First Man

valoren

p to the e wrote: »

It's simplistic to simply show landing on the moon as a solitary achievement. There was a litany of accomplishments needed to be completed in order to enable that. Project Gemini was effectively a dress rehearsal for Apollo to perfect the techniques such as rendezvous in earth orbit before doing that over the moon. A great book about how it was achieved is 'How Apollo flew to the Moon'. Technical and brilliantly detailed.

As regards the flag controversy, recall that when Apollo 8 orbited the moon that a woman tried to sue NASA after the crew read from the book of Genesis on Christmas Eve. She was appalled that a tax funded venture was mixing church and state. Imagine being so small minded that after seeing other people 1/4 of a million miles away capable of reaching your ears and deciding to sue (unsuccessfully). There will always be someone to bitch, moan and complain while being blindsided to the bigger picture and such people are best ignored.

p to the e

valoren wrote: »

It's simplistic to simply show landing on the moon as a solitary achievement. There was a litany of accomplishments needed to be completed in order to enable that.

Couldn't you say that about each of the major Soviet achievements? Anyhoo I put it up more in jest than anything else.

stoneill

p to the e wrote: »

Couldn't you say that about each of the major Soviet achievements? Anyhoo I put it up more in jest than anything else.

Not really, all the Soviet accomplishments were just the same thing repeated over and over. First man, first woman, first two man crew, they were essentially the same orbital flights.

Optimalprimerib

That was an extremely well made, well told story with good performances throughout. I am not sure how much I liked it though. It gave me the same feeling that I got from Dunkirk in that it was from a different perspective than I am used to and my neanderthal brain was craving for a Michael bay version of the story.

Instead it was more intimate than visceral with up close steady cams the weapon of choice. I also never imagined up close shots of pivot joints imperfectly done to create such an air of fear and tension. They really were just thrown into a tin can and pegged out to space.

The score was also excellent, but with chazelles background I was expecting that.

Tony EH

Optimalprimerib wrote: »

That was an extremely well made, well told story with good performances throughout. I am not sure how much I liked it though. It gave me the same feeling that I got from Dunkirk in that it was from a different perspective than I am used to and my neanderthal brain was craving for a Michael bay version of the story.

:eek:


Good god!

restive

I actually enjoyed this. It was told from the astronauts perspective. It showed the toll the death of their colleagues had on them. They had to live with knowledge the themselves might not live through it.
I did not think social commentary about two thirds the way through was justified.

Avatar MIA

Tony EH wrote: »

:eek:


Good god!

They didn't actually land on the moon (conspiracy theorists were correct). They actually landed on cybertron and when they plant the flag it's actually them hooking into the alien computer to download a virus which... you know the rest.

Optimalprimerib

Tony EH wrote: »

:eek:


Good god!

I understand your reaction completely and am utterly ashamed of myself.

Tony EH

El Duda

The First Man – 4/10

Damien Chazelle has now made three films that have all been very well received by critics. Whiplash is a 10/10 film for me and I enjoyed La La Land (although I wasn’t crazy about it).  This is the first film of his that didn’t really do anything for me. 

Gosling’s performance is understated to the point where it just isn’t engaging. Claire Foy puts in a great performance, but I had no investment in her character at all. All the scenes on earth were extremely flat and the attempt at an emotional connection didn’t land. 

It was a very dull decision to focus on his family life. Instead, they should’ve focused on his relationship with his peers and fellow astronauts, but that would’ve made it difficult to have a strong female lead which seems to be prerequisite for any mainstream film in 2018. They could’ve explored his time serving the military, the aftermath of the landing… anything but his dull family life.

A movie about such a huge event in human history should be able to appeal equally to space enthusiasts and those who only have a passing interest. This just didn’t grab me at all and my other half was even less impressed. We were both struggling to stay awake after about 10 minutes.

The Rape of Lucretia

Very good movie. Not sure that the schmaltz added anything, but it wasnt too intrusive either way. Only weak point was the soundtrack, which was fine in isolation, but too redolent of La La Land. The composer needs to find a new musical phrase, and stop recycling so quickly.

The Black Oil

I don't think I'll ever get over the sheer beauty and wonder of space on screen. It's hard to put words on it. This felt like two films to me, or at least two squashed together. I wouldn't say that was a fundamental complaint as such, just felt it in the execution. We have the preparation element firstly, then when he went to the White House/there was bad PR, protests, etc, is where it seemed to shift gear and had a different air about it (imo), as a film, not just the space race.

Kyle Chandler - when he locks onto you in a job interview with just a look, you know about it. Actually, a lot of it's built on eye contact. Yes, props to Claire Foy too. It's quite an emotive piece at times, even with the difficult moments. The archive stuff was not overused and I liked the news anchor voices bubbling away in there too. It's quite intimate too, I liked the little details like the texture of the moon. It really was just a tin can with a ton of fuel on board (and buttons, switches) and a remarkable achievement. There was still a good deal I didn't know about...

the plug test/fire was horrendous - devastating. And just other stuff I liked - such as when Chandler cut the radio feed to the house, the chat with his two kids...

