2009 A Moon Odyssey (Spoilers)

Other than my title I am going to try and review Duncan Jones directorial debut Moon (2009) without referencing or debating any of the dozens of Sci-Fi films it pays homage too/rips off. I think Moon is strong enough to deserve a review on its own and I shall give it one.

Apparently in the near future a large percentage of our energy will be harvested from the moon. The work is done by mostly machines but one man needs to be stationed up there for three years to oversee the smoothness of the operation. Sam Bell is that unlucky man and he is played by Sam Rockwell. The basic premise of the film is irrelevant other than to put a man alone, in an isolated position for an inordinate amount of time. Bell's only companion is GERTY, a robot who runs the ship, and is voiced by Kevin Spacey. As the film progresses a possible plot hole involves GERTY's motivations/programing. How does GERTY's actions benefit the company he works for? It could be my expectations of what one thinks a HAL like robot (thats the only one) should be like, but it was one small thing that bothered me.

Where Moon becomes a great Sci-Fi film is in its astute questions and probing of humanity. With Science Fiction what you are ultimately doing is using the unrealistic to magnify the realistic, and in that vein Moon starts asking questions right from the beginning and continues throughout the film. The first major theme it explores is loneliness. We meet up with Sam in the last two weeks of his three year tour of duty. He has already started to go a little crazy, but his spirits are relatively high. The only connection with the earth and his loved ones is through prerecorded conversations sent back and forth. So essentially he has not spoken live with anyone for three years. I began asking myself if I could do that? At what point is loneliness worse than any disease?

Then not to much farther along we have the discovery. Bell finds his own body in the wreckage of a crash that took place. Now the films focus jumps from theme based to plot based. Why are there two Sam Bells? The film smartly doesn't let the question linger to long, as to frustrate the audience. We soon come to find out that the first Sam was meant to have died and this new Sam, a clone, is meant to have taken over for the next three years. We find out that his family, loved ones and life back on earth are just memories implanted in his brain. Then the real hard hitting questions start coming. What is it that makes us human? Memories? Shared past experiences? Are these Sam Bell clones even human? There are hundreds of them. Is it immoral to kill them off, if so, would it have been immoral for the two remaining Sam's to have killed one off to save themselves, the Sam's we as an audience grew attached too? The questions keep coming, and the intrigue behind them keeps us interested.

The ending of Moon felt a bit wasted. Jones had an opportunity to really pull at our heartstrings without being manipulative and couldn't find a way to really make that work. I mean how often do you have one man in a position to save or sacrifice his clone? Instead he sort of passively just lets it work itself out, and the doomed countdown doesn't feel as much of a pressure cooker as it should have.

I have mentioned a few times on this blog about the detriment that first time directors have had on their own work, but here Jones is perfectly suited to take this material and run with it. He does a fabulous job orchestrating what is one of the most minimal movies of the year. Everything about Moon is minimal and Jones is able to keep it engaging and rich. The score by Clint Mansell a guy I have mentioned before as one of my favorite composers (Requiem for a dream, The Fountain) adds another great piece of music to his resume. And all this was done for around 5 million dollars.

Last but not least is the great performance by Sam Rockwell. Rockwell is playing dual roles here and you can tell he is having fun with it. Never are you confused about which clone is which and most importantly he infuses a humanity and personality into each, that lets the audience ask these important questions. Rockwell deserves an Academy Award Nomination for his role in Moon, but unfortunately I know that did not happen.

As you can see I had a lot to say about this film. A better ending and it would have been an easy five star movie.

****

Macbeth Rewritten

Premonition is a dangerous game when it comes to storytelling but if you have a master storyteller like Akira Kurosawa then have no fear you are in for an amazing journey, even if the end is foretold. Throne of Blood (1957) works off a little known piece of work by one William Shakespeare, Kurosawa takes Macbeth and transforms it into a 15 Century film about one mans passive struggle to fulfill a ghostly foretelling of his future as king of the hallowed Spider Web Castle. Taketori Washizu, played by Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune is running scared the whole film. He feels trapped by the future and his wife's persistence on the truth of the premonition. Now the question becomes, was the premonition true, or did Washizu by his actions force the desired result?

