Skip to main content
Games Radar Newsarama Total Film Edge Retro Gamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The smarter take on movies
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Benny Safdie directing Dwayne Johnson on the set of The Smashing Machine
Drama Movies The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie says acting for Christopher Nolan and Paul Thomas Anderson made him a better filmmaker: "You want somebody to say you did okay"
Zack Snyder
Drama Movies Zack Snyder is reteaming with Rebel Moon stars for 'passion project' he's been working on for almost 20 years
Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade in HIM
Horror Movies HIM director reveals the unusual influences behind the trippy new horror movie, from 90s Nike campaigns and Busta Rhymes to Mozart and Goya: "I had a reference for everything"
Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine
Drama Movies Dwayne Johnson opens up over frustrations on being "pigeon-holed" as a blockbuster star: "This is what Hollywood wants you to be"
Zach Cregger and Julia Garner behind the scenes in Weapons
Horror Movies Weapons creator Zach Cregger says Dune director’s hit thriller Prisoners starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman served as a huge inspiration for the horror movie
Elle Fanning in Predator: Badlands
Sci-Fi Movies Predator Badlands director explains how Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the video game Shadow of the Colossus influenced the upcoming sci-fi movie: "The Predator's gotta be badass and ferocious, but also sincere and have a pulse of its own"
Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver and Sally Hawkins as Laura in Bring Her Back
Horror Movies Bring Her Back directors admit they don't feel "any more confident now" despite releasing two hit horrors in a row: "The pressure was almost unbearable after Talk to Me"
The 30 best sci-fi movies of all time: pictures of Alien, Arrival, Terminator, Brazil and 2001.
Sci-Fi Movies The 30 best sci-fi movies of all time
John Hurt as John Merrick during one of the best David Lynch movies, The Elephant Man.
Drama Movies The Elephant Man at 45: Looking back at David Lynch's most moving film
Marlon Wayans as Isaiah White in Him
Horror Movies Director of new Jordan Peele-produced horror movie says it's a mix of Nosferatu and Ex Machina "just with two quarterbacks"
Josh O'Connor as JB in The Mastermind
Drama Movies The Mastermind is a brilliantly frustrating anti-heist movie that defies expectations, and it's one of my favorite movies of the year
Stranger Things
Thriller Movies Stranger Things and Rebel Moon stars join new psychological thriller movie from the director of cult horror hit Session 9
Lurker
Thriller Movies New indie thriller Lurker is a tense, cautionary tale about celebrity obsession — and it made me question my own morale
Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird
Movies The 32 greatest movies about dads ever made
Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine
Drama Movies The Smashing Machine star Emily Blunt talks Dwayne Johnson's transformation in the hard-hitting MMA biopic: "I'd been waiting for my friend to get the chance to disappear"
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Action Movies
  4. moon

My Movie Life: Duncan Jones

Features
By Andy Lowe published 9 July 2009

The Moon director on the films that shaped him...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

First Movie I Ever Saw

First Movie I Ever Saw

Probably wasn't the very first, but it was certainly one of the earliest I remember.

Weirdly, I don't have a really strong memory of it. But I do remember going to visit the Chaplins' house in Switzerland as a little kid, and having the lovely Una Chaplin project prints for us... some Charlie Chaplin films, a few other movies.

I've just remembered - I think I may have seen Kubrick's Barry Lyndon there!

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Movie All Kids Should See At School

Movie All Kids Should See At School

I'm not a fanatical devotee of Ferris - like a lot of people seem to be. I just love the idea that kids have their own world with their own prioritie - away from the adult realm.

That's a big validation for kids and maybe a shock to some adults.

Another film kids should see is Peter Brook's 1963 version of Lord Of The Flies - as a warning about how cruel we can be and how quickly we can fall into chaos.

It'd be a great double bill! I'd say Ferris first, then Lord Of The Flies ...

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
Movie I Should Have Seen But Haven't

Movie I Should Have Seen But Haven't

Most of the French New Wave films, really. I haven't seen much of Godard or Truffaut. I always feel a bit guilty about that. I've seen Truffaut's 400 Blows but that's about it.

I think Breathless is the big one, though. Yes, I'm sure Quentin Tarantino would be shocked...

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Movie Everyone Hates But I Love

Movie Everyone Hates But I Love

This is a bit embarrassing... But it's great. Honestly!

It's an early Ed Harris film about renaissance fairs in the American mid-west. Ed is the leader of a motorcycle gang who are all medieval re-enactors.

They travel to these ren-fairs and run jousting competitions on motorbikes. They think they're Camelot in the modern era.

His crew are just living their dream but, yes, Ed is a bit deluded and disturbed. I think it's hugely underrated.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
Movie That Always Makes Me Cry

Movie That Always Makes Me Cry

It's the ET thing.

Anything where there's a small child who gets separated from his companion is an instant blub.

I'm an easy target, though. I'll bawl at anything.

With Moon, we only had one character to draw out all the emotion. There's a version where we see more of what happens... being careful not to give anything away here... after the end.

We even shot something, but it seemed so out of character with the rest of the film, we didn't use it.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Movie I'd See As A Last Request

Movie I'd See As A Last Request

I love this film sooo much. The relationship between Trapper John and Hawkeye Pierce is incredible.

Although it's not in the film all the time and it's not always up-front, they're such interesting, smart characters - deep, clever guys.

And you really get a sense of who everyone is - even with very little going on. It all feels so natural - a masterclass in seemingly effortless characterisation.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Movie I'd Love To Remake

Movie I'd Love To Remake

I think this might actually be out of copyright now. I recently got it for free - legitimately - from somewhere online.

It's such a weird and wonderful story - criminals helping the police to catch a child-killer because - but it's so old now that you're not going to attract a new audience to the original, unless they're film-school types.

