Tag: Apollo 11

FLY ME TO THE MOON – Review

Yes, I see that title and I immediately picture “ole’ blue eyes”, a trench coat draped over a shoulder, crooning that catchy 1954 Bart Howard classic. And that’s just what the producers want to evoke, to get you in a nostalgic mood for a frothy romance set against the backdrop of the “space race”. Mission accomplished, but could a “rom-com” really work against the somber historical backdrop we’ve seen in heavy, serious films like FIRST MAN, A MILLION MILES AWAY, HIDDEN FIGURES, APOLLO 13, and the HBO miniseries, “From the Earth to the Moon”.Now, that’s the trick, much like the possible results facing NASA, Will it blast off or crash land? But it’s “star power” rather than rocket fuel that propels FLY ME TO THE MOON.

Modern movie audiences need a short primer on events 55 years ago, and the filmmakers provide a brief one for the film’s prologue, In 1968 the “whiz kids” in Cocoa Beach Florida are rushing to make good on JFK’s promise to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Leading the “brainiac bunch” is former fighter pilot Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) whose steely determination stems from his part in the tragic events of Apollo One a few years before. The story shifts to NYC as we meet advertising/marketing expert Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) who has just “put one over” on some auto execs. But her celebration is brief when she’s exposed by Nixon’s “special operative” Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson). Why? Well, he has a bigger client for her and her trusty aide Ruby (Anna Garcia) because the Prez needs help “selling” the space program to the populace. The women fly down to Florida in time for Kelly to have a “meet cute’ with Cole at Wolfie’s Diner. Things take a sobering turn when they meet again, as Cole has little time or respect for their publicity plans. But they finally realize they must work together to get the money pipeline flowing from a stubborn group of congressmen. But then their renewed attraction is almost snuffed out by the return of Berkus who tasks Kelly with creating a “set” where they can film a phony moon landing, in case Apollo 11 fails. Can she get everything together for this fraud without Cole finding out? Or will she listen to her heart and do the right thing for “the right stuff”?

That aforementioned “star power”? That is ably supplied by the pairing of the lead duo at the center of the plot, bringing true sparks to the often formulaic rom-com genre. Tatum proves that he’s got more dramatic depth than you might gather from his mesmerizing moves as MAGIC MIKE. He projects an “old school” screen hero’s sense of decency as the project-focused Davis who has a huge weight on his shoulders that could be erased if he can get this job done to honor his fallen teammates (the first trio) and perhaps his “captain”, who set the stage but can’t be there for the finale. Not surprisingly, fun and romance are neglected until he meets her. In a nice twist on the genre’s conventions, Johansson’s Kelly is the free spirit with shaky morals who lightens the load for Cole, who helps her regain a sense of right and wrong, putting honor before profit and chipping away at her cynicism (in her first scenes, Kelly is almost a “Donna Draper” in a riff on “Mad Men”). This role really taps into the charm she gleaned in her MCU role of the Black Widow.


The “support team” is led by the always interesting Harrelson whose laid-back persona is given a dangerous edge as a quip quickly morphs into a threat, punctuated by his black attire and ever-present switchblade (to slice citrus for cocktails, of course). And there’s some great work here by two other TV sitcom vets. Ray Romano uses his hangdog everyman charisma as Cole’s right-hand man, who feels more like a proud “uncle’ as he fills in the “backstory” for Kelly. The biggest “scene stealer” is Jim Rash, an Oscar-winning screenwriter but forever Dean Pelton of “Community”, as Kelly’s snippy, flamboyant director Lance Vespertine (the name speaks volumes) who brings a bitchy sense of camp to the fairly somber “conspiracy”. Kudos also to the “junior squad” led by the energetic Garcia who can’t suppress her hippie leanings along with the NASA comic tag team of Donald Elise Watkins and Noah Robbins who provide a great jolt of manic comic energy.

Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) and Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) in FLY ME TO THE MOON.

