tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post7532412914273145224..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: Film Friday: Moon (2009)AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-63154723473407002452011-01-30T16:38:05.022-05:002011-01-30T16:38:05.022-05:00Thanks Andrew!
I'll put my honeydo list on ho...Thanks Andrew! <br />I'll put my honeydo list on hold when that happens, lol.USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-8499167702188493032011-01-29T20:22:21.166-05:002011-01-29T20:22:21.166-05:00All right Ben, I'll review it! But I think yo...All right Ben, I'll review it! But I think you're right, the strength of the film was that it was a real story with real characters, not just parody!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-83966054124007921402011-01-29T18:43:23.468-05:002011-01-29T18:43:23.468-05:00Aye! Alan Rickman really nailed his character, lol...Aye! Alan Rickman really nailed his character, lol.<br />Tony Shalhoub also was great! <br /><br />I liked how they went beyond the parody and had an actual compelling story, which made the funny parts even more hilarious IMO. I won't go on too much until you review this flick. :^)USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-40441711030485175232011-01-29T17:03:28.815-05:002011-01-29T17:03:28.815-05:00USS Ben, Please let me know what you think after y...USS Ben, Please let me know what you think after you see it! :-)<br /><br />I LOVED <i>Galaxy Quest</i>! As a lifelong <i>Star Trek</i> fan, I laughed so hard at the whole movie. Plus, it had a great heart and great acting. I particularly like Alan Rickman! LOL!<br /><br />And yeah, it's good to see Guy get more roles!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-64070400822900112782011-01-29T16:57:35.054-05:002011-01-29T16:57:35.054-05:00I haven't seen Moon but I now plan to.
BTW, G...I haven't seen Moon but I now plan to. <br />BTW, Galaxy Quest rocks! Outstanding flick! It's good to see "Guy" getting bigger gigs. :^)USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-89239752380027201032011-01-29T11:32:25.441-05:002011-01-29T11:32:25.441-05:00Ed, Good point. Lucas spent a fortune to create a...Ed, Good point. Lucas spent a fortune to create a world in the three prequels that is about as unrealistic as anything I've ever seen. He could have learned a lot of <i>Moon</i>'s special effects team!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-47892964011960457602011-01-29T11:30:15.486-05:002011-01-29T11:30:15.486-05:00DUQ, I liked the film, I just thought it could be ...DUQ, I liked the film, I just thought it could be a lot better.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-46589516147026542822011-01-29T00:48:54.987-05:002011-01-29T00:48:54.987-05:00Five million dollars is nothing today. You could ...Five million dollars is nothing today. You could barely rent 1/4 of George Clooney for that! That really is incredible. For $5 million, they produced more believable effects than anything in the hundred-billion-trillion dollar Star Wars prequels!Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-13662602688018295922011-01-28T21:19:23.012-05:002011-01-28T21:19:23.012-05:00I like this film. I thought Rockwell did a great ...I like this film. I thought Rockwell did a great job as Sam. I thought the film had a good mystery feel to it. I liked the effects. I give it a thumbs up.DUQnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-9264447988552977432011-01-28T19:57:26.469-05:002011-01-28T19:57:26.469-05:00LL, The budget was an incredibly small $5 million ...LL, The budget was an incredibly small $5 million -- which really impresses me that they were able to turn out such a professional looking film, and makes me wonder why Hollywood has to spend $100 million to achieve similar results? (<i>Moon</i> was filmed in England.)<br /><br />I've seen where the director said he had to keep the cast small and couldn't create a lot of sets because of the budget, so that's a definite constraint. But I don't think that would have prevented them from exploring most of the issues raised above -- except for the on Earth scenes perhaps -- because most of it could have been done just with dialog changes.<br /><br />Still, it is a valid point that they couldn't have done anything too grandiose.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-64392494794500250482011-01-28T19:34:00.170-05:002011-01-28T19:34:00.170-05:00I wonder what sort of budgetary restraints were in...I wonder what sort of budgetary restraints were in place here, with this film?LLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538854359365988863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-1067422362262397322011-01-28T19:03:40.588-05:002011-01-28T19:03:40.588-05:00Doc, I can't say you're wrong, but I did e...Doc, I can't say you're wrong, but I did enjoy the film on its own merits -- though I think it could have been better.