The Right Stuff (Disney+) Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

Disney+’s “The Right Stuff” is based on Tom Wolfe’s novel of the same name, and is the second adaptation behind Philip Kaufman’s 1983 film. This take on “The Right Stuff” ditches the all the lead up to manned spaceflight (like Sputnik and the bravery of early test pilots like Chuck Yeager) and takes us right to 1959, right at the start of American’s space race against the Soviet Union.

The first episode finds uptight pre-NASA officials working on a list of the nation’s best pilots who will (if all goes well) become the vaunted Mercury Seven. All the candidates have the right stuff in the air, but on the ground, it’s an endless world of booze and extramarital affairs. Right from the start, the series goes out of its way to make Navy pilot Alan B. Shepard (Jake McDorman) a complete asshole. How accurate this is I don’t know, the only comparison I can make is the Alan Shepard from HBO’s “From the Earth to the Moon,” but that version was angry at being unable to fly due to an ear condition.

But the Alan Shepard in Disney’s “The Right Stuff” is insane with anger and running on a tank full of pent-up anxiety. He constantly cheats on his wife and is hated by most of his colleagues. Shepard’s biggest rival is Marine pilot John Glenn (Patrick J. Adams), who is a family fan and treats others with respect. Meanwhile, there’s bad blood between Gordon Cooper (Colin O’Donoghue) and decorated veteran Gus Grissom (Michael Trotter). The other three Mercury astronauts (including “Mad Men’s” Aaron Staton) are basically just there to round out the Mercury Seven.

For me, the most interesting aspect of the show is the wives of the astronauts. Granted, the lives of these women have been portrayed in movies and TV shows before, but it’s always interesting to learn how things at home were going. As Life magazine shared with the world upbeat fairy tales of domestic bliss and of how loyal their husbands were, these remarkable women had to deal with the pain and anxiety that came with their husband’s job. And they often had nobody to talk to other than each other.

In the Disney series, the standouts in the wive’s club are Eloise Mumford as Trudy Cooper (who agrees to reunite with her estranged husband to improve his chances of being selected tot he astronaut program); Nora Zehetner as Annie Glenn (who has to bravely face the media onslaught even though she speaks with a stutter); and Shannon Lucio as Louise Shepard (who must cope with her husband’s emotional issues and his constant affairs).

The other actors do their best to overcome the weaknesses in the scripts. I think the most likable of the astronauts is Patrick J. Adams as JohnGlenn. Not only is he the nicest of the seven, but he’s also the first one who realizes what they are about to do is historic but also the most dangerous thing man has ever done. I was not a fan of Alan Shepard, but that’s how the character is written and it’s not the fault of actor Jake McDorman. I can’t recall if Shepard was acted like this in the book or in the 1983 movie, or in real life for that matter. All I know is he’s basically the show’s villain and I’m not sure that’s necessary.

Since the series has eight hours to work with I think “The Right Stuff” should have expanded on the book and the story of America’s first astronaut. If I’d had a say I would have made sure the series mentioned some of what we saw in “Hidden Figures.” Maybe even tell the stories of some of the countless other people who made it possible for the United States to send men into space. And maybe the show will explore some of this in future episodes, but somehow I doubt it.

It’s now 60 years since the selection of the Mercury Seven, and all of them are now gone. Tom Wolfe and many of the key people of this era are gone too. Only they would know if anything in the new Disney+ series is accurate or not. In the end, this show is about an important part of American history that’s just as thrilling now as it was in the 60s. The problem is, it’s been done before and it’s been done better.

“The Right Stuff” grade: C

Challenger: The Final Flight Review

On January 28, 1986, five astronauts and two payload specialists (which included a New Hampshire school teacher) boarded the space shuttle Challenger at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission was meant to mark the first time a civilian would go into space. No one expected that seventy-three seconds after takeoff the shuttle would explode, killing all crew members aboard.

The Challenger explosion was the “Kennedy Assassination” moment for millions of school kids, including me. I was 8 years old at the time and my entire class watched the launch live on television. After the shuttle exploded, our teacher told us this would be a day we would never forget, and she was right.

