moon Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Jake Gyllenhaal Joins Duncan Jones for 'Source Code'
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting »
I'm not sure what happened to Escape from the Deep, the World War II submarine thriller which was supposed to be the next project for Moon's Duncan Jones, or Mute (his other original sci-fi film). The news today, though, is even more exciting: it seems that instead of tackling historical fiction, Jones will go back to the well for some more heady science-fiction with Source Code. If the title sounds familiar, it's because the project has been floating around for over two years; last year, Shane Abbess (of the Australian pseudo-religious horror film Gabriel) was set to direct. Source Code was written by Ben Ripley (Species III!), with a once-over by Billy Ray -- a master of the thoughtful genre film. In it, a character is forced relive a train bombing from the point of view of a stranger until he can figure out who's responsible. Jake Gyllenhaal is in negotiations to play the soldier protagonist, or perhaps the third party he inhabits. It's not clear if this is a "conventional" time-travel story or something more akin to Groundhog Day.
Jones is also attached to another sci-fi project called Mute, which he is writing and which he discusses briefly here. Source Code is supposed to start filming early next year, which will probably put the other film (not to mention Escape from the Deep) on the back burner. Meanwhile, awards speculation is starting to simmer around Moon, and especially the richly deserving Sam Rockwell. I'll believe that when I see it -- but Jones' debut showed such remarkable promise that I'm awaiting his next film with bated breath.
'Moon' and 'Fish Tank' Lead BIFA Nods
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Independent », Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Awards », Mystery & Suspense », IFC », Sony Classics », Fantastic Fest », Oscar Watch »
Fall brings with it awards season, and among our first round of nominations are those of the British Independent Film Awards. According to Empire, Andrea Arnold's acclaimed Fish Tank took the lead with eight, while Duncan Jones' similarly lauded Moon came up with seven, including one for lead actor Sam Rockwell.I'm personally happy to see the savage political satire In the Loop getting due notice, especially its expletive-laden screenplay, since it'll likely go overlooked when it comes to Yank laurels (sad but true, although I'll be happy if it's not). Meanwhile, the multiple nods for An Education and Bright Star only parallel their warm reception Stateside and their likely contention in next year's Oscar race.
And after being quietly blown away by it at Fantastic Fest a few weeks back, I'm also glad to see Down Terrace get some love under the Raindance Award category. Enough of these awards, and maybe that puppy'll earn some distribution in our neck of the woods. (You listening, IFC?)
Sam Rockwell Talks Oscar Nom: "Dreams Are Nice"
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Awards », Sony Classics », Fandom », Other Festivals »
Moon has been the little movie that did, thanks to director Duncan Jones's tireless traveling, interviews, audience Q&As, fan interaction, and, of course, because it's a kick-ass sci-fi movie. Jones has even gone so far as to create an online petition to get Sam Rockwell nominated for a Best Actor Oscar – heck, it even has its own Twitter hashtag. You can also follow Jones on Twitter for more Moon news, and keep track of his campaign for a Rockwell nom on his blog.Earlier tonight at a screening for Gentlemen Broncos, there was an audience Q&A session with actors Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Halley Feiffer, and Mike White, and writer/director Jared Hess. (Jemaine Clement, I'm sad to say, was not there.) As for Duncan Jones's campaign, Rockwell said, "Well, you know, dreams are nice. It's very flattering. Very, very flattering. Very nice. I mean it's obviously the director so he has an agenda [audience laughs] but it's nice to see that. We worked really hard on that film." (The audience, by the way, clapped hard at the mention of Jones's campaign.)
'Inglourious Basterds' is Tarantino's Top Earner - Because of Twitter?
Filed under: Box Office », Exhibition », The Weinstein Co. », Brad Pitt », Quentin Tarantino », Movie Marketing »
In what could be read as a big "nyah, told you so" press release, The Weinstein Company would like you all to know that Inglourious Basterds has not only grossed over $108M* in North America but has now out-earned Pulp Fiction, which was previously Tarantino's biggest money-maker to date.
But what's strange is that TWC is giving some of the credit to "an innovative marketing plan. The film was the first to make use of Twitter and other social networking sites in such a direct fashion, even involving Twitter in the film's LA premiere," according to the press release.
Harvey Weinstein is even quoted as saying, "It was great working with Biz Stone at Twitter on Inglourious. It took the campaign to another level."
Okay, what have I missed? How was the Inglourious campaign different from any other of the studios' use of Twitter or Facebook to promote movies through links, contests, and meet-ups? I don't even recall seeing anything on Twitter about it, other than the normal studios using Twitter to cross-pollinate coverage.
Monday Night Poll: How Would You Grade Summer 2009?
Filed under: Fandom », Summer Movies », Polls »
If the unofficial end of summer arrives with Labor Day Weekend, then all we've got left are a few more days to discuss the summer that was before she rides off into the sunset with her billions in box office dollars and a few more sequels already green-lit. But how does she compare to the summers of the past? A quick glance shows us that, unlike 2008, this summer we didn't get a Dark Knight or an Iron Man ... though we did get a Star Trek and a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. We didn't get a Wanted, a Hellboy 2 or an Incredible Hulk, but we did get some smaller, smarter sci-fi films like Moon and District 9. Pixar came through yet again, but the rest of this summer's animation slate seemed pretty weak. Same goes for comedies, with the exception of The Hangover, which kinda made up for the disappointing Land of the Lost, Funny People, I Love You, Beth Cooper, I Hate Valentine's Day, The Ugly Truth and The Goods. Sam Raimi returned with a pretty awesome horror flick in Drag Me to Hell, though, and Harry Potter rolled in with what was perhaps his most entertaining installment of the franchise. G.I.: The Rise of Cobra surprised some with its fun, cheesy vibe, and Wolverine did just enough to score himself another go-round in Japan.
