Moon Archives - The Playlist

Duncan Jones To Continue His ‘Moon’ & ‘Mute’ Series With A Graphic Novel Titled ‘Madi’

Charles Barfield — Fri, 22 May 2020 16:07:25 +0000

Though the films don’t necessarily have as many connections as you might expect from a film franchise, Duncan Jones’ features, “Moon” and “Mute,” do take place in the same sci-fi world and are part of a larger story. Unfortunately, though “Moon” (starring Sam Rockwell) was a critical success, 2018’s “Mute” (which stars Alexander Skarsgård and Paul Rudd) wasn’t warmly received by critics and fans when it hit Netflix.

Continue reading Duncan Jones To Continue His ‘Moon’ & ‘Mute’ Series With A Graphic Novel Titled ‘Madi’ at The Playlist.

The Social Distance: 21 Films About Isolation

Nicholas Laskin — Thu, 07 May 2020 17:12:15 +0000

The tradition of isolation in cinema, either psychological, physical, or both, is rich and also, a rather modern phenomenon (you don’t see a lot of 1930s movies about people contemplating their existence in a tomb). But isolation in the age of pandemics and social distancing has taken on a new resonance and probably created a new kind of trauma that we’ll be considering the effects of for years.

READ MORE: John Hillcoat’s ‘The Road’ Offers An Apocalypse For Every Generation

Isolation cinema takes on new layers, meaning, and dimensions in the COVID-19 age too.

Continue reading The Social Distance: 21 Films About Isolation at The Playlist.

The 50 Best Sci-Fi Films Of The 21st Century So Far

Jessica Kiang — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 18:57:31 +0000

It’s impossible for us to choose a single favorite genre from the wealth that cinema offers. But if some sort of “Sophie’s Choice” situation were to occur, we probably would be able to point to one that occupies a more central place in our hearts: science fiction. The term encompasses multitudes: sci-fi runs the gamut from stark, philosophical inquiry to space western to brainless robot-go-bang-bang; it hybridizes beautifully with other genres like comedy, horror and romance and as such is maybe the most expansive and elastic genre of them all.

Continue reading The 50 Best Sci-Fi Films Of The 21st Century So Far at The Playlist.

Incept Yourself Into The Best Sci-Fi Films Of The Century So Far

Gary Garrison — Mon, 30 May 2016 17:15:07 +0000

Last year we took a crack at the 25 best sci-fi films of the century so far. The list was populated by a handful of obvious — though necessary — choices, like “Looper,” “Interstellar,” and “Inception.” But the bulk of the picks came from the relatively new tradition of low budget sci-fi. Certainly sci-fi flicks of all shapes and sizes have been around since the dawn of cinema, but advances in digital cameras and post-production effects have made it a far more accessible genre for filmmakers, both budding and established, to tackle with a minimal budget (see the watermark: Shane Carruth‘s “Primer,” which he made for just $7,000).

Continue reading Incept Yourself Into The Best Sci-Fi Films Of The Century So Far at The Playlist.

The 25 Best Sci-Fi Films Of The 21st Century So Far

Jessica Kiang — Thu, 07 May 2015 16:06:10 +0000

As kids, we looked ahead to the imminent 21st century and thought of a big bold, sci-fi future. The robot butler and trips to the drug store in hovercars version hasn’t yet arrived, but the first 15 years of this century have been extremely fruitful for big-screen science fiction.

Sci-fi is almost as old as cinema itself —1902’s Georges Méliès’ “A Trip To The Moon” is generally seen as the first example— but it became hugely popular in late 20th century filmmaking in the aftermath of “Star Wars,” if also somewhat watered down.

Continue reading The 25 Best Sci-Fi Films Of The 21st Century So Far at The Playlist.

Sony Pictures Classics Buys Mike Leigh’s ‘Another Year,’ ‘Biutiful’ Still Anxiously Awaiting A Distrib

Edward Davis — Wed, 19 May 2010 02:14:00 +0000

Though some have called it miserablist, slow, etc. while others have seemingly dug its take on contentment and togetherness, either way, Mike Leigh’s Cannes picture, “Another Year” has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics.

