Fingertips’ resident film expert Aidan Donavan takes a look at Duncan Jones’ minimalist sci-fi production Moon

This touching story of loneliness and isolation is much more than simply an indie sci-fi flick – it is both an underrated masterpiece and a mesmerising low-budget production which has gone back to the roots of what really makes great science-fiction.

Debut director Duncan Jones, son of rock legend David Bowie, has made a film far from being a space oddity but a shining example to the genre with stunning visuals and a thrilling story line – which like the classic Blade Runner – asks the question “what it is to be human?”

Sam Rockwell – best known for his turn in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind – is magnificent and thrives in the dual role written especially for him by Jones. Rockwell plays astronaut Sam Bell, whose three year stint mining energy on the moon is coming to an end.

However, seclusion has taken its toll on Bell who dearly misses his wife and daughter. His only companion is ship computer GERTY, voiced by Kevin Spacey.

After suffering an accident Bell recovers to find a duplicate of himself leading him to wonder who is really and who is the clone?
This movie is a real throwback to the great sci-fi films of the 1970s such as Soviet cinema masterpiece Solaris, Silent Running and Outland.

Jones, with a minimal budget of $5 million, moves away from the Hollywood glitz of CGI and instead uses miniature models to create an altogether more real environment.

As a director, he is a uniquely exciting prospect who seems to really appreciate the traditional values of the genre and I am looking forward to seeing what he is capable of next.

Moon is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray. For more news and views on the latest film releases check out Fingertips.net

Poco material esta saliendo por ahora de esta esperadísima secuela, fotos, alguna que otra visita al set de rodaje, mas fotos, mas visitas al set, y mas fotos.

Hoy nos llega lo que será la próxima portada de la revista Empire, que tiene al Hombre de Hierro como principal reclamo.

Recupero un par de imágenes que tenia por aquí guardadas sin haber publicado, en la que podemos ver a Stark en una cafetería con la armadura de Iron Man y varios pics de lo que será una línea de juguetes del film para ir haciéndonos una ligera idea de cómo será, por ejemplo, Don Cheadle como Maquina de Guerra.

Os dejo también un video piratón del footage mostrado en la pasada Comic Con de San Diego, cuyos últimos minutos son para mear y no echar gota, cuando salga en buena calidad no quiero ni imaginármelo…Maquina de Guerra va a repartir de lo lindo.

Numarul din ianuarie 2010 al revistei Emipire Magazine va avea pe coperta un nou poster pentru “Iron Man 2″.

De asemenea, in interiorul revistei, fanii filmului vor gasi si alte poze de promovare pentru Iron Man.

Filmul va aparea pe marile ecrane pe 7 mai, anul viitor, iar din distributie fac parte actorii: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson si Scarlett Johansson.

A lot of people haven’t even heard of the movie “Moon” with Sam Rockwell.  In fact, if you google “Moon movie poster” it actually brings up “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” search results.  It’s like this movie kinda doesn’t exist.  ”Moon” is a science-fiction indie flick that was released this past July.  It was fantastic.  Brilliant.  Beautiful.  The main movie poster was pretty gorgeous too.  Making my search rounds today, I stumbled across a couple of unreleased posters made for “Moon” that are 100 times better than most posters today.  Seeing posters like these give me hope that commercial design isn’t without talent and creativity.  Then I remember that these were trashed ideas.  And I feel sad again.  Enjoy work like this…while it lasts…

Empire magazine is featuring Iron Man 2 as the main article in their forthcoming January issue. Today they unveiled the cover for this new issue complete with the man of iron himself. I must say it looks amazing.

The movie from director Jon Favreau sees Robert Downey Jr. back as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow back as his lovely assistant Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle replace as Terrence Howard as Lt. Col. James Rhodes/War Machine. There are also some new characters including Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow played by Scarlett Johansson, Justin Hammer played by Sam Rockwell and Ivan Vanko/Whiplash played by Mickey Rourke.

It’s in cinemas from May 5th, 2010 and is sure to be one of my favourite movies of next year.