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-84686000162537712522011-01-28T19:02:09.158-05:002011-01-28T19:02:09.158-05:00Ed, I think a remake would be a great idea. And i...Ed, I think a remake would be a great idea. And it would be interesting to see if they would want to add something now, if they had the chance to remake it. I'm not sure that's the kind of question Hollywood reporters typically ask.<br /><br />In terms of the Sams, we didn't see enough to know. We just saw enough to see them all looking kind of ragged, worn out, and a little cabin-feverish.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-83378474788576902962011-01-28T18:57:24.477-05:002011-01-28T18:57:24.477-05:00I'll go against the grain here. I didn't l...I'll go against the grain here. I didn't like the film. I thought the story just dragged and the acting was flat.Doc Whoahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16283308866886912377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-77873473298861849682011-01-28T18:49:56.184-05:002011-01-28T18:49:56.184-05:00A remake could be pretty good. I wonder if someon...A remake could be pretty good. I wonder if someone asked the writer/director how they would change the film (if at all), would they come up with some of these things or would they stand pat?<br /><br />I thought it was murder. I got the sense the Sams went crazy around the end of their three year shifts, but the only one who seemed to fall apart was Sam 1. I didn't see any of the prior Sams on the film falling apart physically. So I think they just tricked them into the tube and then froze.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-51842774137084721352011-01-28T18:43:34.742-05:002011-01-28T18:43:34.742-05:00Ed, Thanks! Whether or not this would be murder i...Ed, Thanks! Whether or not this would be murder is an interesting question. It had the feel of it, but they didn't really explore that. At one point, I thought maybe the Sams were designed to expire naturally after three years -- like the Replicants in <i>Blade Runner</i>, but that wasn't clear. I thought that because Sam 1 starts falling apart. It could be the result of injuries from his accident, but it seemed like more than that. But then the pod sequence made me wonder if I hadn't read that wrong and they were actually just killing the old clones? I'm not sure.<br /><br />As I say in response to LL, I really did like the film, but it disappointed me that it was so shallow of a film. It felt like a lot of the action was just filler waiting for something to happen. I think they could have replaced that with an exploration of a deeper set of issues.<br /><br />I would honestly like to see this film remade to add some of those issues.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-5641898168401467902011-01-28T18:37:49.790-05:002011-01-28T18:37:49.790-05:00LL, That's true and is always a consideration,...LL, That's true and is always a consideration, there are clearly limits of how deep/complex you can get in a film.<br /><br />But in this case, I think they had more than enough time to go a good deal deeper or get more complex. Indeed, I actually thought that a lot of what happened had the feel of filler waiting for the ending to spring a second surprise.<br /><br />So while I agree that there definitely are limits, I don't think this film ever came close to testing those limits.<br /><br />Moreover, as a quasi-"art film", I think they could have pushed the normal limits a good deal, but they didn't.<br /><br />Nevertheless, as I've said, and as you say too, I did enjoy the film and I think it's worth seeing. The plot is good enough, the acting is solid, the effects are great, and the whole film is just worth seeing -- though I do think it could have been dramatically improved with just a little more depth.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-70502958382898011752011-01-28T18:26:44.096-05:002011-01-28T18:26:44.096-05:00Good review! Excellent analysis of what's wron...Good review! Excellent analysis of what's wrong with this film. I think I felt like everyone else when I saw it, it was a good movie but I kept waiting for something more. I think what I was waiting for was something like what you mention, something that gives you something to think about.<br /><br />I definitely was waiting for Gerty to go crazy or something. It felt like that they were building to that, but it never came. I also wondered how the daughter would have reacted and I wanted to see old Sam meet the clone Sams.