We always kind of assumed this was a Focus Features picture, since Focus Features International financed it, but that’s not always how it works. While some have been harsh on SPC in recent years —perhaps for not making “Moon” the big tentpole film they thought it should be (guys, it’s thinking man’s sci-fi, it has limited appeal) —the distributor is pretty perfect for the Leigh film, as they pretty much exclusively work with intelligent foreign films.

Continue reading Sony Pictures Classics Buys Mike Leigh’s ‘Another Year,’ ‘Biutiful’ Still Anxiously Awaiting A Distrib at The Playlist.

Kaya Scodelario Is Cathy In Andrea Arnold’s ‘Wuthering Heights’

Oliver Lyttelton — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 00:10:00 +0000

Finally! Ecosse Film’s new version of “Wuthering Heights” has been in the works for years now, and the likes of John Maybury (“Love is the Devil”) and Peter Webber (“Girl With A Pearl Earring”) were attached to direct, until Andrea Arnold (“Fish Tank”) was appointed in January. Actors like Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman, Abbie Cornish, Gemma Arterton, Ed Westwick and Carey Mulligan have all been close to landing the lead roles over the years, but Arnold announced that she was looking for unknowns, and wouldn’t be a casting a star.

Continue reading Kaya Scodelario Is Cathy In Andrea Arnold’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ at The Playlist.

Duncan Jones Says Sony Screwed Him Out Of ‘Moon’ DVD Sales

Kevin Jagernauth — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:35:00 +0000

Update: Jones has calmed down and hit Twitter one time saying, “Shouldn’t try to understand revenue reporting. didn’t have all the info. Being assured it’s all as it should be… Will stick to directing!” We guess Sony and Jones are friends again.

Duncan Jones is not happy.

The director hit Twitter this morning to voice his displeasure at Sony USA’s handling of the DVD release of “Moon.” Sony, which reps the film in most major territories worldwide, had already come under fire from fans of the film for not giving the film enough of an awards push and now Jones is accusing the studio of pissing away revenue from potential sales of the film in U.S.

Continue reading Duncan Jones Says Sony Screwed Him Out Of ‘Moon’ DVD Sales at The Playlist.

2010 BAFTAs – ‘The Hurt Locker’ Wins Best Picture, Dominates With 6 Awards

Oliver Lyttelton — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:01:00 +0000

Tonight brings the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ annual awards ceremony, one of the final events of the season, and one of the last major indicators of which way the Oscars may end up going. Because our ticket to the awards, um, mysteriously never arrived, and because Britain is yet to join the 21st century and televise its award ceremonies (an edited version starts airing at 9pm GMT), we’re going to update the winners as we get them, and then liveblog the ceremony.

Continue reading 2010 BAFTAs – ‘The Hurt Locker’ Wins Best Picture, Dominates With 6 Awards at The Playlist.

The Best Soundtrack, Scores & Music Moments of 2009

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:40:00 +0000

Are you sick of 2009? Well, you know what? We at The Playlist definitely are. But god, we take on comprehensive assignments and then for better or worse finish them. Argggh. This is our last 2009 feature for the year, and if you’re peeved about us discussing 2009 in the last week of January 2010, welcome to the party, but man did these exhaustive features take a long time to put together.

Waah, regardless, 2009 was a pretty good year for soundtracks and scores and arguably a much better one than 2008 which was overall, pretty bland and uninspired when it came to the use of music in film.

Continue reading The Best Soundtrack, Scores & Music Moments of 2009 at The Playlist.

‘Moon,’ Carey Mulligan Big Winners At The British Independent Film Awards

Oliver Lyttelton — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:38:00 +0000

The awards season is in full swing now, with the Gotham Awards and the National Board of Review hitting last week, and the Spirit Award nominations being announced. Last night, the British Independent Film Awards gave out their twelfth selection of winners. We looked at the nominations when they were announced a few months back, and the winners from last night’s ceremony are below:

Best British Independent Film
“Moon”

Best Director
Andrea Arnold – “Fish Tank”

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)
Duncan Jones – “Moon”

Best Screenplay
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche – “In The Loop”

Best Actress
Carey Mulligan – “An Education”

Best Actor
Tom Hardy – “Bronson”

Best Supporting Actress
Anne-Marie Duff – “Nowhere Boy”