Soffocare è un film del 2008 diretto da Clark Gregg. Il film è interpretato da Sam Rockwell e Anjelica Huston. La produzione ha avuto luogo nel New Jersey nel 2007.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Clark Gregg | Sam Rockwell | Anjelica Huston | Kelly Macdonald

“Moon” directed by debutant Duncan Jones is a collection of imagination pertaining to the future where earth’s required energy source helium-3 is extracted from moon and sent across for humans to utilize it. This movie set in the genre of sci-fiction stands out from the crowd by virtue of sheer imagination and exemplary acting in the character of a lone man played by Sam Rockwell stationed in Moon to oversee the mining of helium-3. Director Duncan Jones has to be applauded for his spectacular effort in this “Moon”. Read More

Directed By: David Gordon Green
Written By: David Gordon Green; Based On The Novel By: Stewart O’Nan
Cinematography By: Tim Orr

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Thirlby, Amy Sedaris, Tom Noonan, Nicky Katt

I consider this a coming of age film less for centering around kids which most coming of age films caress at the center even though this film does have teenage characters this is more of a coming of age film for the adults who populate this story it is a sobering story that shows that most of these characters in there own way need to grow up and are in the process of doing it.

The main story of annie and Glen are like two characters who populate a country song once in love and as they grow older seperate but find they need each other because the days of dreams are coming to a end and reality is hitting hardcore. I think there story will ring true with a lot of audience members as it is a story that is happening more and more in different cultures around the world.

The film just like it’s snowy scenery has a emotional coldness and stillness that adds a hovering cloud of doom and desperation that is a cloud that never leaves this film.

The True Revelation here is Kate Beckinsale I have never really seen her in a dramatic part before and she goes with full flying colors she is excellent especially in the quiet emotional moments she has as much talent as she has beauty. Not that the rest of the cast is weak it is surprising to see Amy Sedaris who I have only seen in comedies in a dramatic part for once it’s a nice change. Sam Rockwell is good but I have come so accustomed to seeing him do great in any role he has taken it’s just a given he is going to be excellent why he is not touted in the same great acting circles as Ryan Gosling and Leonardo Dicaprio is puzzling maybe because he is rarely in studio films and constantly is working in the independent film arena.

David Gordon Green continues his style as the modern equivalent to Terrence Malick as chronicler of small town American life and exposes more of the reality of the situations that characters find themselves in without overdoing it as much as mainstream cinema will allow. I mean he doesn’t make Mumblecore movie about hipsters or go with ultra realism as Kelly Richert director of old joy but he definatley has a original voice all his own when it comes to cinema he is a gifted director and this film isn’t a disappointment not as good as his previous work but a good standard 

I say rent but prepared it’s not a feel good film which makes it all the more realistic people don’t pay for being wrong or bad life just goes on nothing comes out the way you expect it too.

GRADE:  B-

I recently saw Pandorum and with that whole space craziness in mind, plus that dreadful tag line “The hardest thing to face… is yourself“, I didn’t have much hopes for this movie. Cast Away has taught me that I’m not a big fan of these one-man show. I love Tom Hanks, but no thanks.

To my surprise Moon is nothing like the movies mentioned above. This is modern Science Fiction at its best. It’s human greediness and blind power with no prejudices. Weak humans is what we are, always going back to the same flaws. Without giving too much away, in a future, we have finally found a new source of reliable and infinite energy for our daily consumption – Helium 3. This energy can be harvested from the moon surface and shipped back to earth. Sam Bell, played by Sam Rockwell, has a 3 year contract to be in charge of the base. His only company throughout this sojourn has been that of Gerty, the base’s HAL-like robot voiced by Kevin Spacey. That’s all I’m saying.

An incredible performance by Sam Rockwell. Amazing subtle (and not so subtle) differences in… let’s say, character and a 3 year expiration date… I don’t want to spoil the ride. It’s a different, thought provoking movie that will make you wonder the possibilities and extent of human nature.

The body of Jesse James is photographed for the history books in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford".