I'd love to have a go at remaking it. But my next movie is going to be another sci-fi called Mute - it's basically my love-letter to Blade Runner . It's a thriller that takes place in a future Berlin.

It's the flipside to Moon , which is about isolation and alienation. Mute is about trying to maintain your identity when you're surrounded by people.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Movie I'd Take To A Desert Island

Movie I'd Take To A Desert Island

It'd have to be something upbeat to keep my spirits up.

Being British, it is a film that's a little bit outside of my sphere of reference, but because I've travelled so much I don't feel strongly connected to one place.

So even though it's a film set in the American college system, it still feels sort of native to me.

Animal House is just one of those films that makes you feel happy. I never get bored of it.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Obscure Movie I Love But No-One's Heard Of

Obscure Movie I Love But No-One's Heard Of

This is written by David Peoples, the guy who wrote Blade Runner and Twelve Monkeys .

It stars the inimitable Rutger Hauer and my teenage crush, Joan Chen.

It's a very low-budget film with no real special effects but it's a well played take on the Rollerball idea - a brutal futuristic sport. And Rutger Hauer is as magnetic as ever.

It's another one ripe for remaking. Maybe when I'm done with Mute and M , I'll take a look at it. My first film that doesn't begin with 'M'...

Moon opens on Friday 17 July. Read the Total Film review here .

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
Andy Lowe
See more Movies Features
Read more
Benny Safdie directing Dwayne Johnson on the set of The Smashing Machine
The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie says acting for Christopher Nolan and Paul Thomas Anderson made him a better filmmaker: "You want somebody to say you did okay"
 
 
Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder is reteaming with Rebel Moon stars for 'passion project' he's been working on for almost 20 years
 
 
Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade in HIM
HIM director reveals the unusual influences behind the trippy new horror movie, from 90s Nike campaigns and Busta Rhymes to Mozart and Goya: "I had a reference for everything"
 
 
Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine
Dwayne Johnson opens up over frustrations on being "pigeon-holed" as a blockbuster star: "This is what Hollywood wants you to be"
 
 
Zach Cregger and Julia Garner behind the scenes in Weapons
Weapons creator Zach Cregger says Dune director’s hit thriller Prisoners starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman served as a huge inspiration for the horror movie
 
 
Elle Fanning in Predator: Badlands
Predator Badlands director explains how Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the video game Shadow of the Colossus influenced the upcoming sci-fi movie: "The Predator's gotta be badass and ferocious, but also sincere and have a pulse of its own"
 
 
Latest in Action Movies
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)
1 year later, Deadpool and Wolverine fans are still getting emotional at a major scene from the Marvel movie
 
 
Batgirl movie
Batgirl star thinks the shelved DC movie could still be released one day: "If enough people want it, it can happen"
 
 
The Flash
The Flash director Andy Muschietti says the film got a negative reception because "a lot of people did not see it" and "like to talk s***"
 
 
Karl Urban as Johnny Cage is ready to fight in the Mortal Kombat 2 trailer
Mortal Kombat co-creator says the movie sequel's opening has made him cry every single time he's watched it: "It punches you in the face"
 
 
Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine
The Rock pays tribute to Brendan Fraser for helping kickstart his acting career 24 years ago in The Mummy Returns: "I love that man for that"
 
 
"Fate it seems, is not without a sense of irony" - one of the best Matrix quotes
The Matrix star Laurence Fishburne wants to be Professor X in the X-Men reboot and, yeah, we want to see that happen now
 
 
Latest in Features
Josh O'Connor as JB in The Mastermind
The Mastermind is a brilliantly frustrating anti-heist movie that defies expectations, and it's one of my favorite movies of the year
 
 
Phyre stands in front of Seattle in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
Step aside Duskbloods, Dawnwalker, and Bloodlines 2 – somebody give me a Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG to commemorate the series' revival
 
 
A pink-haired trainer faces Yveltal in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
Pokemon Legends Z-A and Arceus are true successors to the classic Pokemon games I first fell in love with
 
 
All the Helsmiths of Hashut Army Set models laid out on a wooden table
Which Warhammer Helsmiths of Hashut models should you buy for your army? I've made all them, so here's what I think
 
 
Storm, Wolverine, Nova, and Spoider-Man fight bug enemies on the streets in Marvel Cosmic Invasion
I spent an undisclosed but fireable amount of time playing games at work, and here are my 10 Steam Next Fest demos you shouldn't miss before they're gone
 
 
Disney Lorcana Fabled box, boosters, dice, and dial on a wooden surface
If you want to get into Disney Lorcana, Fabled is your golden ticket
 
 
  1. The lighthouse looks across a vista in Keeper
    1
    Keeper review: "One of the most wonderfully bizarre games I've ever played – a stunning slice of magic"
  2. 2
    Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 review: "My dream vampire RPG has been staked – this blunt-toothed sequel is just a boring, linear action brawler instead"
  3. 3
    Ball x Pit review: "Vampire Survivors and Breakout collide in this brilliant roguelike ball basher that struggles with repetition"
  4. 4
    Pokemon Legends: Z-A review: "Fast fluid real-time fights and a world worth exploring make this finally feel like the anime come to life"
  5. 5
    Little Nightmares 3 review: "An overly safe, uneven, and half-baked follow-up where co-op is a hindrance instead of the evolution it should've been"
  1. Tron: Ares
    1
    Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
  2. 2
    One Battle After Another review: "One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic"
  3. 3
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  4. 4
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet"
  5. 5
    The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made"
  1. Splinter Cell Deathwatch
    1
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
  2. 2
    Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"
  3. 3
    Gen V season 2 review: "As strong as the first season, if not stronger"
  4. 4
    Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: "Ortega shines, but it's a zombie who steals the entire show"
  5. 5
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...