Best Supporting Actor
John Henshaw – “Looking for Eric”

Most Promising Newcomer
Katie Jarvis – “Fish Tank”

Best Achievement in Production
“Bunny and the Bull”

Raindance Award
“Down Terrace”

Best Technical Achievement
Greig Fraser – Cinematography – “Bright Star”

Best Documentary
“Mugabe and the White African”

Best British Short
“Love You More”

Best Foreign Film
“Let the Right One In”

The Richard Harris Award (For Outstanding Contribution to British Film)
Daniel Day-Lewis

The Variety Award
Sir Michael Caine

The Special Jury Prize
Baz Bamigboye

All in all, it’s a hard list to disagree with – Jones, Mulligan and Hardy, in particular, are well deserved winners.

Continue reading ‘Moon,’ Carey Mulligan Big Winners At The British Independent Film Awards at The Playlist.

Duncan Jones’ ‘Source Code’ Could Be The Best Sci-Fi Movie in Years

Oliver Lyttelton — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Sci-fi as a genre is virtually as old as cinema, but good sci-fi movies are pretty much a total rarity at this point. You occasionally get a movie that takes a fresh, original spin on the genre (“Time Crimes” and “The Fountain” being good recent examples), but all too often it’s used as an excuse to stack the screen with CGI, while being totally derivative of other, better movies. It’s actually been a pretty good year for the genre, however, with “District 9” and “Moon” both proving critical hits, and the director of the latter, Duncan Jones, signed on a few weeks back to direct another hotly tipped sci-fi script, Ben Ripley’s “Source Code.” And the good news is, it’s a belter.

Continue reading Duncan Jones’ ‘Source Code’ Could Be The Best Sci-Fi Movie in Years at The Playlist.

‘Fish Tank’, ‘An Education,’ ‘Moon’ Lead British Independent Film Award Nominations

Oliver Lyttelton — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:08:00 +0000

The British Independent Film Awards, founded in 1998 by British indie godfather and galactic-level self-publicist Elliot Grove, founder of the Raindance Institute, are undeniably a good thing — like the Independent Spirit Awards, they bring much-needed attention to some of the smaller movies that would be otherwise overlooked by BAFTA and other similar awards ceremonies. Well, at least in theory — last year’s awards were dominated by “Slumdog Millionaire.” This year, with the exception of Oscar hopeful “An Education,” it’s a pretty broad church, and one that speaks to the strengths of the strength of the British indie scene in the last few years.

Continue reading ‘Fish Tank’, ‘An Education,’ ‘Moon’ Lead British Independent Film Award Nominations at The Playlist.

MIFF 2009 Part One: ‘Bronson,’ ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ ‘The Hurt Locker’

Simon Dang — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:15:00 +0000

Over the last two or so weeks the 2009 Melbourne International Film Festival has hit town and lit up local theaters with a host of movies from all over the globe.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, however, with the controversial withdrawal of three Chinese films on account of the festival’s screening of “10 Conditions Of Love,” (about political activist Rebiya Kadeer, which presumably paints Chinese authorities’ reportedly poor treatment of Kadeer in a negative light); subsequent hacking of the ticketing site from China; and the withdrawal of Ken Loach’s “Looking For Eric”, in protest of the festival’s financial support from Israel through the Israeli-Australian film, “$9.99.” Nevertheless, the show must, and has, gone on to much success with seemingly more sold out sessions than ever, 154 all up.

Continue reading MIFF 2009 Part One: ‘Bronson,’ ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ ‘The Hurt Locker’ at The Playlist.

Would You Believe? They Put A Man On The Moon

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:37:00 +0000

Forty years ago today, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon. This has got many in a Moon-like editorial mood and of course from the film world, a retrospective of films that centers around movies made about la luna. The New York Times has a good piece on cinema centered around the film’s focusing on the Earth’s satellite, and the Criterion Collection obviously anticipated this forty-year anniversary months ago when they set a re-release of Al Reinert’s “For All Mankind” lunar documentary for July (July 14 to be exact was when the disc came out, blu-ray too.

Continue reading Would You Believe? They Put A Man On The Moon at The Playlist.