Guiding this talented ensemble is someone who’s best known for being a guiding force on the TV versions of several DC superheroes (streaming and broadcast), Greg Berlanti. This is actually his third feature film and a big dive into the mainstream as he harkens back to the “above the title” pairing of classic movie couples (Gable and Lombard, Bogie and Bacall, Tracy and Hepburn). Despite the somewhat lengthy 132-minute runtime, he keeps the story from Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirsten that Rose Gilroy crafted into a screenplay from getting too slogged down in space nostalgia. Like that neglected 80’s classic THE RIGHT STUFF it highlights the awe and wonder along with wit while mixing in the movie “mating rituals”. But it doesn’t leave out the sense of danger with several flashbacks to that fatal pre-launch tragedy to the hovering Berkus who could be more “spook” than a spy. The time period is recreated very well, though it may seem that it’s the early 60s since the engineers all have the white shirt/thin black tie basic except for the pseudo-turtlenecks favored by Cole, perhaps to set him apart or to better highlight Tatum’s rugged physique. As for Johansson, Kelly appears to channel Marilyn Monroe in her early makeup and hairstyles (those blonde “bobs” are dazzlin’) but she “loosens up’ by the finale, perhaps to reflect the changing times and her embracing a new “morality”. Unlike the teaming of Gosling and Blunt at the start of the Summer, this pair really connects as they size up each and verbally spur before the big “clinch”. The great “needle drops” of classic tunes really help “seal the deal” and send Kelly and Cole piloting fans of retro romance soaring “among the stars” in FLY ME TO THE MOON.

3 Out of 4


FLY ME TO THE MOON is now playing in theatres everywhere

NEON And CNN FILMS’ Short Film “APOLLO 11: QUARANTINE” To Be Released January 29

NEON announced that Apollo 11: Quarantine, the new short film from director/producer Todd Douglas Miller (Apollo 11, Dinosaur 13), will be released exclusively in IMAX® beginning January 29th in select locations. Created by the award-winning filmmakers behind the cinematic event Apollo 11, and co-presented by NEON and CNN Films, Apollo 11: Quarantine will feature never-before-seen 70mm footage sourced from the National Archives and NASA.

NEON and CNN Films will be forging a full Academy campaign on behalf of the film for this year’s, 93rd Academy Awards®.

Summer 1969. The astronauts of Apollo 11 successfully land and walk on the moon. As the world celebrated their historic achievement, the crew’s mission would not be complete until returning safely to earth and undergoing a three-week medical quarantine. This lesser known story, of personal sacrifice and stoic resolve, offers a poignant reminder of our capacity for grace and resilience at this moment of national peril.

Director/Producer Todd Douglas Miller remarked, “I am honored to be working again with so many talented filmmakers and the innovative teams at NEON, CNN Films, and IMAX. And very excited for audiences to experience a little-known part of history –an enduring message of hope during these unprecedented times.

”Miller produced along with Laura Kirby-Miller, Thomas Baxley Petersen, and Evan Krauss. Executive Producers are Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton for CNN Films, Submarine’s Josh Braun and NEON’s Tom Quinn. The deal with negotiated by Jeff Deutchman from NEON, Stacey Wolfe from CNN Films, Evan Krauss from Eisner LLP, and Submarine’s Josh Braun on behalf of the filmmakers. Apollo 11,which won numerous awards including 3 Primetime Emmy Awards, was 2019’s highest grossing documentary with a worldwide gross of $16M.

The film continues to hold a 99% certified fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. The IMAX release Apollo 11: Quarantine will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

Celebrate Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary With These Films

Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle lifts off with Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. at 9:32 a.m. EDT July 16, 1969, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A

It’s been exactly 50 years since the U.S. launched Apollo 11, the first mission to land men on the moon.

Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969.

“Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

See these films as we celebrate to 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic mission to the moon.