(Andrew Dominik, 2007)

November 18, 2009

by Joel Crary

At the end of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance”, James Stewart has finished relaying his story of gunning down the infamous outlaw for a reporter, finally coming clean that it was John Wayne whose aim was true. It won’t fly in the press, the reporter famously asserts: “This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” In spite of its wonderful cinematography and a great performance by Casey Affleck, I was thoroughly let down by “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”. It makes the mistake of printing the facts, and too many at that.

The film stars Brad Pitt as the outlaw and he’s just fine in the role. Jesse snarls and acts kind of nuts and seems dangerously unpredictable. He’s a hero to the young Ford (Affleck), who desperately wants to join his gang. Indeed, Affleck plays the role with a pitiable brilliance – in one scene, he forks over all of the knowledge he’s gained about Jesse from the pulp paperbacks that he keeps in a shoebox under his bed, drawing comparisons to himself down to the number of letters in their respective older brothers’ names.

Jesse laughs in his face. We kind of want to see him get his due, and this is one of the film’s faults – it can’t commit to supporting either of its protagonists. There is no indication of why Jesse is the way he is. Keeping him a mystery would be fine if Ford were the focus of the narrative, but for the film’s first half, which casts its net too widely in needlessly trying to establish supporting characters, he is not. Finally, Ford jumps into action, dispatching Jesse’s cousin Wood (Jeremy Renner) in a gunfight that he had no part in. The kid might have the guts to fire on Jesse after all.

By the gunfight scene, the film had worn me down with its pacing, which is far too gradual and ultimately causes its structure as a whole to collapse from underneath itself. The last half hour offers a potentially fascinating conclusion, but compared to how the film has told the story to that point, everything ends up feeling rushed and superficial. Andrew Dominik, who based his script on the novel by Ron Hansen, would have been wiser to vary his approach with regard to timelines. All of the moments he chooses to chronicle, such as Wood and Dick Liddil’s (Paul Schneider) romp up to Jesse’s uncle’s house and Jesse’s relation of his execution of Ed Miller (Garret Dillahunt) to Robert’s brother Charley (Sam Rockwell), might have indeed been necessary, but they aren’t placed in a relation to one another that makes them seem particularly relevant to the plot.

Dominik implements a narrator to poetically describe his characters’ lives and internalized feelings to the point of absurdity. In one scene, Ford paces around Jesse’s house from room to room while the narrator details every move he makes, even though they are plainly visible, robbing Affleck of the chance to communicate his mindset physically. This exhibits only a cowardice in technique, not in Robert Ford. The narrator describes Jesse’s home life. A good thing, too, because there would be hardly any indication that he had one otherwise. Poor Mary-Louise Parker is given precious little to do in her role as Mrs. James other than to shriek in horror upon his assassination, the one plot element that holds interest when nothing else of interest really presents itself.

“Assassination” is ultimately a story about how a man like Jesse James, who masterminded nearly 30 holdups, who outsmarted many men to their deaths in the violent environment of the old West, who trusted only two men in 10,000, and then not by much, could be shot by a punk kid with a crush on him. It takes an interesting turn in depicting the aftermath, but the slow buildup to the shooting doesn’t allow the film’s conclusions regarding Ford’s character to carry much dramatic weight. Jesse and Ford’s relationship is key, but the film spends far too much time diverting from it in order to pay attention to every single facet of the historical circumstances. In the telling of a legend, that’s wholly unnecessary. In the relating of fact, it’s tedious.

Foi, para mim, a maior revelação desta 3ª edição do Estoril Fim Festival. Duncan Jones assina a realização e Nathan Parker o argumento de “Moon”, premiado, entre outros, no Festival Sundance. O filme conta com a excelente interpretação de Sam Rockwell, actor que já deu provas de grande talento em filmes como o belíssimo “À Espera de um Milagre” (1999) e que aqui, à maneira de um Tom Hanks em “O Náufrago” (2000) faz praticamente todo o filme sozinho e ainda se multiplica em diferentes (?) personagens.