First Listen: Clint Mansell’s ‘Moon’ Soundtrack, David Bowie Was To Collaborate On ‘The Fountain’ Score

Gabe Toro — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Ok, when speaking of “Moon,” you’re probably wondering, when the hell is that amazing and gorgeously melancholy Clint Mansell score ever coming out? Lo and behold it quietly came out on ITunes as of yesterday (July 13). Great promotion, who ever’s running that thing (pffft). Anywho, you can download it here. Does this moving score even outdo the movie whence it came from? There’s an argument to be made there for sure, it’s stellar.

Meanwhile, Mojo has a fantastic interview with composer Clint Mansell regarding his career, specifically his recent work on “Moon.” During the course of the interview, Mansell reveals an interesting tidbit about how he got to know “Moon” helmer Duncan Jones, also known as Zowie Bowie.

Continue reading First Listen: Clint Mansell’s ‘Moon’ Soundtrack, David Bowie Was To Collaborate On ‘The Fountain’ Score at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office- ‘Bruno’ At The Top

Gabe Toro — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Defying many who thought the gay content would be “too much” for certain audiences, Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno” debuted at the top spot with an impressive $30 million haul. Sociological ramifications? Eh. “Bruno” proves only what we already knew, that some people still love laughing at gay people, with a select few appreciating the joys of laughing with them. Is there a real life suggestion that homosexuality, because it remains somewhat taboo, should be accepted primarily as a source of humor for both gays and straights?

Continue reading Weekend Box Office- ‘Bruno’ At The Top at The Playlist.

Duncan Jones Likens ‘Mute’ Buddy Villains To Paul Rudd’s ‘I Love You, Man’

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Duncan Jones really can’t wait to make his next picture.

The “Moon,” director has been on a tear discussing the villains of his next sci-fi film, “Mute” – which he now amusingly describes as his “love letter to ‘Blade Runner.’ ” And it’s not like he’s trying to sell the thing, it’s already set to be his next project. Gotta love unbridled enthusiasm.

“They’re a pair of buddies. They’re kind of like; you know the Paul Rudd film, “I Love You, Man’?

Continue reading Duncan Jones Likens ‘Mute’ Buddy Villains To Paul Rudd’s ‘I Love You, Man’ at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office- On Patriotic Holiday, Americans Abuse Freedom, Opt For ‘Ice Age’, ‘Transformers’

Gabe Toro — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:13:00 +0000

That’s it, that’s enough. The founding fathers had it wrong. All men aren’t created equal. Some choose to spend their money on things that make them better. And some willingly pay for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” The proudly ignorant rape of celluloid again tied for a position atop the box office, scoring $42.5 million for a domestic total of $293 million. Making money at a cartoonish rate, the film only needed a week and a half to surpass “Up” as the year’s highest grossing picture, as entertainment options for moviegoers proved slim, President Barack Obama apparently ordering all libraries, museums and video rental stores to be closed for the holiday weekend.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office- On Patriotic Holiday, Americans Abuse Freedom, Opt For ‘Ice Age’, ‘Transformers’ at The Playlist.

Duncan Jones To Follow Up ‘Moon’ With ‘Blade Runner’-Inspired Sci-Fi Thriller, ‘Mute’

Simon Dang — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:07:00 +0000

Looks like Duncan Jones is making friends in all the right places. With news of his film “Moon” taking home the coveted Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature at the Edinburgh Film Festival, the director is now prepping for “Mute,” a sci-fi thriller whose prospects were previously hinging on the success of “Moon.”

ScreenDaily reports that “Mute,” which Jones compared to “Blade Runner” early on, is now set to film early next year in Berlin as a UK-German co-production and will seemingly jump the queue over “Escape From The Deep,” the adaptation of an Alex Kershaw novel about a malfunctioning WWII navy submarine which Jones is attached to helm and presumably was supposed to be next.

