Moon

Film: Moon (2009)
Dir: Duncan Jones
Rating: ****1/2 out of 5 stars

You will remember Duncan Jones' name after seeing this film. The former "Zowie Bowie" has officially escaped his father's shadow and firmly established himself as a filmmaker to be recognized. His feature debut Moon is a simple but effective sci-fi thriller. While it may evoke comparisons to genre classics like Solaris and 2001: A Space Odyssey, it truly stands alone, with stellar writing, chilling music, and an unforgettable performance by Sam Rockwell.

Sam Bell (Rockwell) is coming to the end of his three-year contract with Lunar Industries. He was contracted to single-handedly man a space station that harnesses energy from the Earth's moon. His only companion is a computer called GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). After three years alone in space, Sam is literally counting the days until he can return to his wife and daughter on Earth. But when his rover accidently collides with a harvesting machine, Sam awakens in the infirmary with limited memory. Strange things begin to occur, but what Sam finds when he leaves the space station makes him question his job, GERTY, and his own identity.

While the trailer gives away far more plot than I just did, I think it's best to see Moon without knowing much about it. The script is penned by Nathan Parker and based on a story by Duncan Jones. At its most basic level, the film is about the loneliness and isolation of outer space, and the madness it creates. It has all the sci-fi elements we expect - an eerie, almost asylum-like spaceship; a computer that is too helpful for comfort; and a shady corporation pulling the strings. But Moon also packs a powerful message about the value of human life, and what differentiates us from machines.

Rockwell gives the performance of his lifetime as the lonely space contrator, Sam. I've always loved the guy, but he truly deserves some award recognition here. For starters, he has very emotional conversations with actors who aren't actually there, since Rockwell is his only co-star for much of the film. Furthermore, he plays vastly different character types, each with complete conviction. If this man gets overlooked come award season, it will be nothing short of a crime.

Lastly, I need to mention the beautiful, haunting score by Clint Mansell, who has rapidly become a favorite composer of mine. You have probably heard similar music of his in Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain. His music in Moon is perfect for the film's tone and content.

This is not a film to be missed. Go see it. Now. And on your drive home, stop and pick up the official soundtrack, too. Thank me later.

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Star Trek

Film: Star Trek (2009)
Dir: J.J. Abrams
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars



Let's get this out of the way now: I have never liked Star Trek in any form. It always seemed silly and boring to me, and my affinity for the Star Wars universe never helped either. So I was more surprised than anyone at how AMAZING this movie is. Seriously, I cannot find a single flaw with it. And it has done the unthinkable - made me actually interested in Trek mythology!

What does not surprise me is that Lost creator J.J. Abrams is the man behind this great movie. He has created a modern Trek film that is not only loyal to its origins but also exciting, funny, and smart. If you do not have fun watching this flick, something is seriously wrong with you.

The story begins with George Kirk saving the crew of the U.S.S. Kelvin after a Romulan attack. At the same time, his son James T. Kirk is being born. Twenty-some years later, Jim Kirk is a smart but rebellious Iowa farmboy who gets recruited into the Starfleet Academy. There he meets the members of his future Enterprise crew - Uhura, McCoy, Spock, Chekov, and Sulu. However, the events do not occur quite as we know them, since the aforementioned Romulan attack has altered the course of history. It is now up to Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew to stop the rogue Romulans who are out to destroy Vulcan, Earth, and all the other Federation planets.

Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have crafted a clever script that is remarkably consistent, plausible, and surprisingly faithful to Trek mythology despite changing it. They carefully cover their tracks. Even when the events stray from the original series, they explain exactly how this change has occurred and why. The writers also make sure to throw in LOTS of references for the fans. Even an anti-Trekkie like myself picked up on a few nerd references. And I have to admit, even I popped a few nerd boners during the film. It's impossible not to!

Visually, Star Trek is stunning. I love Abrams' style, which has a subtle hand-held quality. Often times, objects gets in the way of the camera, or it zooms in like a home video recording. It feels very unique and personal, and I am surprised it works so well for a big sci-fi action movie. Furthermore, the visual FX are perfect. All the space ships, alien makeup, and blackhole FX looked fantastic.

Now my favorite aspect of the film - the cast. Everyone payed great homage to their predecessors without completely ripping them off. I thought it was necessary to impersonate them a little, since they are playing younger versions of those original actors, but they did not overdo it and brought their own charisma to the roles. Karl Urban is especially fantastic as Leonard "Bones" McCoy, thus proving what I already knew - this guy really has more potential than his choices of roles would indicate (Pathfinder, ugh). I also loved Chris Pine, who nailed the cocky charm of Kirk. I officially forgive him for Just My Luck. And Smokin' Aces. Yes, he's that good. He has great chemistry with Bones and Spock, resulting in much of the film's ample humor.

I could go on forever about this movie, I really do love it. Comparisons have been made to last year's Iron Man, and that is a fair assessment. Both films are 100% excitement, humor and awesome visuals. If an ardent Trek-hater like me can love this movie, it is guaranteed to please everyone.

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