Moon

This week you get two reviews for the price of one!

I just watched 2009's Moon, which I would suggest renting! Thanks, Brian, for recommending it to me!

To call Moon a sci-fi movie may give the wrong impression - there are no aliens, ship-to-ship combat scenes or anything in general exploding. This is a good psychological thriller that happens to take place on the far side of the Moon.

Written (original story) and directed by Duncan Jones, it's about a miner/astronaut who, approaching the end his three-year stint alone on the Moon , wonders if he's losing his mind due to strange events. A lot more is involved.

It's got a small cast, but they are all excellent - Sam Rockwell, in particular, as the astronaut and Kevin Spacey as the voice of the computer.

This is a good movie - it's atmospheric enough that it moves quite well and doesn't get boring, and it leaves you thinking about it afterwards. But I'd stop right there. I wouldn't call it great, but it is very worth seeing.

Moon kept reminding me of another movie: 2002's Solaris. Both have similar themes and subjects, but Solaris, based on a 1972 Russian film, is more diabolical but a lot SLOWER!

So, I'd suggest renting Moon. And if you liked that and can sit through a 2001-like tempo and want something a little darker - Solaris is right for you!

True Stories

This week's suggestion is a bit older. It's a comedy from 1986 called True Stories.

David Byrne (of the rock band Talking Heads), who directed, co-wrote and stars, takes a satirical visit to a typical Texas town while it's celebrating it's sesquicentennial.

This isn't a laugh out loud Airplane or Holy Grail-type comedy, it's a lot more subtle, as most satires tend to be.

And as I mentioned, it is an older movie, but I don't find it dated. The clever writing, visuals and quirky characters are just as effective today.

This movie is enhanced by the numerous Talking Heads songs. But even if you're not a fan of the music I think there's enough other good stuff in here to entertain you.

9

It's hard to say how obscure this movie is since it just came out on DVD. But just judging on how long it was in theatres and how much money it didn't rake in...

9 is definitely a movie to rent!

It's not the greatest movie ever. The preview made it seem like a non-stop action flick - which it is NOT. The script leaves a bit to be desired. And it's based on a short film created by a film student (Shane Acker, who directed and co-wrote), so don't be expecting a Citizen Kane...

That being said, this is still well worth seeing. It's got a cute story. And the animation is simply amazing! ...Especially the use of focus, backgrounds, and the charming main characters made of burlap.

This is not a movie for the little kids, as the PG-13 rating attests, but it's food for the soul, so to speak, for the little kid inside all of us so-called grownups.

DO NOT RENT THIS!

I was all set to love this movie. I just joined Netflix and I really wanted this to be my first film rented. I'm a huge Terry Gilliam fan. And poor reviews are practically meaningless when it comes to his works...

Except in this case!

Normally, I wouldn't waste the time in writing a bad review. But this film warrants it.

According to the introduction by Gilliam himself, it's about a child's resilience and innocence. But Gilliam not only missed the mark, he wasn't even in the same zip code. There are scenes in this movie (way too numerous) I found totally inappropriate - and I'm not that squeamish.

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This is a colossal waste of a potential viewer's time. There's no conflict in this story: no obstacles to overcome (inner or otherwise), no justice to be sought. It's just 2 hours of the worst, most scarring childhood imaginable.

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For all you other Gilliam fans out there (or just film fans in general), and I cannot stress this enough, DO NOT bother with this one! Go see Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus instead.