“Challenger: The Final Flight,” is a recently released docu-series from Netflix that explores the days leading up to the fateful flight. The show provides exclusive interviews from the crew’s families, former NASA employees, and more. Over its four episodes, the Netflix series also uses never before seen archived training footage and news clips to reveal what happened in the days leading up to and after the tragic launch.

I was a huge space buff growing up, so I knew some of the material “Challenger: The Final Flight” details, but also goes into new territory. One of the best parts of the series is the way it explored how Commander Dick Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik, and Ronald E. McNair, and Payload Specialists Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe, became Challenger’s crew.

In the first couple of episodes, we learn where each of them came from, who they were, and why they joined the astronaut program. There’s even a great moment where it’s revealed that Ellison Onizuka loved cooking entire pigs overnight. This might be a throwaway line for some, but it taught me something new about Onizuka. Another incredible story is about Ronald McNair growing up in the segregated South and not being able to borrow a science book from the library. All of these moments are important because most people remember Christa McAuliffe, but the other crew

But of course, the series devotes a great deal of time to the young high school teacher from New Hampshire. one of the most touching moments comes from Christa McAuliffe’s sister Lisa, who tells a story about Christa going on a date and bringing back a gift for her two younger sisters. Other crew family members also share stories about the astronauts, and I won’t lie, I did tear up more than once.

If I have any criticisms about “Challenger: The Final Flight,” it would be that the series wasn’t long enough. At only four episodes the show is forced to rush through a few things. As I said earlier, I knew some of the details going on, but for someone new, the malfunctioning rubber ring on a solid rocket booster might have been too much information. Let me rephrase Final Flight gives you all the information you need, but it uses a lot of technical terms many viewers might not be able to follow.

Had the series had two more episodes, then it could have taken its time explaining about O-ring and several other things. A couple of more episodes would also have given the show a chance to further explore what happened at NASA after the explosion. While we see how it affected the families and the people who created the solid rocket boosters, but we don’t see a lot about how the launch team was affected.

A couple of other criticisms: the final episode mentions that the remains of the Challenger crew were later found in the Atlantic. But there was no mention on how some people believe the crew might have survived the explosion only to die when hitting the ocean, or of how NASA decided against ejector seats when it designed the shuttle. I don’t think they needed to spend a ton of time on this, but a line or two would have been more than enough.

Overall, “Challenger: The Final Flight” is a deep dive into a tragedy that is as shocking today as it was 34 years ago. This series is a must-watch for the stories of the astronauts. But it’s also necessary to understand the story of how NASA management refused to put human safety ahead of their own “targets” is one that should never be forgotten, otherwise, it will be repeated. Perhaps that’s why the final moments of The Final Flight are devoted to the loss of Columbia in 2003 after a new generation of Nasa management again ignored warnings about flaws in the space shuttle’s design.

“Challenger: The Final Flight” grade: B+

Movie Flashback: Apollo 13 (1995)

A few days go I was looking at box office numbers from the 1990s, and while taking a look at the films released 25 years ago in 1995, one immediately stood out to me as a true classic. No, it’s not “Batman Forever” or “GoldenEye.” The movie I’m talking about is “Apollo 13.”

For those who do not know the story of Apollo 13, allow me to briefly fill you in: On April 13, 1970, Apollo 13 was three days into its voyage to the Moon. An onboard explosion of an oxygen tank causes the crew to abort the mission. Apollo 13’s lunar module Aquarius ends up serving as a lifeboat for three astronauts as they attempt to return safely to earth. 25 years later, Ron Howard directed a film based on the mission starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris, and Gary Sinise.

 

I thought everyone had seen this movie, but I was wrong. Last Christmas  I was talking to someone who hadn’t seen the movie, and he dared to say “Apollo 13 is just another run of the mill biopic inspired by real-life events.” That comment pissed me off because A) he hadn’t seen “Apollo 13” and B) “Apollo 13” just so happens to be one of the best movies based on actual events ever. Ron Howard’s epic set a high bar for all future real-events based films, a bar that few movies have managed to reach.

