tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post550967699966454389..comments2023-11-05T02:01:53.847-06:00Comments on Antagony & Ecstasy: BLOCKBUSTER HISTORY: THE APOLLO PROGRAMTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-85220219740260425032012-10-06T13:13:06.146-05:002012-10-06T13:13:06.146-05:00Seen it, loved it, reviewed it. I did not mention ...Seen it, loved it, <a href="http://antagonie.blogspot.com/2007/09/voyages-dans-la-lune.html" rel="nofollow">reviewed it</a>. I did not mention it here mostly because it came out 12 years later, and I try my best not to "read forward" in my reviews over older films, unless it seems to cast a light on something vital. And in my brief overview, I was only looking at dramatic films, not documentaries.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-22137032719036373872012-10-06T12:07:59.019-05:002012-10-06T12:07:59.019-05:00No mention of In the Shadow of the Moon? I was a b...No mention of In the Shadow of the Moon? I was a big space geek like you (still am, a bit) and was surprised you didn't mention it as part of film history about NASA.<br /><br />It's about the Apollo missions (nothing Mercury or Gemini, sadly, I know so little about them).Hannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14530863848788223159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-36237672281263799002011-09-09T15:17:25.246-05:002011-09-09T15:17:25.246-05:00In APOLLO 13 -- and in RANSOM, FROST/NIXON, THE PA...In APOLLO 13 -- and in RANSOM, FROST/NIXON, THE PAPER, ED TV, and probably one or two that I'm forgetting -- Howard expertly executes one of his favorite tropes: the media's ability to connect and unify all the various characters (and by implication, all of us) into one big, thrillingly egalitarian mass. It's an unsurprisingly romantic (or naive?) perspective, coming from someone who grew up on television. And it may be the closest thing to a directorial signature that he has. All of these films feature exciting, well-edited sequences of disparate characters huddled around TV sets (or poring over newspapers), simultaneously receiving the same information, with their carefully differentiated responses to the event in question serving to propel conflict and drama. I think it's a legitimately interesting technique. I also think THE PAPER, RANSOM, and FROST/NIXON are all terrific, underrated films.Don Mancinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12258469836226845683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-29209411235907403912011-09-08T21:05:04.740-05:002011-09-08T21:05:04.740-05:00I am sad too, but it was the first example that ca...I am sad too, but it was the first example that came to mind of extending something that takes 5 minutes into a feature. I am sorry.<br /><br />And yes, I love <i>From the Earth to the Moon</i>. It is very well done. But it covers so much ground (very well), that it doesn't leave much for anyone else to do. I guess there are probably options out there - I was thoroughly impressed with how that series handled Apollo 13 without remaking <i>Apollo 13</i>. And yeah, I see how an ensemble Apollo 11 film could get made, but I guess it's one of the reasons I'm not a screenwriter that I don't see how something like that hasn't already been done better (otherwise known as <i>From the Earth to the Moon</i> episodes 1-6 & 11).Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316541604903436175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-49553047802746542572011-09-08T14:03:42.356-05:002011-09-08T14:03:42.356-05:00Rebecca- October Sky is right on the edge for me. ...Rebecca- <i>October Sky</i> is right on the edge for me. It's more of a prequel to a NASA movie than an actual NASA movie, though given the slim pickings, I guess it's fair to count it.<br /><br />I get the point you're making about the lack of compelling narratives in the space program - I'm not even saying I <i>want</i> more of them, for that reason - but if <i>From the Earth to the Moon</i> proves anything, it's that there are ways to make these stories interesting. A <i>Right Stuff</i> style ensemble movie about the development and execution of Apollo 11 would do well for itself, I have to imagine.<br /><br />Also, you have made me sad by reminding me of <i>Battleship</i>.<br /><br />Chris- That is a fantastic point about using the episodic plot in the film's favor. It's certainly effective here in a way that it is absolutely not in e.g. <i>Ransom</i>. Also, I admire your cousin's sense of invention.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-62214244553993041392011-09-08T07:20:45.308-05:002011-09-08T07:20:45.308-05:00I was sad when I learned that you weren't usin...I was sad when I learned that you weren't using <i>Shark Night 3D</i> to give us a review of <i>Jaws</i>, but you more than made up for it with this review. Thanks, Tim!<br /><br />I think the episodic nature that you mentioned actually suites this film to a certain degree. Let's face it, there are a lot of technical aspects to the mission that Howard thankfully didn't shy away from depicting, and all of the space jargon and the astronauts constantly moving back and forth between the modules and flipping switches can make it tough to follow the action. Taking on each problem one at a time and following them to resolution I think makes the film easier to digest for the less scientifically oriented.<br /><br />A little anecdote: when the movie first came out, my cousin was convinced that the floating effect was created by stuffing the actors' spacesuits with helium bags! (We were 10)Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07865927808936178525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-41974963741942191722011-09-07T22:48:07.125-05:002011-09-07T22:48:07.125-05:00I was going to answer who the CM pilot was on Apol...I was going to answer who the CM pilot was on Apollo 11, but by the time I got to the end, it wasn't "quickly" anymore :-)<br /><br />Would you like to count <i>October Sky</i> in your space history movie list? <br /><br />Also, while I would be among the space geeks that would want more space history movies, honestly, what is left to do? Maybe a history of cosmonauts (since they beat the US to every major milestone in the Space Race, until, if I remember right, orbiting the moon), but Apollo 13 was the big drama that was drawn out over several days so that it could actually be a movie. Sure there were other moments of drama/disaster in all of NASA's programs (Mercury 4, Gemini 8, Apollo 1, a couple famous shuttles, etc.), but would they really be suited to a feature-length film? I guess that's a silly statement in a year that is bringing us a film based on Battleship, but I know you know what I mean. Is it time to remake <i>The Right Stuff</i>? Do we want that, even to make it more historically accurate? Or is it time to start doing the individual astronaut biopics?Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316541604903436175noreply@blogger.com