NARRATOR (V.O.)

To draw attention to each person’s own emotions developed from any form of cinema and changes of oneself through the cinematic experience: {watching, digesting and evolving}, with the aim of countering evaluation of cinema by mass media, social networks, and critics of acclaimed journals.

Moon’s Choice Awards serves to highlight the importance of personal emotions and changes through the cinematic experience which differs from person to person because of the fact that every person has their own distinct background and identity. The Choice focuses on works that have personal impacts on Moon, the one and only jury of the Choice. The choices are guaranteed to be very personal but to have a strong impact on the meanings of watching films around the world.

Rules & Eligibility...

All eligible motion pictures, unless otherwise noted, can be anything, released anytime, and in any format.

All eligible motion pictures, unless otherwise noted, can be anything, released anytime, and in any format.

1. feature length (defined as over 40 minutes),

2. short film length

3. publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format

4. for paid or unpaid admission/subscription in a commercial/non-commercial motion picture in any platform (streaming service, theater, public screening), in any country.

5. Films that, in any version, receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner will be eligible for the Choice. Non Theatrical public exhibition or distribution includes: • Broadcast and cable television • PPV/VOD • DVD distribution • Inflight airline distribution • Internet transmission

6. released within the Choice year deadlines: the last day of the year.

7. qualifying runs must begin between Big Bang and midnight on the last day of each year.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

And the Choice goes to...

HER

Imagine your loved one sharing their love with hundreds of others, while making you feel unique. That does not sound so crazy in the near future, where an operating system might possess a personality as complex as our own. How much heartbreak could you endure if you discovered that you were not the only one. Samantha loved 671 more other than Theodore. Imagine the pain that he has to go through. Multiply 672 to the pain from your last heartbreak, it would give you a shock, a heart attack, dyspnoea and make you cry in the middle of a subway stairwell.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

Yeah, she’s a bitch, but you can’t help but love her, because she’s bloody attractive and deadly. Her centuries of experience make her an experienced expert in love. And you are young. So you love her, even if it leads you to death.

MOMMY BY XAVIER DOLAN

Delicate emotions are brought to the forefront with an unusual square screen ratio, forcing focus on facial expressions. It can be stressful to watch, but powerfully reflects the intensity of the chracters' feelings. Paired with well-timed music and a breathtaking moment where the screen expands, Dolan creates a unique and moving cinematic experience.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER

Action should always serve a purpose. Thrilling fight scenes drive the plot and reveal character motivations, demonstrating how action can enhance storytelling, not just provide meaningless spectacle like punching in the air.

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

The very first time I thought a movie could be fucking cool.

WHIPLASH

The intensity. It is like someone keeps slapping you in your face to make you stay focused.

TED

Thunder buddies forever.

ZOOTOPIA

Very much human story played by animals.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

The clash between Tony and Steve is like a realistic fight we usually have with our friends.; there are no logical explanations or reasons for kids' fights. But still we do fight, and hurt each others. It is just a little push that makes us lose it. And that's very human. So I don't think we should pick one side and defend one from the other.

THE MARTIAN

Humor makes movies great. He never loses his laugh but still makes us cry.

MAX MAX: FURY ROAD

I always pick the following 3 pictures for the all-time best action films. The Rock, the Bourne series, and this Mad Max. You can see how much effort the filmmaker put in this movie.

SPOTLIGHT

The darkest truth that needs to be spotlighted.

LA LA LAND

For being such a magical cinema that we don’t have anymore these days. This is a historical movie. The songs will be remembered forever. Truly Magical. No one knows LA’s most beautiful places more than the director, Damien Chazelle. LA citizens sometimes forget that LA’s freeways are a huge part of LA. But Damien was there for us. But LA citizens all know the Griffith Observatory is the most beautiful place in LA even though the place is pretty crowded, and that’s why Sebastian and Mia laugh when they are at the observatory again for the 3rd time. Shoot 360 degrees of a scene when you shoot under sunset, because the first 180 degree would be scenes background filled with navy from light to dark, but the other 180 degree would be those filled with from light pink to dark pink. Even the simple walking scene claims its dramatic beauty. If you are planning to shoot musicians performing, see the following movies: La La Land and Whiplash. If you think your works are well-organized with a bunch of colors that are intentionally used to make your works look more artistic, cool or whatever, you are wrong. Colors in your works just make eyes sick and make people (especially me) feel uncomfortable. Go see what the director of La La Land achieved with colors. One tip: put some enough grey (highway) in the background. Lastly, turn off lights, highlight or focus on someone just like plays in theaters. And don’t forget to turn on the lights again. Make it magical.

THOR: RAGNAROK

Lovely characters are the real assets that Marvel Cinematics Universe.  Short-cut Thor, Slicked-back hair Hella, Chatty Hulk, eccentric Grandmaster and my Valkyrie revived once too classic series based on a myth and redesigned it. A small tweak of an idea made a real difference. A colorful discotic comedy Thor movie gave me absolutely delightful time. Especially the theme song, the two scenes with the eheheh sound were the most chilling moments of the year. I say Ragnarok is one of top 3 best MCU movies along with Civil War and Winter Soldier.

남자친구 (ENCOUNTER), 2018~2019

Korean La La Land , Don Quixote and Sleeping Beauty all put in a one show.