O filme não é só privilégio de quem foi ao festiva, porque estreou esta semana nos cinemas nacionais. De resto, vale a pena ler o comentário de João Lopes no Sound & Vision sobre o filme (entre outras coisas) que eu sublinho e assino por baixo. Trailler aqui.

Ecco il primo trailer italiano del film di Duncan Jones. In uscita il 4 dicembre e già recensito in anteprima da Stanze di cinema.

Buenas de nuevo, cuándo uno ve una película como esta se pregunta….. como coño hago yo una reseña de esta película, lo jodido de esta película es que como mucho puedo contar el 5% de la peli para no joderosla, aunque tampoco no os la recomiendo ya que me ha aburrido soberanamente.

Sam Bell

Por suerte vi esta película en Sitges con nuestros compañeros los criticonos, y tengo que reconocer que me pase un ratito sobando debido al cansancio y al aburrimiento en general que me causó esta película, aunque he hecho un acto de fe y para poderos hacer una reseña realista he vuelto a ver esta película, pero esta vez doblada al castellano.

Película dirigida por Duncan Jones, segunda película dirigida por este director, la primera fue Whistle en 2002, gracias IMDB por indicarme una película la cuál no veré. La historia original es de Duncan Jones por supuesto y el screenplay ha sido hecho por Nathan Parker.

Que puedo decir, la película me ha aburrido igualmente aunque no estaba cansado esta última vez, y sobretodo pierde mucho vista en castellano, sobretodo una vez has oído a Kevin Spacey hacer la voz del ordenador Gerty 3000, que ha sido lo único que me ha gustado de la película.

La historia nos presenta a Sam Bell, interpretado por Sam Rockwell, pues resulta que Sam está trabajando en una estación lunar donde se extrae la el material que se forma por la radiación el sol sobre la superficie lunar, llamado Helio 3. Esta estación lunar genera el 70% de energía que consume el planeta Tierra.

La empresa encargada de la estación y de la misión de extracción se llama Lunar Industries (ingenioso nombre, no creéis?), cuyo eslogan es “Sun, moon, earth, energy, future”.

El contrato de Sam consta de 3 años y le quedan un par de semanas para volver a casa, durante la misión recibe y emite videos para su família, pero justo cuándo quedaba ná o menos para jubilarse (Arma Letal power!!!) va y se estampa con su vehículo lunar por culpa de ver visiones supuestamente por el tiempo que lleva aislado hablando sólo con su ordenador guardián Gerty. Y aquí es donde la historia se complica…..

Gerty 3000

Y aquí acaba mi mini resumen sobre la película, la cuál ha ganado el premio de Sitges de este año, sintiéndolo mucho no puedo estar en más desacuerdo con este premio ya que competía con grandes películas que a mi parecer han sido muy superiores a Moon.

ARGH!!! Does anyone know how to kill these little fuckers?  I am being eaten alive!!!

Here’s what I’ve seen of late.

Paranormal Activity.  Does it live up to it’s hype?  No.  Is it a good movie? Yes.  Well made film shot for $11,000 about to break 100 mill in the US.

This is it.  Michael Jackson.  The Legend.  Love this guy ever since I was a kid.  If you haven’t seen him in concert you have to see this movie.  It’s raw footage from rehearsals but you get to see effects and hear complete songs. Great film.

The Box.  Typical Pretentious shit.  Langella offers Diaz a box.  Hit the button the box and receive a million dollars.  The catch is someone you don’t know will die.  Chaos ensures.  Marsden and Langella were good.

Capitalism.  Man, I bet Michael Moore wishes it was 2004 again.  Fuck he has had his day.  This piece of shit was so one sided it wasn’t funny.  It was way to long and repetitive.  Crap.

2012.  Crappy dialogue and characters but AMAZING effects.  The destruction kicked ass.  Ran for 2 and half hours and I was entertained through out.  Good movie if you like your typical Hollywood stuff. (which I love).