As to those who had issues with Gosling's performance - or frustration with the depiction of Armstrong, I heard Chazelle address this in an interview with Fresh Air (NPR) describing it as "mid-Western grit". And Ron Livingston (not in the film) said something very similar on the Off Camera Show recently. Surely, whether accurate to Armstrong or not, the film was at pains to point out the man was almost drowning in his own work ethic, grief, silence, non-communication and avoidance.

Shred

I loved this when I saw it back in October and meant to catch it again before it left the cinema but didn't manage to. It was a little slow to start but once it got going I was absolutely gripped by it, the

daughter

motif was used quite well I thought and brought a huge amount of emotional weight to the film for me personally (

I didn't lose a child but I am a father!

). I adored the landing squence and how the score tied in with it and ended up listening to the score on repeat for a couple of weeks afterwards as a result. I've just pre-ordered the 4k disc and can't wait to see it again.
That's 3 out of 3 excellent movies from Chazelle for me and I look forward to what he does in the future.

Sad Professor

Listening to the score. It's really good.

Spot the temp track:

didn't know it was the same director as Whiplash which is my favourite movie of the last 10 years personally.

I thought that this was just plain boring.

Maybe Armstrong was a sort of reserved character in reality but the Gosling portrayal was just so uninspiring and hard to get behind really and was a real tune-out factor for me.

TheIrishGrover

This was pretty good but be warned:

It is NOT about the space race/moon landings. This is, as the title suggests, about Armstrong himself and his friends/family.

I enjoyed the movie. I'm not a Gosling fan - All the characters he plays have limited/no emotional range. But in this case it works. As I said in a previous post, Armstrong himself was very reserved and quiet.

If someone is looking for a decent movie/series about the Apollo programme I suggest HBO's From the Earth to The Moon. It's quite old now (Strange to look at a 4:3 show nowadays) but it is a good watch with typical HBO/Tom Hanks (Band of Brothers teamup) attention to detail.

valoren

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

This was pretty good but be warned:

It is NOT about the space race/moon landings. This is, as the title suggests, about Armstrong himself and his friends/family.

I enjoyed the movie. I'm not a Gosling fan - All the characters he plays have limited/no emotional range. But in this case it works. As I said in a previous post, Armstrong himself was very reserved and quiet.

If someone is looking for a decent movie/series about the Apollo programme I suggest HBO's From the Earth to The Moon. It's quite old now (Strange to look at a 4:3 show nowadays) but it is a good watch with typical HBO/Tom Hanks (Band of Brothers teamup) attention to detail.

The fifth episode 'Spider' was a standout for me. Detailing the development of the Lunar Module by Grumann and Cameron from 'Ferris Bueller' arguing for Lunar Orbit Rendezvous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLQeqMaHVYs

ToBeFrank123

Great film.

Laughable that people would think Armstrong or Gosling's portrayal of him is boring.

There would probably be no original moon landing without Armstrong, the guy had nerves of steel and was very understated, just as Gosling played him. He wasn't interested in being flash or famous, just getting the job done.

Going to the moon was the ultimate going into the unknown and if Armstrong or his crew messed up by a few seconds or a few yards, they were toast with no hope of rescue. So it was as much about survival as setting foot on the moon.

The film captured all the difficulties and highs and lows of going there.

Conchir

God I loved seeing this on the big screen in a completely blacked out cinema. Watching it on YT doesn't really come close.

Nermal

Conchir wrote: »

God I loved seeing this on the big screen in a completely blacked out cinema. Watching it on YT doesn't really come close.

Riveting stuff. The fractal nature of the surface means you can't tell how high you are.

I thought it was wonderful overall. Thoughtful, well shot. Think of it primarily as a biography, and the tensions in the family are meaningful.

Flaw: a bit too much of the 'jerk the camera round and then zoom in' technique. Why has that become so common?

The Rape of Lucretia

Sad Professor wrote: »

Listening to the score. It's really good.

Spot the temp track:

The main phrase too though is the same - as in from 2:20 above, and at 1:36 below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSg3tBzAVFk

valoren

There is a CNN documentary released at Sundance for the 50th Anniversary.
It has some incredible 65mm footage. Would really need to be seen on the big screen. Any plans to release here I wonder?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLeN5_IhI3o

TheIrishGrover

Saw that trailer the other day. Apparently Warner Bros were allowed film there in 70mm with the intent of releasing a short movie doc but it never really materialised. The footage was only recently discovered and cleaned up. It's stunning looking.

