I got to see a few new releases recently that didn’t involve (kill me, kill me now) talking animals. Here’s my Bruno summary: very funny in places, but a bit too staged in others. I saw it, laughed, left forgot it – but now keep hearing much bullshit on the radio. Surely anyone who saw the Borat movie knew to expect more shock value toilet humour? I can’t believe some of the debates I’ve been hearing on the radio. Missing all the points, guys ‘n gals.
Anyway, I saw moon last night and it’s really quite good. Gorgeous space opera cinematography and perfect set design, you just can’t go wrong with retro-white interiors. The difference between a film that looks great and a film with great special effects is a deep deep chasm.
Moon owes much to the sci-fi classics, particularly 2001: A Space Odyssey but this time’round Hal is called Gerty and sports hilarious Emoticons. Though on the opening scene I was reminded more of Alien and Bladerunner. Dingey, dirty, used. One of the best ideas in the design of Bladerunner is that the future isn’t new, it’s very old, and filthy. Ancient buildings crumbling everywhere. Moon isn’t *that* crumbly – but things you’d expect to be used and scuffed are, unlike those crisp clean space suits you’re used to seeing.
So Moon is taking notes in all the right places. And Sam Rockwell is perfect. I’ve always liked him but he seems to either do bit parts, or stars in films that don’t quite cut it. Great to see him in a role like this.
Here’s something I’ve just realised; I think sci-fi TV and movies can be quite shit in general – yet a lot of my favourite movies are sci-fi, reminding me that the only relevant genres are good and bad. The good sci-fi movies are one’s that are more about the human condition than all that whizz bang rocket blast boof boff bullshit.
I’ve just read one other review of Moon, and they have it nailed on cinematical, and I also agree with their closing line “I can’t quite say I think Moon is knock-me-down, you-gotta-see-this brilliant; at the same time, I can say I’m still thinking about it, and in an age when most big-budget science fiction films are made by people with no respect for science or fiction, it’s a welcome pleasure.“
July 21, 2009, 10:26 am
Yeah, I really enjoyed it too.
The plot was full of holes, but the look, the mood, the performance was great.
July 21, 2009, 10:35 am
I was looking forward to this movie when I read about it first, but that seems like ages ago. I think it got shelved for more than a year, only to conveniently reappear on the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Not that I’m cynical or anything…
Still looking forward to it though, and agreed, Sam Rockwell is a really great actor.
July 21, 2009, 11:05 am
I’m on the brink of going to see Bruno, fully expecting lots of cringing. I guess it might not be quite as clever as the character was originally – some of the original series stuff with Bruno asking designers post-show deadpan about the “cardboard box theme” etc was genius. I still can’t imagine it won’t be funny – I’m imagining it like a homophobic-baiting Louis Theroux with added nudity and slapstick outrageousness…
July 21, 2009, 1:36 pm
Ray / Phil – yeah Rockwell rocks! I naively thought it was all very nicely timed to coinicide with the anniversary.
Dave yeah you’re spot on. There’s not much of the hilarious pisstaking of models/designers. In fact many of the scenes could just as easily have been borat/ali g G/Bruno. It’s not really set in the fashion world. But yeah – it’s all about the homophobia-baiting, which oddly enough some people are seeing as homophic itself.