Moon.  Sam Rockwell and the voice of Kevin Spacey are isolated on the moon for a 3 year assignment.  Moon (can’t be bothered looking up his name) is about to head home when shit starts to hit the fun. I enjoyed it. I think to many people are claiming it’s brilliance because it was directed by a Pom, but still good none the less (is that one word or three?)

Couples Retreat.  Swingers.  Made.  Couples Retreat.  Favreau and Vaughn?  What the fuck happened?  Talk about a decline.  The only good thing about this is Kristen Davis is amazingly fucking hot!

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.  Ledgers last film.  Typical weird ass Gilliam shit, which is great.  I really enjoyed this film.  Ledger was great as was Plummer, Troyer, Depp, Farrell and Tom Waits.

A Christmas Carol.  Good film.  Good motion capture.  You could so tell it was Jim Carrey. lol.  Very faithful to Dickens book.  Wasn’t very Christmasy though.  I like this story for it’s Christmas feel but this version didn’t seem to have it.  I prefer the Mickey Mouse or Peter Venkmen one.  Robert Zemekis……PLEASE GO BACK TO MAKING REAL LIFE MOVIES!! I like your motion capture but I want to see another back to the future, Contact, Forrest Gump, or Used cars out of you!

I’m sure I’ve seen more but I can’t think of them.
Ok…here are the spoilers!! BEWARE!!!!!

Paranormal Activity.  It’s not ghosts. It’s demons.  She becomes possessed and kills him in the end.

This is it.  I LOVE Thriller!. (worst. spoiler. ever)

The Box.  Marsden kills Diaz in return for there sons sight and hearing being returned (don’t ask).  I think Langella was sent by Aliens to test if the human race is worth saving?

Capitalism.  We love money.  Moore’s pr stunts are shit.

2012.  Glover dies.  Harrelson (ugh!) dies.  The world is destroyed then flooded (except for Africa).  The human race is saved as 400,000 people plow into man made arks.

Moon.  He’s a clone.  Every 3 years one dies out and they replace him.

Couples Retreat.  Favreau and Vaughn know how to spend months on a tropical island with there pals and have a studio pick up the tab.

Dr Parnassus.  Plummer’s (Parnassus) daughter goes to hell.  The devil (Waits) will return her to earth if Plummer can help the devil get Ledgers soul (which he does).

A Christmas Carol.  Tiny Tim doesn’t die.  Everyone calm the fuck down! He doesn’t die!!!

feeling alone...

mencoba menonton film yang dibintangi oleh sam rockwell ini, bercerita ketika bumi sudah mendapatkan energi yang didapatkan dari permukaan bulan, energi yang disebut helium-3, sementara itu di bulan, energi ini diambil dengan cara diharvest, oleh seorang manusia, yaitu sam bell yang diperankan sangat apik oleh sam rockwell, yap, dia sendirian diatas bekerja untuk menambang energi untuk dikirim ke bumi.

kesendiriannya dengan ditemani seorang robot pembantu yang setia yang ternyata diisi suaranya oleh kevin spacey bernama gerty. 3 tahun sam berkerja di bulan, dan ketika 2 minggu lagi tugasnya akan berakhir, dia mulai menemukan fenomena aneh, ketika itu dia melihat orang lain, padahal disana hanya ada dia seorang, siapakah orang yang dilihatnya itu, apakah sam berhalusinasi? jawabannya akan anda temukan ketika menonton film sederhana tapi mengagumkan ini.

kesendirian di film ini digambarkan begitu apik, hehe, bagaimana tidak, saya hampir merasakan bagaimana rasanya bekerja diatas bulan sendirian selama 3 tahun, mungkin itu bisa membuat saya gila, tapi sam rockwell yang notabene dia kebanyakan bermain di film ringan dan komedi menunjukan bahwa akting kesendiriannya disana bisa diacungi jempol, yap, jika anda ingin merasa sendirian dulu, coba saja tonton MOON ini.