Continue reading Duncan Jones To Follow Up ‘Moon’ With ‘Blade Runner’-Inspired Sci-Fi Thriller, ‘Mute’ at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office- Audiences Accept ‘Proposal’ To Watch Damn Near Anything

Gabe Toro — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:55:00 +0000

In a weekend most consider the calm before the storm that is “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” audiences flocked to offseason rom-com “The Proposal,” which surprised many by taking in $34.1 million from desperately lonely people and couples bound to last because both participants are terrible people. It was the first movie in awhile to target the female marketplace, so the business isn’t totally out of left-field, though its worth noting that this is the biggest opening for Teflon-careered Sandra Bullock and the second hit this season for Ryan Reynolds, a guy who finally seems to be getting serious about his career as a leading man, if not creatively at least financially.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office- Audiences Accept ‘Proposal’ To Watch Damn Near Anything at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office- No Hangover For ‘The Hangover’

Gabe Toro — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:18:00 +0000

Sometimes a well-placed R-rated boys’ club comedy can do some serious damage in blockbuster land. Word of mouth has to be the culprit, explaining how “The Hangover” is somewhat mimicking recent frat-like R-rated fare like “The Wedding Crashers” with a second straight weekend at #1. Tracking-wise, the film is even crossing over to women, so with $105 million in the kitty after two weeks, it has to be considered a massive breakthrough for WB. Inches away from out grossing their other war horse “Terminator Salvation,” “The Hangover” recorded a $33.4 million gross, which is a audience loss of only 25%- that’s near-heroic.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office- No Hangover For ‘The Hangover’ at The Playlist.

‘Moon’ Expansion: When Does It Open By You?

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:12:00 +0000

A lot of folks have already been asking about the widely well-received sci-fi film, “Moon” starring Sam Rockwell and directed by David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones (if we repeat that factoid one more time today, shoot us).

It’s out in limited release this weekend, New York, L.A. only, but people are asking, “When do I get to see it? “When do I get to see it??” As usual, we have answers.

June 19th: San Francisco Bay Area CA, San Diego CA, Chicago IL, Boston MA

July 3rd, Phoenix/Scottsdale AZ, Long Beach CA, Detroit MI, Philadelphia PA, Dallas TX
Houston TX, Seattle WA

July 10th
Anchorage AK, Little Rock AR, Tuscon AZ, Northern CA Expansion CA, Washington DC DC, Denver CO, Greater Florida FL, Honolulu HI, Des Moines IA, Bosie ID, Indianapolis IN, New Orleans LA, Minneapolise MN, Kansas City MO, St.

Continue reading ‘Moon’ Expansion: When Does It Open By You? at The Playlist.

In Theaters: ‘The Taking of Pelham 123,’ ‘Moon,’ & ‘Tetro’

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:45:00 +0000

It’s that time of the week again, TGIFridays! By all accounts the box-office showdown this week will be between Todd Phillips’ surprise. come-from-behind R-Rated comedy, “The Hangover” and Tony Scott’s remake, errr, retelling of “The Taking Of Pelham 123,” (which sort of has a terrible title as far as mainstream audiences are concerned, the studio is banking on their deep pockets for high-dollar mainstream promotion and the names of Denzel Washington and John Travolta). ‘Hangover’ is fun and all, but with those mostly unknown actors one would think it would be an embarrassment if ‘Pelham’ couldn’t best it this weekend, but with strong word of mouth for the lost-in-Vegas, fratboy comedy, the race sounds like it’ll be very close (and if Phillips wins, hell, all the more power to him and the future of R-Rated comedies, which is excellent).

Continue reading In Theaters: ‘The Taking of Pelham 123,’ ‘Moon,’ & ‘Tetro’ at The Playlist.

Take Your Protein Pills And Strap Your Helmet On: ‘Moon’ Is An Admirable Little Space Oddity

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:45:00 +0000

The nerd-o-sphere, always the first to jump into hyperbolic raves onto anything vaguely fantasy/adventure/sci-fi especially if it has underdog qualities, seemed to instantly dub Duncan Jones’ “Moon” a visionary sci-fi masterpiece. This is a pretty big overstatement. And armed with these kind of expectations, you might walk away from “Moon” very disappointed. However, if you lower your expectations ever so slightly and are simply looking forward to a very well-crafted and appropriately atmospheric little sci-fi ditty, then you will enjoy this moody, sharp and excellent little addition to the modern sci-fi cannon.

Continue reading Take Your Protein Pills And Strap Your Helmet On: ‘Moon’ Is An Admirable Little Space Oddity at The Playlist.