Author: Alton Williams

Early 2009 was essentially disappointing from a cinematic perspective, but the year seems to have “warmed up” with the passing months, resulting in the release of some excellent films.

Moon

Moon is a superbly crafted, well directed and brilliantly acted example of high quality sci-fi. First time writer / director Duncan Jones (son of rock legend David Bowie) excels and the film belies its budget of less than £3 million. Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is on the verge of completing a 3-year contract on a lunar space station. On the verge of becoming “unhinged” after 3 years with only computer Gerty for company, Sam is knocked out in a moon buggy crash. On regaining consciousness, he finds himself at base, having apparently been rescued by himself. The remainder of the film explores the possibilities of Sam`s hallucinations, death and various other possible explanations. Rockwell`s performance is superb and the interplay between the two Sams flawless, leading to a superb space odyssey.

The Hangover

Todd Phillips` Las Vegas-set comedy centres around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him. It is completely absurd, but hilarious, offering one of the most amusing film experiences of the year. It offers a crazy, but wildly intense, storyline and boasts some excellent performances. Its countless jokes work splendidly, providing a genuinely “laugh a minute” film.

Adventureland

Greg Mottola`s comedy was something of a box office flop, which is something of a shame, given its quality. Backed by strong writing and excellent character development, this “coming of age” drama is engaging, well-acted, clever and entertaining.

Up

Pixar`s incredibly entertaining animation provides an enchanting experience for children and adults alike. With an emotionally unique storyline, memorable characters, plenty of action and loads of laughs, it is highly enjoyable and likely to feature amongst the top films of the year.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle. Not a film to provoke deep discussion, but generally good fun, with a semi-decent plot that was lacking in the original and a script that is tighter and funnier. However, too long at just under 2½ hours.

Angels and Demons

Tom Hanks returns as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican in this decent sequel to The Da Vinci Code. Better and faster paced that its predecessor, with some excellent set pieces. While Hanks represents good value, Ewan McGregor`s Irish accent is barely passable and the Vatican seems unconcerned about the imminent danger.

Keeping up to date with popular cinema releases can prove invaluable when tackling the latest film and music quiz.

XBOX360 version – Snakeeyes Launches

Wii version – The Accelerator Suit – Serpent Battle Armor

The DS version – Joe vs. COBRA

We’re hoping to have a pretty exclusive review in the next few days for G.I. JOE The Rise of Cobra – The Game on the PS3.

It’ll be out on multiple platforms, including Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS sometime in mid August.

Here’s the bumpf –

“YO JOE! Suit up, grab your gear and prepare to lock and load as you take control of the elite G.I. JOE™ team and fight the evil forces of COBRA™! Go beyond the blockbuster movie and experience new surprises, storylines and epic battles in G.I. JOE™ The Rise of Cobra™ The Game from Electronic Arts.”

Keep checking us out for that review. It’s coming soon…

Sam Rockwell has long been an actor I’ve admired, even in films I haven’t enjoyed. He’s cropped up as memorable supporting characters in the likes of Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, Charlie’s Angels; he’s been hidden away in films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; and he’s completely stolen movies such as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, not to mention his brilliant lead role in the highly under-rated Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Rockwell is an actor who manages to be completely compelling regardless of how many syllables he gets to utter.

With Duncan Jones’ directorial debut Moon, Rockwell is on screen for practically every minute of the film’s 97, but this performance is somewhat of a departure from Rockwell’s usual eye-catching, witty turns. Here Rockwell dazzles by dialling it down, sure there are moments scattered throughout where he gets to exhibit his slightly kooky, deadpan delivery, but really this is one of Rockwell’s biggest opportunities – after Confessions… and recent Chuck Palahnuik adaptation Choke – to really articulate and develop a performance. The film’s plot, which I don’t really want to touch on, affords him the favour of being able to display multiple sides to lonely astronaut Sam Bell’s personality.

What I will say about the story is that it concerns Bell, who is coming to the end of his three year contact as the sole staff member of a mining station on the titular satellite. To keep him company he has a clunky, computer called GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) and occaional video messages sent from his wife Tess (Dominique McElligott). From the off, through both the nuanced performance and Jones’ smart choices as director, we are given an enormous sense of the time spent cooped up in the rather limited space, and there’s a nice level of grime and life given to the set and costume design, reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s Alien. The moon itself plays a great part as this dull, slightly spooky presence, with sequences set out on its surface wonderfully rendered by modelwork as opposed to garish computer effects. Indeed for a relatively low budget piece shot over 33 days it impresses in its intelligent use of old-school effects that truly, and faithfully, give a real sense of life and existence to the setting beyond the artificial sheen of many CG enhanced blockbusters.

My major concern with Moon is how it’s being marketed. In an effort to sell this smaller film to larger crowds the copy I’ve read seems to emphasize things like ‘a killer twist’ or lace its trailer with certain frustrating spoilers, and whilst this is frustrating from the perspective of wishing to preserve the narrative’s surprises, the film is not really about such gimmicky aspects as a shock revelation or having the rug pulled out from under you. Indeed the film is kind of like a melding of cult 70’s hippy sci-fi Silent Running and Steven Soderbergh’s adaptation of Solaris than The Sixth Sense in space. Though there are certain turns and intelligent choices in the film’s narrative they are somewhat predictable for those well versed in sci-fi concepts, and the level of guesswork involved in the film’s outcome is not so much a case of the Shyamalans but moreso a case of a film actually having a plot for a change.

What I recommend is that if you haven’t yet seen a trailer or read a synopsis for Moon you should keep it that way, just go and check out the film and you will be treated to seeing the feature debut of a highly interesting future talent – Duncan Jones – and a masterful and off-beat performance by one of contemporary cinema’s most watchable and likable actors.