Moon

Really good science fiction is hard to do. It's hard to write. It's even harder to turn into a film, despite the abundance of computer generated special effects and the fact that we, the audience, seem to take CG totally for granted now. A huge studio budget and fantastical special effects may make a summer blockbuster, but are not a guarantee of even crappy science fiction. Science fiction requires story - one that is plausible or even possible, and that completely suspends your disbelief. Duncan Jones took an itty bitty budget and with the help of two fabulous actors, turned out some damn fine sci-fi in Moon.

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is in the final days of a three year stint alone on the far side of the moon. Literally. Working as a contractor for a private company mining the moon surface for He3, he maintains the rigs, sends reports and talks to his ever too cheerful computer, Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey.) A failed satellite means he has only recorded messages from home, and when increasing headaches and some visual hallucinations lead to a serious accident, Sam discovers that there is something wrong on the moon. And he's not alone at all.

Sam Rockwell manages to carry this film with only himself, some sets and the vocal talents of Kevin to help, and manages to carry it quite well. It doesn't take fancy CG to convey a sparse space station, or the creepiness of total isolation. It does take more than a little talent to demonstrate a range of very human emotion when you have no one at all to play against except yourself and all that isolation. And the story is full of things that seems possible, if horribly so.
Enjoy this little gem when you need to be reminded of how lucky you are. Excellent website here.