Part of the reason “Apollo 13” worked so well is because the story of the Apollo 13 crew is a triumph of human ingenuity and director Ron Hoard knew it was a team effort. That’s why the movie spends just as much time with the people at Mission Control in Houston as it does with the three astronauts in space.

However, what gave “Apollo 13” that extra push was its sense of realism. Not only did Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon have to act most of the movie in a small space, but all three also had to replicate weightlessness for the entirety of the scenes in space. Up to this point, this would have been done with wires, something that always made the actors float in strange ways. In “Apollo 13” Ron Howard decided the space scenes would both be easier and look better with actual weightlessness.

To achieve this the cast and crew took a series of flights on a NASA airplane that is capable of parabolic flight. By doing so, the actors could experience true weightlessness over and over again, enough times to have the scenes they needed for the film.

The cast in “Apollo 13” is also top-notch. Tom Hanks was coming off consecutive Oscar wins and his work here as commander Jim Lovell earned him another Academy Award nomination. Hanks is exceptional as Apollo 13’s commander, it’s easy to believe the other astronauts would follow his lead. But I like him best when he’s around his wife and kids. The scene with his youngest son where the boy asks him about the Apollo 1 fire is one of my favorite moments in the film. He never talks down to his son, he answers his question and explains to him how the problem has been fixed, it’s just a great scene.

But don’t think for one second that “Apollo 13” wasn’t a one-man show. Kevin Bacon as command module pilot Jack Swigert and Bill Paxton as lunar module pilot Fred Haise, are just as important as Hank’s Jim Lovell. But actors get their scenes to shine and both help get the capsule back home. On the ground in Houston, I was impressed with Gary Sinise as Ken Mattingly. He has several great scenes, but the one that always gets me is his reaction when he learns of the explosion. In one close-up, Gary Sinise goes from “Thank God I wasn’t on board” to “Oh my God, my best friends are up there.”

In charge of what happens at the mission, control was Ed Harris as Flight Director Gene Kranz. For my money, this is the best work Ed Harris has ever done. Kranz is respected by all his men and knows exactly how to get the best out of them. His steady guidance played a large role in his people coming up with the plans to bring the crew back. When he says “We have never lost an American in space, and we’re sure not gonna lose one on my watch. Failure is not an option.” you believe him!

 

I first saw “Apollo 13” during its week of release at the General Cinema in Braintree Ma. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great day for me. I got laid off that morning and got caught in a thunderstorm walking home. Then my uncle suggested we go see “Apollo 13,” but as usual he waited until the last possible minute to drive to the theater. According to him, everything is “10 minutes away” but that didn’t take into account traffic or red lights.

 When we got the theater, the movie was of course sold out. The next show was over an hour later, so I suggested we get our tickets. My uncle said no and instead drove us to the South Shore Plaza across the street. The whole time I kept begging him to go back, and when we finally did guess what? The movie was sold out. I was ticked off by now and told him I just wanted to go home. Luckily, one of my friends was going to the movies that night so I was able to tag along and see the movie. And despite having one of the worst days possible, watching “Apollo 13” calmed me down and wowed me from start to finish.

“Apollo 13” is one of the few films that I consider flawless. There is nothing about this movie that I would change or edit. The special effects are innovative, and the acting is superb. Even the musical score adds to the excitement and suspense. This is an exceptional film and one that still holds up after 25 years.

 

Better late than never review: Lucy in the Sky

Possible spoilers ahead!

“Legion” and “Fargo” TV show creator Noah Hawley makes his feature directing debut with “Lucy in the Sky.” Natalie Portman stars as Lucy Cola, a NASA astronaut whose determination and hard work land her a spot on an extended mission in space. However, after seeing things from space, Lucy finds her old life on earth seems small and trivial.

As soon as Lucy returns home, she’s eager to get back into space as soon as possible. Lucy commits most of her time and energy to land a spot on the next mission. But when she starts an affair with fellow astronaut Mark Goodwin (Jon Hamm) to recapture the thrill of being off-planet, Lucy finds herself in danger of losing her grasp on reality.

