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Author Topic:   Moon (2009 Duncan Jones sci-fi film)
Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-15-2009 11:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Directed by Duncan Jones and starring actors Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey, "Moon" is a new sci-fi thriller scheduled for release sometime in 2009 (it will debut at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23).

There doesn't appear to be a teaser or trailer available yet, but several clips and photos have been released, as well as the movie poster and a synopsis. The following contains spoilers, so if you don't want to know more, stop reading now.

Sam Bell is nearing the end of his contract with Lunar. He's been a faithful employee for three long years. His home has been Selene, a moon base where he has spent his days alone, mining Helium 3. The precious gas holds the key to reversing the Earth's energy crisis.

Isolated, determined and steadfast, Sam has followed the rulebook obediently and his time on the moon has been enlightening, but uneventful. The solitude has given him time to reflect on the mistakes of his past and work on his raging temper. He does his job mechanically, and spends most of his available time dreaming of his imminent return to Earth, to his wife, young daughter and an early retirement.

But two weeks shy of his departure from Selene, Sam starts seeing things, hearing things and feeling strange. And when a routine extraction goes horribly wrong, he discovers that Lunar have their own plans for replacing him... and the new recruit is eerily familiar.

Before he can return to Earth, Sam has to confront himself and the discovery that the life he has created, may not be his own. It's more than his contract that is set to expire.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-15-2009 11:16 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Sony Picture Classics video
Astronaut Sam Bell's (Sam Rockwell) three-year shift at a lunar mine is finally coming to an end, and he's looking forward to his reunion with his wife (Dominique McElligott) and young daughter. Suddenly, Sam's health takes a drastic turn for the worse. He suffers painful headaches and hallucinations, and almost has a fatal accident. He meets what appears to be a younger version of himself, possibly a clone. With time running out, Sam must solve the mystery before the company crew arrives.

ilbasso
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Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 01-15-2009 12:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ilbasso   Click Here to Email ilbasso     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Looks like they have solved the problem of that pesky 1/6th gravity!

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
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posted 01-18-2009 11:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Gravity issues aside, reports suggest that Jones looked toward real lunar imagery to inspire the look of his "Moon":
According to press reports, director Jones said that his science fiction setting on the Moon was influenced by new imagery streaming in from Japan's lunar orbiter – Kaguya. Jones also points to the Michael Light photography book, Full Moon, in helping the director design the look and feel of the film.

gliderpilotuk
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From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 01-18-2009 01:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for gliderpilotuk   Click Here to Email gliderpilotuk     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
2001 meets Solaris meets Space 1999?

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-08-2009 12:26 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
For those in the Houston area, the Space Center Lecture Series will host a pre-release screening of "Moon" at Space Center Houston on Monday, March 16 at 7:15 p.m.

Director Duncan Jones will offer a special introduction to his film, followed by a Q&A after the screening. Admission is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.

Sony Picture Classics will be releasing "Moon" in US theaters on June 12, 2009.

AJ
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From: Plattsburgh, NY, United States
Registered: Feb 2009

posted 06-09-2009 01:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for AJ   Click Here to Email AJ     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Here's an interesting tidbit of info: Duncan Jones is the son of David Bowie. the New York Times has a story about him here.
It was inevitable that Duncan Jones's first movie would be a science-fiction film. While he was growing up, Mr. Jones, the British director, said, his father made sure he read at least two hours a night, and turned him on to the speculative fiction of authors like George Orwell when he was as young as 8 or 9. Later, as a lonely adolescent, he was irresistibly drawn to the alternate realities presented in the novels of Philip K. Dick and J. G. Ballard. "My upbringing was pretty weird, anyway," Mr. Jones, said recently, "so it was maybe less of a jump for me."

If his name and his stately, Americanized accent do not immediately ring a bell, Mr. Jones is — for the moment — better known as the son of David Bowie, the glam rock star who populated his own parallel worlds with sci-fi alter egos like Ziggy Stardust and Halloween Jack, and who raised his son under the otherworldly name Zowie Bowie.

SpaceAholic
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Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-09-2009 07:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for SpaceAholic   Click Here to Email SpaceAholic     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Perhaps "Major Tom" was the inspiration for his film?

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-09-2009 07:33 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
In my interview with him, Duncan specifically said he avoided resting on his father's career to launch his own. "Moon" is his unique vision.

And for those who missed it the first time, here are photos from our time together touring Johnson Space Center.

spacecraft films
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From: Columbus, OH USA
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 06-10-2009 09:06 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Robert, did you see the film when it was screened in Houston?

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-10-2009 09:09 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I did -- and it was very engaging. Duncan made "Moon" for just $5 million and successfully rivaled films with ten times (if not more!) his budget.

MrSpace86
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Posts: 1618
From: Gardner, KS, USA
Registered: Feb 2003

posted 07-21-2009 03:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MrSpace86   Click Here to Email MrSpace86     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Has anyone seen this movie yet? The plot sounds interesting and you can read more here.

Editor's note: Threads merged

neke
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Posts: 55
From: PA
Registered: Jan 2009

posted 07-21-2009 10:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for neke   Click Here to Email neke     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I saw it last week and really enjoyed it. It drove this former proofreader/editor bananas every time they showed a particular computer screen that said "SATTELITE LINK LOST," though.

And of course there are technical inaccuracies — gravity being one — but I definitely enjoyed the story and the performances. Actually, performance... this probably has the smallest cast of any movie I have ever seen!

spacecraft films
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Posts: 802
From: Columbus, OH USA
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 07-24-2009 10:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I had the opportunity to see this film this week, and loved it. Sure, technical problems here and there (gravity), but we have so few well-reasoned sci-fi projects done now...

Enjoyed very much. Went back again the next day and took my 12 year-old son. He loved it as well. And it led to some great conversations into several technical topics.

Well worth seeing.

issman1
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From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005

posted 12-07-2009 06:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for issman1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
"Moon" was the recipient of two prestigious awards in London. It's certainly a credible story and the acting is stellar.

cspg
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Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

posted 04-04-2019 10:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Here's a book about this movie:

Making Moon: A British Sci-Fi Cult Classic
by Simon Ward

Directed by Duncan Jones, and written by Nathan Parker from a story by Jones, "Moon" is a 2009 science fiction drama following Sam Bell, a man who experiences a personal crisis as he nears the end of a three-year solitary stint mining helium-3 on the moon.

Independently financed and produced on a modest budget, "Moon" became an instant cult classic. It was well received by critics and audiences alike, and was particularly praised for its scientific plausibility and realism.

Making Moon will take an in-depth look back at the film's production: It features interviews with the film's key creatives and includes rare concept and behind-the-scenes images, as well as excerpts from the original shooting script.

  • Hardcover: 144 pages
  • Titan Books (September 3, 2019)
  • ISBN-10: 1789091004
  • ISBN-13: 978-1789091007

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