The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

Caught this film Sunday. Smart, genuine sci-fi rather than an action movie using sci-fi as a cover. This would make a great booking next year. It messes with your mind in a good way.

Note: Mild spoilers.

I got a chance to see this on a very good screen with all the bells and whistles.

I do like the fact that it's a 'throwback' feature more reliant on plot and character than flashy CGI and 'exciting' action scenes. Still, I think some in the critical and SF community have gone overboard with praise. When you read stuff like "instant classic" attached to it, that's a whole lot of baggage for a small film to carry. Folks are so starved for any SF film of substance during this era of sequels, remakes and rehashes, that the bar has been set low. In the 70s and 80s, there were several films every year of this caliber released - now, it seems so only once in a...ahem...blue moon.

Spoiler area:

The story is certainly interesting. It takes on the ideas of AI, cloning and space explorations in a nice way. Kevin Spacey's voice annoys, not just because it's Spacey, but because the 'name' voice intrudes upon the low-key setup. And, the whole reason for the plant on the moon and how it is 'manned' for work never really seems to be worth the effort of the corporation to go so far to "use" its workers.

In the end, it would have made a perfectly fine TWILIGHT ZONE episode back in the day. SF fans will dig all the references to 2001, BLADE RUNNER, DARK STAR etc.. Definately worth seeing. Sure, the limited budget shows up more in a great movie theater, but they did a good job within their means to deliver the sets and special effects. You don't need hundreds of millions of dollars to have giant 'bots stomping across Egypt to have a visual impact.

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Long Live the Orson Welles Cinemas

Neat little movie.
A nice throwback to the days before it was all about effects. It is basically a two man play with Kevin Spacey providing the voice for the computer....

It would be good to see this at a the next marathon.....

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Frank - Boston Sci-Fi festival prize guy and lobby decorator

I saw this Sunday as well, just before I watched the new Harry Potter. I though the same thing ... I walked out of the auditorium thinking "FINALLY! It's been a while since I've seen a 'true' sci-fi film".

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Remember ... no matter where you go, there you are.

Every marathon works best with a film that kind of slipped through the cracks: Timecrimes, The Iron Giant, Equilibrium, etc. This fits the slot. I'm not saying this is my favorite film of the year (that would be Up) but a film that I'd love to see again on a screen that would fit the mix of the marathon.

Two elements of the film I really liked: Clint Mansell's score building the tension, and Sam Rockwell's performance. I tend to root for Rockwell because he and I were born on the exact same day (11/5/68) but his slightly crazed persona fit this film perfectly. And I actually like Spacey's voice: he had clearly modeled his readings after HAL, which was a nice touch.

I was, perhaps, too critical of the film when I first saw it. I felt the latter 2/3rds drags on horribly.

The premise is interesting, if a little flawed. Rockwell's performance is superb. Spacey's vocal talent is spot-on. The effects are a good level of realistic yet subdued, allowing the story to take the center seat.

But ultimately, the movie reveals its cards very early on, and you're left exploring the various ramifications for a VERY long time. That's an awful lot of bread to cover with a small portion of jam.

I would find it a difficult add to the Marathon, as its pacing is awfully slow. It's very "Solaris" like in this regard ... more intellectual than entertaining. I think even true fans would find it difficult to stay awake were it in the wrong time slot, and it's not an energizing sort of film to show early.

Still, the person I saw it with disagreed, so again, I'm probably being too harsh. I'd call it Very Good, not Great.

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David A. Zecchini; Creature of the Wheel, Lord of the Infernal Engines
"Damnati Im Ludum" (VitruvianZeke@att.net)

I will say that - in Boston at least - Marathon audiences are Far more foregiving to new movies when it comes to slowness than they are to older films. It seems as though there is both a prejudice against older movies - especially if they are, GASP!, in Black in White - and a favoring towards newer films. And, if a film is a "Premiere" or an overlooked limited release newbie, then so much the better.

So, I think that, whatever it's flaws, MOON would do well with the crowd.

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Long Live the Orson Welles Cinemas