Rockwell & Jones Make the Moon More Fascinating Than NASA Ever Could!

In 1969 man first walked on the moon. 40 years later, man makes Moon

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

I've come to the stark realization that the magic of movies doesn't lie within the trickery of a green screen, nor is it camouflaged behind the faces of the movie stars who beckon $20 million per picture. And it's not in the misleading make-up effects or the counterfeit CGI techniques. Instead, it comes from a story, preferably untold before, and one which has the dexterity to grip us from start to finish, guided on camera immaculately by a director with an eye for old-fashioned filmmaking.

As I'm sure you've picked up on, this review isn't about one of the endless big-budget, multi-plex sequels that take over the box office during the summer months (ie. Transformers, Harry Potter, Terminator, Ice Age), but rather an unassertive "indie" film called Moon, which was the directorial debut for Duncan Jones (who also co-wrote the script with Nathan Parker), the son of rock icon David Bowie. So, in the cosy balcony of Edmonton's oldest movie palace, the Princess, I settled into the 97-minute sci-fi thriller with a buddy of mine, who had smuggled in his own snacks in order to avoid doubling our movie budget for the night.

Sam Rockwell (Frost/Nixon, Choke) is a one-man (kinda) show in Moon, a film scripted specifically as a vehicle for the low-key indie actor. He plays Sam Bell, an astronaut of sorts who is driven to the edge of sanity, it seems, as the end of his 3-year outer space stint nears. He's isolated from the rest of the world--literally--as he's contracted to extract the "safe, clean energy" of Helium-3 from the lunar soil of the moon, stationed on the rock for 36 consecutive months. His only companion is an all-knowing, almost-emotive robot named Gerty, voiced disconcertingly by Oscar winner Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, The Usual Suspects), who's main mission is to serve and protect Bell.

Moon reeked of nostalgic sci-fi movie bliss, with an old-school feel entwined with its modern-day look, yet paying homage to the classic films that Jones grew up admiring, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Silent Running (1972), Alien (1979) and Outland (1981). Jones admitted that he "wanted to create something which felt comfortable within that canon of those science fiction films from the sort of late-'70s to early-'80s."

Jones' premiere motion picture, which cost just $5 million to film, is an enigmatic piece that delves into the hysteria that evolves when isolation and desolation take centre stage, and the director found a way to bring Moon's viewers along for the ride. By setting the film 100% in lunar space, the audience gets a small taste of what Bell must've felt as he went through his daily routines with only a talking computer by his side, day in and day out, stumbling upon the unimaginable fate that has been bestowed upon him.

I lost track of time as I admired the spectacular scenery that can't be that far off from the real moon, complimented by the merited score supplied by part-time rock star Clint Mansell (Requeim for a Dream, The Wrestler). Rockwell--who has an uncanny resemblance to Will & Grace's Eric McCormack at times--proved his own worth with every scene, requiring him to sample every basic human emotion in a span of an hour and a half. I've never been prone to Rockwell's work prior to Moon, but will surely recognize his niche from this film on.

It's hard to pinpoint what I didn't like about this movie, but it becomes more apparent when I think back, sitting at the Princess with my buddy, waiting--perhaps subconsciously--for some huge explosion or physical battle between good and evil, or maybe for some Hollywood star to make a cameo. Perhaps my eyes have become accustomed to these types of corner turns. But Moon laid essentially flat in this sense, refusing to budge from location, blurring my senses with the same pale walls and dark landscapes, and leaving Rockwell to manage the cast on his own. For others this would be draining, but it seemed to filter through me by the end, despite the occasional desire for cinematic normalcy. A mid-movie twist was enough to dribble on under these circumstances though.

Revisiting a threatened genre of moviemaking, Moon left me wanting to go beyond the lunar experience and be a fly on the wall for Bell's audacious adventures once the credits hit the screen. So you can imagine my delight when I heard Jones was already working on an epilogue to Moon, and ultimately wants to direct a third in the series as well. So, 40 years after Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on Earth's closest neighbour, we find ourselves all gitty over the Moon once again!

4/5 stars

RIP: Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

Trailblazing & historical figure of pop culture is dead at 50

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

As hard as it is to fathom, Michael Jackson--the rightful "King of Pop"--died today (Thursday, June 25) as a result of cardiac arrest, two months short of his 51st birthday. The iconic entertainer had collapsed at his Los Angeles residence at around noon (Pacific Time) today, and was rushed to UCLA Medical Center, where the pop legend was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm.

"Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of colour," remarked the Rev. Al Sharpton upon hearing the tragic news. "To say an 'icon' would only give these young people in Harlem a fraction of what he was. He was a historic figure that people will measure music and the industry by."

Just hours after Michael's untimely death his older brother Jermaine Jackson, 54, made a public statement in which he pleaded for privacy for himself and the rest of the infamous Jackson family, which includes sisters Janet & La Toya and other brothers Marlon, Jackie, Tito and Randy Jackson. Meanwhile, thousands of fans had gathered at the UCLA Medical Center, as well as at the late singer's home and even at the Apollo Theatre in New York, where Jackson and his brothers got their start back in the '60s.

Born August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana, Michael Joseph Jackson became a musical prodigy when, at age five, he began performing with his older brothers as The Jackson Five. The quintet, led by the young Michael, signed a recording contract with Motown Records in 1968, where they enjoyed hits like "I Want You Back" (1969), "ABC" (1970), "The Love You Save" (1970) and "I'll Be There" (1970), all No.1's.

By 1972 Michael had begun making records on his own with Motown, and even moonlighted as a part-time actor when he starred as the "Scarecrow" in Sidney Lumet's modest hit The Wiz (1978), a black variation of The Wizard of Oz that also featured Diana Ross, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor. Over his lengthy showbiz career Jackson had dabbled with acting via his classic music videos (most notably in the 13-minute, John Landis-directed "Thriller"), a guest voice appearance on The Simpsons (1991), a cameo in Men in Black II (2002), and mini-films Captain EO (1986) and Ghosts (1997).

In 1979 Michael broke new ground as a solo artist with the Quincy Jones-produced Off the Wall (Epic Records), which sold 20 million copies worldwide, won him his first of 14 Grammy Awards, and spawned five hit singles, including chart-toppers "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You." In 2003 Rolling Stone magazine ranked it amongst the "500 Greatest Albums of All-Time," placing Off the Wall at No.68.

Jackson, a self-proclaimed prefectionist, returned in 1982 with what is considered to be the most commercially successful album in music history, the renowned Thriller. Again produced by Jones, Thriller sold in excess of 27 million copies in the U.S. alone, and upwards of 50 million around the world, birthing numerous major hits along the way, including "Beat It" (#1), "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (#10), "The Girl Is Mine" (#2/ a duet with Paul McCartney), the title cut (#4) and the groundbreaking and infectious "Billie Jean" (#1). The legacy of Thriller also includes memorable music videos that changed the face of MTV forever, and a stunning Grammy sweep that saw the singer walk away with eight trophies. Thriller was reissued in 2001 and again last year.

Around the same time, in 1983, Jackson premiered his signature "moonwalk" dance move on the TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. The following year saw Jackson suffer second degree burns to his scalp during the filming of a Pepsi TV commercial, which led to a $1.5 million lawsuit and his long addiction with pain killers. During 1985 he was part of USA for Africa, a group of popular musicians who topped the charts (in 17 countries) with a song Jackson co-wrote, "We Are the World," which raised millions of dollars for aid to Africa.

Although Jackson's subsequent albums, Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991), sold extremely well, they could not come close to the daunting triumph that was Thriller, despite lodging #1 smash hits in "Bad" (1987), "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (1987), "The Way You Make Me Feel" (1987), "Dirty Diana" (1988), "Man in the Mirror" (1988) and "Black or White" (1991). Combined, Bad and Dangerous saw international sales of more than 60 million units.

Jackson, who published an autobiography in 1988 (Moon Walk), would also become a staple of the tabloids, as his personal trials and tribulations fed the pages of supermarket mags, including his countless plastic surgeries, gay accusations, a bizarre relationship with his pet monkey Bubbles, a brief affair with actress Brooke Sheilds, an eating disorder, supposed skin bleaching, and even claims that he slept in an oxygen chamber and had purchased the remains of the "Elephant Man."

But it all came to a boiling point in 1993 when a 13-year-old boy alleged that the pop superstar had sexually molested him at the singer's infamous Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara, California. Later in the year Jackson underwent a "humiliating" strip search after a police warrant was issued in order to verify descriptions of Jackson's genitals, according to the young boy. The case was eventually settled out of court on New Year's Day 1994 for a reported $2 million.

