Inspiration: the Moon (as seen from below).

the moon has always inspired me. here's a mini-exhibition. . . .

[snatched from the lovely Flying Oliphant]

["xxx blue moon xxx" by Andre Fromont]

 [amy and jeremy in the moon, taken at Storm King in New York, by Garrett K.]

To the Moon...

What do a science-fiction film from 1902 and a '90s alternative rock band have in common? Well, you probably already know. The Smashing Pumpkins' music video for their ultimate lullaby, "Tonight Tonight," off of my favorite album of theirs, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, borrows from Georges Méliès' classic film, A Trip to the Moon. Méliès wrote, directed, produced, and even starred in the fourteen-minute film shot on 16mm. Groundbreaking at the time (it was made over one hundred years ago!), it's generally considered the first sci-fi film.

Fast-forward to 1996 when directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris got the idea for the "Tonight Tonight" video because Mellon Collie's album cover reminded them of early silent films. The resulting video, with the Pumpkins fancied up, flickering, and floating on clouds, plays with the themes and happenings in A Trip to the Moon, and also provides romantic, surrealistic visuals that perfectly suit the song, as well as the Pumpkins' evolving aesthetic. I love how the woman starts hitting the aliens with her parasol and when they blast off and fall into the ocean, all of which more or less occurs in the silent film.  The video was also filmed in the general style of A Trip the Moon, with painted backdrops, theatrical costumes, exaggerated expressions, and "primitive effects" to make it look antiquated. 

Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight by popefucker

Moon

 

It only makes sense that David Bowie's offspring would shake up the arts world in one way or another. As a filmmaker, Duncan Jones was up for 7 British Independent film awards and rightfully won 2, all for a small, science-fiction, claustrophobic masterpiece called Moon. The film basically has two main characters: Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, and Kevin Spacey lends his voice to Sam's robot companion, who expresses himself with emoticon faces. Sam is nearing the end of his stint working in a station on the Moon and he cannot wait to return home to Earth. But strange things start happening,  and Sam must confront the terrible reality of his situation before finding a way to escape. The isolation of the setting and its isolation of our main character create a beautiful minimalism, which makes the film seem like a perfectly crafted short-story, brought to life. It's a truly refreshing testament to the art of story-telling, and even calls to mind THX 1138, Alien, and other influential films, all of which did indeed inspire Jones. He hopes to make more films in the Moon series, and I hope he does too. Only I wish he still went by Zowie Bowie!