“One of these days Alice, straight to the Moon!...To the Moon, Alice!”

Moon

It has been three years since Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) last saw his wife (Dominque McElligott) and daughter. Working hard inside a space station planted on the moon, Sam is in desperate need of human interaction. Besides the non-responsive plants he takes care of, the only other thing Sam has to talk to is the main computer intelligence system known as Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Sam only has two weeks left on his contract before he can finally get back to normal life on earth. Unfortunately disaster strikes when Sam gets into an accident on the surface of the moon while on a routine mission. When Sam wakes up back at the Lunar Industries station where he works, he is eager to find out what caused the accident. Against Gerty's wishes he ventures back out to the accident site. Sam makes a startling discovery that will have him to questioning what the three years in space has done to his sanity.

Although the trailers already give far too much away about the film, I will try to avoid providing any further spoilers. I will say that director Duncan Jones crafts a film that surprisingly achieves a lot through the use of restraint. Unlike Richard Kelly’s The Box, Moon is a cerebral science fiction film that is more concerned with keeping up psychological suspense than it is with having "cool" moments. It is the type of film that methodically unpeels its layers while avoiding many of the trappings of modern science fiction films.

The success of Moon is partially due to the performance of Sam Rockwell. Rockwell is required to fill two pairs of shoes in the film and does a great job of keeping them both unique. By providing both characters with distinct personalities and characteristics it allows the audience to identify with them on several levels. Sam Rockwell’s stellar performance also helps to enhance the eerie feel of the first half of the film. Neither Sam Bell nor the audience is quite sure what to believe in the beginning. Is Sam going crazy? Are there sinister forces at play?

While I did find Moon to be one of the more enjoyable science fiction films I have seen in recent years, I must admit that the second half lagged a bit for me. As questions are answered and plans are set in place I found myself losing interest in how the final moments would play out. I think I just came to terms with everything well before Jones was ready to let the audience go. The unsettling first half and the reluctant bonding moments are what really keep this film going. The whole countdown to the outsiders was just not as compelling as the director tried to make it. Regardless of my qualms with the second half, Moon is still satisfactory film that is both entertaining and at times thought provoking.

This Box Should Be Packed Away

The Full List of Big Thoughts From A Small Mind's 2009 Reviews.

The Box

If you could get one million dollars for merely pushing a button once would you do it? Take a moment to really think about this question. Would you push the button if you knew that somewhere in the world one person, who you have never met, would die as a result? These questions serve as the catalyst for Richard Kelly's latest science fiction work, The Box. Based on Richard Matheson's short story "Button, Button", The Box is film that is all about the unrelenting cycle of choices and consequences.

Norma and Arthur Lewis (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) are a happily married couple living the typical suburban life in 1976. One morning the couple wake up to find a mysterious package on their front door. The parcel contains a wooden box with a red button encased in glass and a note stating that Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) shall be stopping by later. Sure enough, a slightly disfigured Arlington Steward appears later that day to make the couple an offer that they seemingly cannot refuse. Arlington informs Norma that if she, or her husband, pushes the button the couple will receive one million dollars. The only catch being that someone somewhere in the world would die as a result. Arlington informs the couple that they have twenty-four hours to make a choice.

The Box offers a very interesting premise as the themes of financial worth versus human life offers plenty to think about. Sadly the film does live up to its initial set up at all. What makes this film even more disappointing is the fact that this is director Richard Kelly's second straight strike (the first being Southland Tales) after hitting it out of the park with Donnie Darko. Richard Kelly has shown in his earlier works, most notably the aforementioned Darko, that he has the skill needed to deliver complex and engaging science fiction fare. Unfortunately we only get brief glimpses of Kelly's talent in this shamble of a film.

There are several elements that hurt this film, the most notable being the uneven editing. Due to the abrupt editing it often feels like chunks of the story are missing. Characters randomly appear and react to things without any real contexts. Several individuals are creepy just for the sake of being creepy. The flaws with the editing become more pronounced once Kelly reveals all of the major plot points.

Needless to say The Box does require the audience to take huge leaps of faith in order to avoid the numerous plot holes. The problem is there is only so much silliness a person can sit through before you start to question things. For example, if we are to believe that the events in this picture happened before and will happen again. Is Arthur's actions towards the latter half of the film as important as his NASA friends would have you believe? Also, the issue of freewill is both the cause and cure to certain situations, should Arlington's side really be that judgmental of the choices the characters make? Especially since Arlington is constantly arranging events to ensure things play out the way they do?

Richard Kelly strives to make The Box a dark and pulpy tale, as a result it plays more like a really bad episode of the Twilight Zone. Heck, even a television show like Fringe could make this subject matter far more disturbing and engaging. The cast does the best they can with the material but even that is not enough to salvage the film. Langella is the standout as he has the juiciest role in the picture. Marsden and Diaz have been far better elsewhere and never reach the level they should to give the picture greater significance. As much as it pains me to say, most of the blame has to fall on Kelly's shoulders for this. Instead of focusing more on tighter editing and a stronger script, Kelly seems to be more interested in making grand statements and incorporating moments merely because it allows for some "cool shots." There is a chance that The Box is one of those films that will reveal its hidden strengths upon multiple viewings. Frankly it was excruciating to sit through this film once, I can hardly fathom the idea of torturing myself again just to see if there is something more hidden at the bottom of this box.