"Moon" Review

Moon takes place in the not so distant future when "Helium -3"is mined on the moon and sent back to earth to provide us energy. The film follows a man named Sam Bell, played by the always brilliant, Sam Rockwell, who is the sole man that works at the site, and has 2 more weeks left on his 3 year contract and can't wait to get home. The only company Sam has is a computer named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey in a blatant homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL.) Though after Sam is injured after thinking he sees something while out collecting Helium 3, another guy named Sam shows up and things get really weird.
I love Sam Rockwell & he is in every single scene of the movie, which he definiely pulls off, but the pacing is incredibly slow and 97 minutes felt more like 197. It was definitely a thought provoking film, directed by David Bowie's son Duncan Jones, but the most glorious thing about it was Gary Shaw's cinematography & that shred of hope that I held on to that there'd be some Bowie on the soundtrack or even a minor reference to The Man Who Fell to Earth.

My rating: 8.2/10

First look: Mickey Rourke suits up as Whiplash for 'Iron Man 2' - USATODAY.com

So here's the first pic from Iron Man 2. There's plenty more filler at the site,and there aren't too many details out about the film, except that Mickey Rourke is 1 of the villains (Sam Rockwell is the other. ) Mickey was stellar in Sin City and clearly Oscar Caliber in The Wrestler, so I can't wait to see him and RDJ on screen together, it's going to be electric! First look: Mickey Rourke suits up as Whiplash for 'Iron Man 2' - USATODAY.com

trailer trash - Moon

Praise an Almighty Power for giving the world Adam Smith, and I sure as F don't mean the father of modern economics. My dear friend, Mr. Smith, an absolutely darling young man not only shares my love of Keira Knightley, but also has absolute respect for the man, the myth, the legend, Sam Rockwell. Adam turned me on to Sam's latest, film Moon an independent sci-fi endeavor that looks enthralling.

Frost/Nixon Review

Frost/Nixon is "a dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon," that's directed by Academy Award winning director Ron Howard. Aside from all the glowing reviews that have surrounded this film for months, and subsequent Oscar Nominations, the main reasons I went to see it were Matthew MacFadyen and Sam Rockwell; two brilliant but not as well known actors, a producer and a researcher, respectively, that work with Frost to develop questions and information for the interview and "give Nixon the trial he never got." I was in no rush to see this film, but after it was nominated for Best Picture I was compelled to see it, since I had seen all the other nominees. It is a legitimately enjoyable and enteraining film, based on true events which certainly keeps you enthralled, though the outcome was already known to whoever was around during the era or anyone with access to youtube. I was hesitant about seeing the film because I thought it would be preachy and pretentious and incredibly politically oriented, and after living through a monumentally historic election season, I wanted to escape all that when going to the movies. Though F/N is steeped in political history, it's truly the story of 2 men trying to rejuventate, revitalize and rehabilitate the public image the world has of them for the better, but only 1 is capable of doing so. While Frank Langella is nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, I thought Michael Sheen was positively brilliant as David Frost in a very subtle and in no way over the top portrayal of a man, no one took seriously as a journalist. Rockwell, MacFadyen, and Oliver Platt were unexpectedly hilarious and played marvelously off each other, while Kevin Bacon once again brought the goods as Nixon's confidante and primary Secret Service Agent. If political history interests you go see this film, and if you're interested in seeing great performances & obviously well executed filmaking, definitely fo see this film.

My rating: 9/10

Choke Review

i saw Choke over 2 weeks ago and just never got around to writing a review. it's not that i wasn't desperate to share how great the movie was, just other things came up and i kind of wanted to keep this brilliant little gem to myself. i was inducted into the Cult of Palahniuck a decade ago when Fight Club was released. both the film and the novel changed my life, in ways i won't go into to detail but i will say for the better. now that i'm a little older and pretend to be a lot wiser, Choke has had a similar effect on me that Fight Club and magnifies that we're all kind of F-ed up. in Choke Palahniuck once again focuses on the affect dysfuntional relationships have on our entire lives, and how integral they are to finding our identity, true selves and the possibility of sharing that with another. with that out of the way, i have to say the movie was hilarious, Sam Rockwell was out of of this world, Kelly MacDonald was incadescent (as always,) and as we've learned from numerous Wes Anderson films Anjelica Huston is the best woman to play a mother caught up in the midst of mayhem. i also have to add that Clark Gregg did an excellent job as writer, director and co-star which is not an easy feat, while also making a great film that's only 90 minutes long, that also has an equally fantastic soundtrack. if you still have the chance to go see Choke, do so immediately, otherwise pre-order it on Netflix or Amazon, it's that good. My rating 8.4/10

trailer trash - Choke

"Choke " is the film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuck's novel, that's gotten rave reviews at every film festival it's premiered at since January. i'm really hoping this is the film that launches Sam Rockwell's career to unknown heights (i was hoping "Charlie's Angels" would but i guess i was the only one who noticed his brilliance...also check him out in almost everything he's done, he's divine.) even though Radiohead won't be scoring the film, the soundtrack still looks (and most likely sounds) fantastic. also a dear friend of mine (and the father of modern economics Adam Smith) worked on the film and swag is pitch perfect, so with all those factors working in it's favor, the movie is will hopefully be as awesome as everyone says it is. Choke opens Friday, September 26th, 2008.