Toshiro Mifune is perfect in this role. His larger than life actions and reactions suite his character. He is a man who's eyes are always possessed with fear and to look into them even for a second you know that he knows his doom is sealed. Another haunting and persuasive performance comes from Isuzu Yamada, the wife of Washizu. She acts as the catalyst for all that happens. She is both persistent and calculated, you as an audience member understand why Washizu follows her lead. She is the perfect contrast to the spirits in the film, she is like the living ghost, foretelling the future by forcing her hand.

Structurally Throne of Blood is a perfect film. It navigates its plot with a foreboding cloud lingering over it at all times. I often worry as a filmmaker how to deal with a story that is so heavily dependent on a passive unlikeable character (Through The Woods). Kurosawa does it by not drawing to much attention to that character and letting the ultimate sense of demise take over. Although, if there is one thing about the film that kept me from being overly engaged it is this lack of connection to any characters.

The combination of this perfect script along with Kurosawa's immaculate direction gives you a truly layered film. First of all, let me say, I don't know how this man uses so much fog. More importantly his direction is unique here in that he lets a lot play out in very wide open spaces. It is like the characters cannot escape the frame, and or their fate. Between the camera moves and the great minimalist set design, we as an audience feel just as trapped as the characters in the film.

The ending of Throne of Blood has to go down as one of the best endings of all times. The images of the fog and trees and Washizu's downfall are both simplistic and haunting. Yes it may be a sometimes slow ride to get to the ending, and some scenes do drag by todays standard, but as a whole it is a masterpiece.

****1/2

Top 5 Scenes of 2009

My own category

5. Shoot out Scene-Bad Lieutenant

I could watch it over and over again, as Nic Cage in all his crazy glory watches and laughs as a blood bath occurs around him. While we are at it, throw in a break dancing soul.

4. Expectations Vs. Reality-500 Days of Summer

This great split screen scene features Joseph Gordon Levitt battling his expectations in that harsh face of reality, welcome to my life.

3. The Discovery-The Road

Forget any horror film you have seen this year, nothing will scare you more than a gruesome discovery our protagonist stumble upon in The Road.

2. Sniper Scene and Opening Scene-The Hurt Locker

There is Hitchcockian tension in both these scenes. The better of the two is the Sniper Scene which not only features a cameo from Ralph Fiennes but some incredible tension and character development all rolled into one.

1. The Opening and Card Game Scene-Inglourious Basterds

Perfect filmmaking. Enough Said.

Honorable Mentions:

Opening Montage of UP

End of A Serious Man

Edward Norton Cameo in Invention of Lying

Don't screw with Demons

If a film was made for under a million dollars that is something to take into consideration when reviewing the movie. It seems like every ten years there is an ultra low budget horror movie that comes out and grosses itself over times 1000. In 1999 there was the Blair Witch Project and most recently there is the Spielberg backed Paranormal Activity (2007).

There are films like Avatar that seem to shatter my hope for a mass audience enjoying an independent film, so one would think that a film like Paranormal Activity would restore that hope, but its a double edged sword. Let me start out by saying that the film is executed nearly perfectly for the equipment and access Oren Peli the director had at his disposal during the shoot. At first the hand held, consumer camera is distracting and hard to take serious, but once you get used to it, you can enjoy the more supernatural parts of the story. The movie surrounds a young couple and there bouts with a demonic creature. The film is not nearly as frightening or engrossing as the brilliant marketing made it out to be, but it is intriguing and if I have said it once I will say it a thousand times, don't fuck with wigi boards, or don't go starting to looking into Satanic things if your not prepared to find something.

The reason I said earlier that when it comes to the popularity of films like Paranormal Activity that it is a double edge sword for independent filmmakers is because these type of films rely to heavily on gimmicks to lure their audience in. I don't think audiences are seeing this film for any other reason that A. it was sold to them, B. they wanted to be scared. They are certainly not going to go see this film because of an interesting story or new filmmaker that is doing something unique. That is also one of the reasons that this type of film happens only every ten years because it needs its freshness to sell that gimmick to an audience. I don't begrudge the filmmakers this, nor do I begrudge the studios selling the movie, I think where it hurts things is in main stream audiences expectations for ultra low budget films.

