Moon, the feature debut of writer-director Duncan Jones (David Bowie’s son), is a moody and haunting sci-fi thriller, heavy on ideas and light on action. In the not-too-distant future, it seems we have discovered a solution to the energy crisis in the form of helium-3, an element found in lunar soil. Sam Bell (played by an excellent Sam Rockwell) is the lone astronaut overseeing mining operations of helium-3 on a remote lunar base on the far side of the moon. Sam is nearing the end of his three-year stint on the moon, during which time his only company has been a robot named Gerty (voiced with soothing perfection by Kevin Spacey) and sporadic, pre-recorded transmissions from his wife and daughter. With two weeks left to go, Sam begins hallucinating, which causes him to crash a moon rover and knock himself unconscious. He wakes up in the infirmary to Gerty’s voice, and things grow more ominous from there. Moon is obviously (and heavily) influenced by ’70s sci-fi noirs, including, most prominently, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The retro and minimalistic sets are downright Kubrickian, and they enhance the atmosphere of claustrophobia, paranoia, and loneliness. What Moon lacks in originality, however, it more than makes up for in both style and substance, and in the end, Moon is a meditative exploration of identity, isolation, and humanity that stands on its own. Mr. Kubrick would be proud.
(500) Days of Summer Fox Searchlight Pictures
2009
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Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works for a greeting card company but really wants to be an architect. One day he meets Summer (Zooey Deschanel), the new girl in the office. The film tracks their ensuing 500-day relationship out of order (Day 1, Day 300, Day 43, etc.), while occasionally revisiting the same day from a different perspective. Yes, (500) Days of Summer involves a tired plot line: boy meets, is obsessed with, wins (and loses), girl. And yes, (500) Days of Summer is loaded with self-conscious gimmicks, including a Disney-esque off-screen narrator (see Little Children), animation, a gratuitous song-and-dance sequence, and of course, the non-linear narrative (that many people are, incorrectly, comparing to Memento). But whether or not you enjoy these plot devices (I was a big fan), (500) Days contains some of the most insightful observations about modern American relationships since Annie Hall. Take, for instance, the brilliant split-screen sequence where Tom attends a party thrown by Summer. The parallel images simultaneously depict what Tom hopes will happen and what does happen, perfectly capturing the divide between the myth of searching for True Love and actually being in a real relationship. And pay close attention to a telling sequence involving The Graduate, which pops up several times throughout the film. While there are a few minor weak spots, including a hackneyed office meltdown by Tom and some over-tidiness near the end, (500) Days of Summer is funny, clever, and poignant.
Based on the best-selling novel by Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper deals with one of life’s most weep-inducing topics: the possibility of a child’s death. Directed by Nick Cassavetes (director of Alpha Dog and The Notebook, among others), the film is unflinching; Kate, the oldest daughter and middle child of the Fitzgerald family, was diagnosed with leukemia as a toddler. To save her life, parents Sara and Brian (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric), conceive another daughter. This daughter, Anna (Abigail Breslin), was genetically engineered to be able to donate blood and marrow to Kate. Through flashbacks we learn the point of view of each family member, including an older brother, Jesse. In between, we become aware of the horrible present: Anna has filed a lawsuit against her parents, seeking to be medically emancipated. Her lawyer, well-played by Alec Baldwin, argues that Anna should be able to keep the kidney her parents expected would go to Kate. Naturally, Anna’s actions rip through the family. But perhaps the most surprising aspect—other than a major plot twist in the book, which Cassavetes alters—isn’t the family’s reactions, but that the many ethical and legal questions the film brings up are mostly left unanswered.
