How Is Sam Rockwell Being Ignored For His Performance In MOON?
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Dec 30 2009, 9:12 AM
One of the films that struck me most this past year was MOON, the feature debut of director (and son of David Bowie) Duncan Jones. Even more impressing than the scope and effects the film boasted on a shoestring budget was the performance by Sam Rockwell as the film's lead, Sam Bell, marooned on Earth's moon. Without giving too much away, Moon is essentially a one-man show, held up entirely by the strength of Rockwell's performances. I walked out of the the wonderful Hollywood Arclight buzzing about the film, and in particular, the strong show Rockwell put on. Literally, for weeks I championed Rockwell's talents to any of my friends and coworkers that would listen.
Yet I was slightly puzzled when awards season started ramping up, and I saw not one screener for the film being distributed. Having seen some pretty dodgy releases come through the mail, especially those with no hopes of gaining recognition, the decision not to send Moon for consideration was perplexing. But as Jones explains, "[Sony] say it costs too much for our little film as they would need to be water-marked copies as our DVD isnt out yet in the US."
He goes on to hope that word of mouth and buzz across the web might bolster Rockwell's chances, particularly with Academy Members. And while there is an online petition, I can't hold my breath on that. It certainly doesn't help that the movie video release in the US is still another 2 weeks away and nomination ballots have already been mailed. But regardless of awards chances, I highly recommend picking up Moon if you've either never heard of it, or didn't have the opportunity to see it theatrically, especially if you're either a voting Academy member, or know someone who is.
One of the films that struck me most this past year was MOON, the feature debut of director (and son of David Bowie) Duncan Jones. Even more impressing than the scope and effects the film boasted on a shoestring budget was the performance by Sam Rockwell as the film's lead, Sam Bell, marooned on Earth's moon. Without giving too much away, Moon is essentially a one-man show, held up entirely by the strength of Rockwell's performances. I walked out of the the wonderful Hollywood Arclight buzzing about the film, and in particular, the strong show Rockwell put on. Literally, for weeks I championed Rockwell's talents to any of my friends and coworkers that would listen.
Yet I was slightly puzzled when awards season started ramping up, and I saw not one screener for the film being distributed. Having seen some pretty dodgy releases come through the mail, especially those with no hopes of gaining recognition, the decision not to send Moon for consideration was perplexing. But as Jones explains, "[Sony] say it costs too much for our little film as they would need to be water-marked copies as our DVD isnt out yet in the US."
He goes on to hope that word of mouth and buzz across the web might bolster Rockwell's chances, particularly with Academy Members. And while there is an online petition, I can't hold my breath on that. It certainly doesn't help that the movie video release in the US is still another 2 weeks away and nomination ballots have already been mailed. But regardless of awards chances, I highly recommend picking up Moon if you've either never heard of it, or didn't have the opportunity to see it theatrically, especially if you're either a voting Academy member, or know someone who is.
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