Has anyone else seen this? It's like a throwback to older hard sci-fi films, something like Silent Running. It deals with the realities of living off-planet, and other concepts.
The basic plot concerns a man who is essentially a maintenance worker on a mining plant on the moon - the ONLY person who works there, and whose three year term on the moon is almost up. His isolation is eventually broken in a surprising way. I'd rather not say much more than this, to avoid spoilers.
I just got back from the theatre (the theatre playing it had HORRIBLE audio, which sucked), but some thoughts are good...
Great lead performance by Sam Rockwell, probably the best I've seen from him. He's on-screen virtually every second of the film, and his performance is excellent across the board.
The writing is intelligent, usually thought provoking and interesting. I was also never bored, despite a lack of real action. Great direction throughout, good storyline. I hope we see more from Duncan Jones, as this is his first feature. Great concepts.
If you're a fan of harder sci-fi, you really should see this. It's also a throwback in another sense - the exterior shots of the moon base and the vehicles are definitely models, not CG (though some effects, like space dust, are CGed). They look fine, in fact quite good, but the movement and general look is definitely like old sci fi films.
9/10 from me.
I watched it last weekend and agree that it is a very good film.
I purposely avoided learning anything about the movie before I watched it, and came out the better for it.
Probably the best straight-up sci-fi film to come down the pike in a while.
"Did I mention his friend was a talking pie?"
I was going to bring this one up on the boards, but I kept putting it off. Another thumbs up. :thumbup:
I rated it 8/10. If you like real science fiction about scientific ideas, not just "sci-fi" action movies set in the future, then you should vote with your dollars to support this one. They'll make more hard science fiction features if this one is a success.
I think it's doing better than predicted, and getting good word of mouth. Is an Oscar nom for Sam Rockwell possible?
Quote from: Rev. Powell on July 25, 2009, 12:46:40 PM
I think it's doing better than predicted, and getting good word of mouth. Is an Oscar nom for Sam Rockwell possible?
I sure hope so. It's not easy to carry an
entire feature by yourself, and I'm glad Sam Rockwell, as well as this movie, is getting some recognition on the forums for outstanding quality.
Quote from: Rev. Powell on July 25, 2009, 12:46:40 PM
I was going to bring this one up on the boards, but I kept putting it off. Another thumbs up. :thumbup:
I rated it 8/10. If you like real science fiction about scientific ideas, not just "sci-fi" action movies set in the future, then you should vote with your dollars to support this one. They'll make more hard science fiction features if this one is a success.
I think it's doing better than predicted, and getting good word of mouth. Is an Oscar nom for Sam Rockwell possible?
It's in only about 250 theatres and has taken in about $3 million in a month and a half. I'd say it is doing good overall, especially since I know it is showing in the UK and Canada and those totals apparently aren't included online. It won't take too much to make this film a success - it had an incredibly low budget of only $5 million.
If it can make it in the $10 million range with DVD sales included, it'll have more than made its budget back - I'd say that is pretty likely. I'm glad for it, as I'd like to see Duncan Jones get a chance to make a sophomore feature. He's certainly proved he has what it takes.
BTW, if you look at the IMDB board, Duncan Jones has posted quite a bit on it.
Finally... Look at his bio info on the IMDB. :buggedout:
Quote from: Jim H on July 25, 2009, 02:12:31 PM
Quote from: Rev. Powell on July 25, 2009, 12:46:40 PM
I was going to bring this one up on the boards, but I kept putting it off. Another thumbs up. :thumbup:
I rated it 8/10. If you like real science fiction about scientific ideas, not just "sci-fi" action movies set in the future, then you should vote with your dollars to support this one. They'll make more hard science fiction features if this one is a success.
I think it's doing better than predicted, and getting good word of mouth. Is an Oscar nom for Sam Rockwell possible?
It's in only about 250 theatres and has taken in about $3 million in a month and a half. I'd say it is doing good overall, especially since I know it is showing in the UK and Canada and those totals apparently aren't included online. It won't take too much to make this film a success - it had an incredibly low budget of only $5 million.
If it can make it in the $10 million range with DVD sales included, it'll have more than made its budget back - I'd say that is pretty likely. I'm glad for it, as I'd like to see Duncan Jones get a chance to make a sophomore feature. He's certainly proved he has what it takes.
BTW, if you look at the IMDB board, Duncan Jones has posted quite a bit on it.
Finally... Look at his bio info on the IMDB. :buggedout:
It should easily turn a profit on DVD. Hopefully it will be a word-of-mouth hit. I say that not because I think it's a great movie--it's a good movie, not a great one--but just because I want the powers to be to notice that a movie doesn't have to be dumb to be profitable. I'd love to see a new science fiction cycle start up like the one that ran in the 1970s in the wake of 2001.
I assume the IMDB tidbit you're talking about relates to who his father is.