“Lucy in the Sky” is a movie I wanted to see in theaters last year, but since there was almost zero marketing for the movie, I completely forgot about it. I probably would have watched it as soon as it hit video on demand, but over the last three months, real-world events became more important than movies. Thankfully, “Lucy in the Sky” is now on HBOmax, so  I was finally able to see the film and the results were… mixed, to say the least.

“Lucy in the Sky” starts with Lucy near the end of her mission in space. Unlike other recent space movies that tried to be somewhat realistic, director Noah Hawley’s film goes for a more psychedelic look. Maybe this was done to give viewers an idea of what Lucy was seeing, but that’s just an assumption. Whatever the reason, this opening should have told me that “Lucy in the Sky” was going to be more about visuals than a story.

I say that because from there, the movie uses a visual trick in which the scenes of Lucy’s life on earth are shown in a 4:3 aspect ratio, as opposed to the more customary fullscreen ratio used for the moments where she’s in space or remembering what it was like to be there. The stuff on earth reminded me of what it was like to watch old home movies before smartphones were the norm. Perhaps this was also done on purpose or maybe it was just me.

Then again maybe this was just done to distract audiences since much of the film’s first two acts are the same three events repeated over and over – namely, Lucy obsessing about being in space and going back. There’s also her reckless behavior once she’s back on earth, and finally, the reaction of those around her as they see Lucy unravel before their eyes.

Then we get to the film’s cast which I admit is rather solid. However, the script is not strong enough and doesn’t give any of the actors something to build their character from. As much as I hate to say it, Natalie Portman is wasted as Lucy Cola. The character is little more than a workaholic. That’s fine to a point, but I lost count of how many scenes Lucy just stares off or gets lost in her thoughts. Even hen she clashes with others, Lucy comes off a winning rather than an accomplished astronaut trying to make a point.

The cast I felt bad for was Dan Stevens as Drew, Lucy’s husband. He’s always on the receiving end of Lucy’s coldness and abrupt behavior. Drew is also very naive or a complete moron if he’s not aware of his wife’s affair with Jon Hamm. Either way, I felt bad for the guy and it made me wonder why Drew and Lucy got married in the first place because they don’t seem to have anything in common.

I suppose “Lucy in the Sky” was trying to be a thoughtful character study (one loosely inspired by former astronaut Lisa Nowak). But it didn’t work. the story is dull, and the characters are as bland as they can get. To be clear, the movie didn’t need action scenes, but it needed something to keep the audience entertained. Too bad the filmmaker didn’t decide to make a Lisa Nowak biopic instead, it might have been more interesting than what we got.

 “Lucy in the Sky” grade: D

Movie Flashback: Space Cowboys (2000)

Who would have thought that a movie about four senior citizens going into space could be so much fun? But that’s exactly what the 2000 film “Space Cowboys” is all about:  pure fun.

Directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, “Space Cowboys” starred Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner as four elderly ex-test pilots who are sent into space to repair an old Soviet satellite. The film’s supporting cast included Marcia Gay Harden, William Devane, Loren Dean, Courtney B. Vance, Rade Serbedzija and James Cromwell.

At its core, Space Cowboys” is not a film solely about space. If anything, it’s about a bunch of old prolific actors having a good time. I’m joking, of course, the film  is really about former test pilots Frank Corvin (Eastwood), Hawk Hawkins (Jones), Jerry O’Neill (Sutherland) and Tank Sullivan (Garner) collectively known as “Team Daedalus.” In the late 1950s, the four friends thought they were going to be the first Americans in space. But the group got screwed by their superior Bob Gerson (James Cromwell) who always had it out for them.  When NASA is formed, “Team Daedalus” is not invited to join and America sent a monkey into space instead.

Fast-forward around forty years later when NASA is tasked with preventing a Soviet-era communications satellite named IKON, from decaying out of orbit and crashing to Earth. When initial attempts fail and IKON is deemed too big to be retrieved by a space shuttle, NASA decides to launch a mission to fix the satellite on sight. However, the design of the satellite’s electronics is archaic and based on stolen blueprints. The only one who may be able to fix IKON is the guy who designed the original system, luckily for NASA Frank Crvin is still alive and kicking.

