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Directed by Duncan Jones (AKA David Bowie's kid AKA "Don't call me Zowie Bowie"), starring Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) and the voice work of Kevin Spacey.
It's one of the better hard Sci Fi films you could ask for in the last little while, managing to deliver a very solid film, but a very slow moving one (maybe a bit too slow for the summer). Borrowing elements from Alien, Silent Running, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Outland and a host of others, it was made for a fraction of the cost that most sci fi films are made for, and delivers a very even and suspenseful vibe that keeps up for the duration of the film.
Sam Rockwell is Sam Bell, an off world contract employee working on the moon, refining an element of energy called Helium 3 which has now solved most of the world's energy problems. He's two weeks away from finishing his 3 year contract in solitude, and is starting to experience some strange occurrances and his trust in his computer assistant and guardian, Gertie is starting to wane as the stange events continue.
Rockwell carries the movie pretty much on his own, and his role becomes a lot more complex as the film goes on (you'll see what I mean about a half hour in). It's a shame that this isn't being released in the fall, with a lot more publicity behind it, because Rockwell delivers a remarkably complicated acting performance - more than anything else I've seen this year - and manages to pull it off very convincingly. The story also manages to peice together a pretty intriguing idea and treats the material with some questions that might get glossed over in other, bigger budgeted films. If you were a bit disappointed with Sunshine's final act, you might get a bit more satisfaction out of this.
It's one of the better hard Sci Fi films you could ask for in the last little while, managing to deliver a very solid film, but a very slow moving one (maybe a bit too slow for the summer). Borrowing elements from Alien, Silent Running, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Outland and a host of others, it was made for a fraction of the cost that most sci fi films are made for, and delivers a very even and suspenseful vibe that keeps up for the duration of the film.
Sam Rockwell is Sam Bell, an off world contract employee working on the moon, refining an element of energy called Helium 3 which has now solved most of the world's energy problems. He's two weeks away from finishing his 3 year contract in solitude, and is starting to experience some strange occurrances and his trust in his computer assistant and guardian, Gertie is starting to wane as the stange events continue.
Rockwell carries the movie pretty much on his own, and his role becomes a lot more complex as the film goes on (you'll see what I mean about a half hour in). It's a shame that this isn't being released in the fall, with a lot more publicity behind it, because Rockwell delivers a remarkably complicated acting performance - more than anything else I've seen this year - and manages to pull it off very convincingly. The story also manages to peice together a pretty intriguing idea and treats the material with some questions that might get glossed over in other, bigger budgeted films. If you were a bit disappointed with Sunshine's final act, you might get a bit more satisfaction out of this.
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