The best part of a film like Paranormal Activity is seeing what the filmmaker and cast are going to do next. I wish success to director Oren Peli as he continues to make movies. As far as the actors go it was clear that Katie Featherston was better than her counterpart Micah Sloat, and judging by there future lineup on IMDB, it looks like others agree with me.

Paranormal Activity is a fun exercise in style and budget. It wasn't nearly as frightening as it was made out to be, nor does it have repeat viewing appeal but the film did satisfy and for that it is recommended.

***

Best Actress 2009

Continue the should have beens...

There has been many complaints over the years that females don't get a fair shake at the great leading roles in Hollywood. I couldn't agree more. I have not seen Julie and Julia or The Blind Side so I can't vouch for Meryl or Sandra but even with those two out of my race I only have 3 other nominees and one is technically 2008.

3. Tilda Swinton- Julia

Not a great movie, a bit over the top with the performance, but good enough to make this limited list.

2. Gabourey Sidibe-Precious

I mentioned in my review that I hoped the Academy would not over look her great soul sucking subtle performance. They did not.

1. Carey Mulligan-An Education

She is so captivating, smart, and innocent in this film about the dangers of growing up. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Honorable Mentions:

None

Et, Tu Bruno

Sacha Baron Cohen takes uncomfortable to a new level in his follow up to the immensely successful Borat, with Bruno (2009). For those who don't know Cohen plays the title character a gay Austrian fashionista who tries to make everyone feel uncomfortable about his sexuality.

I have always been impressed with Cohens go for broke performances. He really does know what he is doing and what he is trying to get at, unfortunately in Bruno what he is going for is humiliation and awkward moments, not social commentary. In Borat we saw him cross over that line a couple times but for the most part he was able to make a point about intolerance and bigotry. In Bruno I think that was his ultimate goal but he really failed miserably. I think he just assumed that his audience was going to take for granted that he was working for the greater liberal good, I certainly didn't. I mean really, is Ron Paul the bigot for getting upset at a man for putting him in a closed hotel room and then coming onto him and taking off his pants. There was also a section with some "redneck" hunters who for all intensive purposes would be the antithesis of homosexuals and be the poster boys for gay haters. They actually come across much better than Cohen had hoped, to the point where I was amazed they didn't punch him out, I certainly would have.

There is a segment of Cohens television show with his Bruno character that is better and more poignant than this whole movie. In this segment Bruno is interviewing a bunch of frat guys and making them do provocatively gay gestures and when in the end it is revealed they are doing it for gay television the frat guys flip out. It is simple, hilarious and makes a point. Bruno on the other hand is overt and over the top.

I am not saying there are no funny parts of this movie, because there are. Its just if you are going to go this balls out (literally) have some more depth and in a weird way, conviction. Don't just try to shock and awe us, but try to make a point. Also, I don't know exactly how Cohen works, but even more than Borat he blurs the line between fact and fiction. Concocting almost exactly what he wants in every scene.

I say that if you really want to see an inappropriate movie trying to make a point then just go rent Borat.

**

Best Supporting Actress 2009

What it should have been.....

5. Kristen Stewart-Adventureland

Shut Up! I totally fell for her in this movie, hair twirling and all.

4. Anna Kendrick-Up in The Air

Kendrick is able to walk a line between idealist, professional and romantic perfectly.

3. Julianne Moore-A Single Man

I may have said in my review that she is not stretching herself in this performance, but even an non-streched Julianne Moore is that good.

2. Vera Farmiga-Up In The Air

She handles warmth, sexuality, and deceit with such ease.

1. Monique-Precious

Too explosive, evil and layered to ignore. Had it been a seasoned actress who gave this performance not a negative word would be said.

Honorable Mentions:

Zoey Deschanel-500 Days of Summer

Diane Kruger-Inglourious Basterds

Maggie Gyllenhaal-Crazy Heart

Melanie Laurent-Inglourious Basterds