Unfortunately, from this point on Jackson's eccentric and peculiar personal life overshadowed his music career (despite 1995's #1 hit "You Are Not Alone" and Janet Jackson duet "Scream"), as he made headlines for his short marriage to the daughter of Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie (1994-96), a second marriage to nurse Debbie Rowe (1996-99), and the births of his three children, Prince Michael (b. 1997), Paris Michael (1998) and Prince Michael II (2002). Known now as "Wacko Jacko," Jackson also had to deal with the "failure" of his anticipated comeback album Invincible (2001), which offered just one Top 10 hit, "You Rock My World."

Things somehow took a turn for the worse in 2003, when a candid Michael revealed too much in a British documentary titled Living with Michael Jackson, in which the reclusive performer admitted to sharing his bed with "many children," something he saw nothing wrong with. As part of a damage control campaign, Jackson released a "rebuttal video" that claimed doc host Martin Bashir lied, misled, and took things out of context for the interview. The documentary aired shortly after Jackson went under fire for dangling his newborn son from a balcony at a hotel in Berlin, Germany.

As of late Michael Jackson's name continued its drag through the mud, made worse with bizarre court appearances, various lawsuits, failed comeback attempts, and rumours that the former multi-millionaire was broke. Jackson, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice (1997 and 2001), was scheduled for another career comeback this July, as he was to perform for over 1 million fans over 50 sold-out concerts at London's O2 arena. Unfortunately, we will never get to see what this latest attempt to regain the spotlight would've resulted in. Rest in peace.

"People think they know me, but they don't. Not really. Actually, I am one of the loneliest people on this earth. I cry sometimes, because it hurts. It does. To be honest, I guess you could say that it hurts to be me."
-Michael Jackson

DVD Pick: Eden Lake (2008)

UK thriller makes Crystal Lake look like a cakewalk

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

When it comes to thrillers Eden Lake proves that the British can reek havoc just as menacing as the Yankees have. But this hair-raising feature goes above and beyond the status quo of fear.

The stunning Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes) is a nursery school teacher named Jenny, who decides to partake in a camping weekend with her boyfriend Steve, played by Michael Fassbender (Hunger). The couple drive off to the reclusive and tranquil Eden Lake, and set up camp at its beachside, where they are soon harassed by a group of delinquents.

Things escalate and harassment turns to torment by the next morning, when they awake to discover the hoodlums have stolen their Jeep. The situation again intensifies after Steve accidentally kills the dog of the pack's leader Brett (Jack O'Connell), who forcingly persuades his buddies to help him hunt down the couple in the isolated woods of Eden Lake.

Director and screenwriter James Watkins (The Descent: Part 2) gives us a peek into how truly dispicable the human race can be, taking us on a rollercoaster ride that is, at times, grotesque, horrific, and heartless. Eden Lake will make you cringe, as its victims' survival instincts kick in to high gear, but will also pull back and find moments of sentiment within stages of utter terror, such as in a scene that has a destitute Jenny cradling the young thug she just murdered.

Almost unwatchable during some scenes, Eden Lake bares a realism to its suffering and the heartlessness of its main antagonist, who seems more terrifying than any of the movie villains we've become accustomed to. It's twists and turns may have you feeling a little naucious, but Eden Lake is worth the sit-threw, promising to literally have you on the edge of your seat.

4/5 stars

DVD Pick: The Last Winter

Unusual circumstances make for an unusual thriller

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

Similar to an evergrowing number of today's films, Larry Fessenden's The Last Winter borrowed a page out of the everyday headlines, tackling the topical subject of global warming as the backbone of its unconventional plot. Set in the isolated Alaskan tundra, The Last Winter is a different kind of horror-thriller, using the seeming spirits of caribou-like creatures as the foe (its not as bad as you might think), rather than psychos in masks or ghosts with grudges.

Ron Perlman trades in his Hellboy get-up for winter boots and a parka, as the leader of a group of oil scouts who are each brought to the edge of sanity, one by one. A mysterious force infects the group--mostly made up of Hollywood nobodies--before it allegedly spreads to neighbouring towns, and possibly the rest of the planet, much like the repercussions of a global warming.

A "horror" movie in which the Earth is the bad guy doesn't exactly send shivers up your spine, but Fessenden (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) somehow finds the terror of this very real possibililty and conveys it well onscreen, and with almost no special effects to speak of. He uses the bitter surroundings of Alaska's most unforgiving regions and the shortfallings of the relatable characters to provide us with one of the most original "horror" movies in recent years.

3.5/5 stars