Not to be confused with the motion picture dramatization from 2016, this documentary takes a nostalgic look back with Gene Cernan, the last man to step foot on the moon during the Apollo missions.
Like any documentary, it has its good points and bad points. I loved the Apollo era footage, the party photos, and Cernan's reminiscing with his pilot buddy. I could have done without the long, mournful shots of the now run-down space center in Houston. Yes, nobody wants to fund the space program anymore, and it sucks. I loved the real life footage and photos of Jim Lovell after watching Apollo 13 yesterday.
As a maker's movie, this is great. Narration and conversation are always good for me to knit to, and this movie had plenty of that. Be sure to pop your head up once in a while, especially for the '60s era party photos, because those folks sure seemed to have fun while keeping it G rated.
Three laugh out loud moments, especially when he's ribbing his buddy about their old test-pilot days, or the old pilot who said the only reason to fly a helicopter that low was to check out some bikinis. One eye-roll moment where the director seemed to emphasize a sad moment unnecessarily. It was exploitative.
Three out of five stars. I started to get sleepy towards the last half hour which is never good. Check it out on Netflix if you have an interest in the space program.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Apollo 13 (1995) PG
A dramatization of the real-life events of the Apollo 13 moon mission. Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell, Bill Paxton as Fred Haise, Kevin Bacon as Jack Swigert, and Gary Sinise as Ken Mattingly.
I guess it's theme week again here on Knitter's Media Reviews... this time it's space. It was almost going to be a Kubrick filled week, since I have the triple feature version of "2001", but as you might remember from yesterday's review, I am not a fan. I decided to be kind to myself in 2017.
It's an exciting movie to be sure... how much of it is fact, and how much of it is fiction or exaggeration is for you to decide. I know having lived in and around Houston for several years, it's highly plausible when the whole region is steeped in the space center culture. You drive by the massive building, or take the tour, and watching films like this one take on a whole new meaning.
Despite having seen this before, there were a few "holy crap" moments when explosions take you by surprise. Not a lot of laughs in this one, and only a borderline eye roll when they had to work in the daughter being despondent over the breakup of the Beatles. Yes, we get that it was 1970, can we move on?
As a maker's movie, it satisfies. There are stretches of conversation or waiting that don't require your eyes if you need to watch your hands.
Definitely one for the action film lover, or anyone who's fascinated by the space program. Again, DVD prices are so low lately that adding to your collection (if you have the... space... no pun intended) seems like a no-brainer. Four out of five stars.
I guess it's theme week again here on Knitter's Media Reviews... this time it's space. It was almost going to be a Kubrick filled week, since I have the triple feature version of "2001", but as you might remember from yesterday's review, I am not a fan. I decided to be kind to myself in 2017.
It's an exciting movie to be sure... how much of it is fact, and how much of it is fiction or exaggeration is for you to decide. I know having lived in and around Houston for several years, it's highly plausible when the whole region is steeped in the space center culture. You drive by the massive building, or take the tour, and watching films like this one take on a whole new meaning.
Despite having seen this before, there were a few "holy crap" moments when explosions take you by surprise. Not a lot of laughs in this one, and only a borderline eye roll when they had to work in the daughter being despondent over the breakup of the Beatles. Yes, we get that it was 1970, can we move on?
As a maker's movie, it satisfies. There are stretches of conversation or waiting that don't require your eyes if you need to watch your hands.
Definitely one for the action film lover, or anyone who's fascinated by the space program. Again, DVD prices are so low lately that adding to your collection (if you have the... space... no pun intended) seems like a no-brainer. Four out of five stars.
Monday, January 2, 2017
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) G
An otherworldly strange black monolith influences Earth's sentient development.
This is not the first time I've seen this movie, but it is the first time I stayed awake through the whole thing. Let's face it, Kubrick is in love with himself and his own work and refuses to edit. I can think of at least an hour of footage that could have been cut from this movie without affecting its story or its impact except for the better. I mean, once you see primitive ape/man figure out how to use his first tool, do we really need to see gobbets of meat hanging from his jaws? Did the panning through space need to be quite so slow? And what about that psychedelic trip near the end? THAT could have been at least two minutes shorter.
For knitters, this is a dream movie. You can get a lot done through these interminably long glamor shots, and I even knitted through the intro, intermission, and exit music. Yes, the blu-ray version includes the blank, black screens played in theaters with a provided classical score.
Zero reaction counts, unless you count the OMG moment I had when I realized the actor who played Frank was the same actor in the original Star Trek episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before". His voice was bugging me from the beginning, and then I made the connection to the character Gary Mitchell. You know, typecast, because he has a background in space acting.
Overall, I give this a three out of five stars. I really, really should ding it more as a movie because of his long-windedness, but since it's such a good movie to craft to, I'll be generous. Single disc blu-ray transfer here, but it's also available in a blu-ray Kubrick triple feature pack that includes "A Clockwork Orange" (once Rick Springfield's favorite movie) and "The Shining", which even Stephen King detested. Allegedly. Add it to your collection if you're ready to see what the sixties thought the future would be like, puffy-helmeted stewardesses and all.
This is not the first time I've seen this movie, but it is the first time I stayed awake through the whole thing. Let's face it, Kubrick is in love with himself and his own work and refuses to edit. I can think of at least an hour of footage that could have been cut from this movie without affecting its story or its impact except for the better. I mean, once you see primitive ape/man figure out how to use his first tool, do we really need to see gobbets of meat hanging from his jaws? Did the panning through space need to be quite so slow? And what about that psychedelic trip near the end? THAT could have been at least two minutes shorter.
For knitters, this is a dream movie. You can get a lot done through these interminably long glamor shots, and I even knitted through the intro, intermission, and exit music. Yes, the blu-ray version includes the blank, black screens played in theaters with a provided classical score.
Zero reaction counts, unless you count the OMG moment I had when I realized the actor who played Frank was the same actor in the original Star Trek episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before". His voice was bugging me from the beginning, and then I made the connection to the character Gary Mitchell. You know, typecast, because he has a background in space acting.
Overall, I give this a three out of five stars. I really, really should ding it more as a movie because of his long-windedness, but since it's such a good movie to craft to, I'll be generous. Single disc blu-ray transfer here, but it's also available in a blu-ray Kubrick triple feature pack that includes "A Clockwork Orange" (once Rick Springfield's favorite movie) and "The Shining", which even Stephen King detested. Allegedly. Add it to your collection if you're ready to see what the sixties thought the future would be like, puffy-helmeted stewardesses and all.
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