Que the tin-foil-hat brigade: It looks TOO good. I TOLD you they staged it!

I had intended to go to Washington with family this year in part to go to the Air & Space Museum on the year of the 50th anniversary (Probably couldn't do it on the date itself as would be mental). But...... But I just can't stomach going there currently (Just my own opinion).

I have been there previously though and I would recommend it to ANYONE who has even a passing interest. As soon as you step in the door you see Apollo 11, A Gemini and a Mercury re-entry module... Just there in front of you first thing. Amazing

beauf

I just watched first man and largely in agreement with the negative reviews in this thread.
I don't know why it was so critically well received. Not that its a badly made movie but its incredibly dull.
I think its was an achievement to make such a meh movie out the subject material.

El Duda

This still remains the last cinema trip that really bored me to tears.

I've seen Godzilla 2 and It Chapter 2 since. Even they held my attention more.

Technocentral

El Duda wrote: »

This still remains the last cinema trip that really bored me to tears.

I've seen Godzilla 2 and It Chapter 2 since. Even they held my attention more.

One of the best films of last years, I grew up obsessed with the space race and found it riveting, it's the sort of smart film I love.

beauf

Smart? Why?

The space race is almost out of focus in it, only for brief moments does it come into clarity. Its constantly is pushed to the background.
I'd argue its not really about the space race or an Astronaut at that time. It's really entirely a story about a person dealing with personal loss.
You could rip out the space race parts of the story replace them with anything, it and wouldn't really change the movie at all.
If you know a lot about the space race you will spot things all the way through it. But most would go past 99% of the people watching it.
As one review said, that introspective smothers the film. Not that a film about personal lose is't of interest.
But perhaps it wasn't the ideal backdrop for that story, or more likely its dominance unbalances the film.

El Duda

Technocentral wrote: »

One of the best films of last years, I grew up obsessed with the space race and found it riveting, it's the sort of smart film I love.

In my review a few pages back, I did make a point about how it didn't infuse me with intrigue like you'd expect. Often time movies will act as a gateway drug and get me really interested in subjects I previously had little or no interest in.



This failed to tickle my fancy. It felt like one for the fanatics.

expectationlost

beauf wrote: »

Smart? Why?

The space race is almost out of focus in it, only for brief moments does it come into clarity. Its constantly is pushed to the background.
I'd argue its not really about the space race or an Astronaut at that time. It's really entirely a story about a person dealing with personal loss.
You could rip out the space race parts of the story replace them with anything, it and wouldn't really change the movie at all.
If you know a lot about the space race you will spot things all the way through it. But most would go past 99% of the people watching it.
As one review said, that introspective smothers the film. Not that a film about personal lose is't of interest.
But perhaps it wasn't the ideal backdrop for that story, or more likely its dominance unbalances the film.

how can the thing that the film is about smother the thing the film is about

CatFromHue

beauf wrote: »

I'd argue its not really about the space race or an Astronaut at that time. It's really entirely a story about a person dealing with personal loss.

I thought that was kinda the point. It was more about Armstrong and his family, which isn't really a story that's been told, than the actual space race itself.

I thought it was pretty good right up until the end when they launched Apollo 11.

I liked the friction with Buzz Aldrin too :pac:

beauf

expectationlost wrote: »

how can the thing that the film is about smother the thing the film is about

That depends what you think it's about. It's pitched as about the space race. The comment I replied to was about the space race. But it's not about the space race. It just happens during the space race.

beauf

CatFromHue wrote: »

I thought that was kinda the point. It was more about Armstrong and his family, which isn't really a story that's been told, than the actual space race itself.

I thought it was pretty good right up until the end when they launched Apollo 11.

I liked the friction with Buzz Aldrin too :pac:

I realise the son was involved. But despite that a lot of the family stuff is speculative. Artistic licence and all that.

CatFromHue

I'm not sure how much is or isn't tbh

The film is based on an official biography book but I've never read the book so can't say.

expectationlost

beauf wrote: »

That depends what you think it's about. It's pitched as about the space race. The comment I replied to was about the space race. But it's not about the space race. It just happens during the space race.

its called first man, not first to the moon or whatever

beauf

expectationlost wrote: »

its called first man, not first to the moon or whatever

If you leave out the moon and whatever... what is he first of? Maybe it should have been called "some bloke".

beauf

CatFromHue wrote: »

I'm not sure how much is or isn't tbh

The film is based on an official biography book but I've never read the book so can't say.

They say he had a dry sense of humour there's photos of him joking around and smiling and mostly interested in the science and engineering. Almost none of that in the movie. I get how the lack of expression and smiling was used for dramatic effect.
I get it's mostly about the man, and his journey. But it seemed to focus only on the negative.

The book apparently it's a science and engineering tour de force. I must read it. The film seems to have a very narrow focus.