can never find ... OHHITHERE.

Code: Select all

--------------------
| Post Information |
--------------------
  Posted by............................&#58; The Jammy Dodger
  Compression method &#40;RAR/ZIP&#41;.........&#58; RAR
  File validation......................&#58; PAR2
  Part size............................&#58; 100mb
  Name of the part files...............&#58; silent_running.rar
  Number of files......................&#58; 82 + 14
  Total files size.....................&#58; N/A
  Burn tested..........................&#58; no
  Date of post &#40;d.m.y&#41;.................&#58; 11.4.2010
  Posted to............................&#58; alt.binaries.dvd   alt.binaries.movies
  Re-posting policy....................&#58; Extra PAR's upon request

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:22 pm

But Flack, taking it from Usenet would be an egregious act of defiance against corporations that are all too happy to engage our fellow Americans in lawsuits that destroy them financially and force them to bankruptcy.

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 2:07 pm

Hm, true that. I'll go check Redbox first.

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 2:38 pm

Besides the scene where Bruce Dern runs over the drone always makes me cry.

THE
IN SPACE NO ONE
CAN HEAR YOU
SLOBBER
AARDVARK

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:08 pm

I would appear I performed an egregious act of defiance against corporations that are all too happy to engage our fellow Americans in lawsuits that destroy them financially and force them to bankruptcy.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 5:56 pm

I saw Silent Running, but I don't remember any of it except the final shot. I actually don't remember if it's any good, but it always ends up on lists like this when people are trying to come up with decent sci-fi flicks that don't involve laser guns or people bleeding out of their eyes.

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 7:45 pm

It's a 1976 Ecology Now poster set in outer space. Too bad in space nobody can hear you protest. Not bad overall but certainly has a heavy handed theme. I like the drones. Think Star Wars proto-R2D2s

THE
NOT AS COOL
AARDVARK

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:33 pm

I am going to "grab" it right now. Can't make any promises as to when I might get a chance to see it. I still have Red Letter Media's "Feeding Frenzy" from months ago I have yet to enjoy.

Tdarcos · Post by **Tdarcos** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 3:11 pm

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:I'd never heard of "Silent Running." And now I have to see it.

It's a really good movie, it's probably one of Bruce Dern's best performances. He does play a psychopath so well (Coming Home and Black Sunday), and he kills one guy by choking him and two more by a very interesting method, I can't think of too many others that use this one. (I don't want to spoil the film too much.)

He plays it so well that despite the fact he's a triple murderer, by the end of the film you actually feel sorry for him.

Tdarcos · Post by **Tdarcos** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 3:20 pm

AArdvark wrote:It's a 1976 Ecology Now poster set in outer space. Too bad in space nobody can hear you protest.

You're also quoting from the poster for Outlands, the "Western in Space" where Sean Connery is a Federal Marshal at a mining colony on Mars.

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 3:50 pm

by a very interesting method

Millions of Japanese cant be wrong!

I was referencing the 'Alien' movie poster line; "In space, nobody can hear you scream."

Mars, Jupiter's moon Io, whatever, right? Some distant outer space setting.
Although there is an 'Outland' feel to 'Moon' where the bad guys are a-coming on the Twelve O' Clock high shuttle to kill Sam. Outland, of course it a retelling of the Gary Cooper classic 'High Noon' So there's the suspense angle.

THE
DEW NOT FORSAKE ME
AARDVARK

Knuckles the CLown · Post by **Knuckles the CLown** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:14 am

I liked Moon but I saw it at the "Little Theatre" in Rochester which ruined the movie. They sell pumpkin seeds and fiber instead of popcorn. One theatre there plays "An Incovienent Truth" on auto loop.