Moon review

 Number 339 on the top 1000 films of all time is the science-fiction film 'Moon.'

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is the sole engineer responsible for maintaining an energy-mining facility on the dark side of the moon. His only companion is the AI computer GERTY voiced by Kevin Spacey. However, Sam has a personal crisis when he realises he is actually a clone.

Duncan Jones directed this film in his debut where he was heavily influenced by Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The comparisons were plain to see. Both films contain a minimal cast with an AI-esque robot that has dubious intentions. The main difference is where Kubrick prioritised his big ideas over his characters. Duncan Jones balanced the two very well. This was no surprise, as he soon went onto direct the excellent Source Code.

Sam Bell was a memorable character whose world is rocked when he finds out that he is a clone of the original Sam Bell. And he only discovers this when he finds his doppleganger after hunting for answers. This allowed Rockwell to show off his considerable acting skills, as he plays a duel role where he is playing against himself. No wonder he won an Oscar eight years later.

But this role really allowed him to run the gamut in terms of character work. He played confusion, distress, anger, joy and happiness. As Duncan Jones only had one character with any considerable screentime, he needed a good actor to go along with that. He had written the role of Sam Bell specifically for Rockwell. Luckily, he accepted both for Jones and for us, as Rockwell carried the film.

True, there are other characters like Benedict Wong and Matt Berry who played Bell's superiors back on Earth or Dominique McElligot who played Bell's wife, but these were supporting roles at most. Bell's wife probably could have used a bit more development.

Despite being heavily influenced by Hal in A Space Odyssey, Spacey took the character of Gerty to a different place by making him a benevolent robot. It was a refreshing change. Spacey helped to provide some light humour to what was otherwise a pretty dour film.

Duncan Jones made Moon on a small budget of $5 million. He kept the budget small by having a small cast and re-using old sets from other films and TV shows like Red Dwarf. Yet the film never felt cheap. He knew how to get the most out of his money.

And Jones knew how to make a good science-fiction film. Moon, not only posed interesting existential questions, but had interesting characters to boot.

Breakfast at Tiffany's review

 Number 490 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1961 romantic-comedy 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.'

Based on Truman Capote's novella of the same name, Breakfast at Tiffany's follows the free-spirited Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn.) She is a vibrant and independent socialise who falls in love with her neighbour - the struggling writer Paul Varjack (George Peppard.)

Firstly, let's address the Mickey Rooney shaped elephant in the room. He plays Holly's landlord Mr Yunioshi. For this role, Rooney wore prosthetics to look Japanese. This received both historical and contemporary criticism for being a racist characterisation of the Japanese, and East-Asians in general. As someone with East Asian heritage, I didn't find this offensive so much as I found it annoying. 

In fact, if there was an Oscar for most irritating performance ever Mickey Rooney would have surely won. Mr Yunioshi was a one-dimensional, terrible character. Rooney seemed to spend all his time shouting at the top of his voice in an accent that quickly grated on me. I think he was supposed to be some type of comic relief, but there was nothing funny about his performance.

If anything, I was more grossed-out at the revelation that Holly was only fourteen when she married her first husband Doc Golightly (Buddy Ebsen.) She is only nineteen in the film. And this is something that the film completely glosses over. But then again this was the sixties, long before political correctness ever became a thing. 

That notwithstanding, I did enjoy Breakfast at Tiffany's. It was a wonderfully subtle film with plenty of laughs and a charming performance from Hepburn. She imbued the ditzy Golightly with enough charisma to make her a thoroughly likeable character. 

Director Blake Edwards also allowed for plenty of improvisation which helped the comedy to thrive. For the famous party scene, he let the champagne and food flow freely meaning, gave the cast little direction, permitting them to produce some authentic and hilarious moments.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is also well-known for its signature song 'Moon River.' Written specifically for Audrey Hepburn's limited range, it was the perfect accompaniment for the film. Suitably romantic and understated, it went onto rightly win the Oscar for the Best Original song. When a studio executive suggested it be cut in the film, Audrey Hepburn shot back with "over my dead body." If it wasn't for her strong convictions, we would have been robbed this gentle song.

The Mickey Rooney yellowface controversy aside, I did very much enjoy Breakfast at Tiffany's.