Film: Moon

:-) It happened again.. one decent programme after the main evening news, just like last night, and then nothing. So again, I turned to my film list - where the next one up was Moon - one I don't remember hearing about, and I'm wondering why! Sam Rockwell has been stationed on the moon for a three-year contract - something to do with a mining operation. He's spent the entire time alone, with just a robot for company. Voiced by Kevin Spacey, this is kind of the next generation-HAL, with a range of sympathetic emojis to display. Unfortunately, just as our lone human is on the verge of going home, something unsettling happens. Anyway, I was happy with that option.. Amazon Prime is working well for me!

Tricky to know how much to say about this without giving away the essential plot - but I think I'm ok with saying that Sam starts to hallucinate. I also think I'm ok in saying that he ends up meeting himself - you can guess as much by reading the cast list! (I do wonder whether the guy playing his clone kept swapping outfits, as Sam himself played whichever incarnation of himself was having a closeup. Perhaps they played two versions of each scene they had together, with the roles reversed..) Stay with it though, you haven't heard the half of it yet! All is eventually revealed, and it's quite poignant. I do recommend reading the plot synopsis (afterwards) - if only to explain what you're hearing, right at the end. Oh, and as for the sympathetic computer - Kevin Spacey has a nice, soothing voice, seems a bit less threatening than HAL.. and just like HAL, knows a lot more than he's saying! That emoji-face is a bit naff, though. Hurry if you want to see this - turns out it's being discontinued on the 23rd.

On Saturday, for some reason, no-one is doing online Meetups again. At the moment, I'm thinking film -  never fear, there's always another. Well, there's a halfway infinite list! As a friend of mine once asked - is it my aim to see them all one day? Certainly looks like it's happening - slowly.. Next up is Almost Famous - directed and written by Cameron Crowe, it is semi-autobiographical. A young lad aspires to be a rock journalist, and gets a break with Rolling Stone, for goodness' sake! Frances McDormand is his disapproving mother, Zooey Deschanel his more sympathetic sister. Philip Seymour Hoffman is the journalist that acts as his mentor. Billy Crudup is lead guitarist of the band he's covering. Also stars Kate Hudson, Jimmy Fallon, Noah Taylor, and Anna Paquin. Set in the 70s, it looks like a glorious free-for-all, in the days of rock n roll excess..

On Sunday - why, London Social Detours has something on again at a time I can make! Specifically, a slideshow about the history of Islington - where I used to live, and which is still just up the road from me. Cool - I've signed up.

And on the 22nd, they're doing another "time-travel" - Ancient Rome this time, complete with a short film again. They're getting busy, these days..