<br /><br />You ask an interesting question too, is it murder to kill these clones? I thought the company was killing them at the end of their three years, when they go in the pods, and it struck me that was murder.<br /><br />Another good review.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-68080310494580522252011-01-28T18:26:26.997-05:002011-01-28T18:26:26.997-05:00I saw the movie as well (limited release) and enjo...I saw the movie as well (limited release) and enjoyed it. The problem with feature films is that they bang up against that 2 hour limit. Developing super complex plots often require super complex resolutions for the viewing audience with the 8th grade education. So there is a limit to how much they can pack into it.<br /><br />While I agree with everyone's comments, I still enjoyed the movie.LLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538854359365988863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-37280104978887188482011-01-28T17:26:12.718-05:002011-01-28T17:26:12.718-05:00Lawhawk, I think we saw the film. It was good, bu...Lawhawk, I think we saw the film. It was good, but flat and could have been so much more if they'd dug into the whole issue deeper.<br /><br />I agree about Rockwell, he's very good. I actually didn't realize at first he was the same guy who was in <i>Galaxy Quest</i> -- great role! "Guy".... "I don't even have a last name!!"AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-67164307580971786712011-01-28T17:17:17.915-05:002011-01-28T17:17:17.915-05:00Andrew: As much as I liked the movie, like you, I...Andrew: As much as I liked the movie, like you, I felt they didn't sufficiently flesh it out. I also think that Sam Rockwell is one of the most underrated actors in movies today.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-67261042831638300962011-01-28T17:03:22.530-05:002011-01-28T17:03:22.530-05:00Crispy, Excellent question. I think that would ha...Crispy, Excellent question. I think that would have made the movie a lot more interesting. Did original Sam tell his daughter? What does she think? How would she react to meeting one or more copies of her father when he was younger? How would Sam react? Did he know? Etc.<br /><br />I think the characters were very weak the way they were written because the story tried to be so narrow, so that almost nothing outside of the moon base was relevant to them. I think that was a mistake. In fact, I felt the whole relationship with the wife was very cardboard. It never once struck me that Sam really cared about her. He went through the motions, but it was hard to feel any real connection.<br /><br />I think expanding the movie to get into Sam's relationships would have been a good move story-wise.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-34846270703750731592011-01-28T16:56:58.394-05:002011-01-28T16:56:58.394-05:00Totally - I wanted Gerty to blow, LOL!
**MORE SP...Totally - I wanted Gerty to blow, LOL!<br /><br /><br />**MORE SPOILERS**<br /><br />DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU<br /><br />REALLY<br /><br />Doesn't Sam get in touch with the daughter on the planet as well? I would have liked to have seen explored as well. Did the original Sam even know? What would the daughter think? Personally, I'd be hard pressed to ignore the fact that 1000 clones of my dad were floating around in a space station, yanno?CrispyRicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07302075204880024936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-61127425166366023912011-01-28T16:51:10.360-05:002011-01-28T16:51:10.360-05:00Whoops, make that "plot hole"... typo.Whoops, make that "plot hole"... typo.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-2117109090538531962011-01-28T16:40:39.436-05:002011-01-28T16:40:39.436-05:00Crispy, That's kind of how I felt, and I think...Crispy, That's kind of how I felt, and I think the failures I identify are the reason. They give you a great set up and you're waiting for it to pay off. . . but it never does. Instead, they just keep explaining the twist.<br /><br />Like you, I thought it was enjoyable, but could have been a lot better.<br /><br />I too kept waiting for GERTY to go crazy or something. And I think that would have helped the story if he had.<br /><br />In terms of the dollar amounts, the fact they can send a crew to fix the harvester actually creates a huge plot whole. If it's cheap enough to send people up to fix a broken harvester, then it has to be cheap enough to send people up every couple years instead of going through the whole clone replacing clone process. But I think that can be overlooked for the sake of the story.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.com