Moon

There isn’t a whole lot you can say about Moon without giving too much away. The plot takes a pretty serious twist early on, and it’s far more entertaining to try and unravel the mystery yourself than have me ruin it here.

Sam Rockwell is terrific as an astronaut who is only weeks away from having his contract up after a three year stint on the moon. His job is to keep Earth powered with resources that machines collect from the moon’s surface. He’s been up there a long time, all alone, with only his thoughts and ugly facial hair.

The film has a unique concept, but pays distinct reverence to a few too many sci-fi films. Kevin Spacey voices a robot that is nearly identical to 2001’s HAL-9000. Even though Spacey’s robot doesn’t try to kill the passengers, most everything about him is the same. But consider it an homage more than a steal. The director, Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie), knows that he is coping from Kubrick, but he does it with style. It’s also impossible to not consider how good this film looks. With only a $5 million budget, Jones does a very good job at making Moon look and feel real.

Rockwell, one of our best actors, explodes on the screen in what I assume will be yet another overlooked performance. He’s sustained a vastly multi-genre’d resume all while keeping us enthralled. From Confessions of Dangerous Mind to Matchsctick Men, from Snow Angels to Frost/Nixon, he’s one of the wittiest guys around. Give him some credit. B+