For All Mankind, a superb 1989 documentary film by Al Reinert about the Apollo program (1969–1972).

https://www.amazon.com/All-Mankind-Neil-Armstrong/dp/B004BQTEGA/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5S09S9184CAC&keywords=for+all+mankind&qid=1563568375&s=instant-video&sprefix=for+all+ma%2Cprime-instant-video%2C144&sr=1-1

Apollo 11, a 2019 documentary film by Todd Douglas Miller with restored footage of the 1969 event.

Chasing the Moon, a July, 2019, PBS three-night six-hour documentary examined the events leading up to the Apollo 11 mission. An accompanying book of the same name was also released.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chasing-moon/

The Right Stuff shows the early days of NASA’s Mercury program is one of the best narrative films on the subject.

The Last Man on the Moon is the story of one of the very few men who went to the moon not only once, but twice. He first went to the moon on the Apollo 10 mission. It was the dress rehearsal for Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. His next flight was Apollo 17, the last time men would go to the moon. Riding aboard a Saturn V rocket, the largest and most powerful and impressive rocket that ever successfully flew, he was on man’s last mission to explore earth’s closest neighbor. The first moon landing had one moonwalk which lasted a little over two hours. He had three moonwalks, averaging around 6 hours each. He drove an electric car on the moon, saw and recovered orange soil on the lunar surface, and stood next to lunar boulders that were larger than a house.

There is a small, elite club – with only 12 members. These are the men who actually walked on the moon. They were able to stand on the “ground” and with their own eyes, look up and see the earth. He is one of them.

Review:
https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2016/02/the-last-man-on-the-moon-the-review-2/

Read our interview with astronaut Gene Cernan here:
https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2016/03/apollo-17-commander-capt-gene-cernan-discusses-being-the-last-man-on-the-moon/

HBO’s From The Earth To The Moon is one to watch again. From executive producer Tom Hanks, this 12-part miniseries explores the origins and milestones of the Apollo lunar landing program, its history-defining mission, as well as those whose lives and careers were affected by NASA’s journey into space. Now available to stream.

https://www.hbo.com/from-the-earth-to-the-moon

Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

First to the Moon is a new documentary film that tells the amazing story of the Apollo 8 mission and the three men that crewed it. Through restored archival films from NASA, The National Archives, and the Astronaut’s own personal collections, this documentary takes you through time from the upbringing of each crew member and onward to present day.

This film will show you how the Apollo 8 mission happened, from launch to landing, in a visually and musically exciting film told through animation and archival film and photo. Coupled with an orchestral score and live musicians, First to the Moon will be a truly cinematic experience.

http://www.firstmoonmovie.com/

First Man was a fantastic and riveting look at the subject matter. Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight. A visceral and intimate account told from Armstrong’s perspective, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the triumphs and the cost—on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.

The Dish is a gem of a film. Based on an amazing true story the funny and moving tale of Australia’s part in the Apollo 11 moon mission. THE DISH is the story of the role played by the staff of the radio-telescope at Parkes in the middle of outback New South Wales, Australia as Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.

Check out The Martian. Okay, so its not the moon, but its still pretty cool! During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

And finally Apollo 13. Watch it alone for the launch scene! We hope our next trip to the Moon is as magnificent as it was when we traveled to our nearest celestial body on the mighty Saturn V rocket.

Also on the horizon is Ad Astra. Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.

Another one to be on the lookout for is Apple TV’s For All Mankind – an Apple Original drama series coming this Fall to Apple TV+. For All Mankind is created by Emmy® Award winner Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica), Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi. Told through the lives of NASA astronauts, engineers and their families, For All Mankind presents an aspirational world where NASA and the space program remained a priority and a focal point of our hopes and dreams.

For All Mankind stars Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Wrenn Schmidt, Shantel VanSanten, Sarah Jones and Jodi Balfour.

Review Of Director Damien Chazelle’s First Trailer For Apollo 11 FIRST MAN Starring Ryan Gosling And Claire Foy

“Houston. Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed…”

On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, LA LA LAND, Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ FIRST MAN, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969.

A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost-on Armstrong and on the nation-of one of the most dangerous missions in history.