Everybody’s Fine è un imminente remake del film di Giuseppe Tornatore Stanno Tutti Bene che è scritto e diretto da Kirk Jones e stelle Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore e Kate Beckinsale.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Avventura | Commedia | Drammatico | Kirk Jones | Robert De Niro | Drew Barrymore | Kate Beckinsale | Sam Rockwell

Para abrirse camino en esa jungla que es la industria del cine, no vienen mal ni una mano amiga ni una pizca de suerte. Duncan Jones se topó con la segunda y un servidor no está del todo seguro si contaba con la primera. Digamos que, siendo hijo del cantante David Bowie, es posible que o bien papá le abriera alguna puerta o su parentesco con un famoso del artisteo obrara a modo de primer empujón. O tal vez no: tal vez el pobre Duncan ha tenido que luchar toda su vida (38 años tiene) contra el prejuicio de ser “hijo de”. En cuanto a la suerte, al parecer la ya superada huelga de guionistas, que coincidió con su rodaje, le vino de perlas: con el resto de proyectos paralizados, y a pesar de ser el suyo de modesta envergadura, pudo disponer de algunos de los mejores efectivos del departamento de efectos especiales de los Estudios Shepperton.

Y no es cuestión baladí esta última, teniendo en cuenta que Moon (2009), como su nombre ya nos hace barruntar, discurre por los senderos de la ciencia-ficción. Por cierto que los citados efectos son impecables y, sin duda, contribuyen a elevar la categoría del producto. Dicho de otra forma: lo que era un buen guión, con un interesante planteamiento y un más que sugerente desarrollo, creció exponencialmente al no verse obligado el amigo Duncan a colocar unas cuantas cajas de cartón a modo de base lunar. Ahí, en la base, es donde vive nuestro protagonista, Sam Bell, el único encargado de supervisar la extracción del material con el que la Tierra ha solucionado sus problemas de energía y, de paso, de polución. El hombre lleva una vida aburrida que consiste en comprobar que todo va bien y, de cuando en cuando, enviar el producto a nuestro planeta. Su única compañía es un robot, Gertie, más bien un par de brazos y un armazón con emoticono (original detalle), nada de C3POs, al que en la versión original pone voz Kevin Spacey (!).

Sentadas las bases, el primer tramo del film apunta dos ideas: una, la de que estamos ante una one-guy movie, lo cual no deja de ser cierto pero da pie a un giro argumental inesperado y que no desvelaremos porque ahí está el meollo de Moon; y dos, que eso de que al protagonista le entre la vena paranoica y empiece a ver / oír cosas está un pelín manido y amenaza con arrastrar la cinta al fango de lo previsible… algo que, mediante ese giro ya citado, no llega a ocurrir. Resumiendo, Moon no es lo que parece y ahí reside la gracia.

Parte de la culpa, buena parte, la tiene Sam Rockwell, un tipo más conocido en el mundillo indie que en el mainstream, por más que de vez en cuando se enrole en producciones al más puro estilo Hollywood, como aquella vez en que encarnó a un preso loco en La Milla Verde. Rockwell, actor de carácter, es perfecto para soportar sobre sus hombros el peso de la función y, más aún, su fisonomía, con cierto aire entre despistado y chalado, viene al pelo para los propósitos de Duncan Jones. Su papel tiene aún mayor mérito por culpa de ese giro en la trama que, insisto, no vamos a destapar, pero vaya por delante que le obliga a un sobreesfuerzo del que sale muy bien parado.

Para Moon fueron la mayoría de los premios en el reciente Festival de Sitges, donde causó sensación. No es 2001 ni Alien, por supuesto, tampoco Blade Runner, pero como primera película, Duncan Jones puede sentirse más que satisfecho porque, más allá del resultado formal, que es encomiable, demuestra algo que escasea desde hace años en la Meca del Cine: ganas de arriesgar e innovar, de ser original, por más que el punto de partida tampoco sea nada del otro mundo. Moon se ve con agrado y no es coto exclusivo de fans de la ciencia-ficción. En sus imágenes se reconocen buen gusto y saber hacer. Dos pilares que hablan de una carrera, a poco que se lo curre, prometedora para el hijo de Bowie; perdón, Duncan Jones.