Discuss: Summer 2009 Fun Facts
Filed under: Action », Animation », Comedy », Drama », Horror », Independent », Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Family Films », Remakes and Sequels », Lists », War », Summer Movies »
So here we have it, the summer movie season finally winding down, and maybe it's just us, but a couple of peculiar trends have cropped up since May that we thought were worth bringing to light. For starters, we've only further elaborated on Eric's early indicator that puking was 'in' this year (seriously, it's gotten to be a pretty considerable theme), and as for the rest, you can check them out after the jump. Some spoilers follow. And if there are any corrections or additions to be made, please pipe up in the comments, and do so gently.
The Geek Beat: The Everymen of Summer 2009
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », The Geek Beat », Summer Movies »
Actually, the boys of summer have proved to be a bit of a challenge. It's hard to believe, but I think the girls actually fared better in terms of variety and interest. When trying to sort out who is the better man, I really feel that all our muscle bound and star-powered heroes came out a little wanting. It didn't look that way going into the season -- there was Wolverine, John Connor, Captain Kirk, Duke and Snake Eyes. Surely one of them would take the Coolest Guy of Summer, right? Wrong.
Now, admittedly on that list I have only seen Star Trek (Terminator: Salvation has long since vanished from the multiplex, and funds keep me from G.I. Joe), but while all had their fans and were enjoyable films, not one character jumped out as a star player. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto were certainly good (the latter especially), but I still feel they're a bit of a wait-and-see at this point. Another Trek film could dash their wow factor altogether. Sure, that seems unlikely, but think to the summer of 2008. Did you imagine that you'd walk out of your theater thinking Wolverine and John Connor were downright blah?
Monday Night Poll: Favorite Moon Movies?
Filed under: Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Polls »
Sitting next to my father in a crowded station wagon on the evening of July 20, 1969, I listened to the radio as we drove and stared up into the heavens. Man had landed on the moon, and soon we would all be exploring the universe, just like they did on Forbidden Planet and Star Trek. Things haven't quite worked out that way, so, instead, I've turned to the movies to fulfill my deep space fantasies.
George Melies made the very first sci-fi flick in 1902, A Trip to the Moon, which lasted all of 14 minutes. Interest picked up in the post WWII-era with George Pal's production of Destination Moon; the 1950s were a golden age for science fiction films. Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey put the moon in a whole new light. After Neil Armstrong set his foot down 40 years ago, real life footage replaced all the fictional creations. (Of course, some folks believe the Moon landing itself was faked, leading to a fake Mars mission in Peter Hyams' Capricorn One.) Things were quiet until Ron Howard's Apollo 13, in which the astronauts never even got to touch down. Bringing us up to date, Duncan Jones' highly-acclaimed Moon is now playing in selected engagements.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, please take our poll and tell us: What are your favorite movies about the moon? We've listed ten, but you're free to vote for "Other" and state your case in the comments section.
Jason Statham Cranks It Up in 'Blitz'
Filed under: Action », Drama », Thrillers », Casting », New Releases », Lionsgate Films »
Jason Statham is the go-to guy for burly badass Brits who can handle a gun and look damn good doing it. Now it looks like the star of guilty pleasure action flicks like the Crank and Transporter series, and Guy Ritchie's early movies Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, is going to be on the right side of the law in Blitz. Variety reports Statham is close to signing on the dotted line for this Lionsgate UK thriller based on the novel by prolific crime fiction writer Ken Bruen. Statham will play a cop on the hunt of a serial killer whose favorite prey is policemen. Paddy Considine will be his partner on the beat. Elliott Lester (Love is the Drug) is directing, while the screenplay is being written by Nathan Parker, who also wrote the screenplay for this summer's science-fiction favorite, Moon.
As Elisabeth Rappe wrote in May about other Statham casting news, "To borrow a phrase from Katherine Hepburn, he's like a baked potato, and you know exactly what you're going to get with him. I like knowing he has a full pre-production slate of guns, deadly squints, and ripped-abs. Movies like that are what weekends were invented for."
Is it possible that with Blitz we'll get all that and even more, with help from solid source material and an up-and-coming screenplay writer?
400 Screens, 400 Blows - Sci-Fi Goes to War
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Columns », 400 Screens, 400 Blows », War »
A few months ago, I saw two new sci-fi movies at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and now both are in limited release: Duncan Jones's Moon (21 screens) and Aristomenis Tsirbas' Battle for Terra (2 screens). And it got me thinking. These two movies couldn't be more different, and the main distinction between them is this. Moon is sci-fi based on an actual sci-fi idea. That means that science actually figures into the fiction somewhere. And Battle for Terra is the perfect example of a war film decorated with sci-fi trimmings; its big "twist" is that the humans are the bad guys and the aliens are the good guys, but aside from that the story unfolds exactly like a regular war film. The aliens, spaceships and other gizmos don't really figure into the major themes or plot.
It got me thinking about how many science fiction movies are really just war movies in disguise. (The current Terminator Salvation is another one.) It's very easy to transform the combatants of a war to alien races and make the cause of the war something fictitious, like the "spice" in Dune (1984). It's much easier to explain why people are fighting over that powerful stuff than why they're fighting over differences in religions or beliefs. And it's much nicer to justify battling alien invaders than it is to justify humans fighting humans. Frankly, I'm all for this little bit of deception, provided the sci-fi movies have three things. Battle for Terra has none of them.
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