Reluctantly, the head of NASA Bob Gerson (Cromwell) sends engineer Sara Holland (Marcia Gay Harden) and astronaut Ethan Glance (Loren Dean) to request Frank’s help. Frank is initially hostile as he still despises Gerson for what he did decades earlier to him and his friends. But after thinking it over, Frank tells Sara he’s willing to put aside his differences with Gerson to help fix IKON with one condition: Frank says he will only help NASA if “Team Daedalus” are the ones sent up to fix IKON.

With the clock ticking Bob Gerson agrees to Frank’s terms,  but only if all of “Team Daedalus” can pass the astronaut training program. Gerson isn’t worried though, because he discreetly plans to have younger astronauts shadow the four so they can replace not Frank and his friends. However, when the press learn that NASA might send a bunch of senior citizens into space, it creates a lot of buzz around NASA and the mission. The Vice President of the United States convinces Bob Gerson that Frank’s team must be part of the mission so that they can keep the good publicity going.

After five weeks of non-stop training the brand new Space Shuttle now named Daedalus successfully launches into orbit. Soon, the shuttle crew finds IKON but are shocked by its size. IKON if far larger than any communications satellite should be, but the Russians claim it’s due to upgrades. Despite their feelings, the team secures the satellite with the shuttle’s loading arm and prepares to begin repairs. But when Frank, Hawk, and Ethan perform a spacewalk, they discover IKON houses six nuclear missiles. Worst yet, if IKON begins to fall from orbit, its computers will automatically launch the missiles at predetermined targets. To see what happens from there, you need to see the movie to find out.

“Space Cowboys” is a perfectly-paced film, with likable characters and an interesting premise. It may not be Clint Eastwood’s best-known movie as a director, but it’s definitely the one I watch the most.  Eastwood put together a stellar cast from top to bottom. Heck, even Tommy Lee Jones looks like he cares. If I had to pick a favorite character, it would be James Garner as Reverend “Tank” Sullivan. The tank has some of my favorite moments from the movie, like when he helps Hawk lift weights and then says he’s going to his room to cry. Or the time they’re in a bar and he manages to win something from that evil claw game I sucked at as a kid.

The movie is funnier than you’d expect from an Eastwood film, but it’s also suspenseful at times. Seeing the older guys stuck in their crippled space shuttle with malfunctioning computers and little fuel left was nerve-wracking. You could have heard a pin drop in the theater as the men try to figure out how to get back to earth in what is essential “A flying brick.”. I thought Eastwood was smart to leave out all the unnecessary details we, the audience, don’t need. The focus instead is on the events the actors are dealing with.

Another good thing Eastwood did was keeping other plotlines to a minimum. The other stories we get, like Hawk falling in love with Sara, and Jerry starting a relationship with the team’s nurse, are all dealt with before the team goes into space. The only plotline that follows the men into space is the one where James Cromwell has “his man” onboard the shuttle. But that plotline is linked to the main plot of saving IKON, so it makes sense to keep it going. Through it all, the foul lead actors are terrific together and I got the sense they had a lot of fun working together.

It’s funny, but it wasn’t until I watched this movie that I realized how much space junk there is up there. It made me realize how much of it is old enough that the people who worked on it ma not be around anymore. So it wouldn’t be shocking to see NASA call upon some of the old guards. But I’m pretty sure that’s not what director Clint Eastwood was thinking when he made “Space Cowboys.” From what I remember, Eastwood was inspired to make the movie when NASA sent John Glenn into space when he was 77 years old.

I love “Space Cowboys,” but if I have one complaint about the movie it would be the opening sequence. While I like the idea of seeing “Team Daedalus” in their prime in the late 1950s, the thing that always takes me out of it is the actor’s voices. For some reason, Clint Eastwood thought it would be a good idea to put their 2000 voices on their younger selves. Maybe he was trying to make it easier for the audience to tell who was who, but it doesn’t work because why would they sound like they were in their 70s when they were 20 somethings?

