frEEk on the Moon!

A Lunar hello my frEEk fellows!

Lo and behold, Chandrayaan has found traces water on the surface of our beloved Chandramaa (aka Moon), while the effects of this on the world at large are too vast to be contained in the meager realms of this blog, we can join hands in a celebration of chandamama on film.

Celluloid has enjoyed a long – standing relationship with earth’s only satellite from being compared in innumerable songs to the heroine, to being the abode for some truly frEEky creatues we take a look at some of the freakier moments that the Moon has enjoyed on screen:

I) Moon:

What better tribute to the Moon, than having a movie named exclusively after itself! Fortunately for us “Moon” directed by Duncan Jones is not simply two hours of footage showing Earth’s favourite satellite revolving on its ass. Moon tells the story of an Astronaut named Sam Bell played by Sam Rockwell stationed for a period of seven years on a mining station, with his term shortly coming to an end,

Sam starts to see visions of a teenaged girl around and even around the surface of the moon pretty soon he starts to visions of even himself!, is stress taking its toll on him? Or is there more to the eerie going ons than meets the eye?

Despite the obvious resemblances to Kubrick’s 2001 : A Space Odyssey, MOON manages to throw up some chills, thrills and spills to make u shiver in your spacesuit!

II) Nude on the Moon: a 1961 sexploitation film co-written and co-directed by Doris Wishman and Raymond Phelan

under the shared pseudonyms "O. O. Miller" and "Anthony Brooks". The film was produced in 1960 but was not released theatrically until 1961. Doris Wishman went on to become a significant female filmmaker and noteworthy director of sexploitation movies. Wishman is also credited as the film's co-producer. The film’s measly story line deals with two space scientists who journey to the moon, only to find a colony of nudists living there.


The film’s apparent lack of storyline is (apparently) compensated by the film’s gratituous use of nudity (though I must add, that the end result is quite cheesy rather than erotic). The scientists do manage extricate themselves from the confines of the alluring nudist ladies and return to planet Earth ( these stupid scientists I tell you!!!)

III) Apollo 13: Perhaps the most lauded about “moon” related films in recent times, Apollo 13 is a 1995 film that

dramatized the ill-fated lunar mission of the same name in 1970. The movie was adapted by William Broyles, Jr. and Al Reinert from the book Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger, and was directed by Ron Howard. It stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton.

The film garnered critical acclaim and was nominated for many awards, most notably nine Oscars and won for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing at the 1996 Academy Awards.

Watch this one from superlative performances by the always dependable Hanks, Sinise as the astronauts stranded in space and Ed Harris as the NASA controller trying to get the crew back to earth. The film also takes a swipe at the apparent of loss of interest of the world at large in the Lunar mission (there were obviously 12 missions preceding it), the public interest is ironically revived upon news of the impending engine failure of Apollo 13.

So there you have it folks a wee peek at some of Chandamama’s finest attempts on celluloid,

Extra frEEky: while not exactly dealing with the Moon, MJ’s immortalised the moon in his dance – routine called “THE MOONWALK!”

DISTRICT 9 - THE NEW AGE GANDHI !

hello frEEky fellows,

I chanced upon a recent article proclaiming the Neill Blomkamp directed District 9 (D9) as the new Slumdog Millionaire.and while that allegory may indeed be relevant given that D9 tells the story of aliens that land in South Africa and are relegated to living on the slums as a result of the local distrust of them. D9 may also be compared to Slumdog as it has well become the sleeper hit of the year. But the frEEk finds similarities in its core between D9 and a film about perhaps the most famous Indian ever: Gandhi.

D9 tells the tale of Aliens having landed in Johannesburg, being confiscated of their technology and weaponry and shoved into slum -like camps a metaphor for the apartheid camps which existed during the time a young Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi visted South Africa to pursue his studies.
D9 is also the story of Wikus van der Merwe (played brilliantly by Sharlto Copley) an employee of Multinational United (MNU), a private military contractor, who is placed in charge of evacuating the prawn-like aliens to a concentration camp, away from human dwellings in Johannesburg. In a bizarre set of events, Wikus becomes "infected" with alien DNA which slowly mutates him into an alienesque creature, driving him into sense empathy for the reviled aliens, a similar to where Gandhi's conscience was rudely awakened upon being thrown out of a train, in where else but Johannesburg!


Wikus' altered DNA now allows him to operate Alien weaponry - which has been consficated from the aliens upon their landing on earth, and which ability makes him a sought after "creature"by the government and the aliens alike. The clip shows how local warlords try to cut off Wikus' arm in the hope that consumption of his mutated arm will give them similar "powers"

This leads to Wikus becoming an involuntary messiah, once again akin to Gandhi's heralding of the SATYAGRAHA movement which led to the British evacuation of India. While Wikus' attempts are more non-satyagraheque, it steamrolls the aliens attempt to break free from the confines of their slave camp, and return to their home planet.

So there you have it frEEks, not only is D9 a tale of sci-fi told exceedingly well, but also a tale of humanity and how the most unseeming person, can create a revolution.

extra frEEky: watch D9, today!!

The Money Never Sleeps : Wall Street 2 news!!

Hello my awaiting freaks,

mucho apologies for the delayed post, and a special thank - shout out those who wrote back. To make amends, we have some much anticipated news from the stables of Oliver Stone & Co, as reported by the frEEk in his earlier post, the shooting of the much inspirational 1980s movie WALL STREET, titled "THE MONEY NEVER SLEEPS" is well underway. Feast your eyes on old Oliver Stone directing Shia LaBeouf who plays a young investment banker with Frank Langella playing his mentor of sorts.

The plot revolves around Laboeuf's character whose mentor dies under suspicious circumstances, with the evidence pointing to a Hedge Fund Manager played by Josh Brolin. What can Laboeuf do but call on Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas) who has since been released from jail, and is now a lecturer to help him settle scores with the wrong-doers. Gekko himself has a personal agenda and wants to get back with his daughter played by newbie actress Carey Mulliganwho has left him after his arrest, and who is seeing Laboeuf's character in the movie! The movie of course is set against the chaotic world of stocks, hedge funds and of course investment banks.


There will be frEEks amongst you who will ask whether a movie which portrayed the excesses of financial mismanagement is relevant in today's world, well of course it is! Wasn't the recent anniversary of the the Lehman Brothers crash recently remembered with the same grief that that other heinous event in September: the fall of the World Trade Center?


With Obama's recent cautionary note to Wall Street's misuse of the recent rally in stock markets still ringing in our ears, there is no infact no better time for this sequel starring a multi oscar winning cast of Stone, Douglas, Susan Sarandon (and yes Charlie Sheen does cameo) to unfold before us, and no better person than that fiscal combat warrior Gecko to show us the path!

Is it too much ask then for a bit cameo, from Obie himself? after all Stone has previously handled U.S. Presidents in his scathingily comic "W" based on George W. Bush, one can't frEEking wait!