The film stars Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Patrick Fugit, Ciaran Hinds, Ethan Embry,  Shea Whigham, Corey Stoll, Pablo Schreiber.

2019 will witness the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing.

From October 2018 through December 2022, NASA will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program that landed a dozen Americans on the moon between July 1969 and December 1972. Recently NASA unveiled an official logo to observe these milestone anniversaries at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

The Apollo program and the Saturn V rocket – it is still mankind’s finest achievement and we’ll never create anything as magnificent as that ever again.

The Saturn V was developed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It was one of three types of Saturn rockets NASA built. Two smaller rockets, the Saturn I (1) and IB (1b), were used to launch humans into Earth orbit. The Saturn V sent them beyond Earth orbit to the moon. Five F-1 engines were used in the 138-foot-tall S-IC, or first stage, of each Saturn V, which depended on the five-engine cluster for the 7.5 million pounds of thrust needed to lift it from the launch pad. The mighty F-1 remains the most powerful American liquid-fuel rocket engine ever developed. The F-1 still holds the record as the largest single-chamber, single-nozzle liquid fuel engine ever flown.

Yes, there will be other missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars (Orion rockets), but the ships that take people there won’t be as glorious as the mighty Saturn V rockets.

Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin into an initial Earth-orbit of 114 by 116 miles.

While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the Lunar Module “Eagle” to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon, astronaut Collins remained with the Command and Service Modules “Columbia” in lunar orbit.

An estimated 530 million people watched Armstrong’s televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took “…one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” on July 20, 1969.

It’s time for another motion picture to remind audiences of the massive feats people once ventured to and accomplished. The Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions were the days of brave heroes.

The exciting and thrilling trailer for FIRST MAN makes the upcoming movie a must-see in IMAX.

To director Damien Chazelle, in order to honor these explorers I respectfully recommend:

1. In the opening sequence, the trailer shows a Saturn V taking off. Those rockets took off very slowly, and the exhaust flame was very narrow and long. What they have done with the trailer is edit in the exhaust of a space shuttle with a much faster take-off, and the exhaust is fanning out wide with lots of smoke. That’s what was fun about watching an Apollo launch – the dramatic slow take off and then it really started picking up speed as it broke through the atmosphere into outer space.

2. As for how this trailer is cut, it shows a lot of scenes about Armstrong’s Gemini flight (which is true). At about the 1:46 mark of this trailer, they start a 6 second countdown, with all the scenery revolving around a Gemini capsule (those scenes looked good), then they say ‘liftoff’, and you see the 5 rocket engines of the 1st stage of the Saturn V roaring, not the two engines of the Titan rocket that launched all of the Gemini’s. If they meant for all of that to be coherent, it wasn’t. If they just want to show random scenes, they could get away with it since it is a trailer, but it will not fly with NASA/Apollo enthusiasts.

3. This first look at the film shows Armstrong flying the X-15. (The pen floating next to him.) The Gemini 8 mission is the flight he took with Dave Scott (who commanded Apollo 15), and the two of them very realistically could have died when some steering thrusters on the capsule did not turn off, and the spacecraft started spinning dangerously fast, to the point where they could have passed out. Neil stayed cool and got things quickly under control, but the mission had to abort immediately after that. The Gemini scenes looked good. The spacesuits looked authentic, so kudos to getting this right.

There are going to be plenty of potential scenes where the music will really add to the experience: around the X-15, the Gemini launch/crisis/splashdown, and of course Apollo 11 launch, lunar landing, liftoff from the moon, splashdown. I’m really looking forward to what Oscar winning composer Justin Hurwitz has in store with his score.

The first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR was masterfully and thoughtfully cut.

“These moments when we dared to aim higher. To break barriers. To reach for the stars.”