UNICORN STORE

They saw it, why you don't believe it?

THE LITTLE PRINCE BY MARK OSBORNE

All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember that. The biggest problem of the world is that too many people grow up.

THE FAREWELL

The happiest twist we have all waited for.

PARASITE

Arguably the best film of the decade if one can score movies with some metrics.

TOY STORY 4

Why not deliver another story to tell?

KNIVES OUT

This is what movies are for: Original story-telling that is captivating, funny with some twists.

PEANUT BUTTER FALCON

Anyone can wrestle and become a good friend to a nice person.

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

The Odyssey is not for those who want short and quick answers. This movie, made in 1968 (note that UNIX development began in 1969), makes you think and leaves you feeling confused. The historic theme song by Richard Strauss accompanies the film, and it represents the greatness and the theme of the film. However, you may have a different opinion. The production design of the film eclipses most films from this century. Great space films such as "The Martian", "Interstellar", "Ad Astra" or "Gravity" have tried to show off their own imaginations of how space travel and life would look like in the future. However, they have only achieved marginal improvement compared to the Odyssey. The Odyssey changed the whole game 50 years ago. It is definitely ahead of its time in terms of its stunning visuals and the questions it raises, which still remain relevant today. Stanley Kubrick is just an amazing filmmaker.

1917

The climax run sequence got me devastated.

SOUL

Even though Pixar has been so good at delivering what they want to say through computer-animated characters and world, I cannot stop thinking about how deeply I was attached to the scene that the jazz player feels and sees the falling leaf in the air, enjoys the smell of  a slice of pizza, and just fully absorbing living through the snapshot of one's life. How incredible is it for a film to get me snatched into the scene of an ordinary life and feel the subtle moments of transitory life of a character that has a very different background from me. I have been so blind in finding out the joys and beauties of life that I get to go through in every single day. It is so obvious yet very difficult to find as each one lives under different forms of pressures. How could I have not seen and enjoyed every moment and how much I will repeatedly miss the moments that will never be replayed again. Why I choose to ignore the richness of life and to keep the head down to attain the meaning of my life losing so so much.

CHERYNOBYL

This can't be true.

THE ARTIST

Cinema Magic.

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

The stacked emotions and stakes of three generations of friendly Spider-men.

PAN’S LABYRINTH

The fairy tale is so cold and brutal that it feels like I am being ripped off my heart wide open and ice is put in between the wound.

CODA

It is such an achievement to deliver these level of strong emotions with the hearing impaired characters.

PINOCCHIO BY GUILLERMO DEL TORO

We have put too much burden on ourselves, and I could feel the pain throughout this film. We must try our best to stop wars, help each other and protect love.  

THE TWO POPES

Witnessing the meticulously crafted exchanges, intellectual sparring, and the eventual blossoming of friendship between these two contrasting individuals proved to be a thoroughly engaging experience.

THE SHAPE OF WATER

This hauntingly beautiful fairytale transcends the limitations of language, depicting a profound love story between two beings who cannot talk.

OPPENHEIMER

RDJ's performance radiates an understated intensity, akin to a dormant nuclear bomb, possessing the potential to eclipse any other actor in the scene.

AMOUR

Made me terrified of love.

WONKA

Presents the seemingly mundane concept of love as a wondrous and magical force.

DUNE: PART TWO

FANTASTIC MR.FOX

This film captures the message that I deeply care so much about. Disney once said, "That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget." The Little Prince remains close to my heart because it is a poignant reminder of childhood imagination when we could all imagine an elephant inside a hat. The Black Pearl from the Pirates of the Caribbean poster on my wall embodies the spirit of venturing into the unknown with a sense of freedom and wonder. Johnny Depp's line in the Dior Sauvage campaign, "Wilderness is not a luxury, it's a necessity. It's our legacy," resonates deeply with the film's core message. It's interesting how even the commerical features a wolf, a symbol of wilderness. Too often, we lose our wildness, our true nature, as we age. Mr. Fox has a wild heart he can't ignore; it bursts forth in his actions. Despite being surrounded by family duties and society that push him toward a "civilized" life, he remains defiantly narcissistic, calling himself "Mr.Fantastic Fox." He's surrounded by those who have forgotten their own wildness, and now pressure him to do the same. The scene where Mr. Fox encounters a wolf in the snowy mountains is particularly striking. A natural enemy, yet Fox admires him because the wolf embodies the untamed spirit Fox longs for. I'm so touched that Wes Anderson created a film that celebrates this wildness. Even if we can't fully reclaim it, it's the pursuit that matters. The yearning for our forgotten true nature is what gives life meaning. As long as we dream of it, that's enough.

ALL-TIME BEST ACTION MOVIES

The Bourne Series

The Rock

SKYFALL

Mad Max: Fury Road

Sicario

300

Mission: Impossible III, Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, Fallout

Lone Survivor

ALL-TIME BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES

Edward Scissorhands

Silver Linings Playbook

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

Greenbook

Home Alone 1, 2

Love Actually

The Harry Potter Series

Wonka

ALL-TIME BEST MOVIES

The Dark Knight

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, At World’s End

La La Land

The Toy Story Series

Django Unchained

The Social Network

Whiplash

Ratatouille

Tarzan (1999)

The Lion King (1994)

The Matrix

Aladdin (1992)