Moon

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🎙️ EPISODE 300: 01.24.2021 *Review starts @ ~ 2:02:42 Moon is a fantastic 2009 sci-fi movie. In a year when another film from the same genre, The Avatar, went on to worldwide box office domination and generally clean house on the awards show circuit (somehow), it's disappointing that this flick flew so far under the radar. Moon is bookended by a fake-infomercial introduction (for the fake moon rock harvesting company Lunar industries) and audio from various news outlets (think bullshit Fox talking head stuff, and angry talk-radio callers). These are really the only two moments we catch a glimpse of this future earth outside of our protagonist's very patchwork memories of it. Our protagonist, Sam Bell, is nearing the end of a 3-year stint manning a privately-owned space station. He's in charge of overseeing moon rock harvesting machines because moon rock has replaced gasoline. Or something (apparently it’s not total bullshit). And he is starting to lose his fucking mind.

This movie is 95% Sam Rockwell acting alone, and occasionally alongside a robot voiced by Kevin Spacey. The robot character, GERTY, is deeply complex. Spacey (in the type of off-camera, post-cancellation role he’s seems destined for now) is really great here.

But the bottom line is this: if you see this movie and you like it, it will be because of Sam Rockwell. Rockwell is unbelievable, conveying so many different emotions at different intervals. The plot is too good to even hint at what happens, so if my description here seems empty: that's why. Go into this movie with as little setup as possible.

We are obviously dealing with an imagined universe here, but how long in the future we're never told. The media bookends are a good clue though. We are either just a few years away, or we're far into a world that really hasn't changed much. And while they're certainly there, I did not get caught up in the political overtones. There are deeper themes at work here, revolving around what it means to be alive and what exactly makes us human.

Moon is actually a lot of things: authentic sci-fi, visual stunner, psychological thriller. But at its heart it's just a tender, touching story about an imperfect man we can relate to. Best movie, best acting performance of the year (2009) that I've come across.

*** part of THE BIG EPISODE 300 EXTRAVAGANZA wherein I reviewed 36 movies, mostly live reads of critiques I wrote between 2009-2012. The finished product above is a highly edited version of the truly embarrassing one that was read during the five-hour podcast recording. I guess this is growing up. ***

THE 36 MOVIES REVIEWED DURING EPISODE 300

30 MINUTES OR LESS • ALEX BAG: UNTITLED FALL '95 • AWAY WE GO • BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD • BEING ELMO • BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM • THE BROTHERS SOLOMON • A BUCKET OF BLOOD •
THE CAMPAIGN • THE CENTER OF THE WORLD • CHRISTMAS ON MARS • THE CHRISTMAS TREE • CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE. • (500) DAYS OF SUMMER • A FIELD IN ENGLAND • FUNNY PEOPLE • GET HIM TO THE GREEK • GIGANTIC (A TALE OF TWO JOHNS) • INCEPTION • JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME • LEAVE NO TRACE • MAN ON WIRE • MIDNIGHT IN PARIS • MONEYBALL • MOON • MUTUAL APPRECIATION • POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD • RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES • SLEEPWALK WITH ME • SOME DRINKING IMPLIED • TIM AND ERIC'S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE • TRANSIT • TO ROME WITH LOVE • THE WICKER MAN • WINTER'S BONE • YOUTH IN REVOLT

CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ EPISODE 300O - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 300Q ⫸

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