At the time I wrote:

Filled with footage of Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1, the Mercury and Gemini space capsule missions, the Saturn V rocket liftoff to the Moon with the Apollo missions, and the Space Shuttle Atlantis, this superb first trailer really brings home the fact that at one time America’s Space Program was envied and unrivaled. It’s chilling to think that we may never again see the likes of when we made frequent trips to the Moon. There was a time when we had the determination, ability and huge national pride of travelling to our nearest celestial neighbor.

Matthew McConaughey speaks the truth in his voice over – “We lost all that. Perhaps we’ve just forgotten. That we are still Pioneers – we’ve barely begun and that our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us. Our destiny lies above us”

An additional note: Ron Howard went to great lengths to get things right on APOLLO 13. See the movie launch and the real launch below.

I hope FIRST MAN does the same thing, and just doesn’t edit in stock footage or re-creations of just random footage. Just a few suggestions for a film that has an awards season, October 12, release date.

FIRST MAN is based on the biography First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong.

Armstong passed away at age 82 on August 25, 2012 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.

Photos courtesy of NASA

Review: ‘Fly Me To The Moon 3-D’

Ram Man:

Fly Me To The Moon is the first fully animated film created for 3-D. It’s 1969 and the USA and Russia are in a race to be the first nation to send a man to the moon. The same holds true in the insect world. Fly Me To The Moon tells the story of three young flies who make a courageous journey stowing away aboard the Apollo 11 rocket to the Moon. The film follows the exact NASA transcripts and rocket blueprints from the mission. The film is accurate and informative and will connect to a whole new generation by use of 3D animation.

Nat (Trevor Gagnon), IQ (Phillip Bolden) and Scooter(David Gore) are young flies with aspirations of greatness. Nat, after years of listening to his grandpa (Christopher LLoyd) tell stories of his cross-Atlantic flights with Amelia Earhardt, decides that he and his friend will be the first Flies on the moon. The three insects secretly sneak aboard the Apollo 11 rocket and are sent into a weeks journey to the Moon. Nat, IQ and Scooter, not to be robbed of their 15 minutes of fame, manage to mugg for the camera during a TV interview with Astronaut Neil Armstrong. Mission Control notices them and has the crew capture the flies in a test tube. Following a very bumpy approach and difficult lunar landing the three amigos are sprung from their glass incarceration. Timing is everything on a space flight. Nat is able to fly into Armstrong’s helmet just before he makes the famous walk..”One small step for man, One giant leap for mankind” I guess insect kind also. While Nat is out on the Moon, IQ is able to repair a loose wire that allows the mission to proceed as planned.

Remember I said this was a race. The Russian have flies too, big ones. So the KGB insects, seeing the same TV interview cannot be outdone by American flies, send their best agent Yegor (Tim Curry) to Cape Canaveral to sabatoge the misson and insure they will be the first insect to safely make it to the Moon and back. One of Grandpa’s old flames Nadia (Nicolette Sheridan) warns the old fly about the eminent disaster. Grandpa comes out of retirement with the rest of the family heads to mission control to save the kids!

Don’t get me wrong, Fly Me To The Moon is by no means Wall-E or even in it’s league. But it is an enjoyable family film that has characters the kids can relate to and enjoy watching and the 3D effect and historical accuracy will entertain the adults. So gather the flock and leave the swatters and the bug spray at home at this little cinematic picnic the flies are the stars!

[rating:3/5]

Michelle:

Three little flies are “haulin the mail” all the way to moon in ‘Fly Me to the Moon.’ This 3-D animated flick tells the story of Scooter, Nat, and IQ’s eagerness for seats on the Apollo 11 mission.

Even though the 3-D animation looks somewhat dated, ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ introduces today’s kids to the awe-inspiring achievement of Apollo 11’s historic mission. From NASA’s flight transcripts and original blueprints, the film’s visuals and attention to detail do the job.

The filmmakers even had astronaut Buzz Aldrin appear at the end to swat off any thoughts buzzing around in kids heads that flies went to the moon. It’s a film that show NASA at its heights….the days when Saturn V rockets ruled the heavens.

[rating:3/5]