Whenever I hear the voices of Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner, and Donald Sutherland coming out of other actors, it throws me off. Luckily this stops after the opening sequence and didn’t take too much away from me enjoying the rest of “Space Cowboys.” The opening sequence is noteworthy for one other thing and that’s because Toby Stephens plays the younger version of Clint Eastwood.

“Space Cowboys” turned out to be one of the most entertaining movies I saw in the summer of 2000. It may not be an award winner like some of Clint Eastwood’s other films, but I think it’s one of his better films because it shows Eastwood can direct all kinds of movies.

But what makes this movie work is the cast. It just goes to show you good actors are good at any age, and James Garner was an underrated comedic actor. If you haven’t seen “Space Cowboys” go check it out. It’s always on television, and it’s probably streaming somewhere as we speak. As I said at the top, this movie is pure fun, and what more could you ask for from a movie?

Better late than never review: First Man

Possible spoilers ahead!

During the height of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, America continues to fall behind their rivals in several key areas. Looking to finally surpass the Russians, NASA’s Chief of the Astronaut Office Deke Slayton (Kyle Chandler) heads a new mission that if successful, will see the Americans landing on the moon. In order to achieve this very complicated process, NASA recruits several new astronauts, including civilian Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling).

Over the course of the next few years, NASA tirelessly works to make sure their vehicles are safe. As a result, Neil Armstrong dedicates himself completely to the job. All this comes at the same time he and his wife Janet (Claire Foy) are dealing with the aftermath of a family tragedy while raising their two young sons. But with pressure from the government and protestors beginning to mount, NASA attempts to take the final steps necessary to fulfill the wishes of President John F. Kennedy.

I think a lot of people went to the movies thinking “First Man” was going to be a classic like “Apollo 13” or even another “The Martian.” But the true story of Neil Armstrong is nothing like that at all. In reality, Armstrong was a very focused and private person. He didn’t like to mess around, and once he was assigned a job by his superiors, he didn’t stop until every goal was met. That’s how he was in real life and that’s exactly how “First Man” portrays him.

Perhaps this type of character turned off general moviegoers. , as shown here, wasn’t always likable. But I thought the film did a very good job going from the raw emotional looks at the Neil Armstrong’s’ home life, and the high-stakes world of being an astronaut. We get to see how focused on his work the man was, and how that focus may have saved the American space program during Armstrong’s Gemini 8 mission.

At the end of the day, Neil Armstrong just wanted to do a good job as an astronaut, but in the film we also see him playing with the kids at home, having sweet moments with Janet, and the entire Armstrong family having fun with their neighbors and friends. “First Man” also shows that Neil Armstrong also has a subtle sense of humor, like when he tells his fellow astronauts about performing musical theater in college.

The various sides of Neil Armstrong are helped by Ryan Gosling’s very understated performance. This man is a laser-focused and introverted man, but a man who is also haunted by his past. At times, Gossling can come across as distant and cold, but again, that’s how Armstrong was in real life. But Gossling also gives Armstrong a lot of humanity, especially in the way he reacts to the deaths of his friends and fellow astronauts. This might not be Ryan Gosling’s showiest performance, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s his best.

The scenes that make Neil Armstrong look and feel like a well-rounded character are the ones with Claire Foy. She certainly has the showier role of the two and boy does she shine! Janet Armstrong is the rock that kept the Armstrong family together after the death of their daughter. She’s also the reason Neil still acts like a human being. Foy even has one of my most emotional scenes in the film when she goes after Neil for refusing to talk to the kids before Apollo 11.

However, with so much of the focus going to Neil Armstrong, the rest of the supporting cast doesn’t have as much to do. Kyle Chandler acts like a no-nonsense leader, but he could have been playing an entirely new character for all I know. Nothing in his look, mannerisms, or voice told me he was Deke Slayton. Had Claire Foy not called him “Deke” at one point, I don’t think I would have known that’s who he was playing in “First Man.”

I did like what Jason Clarke brought to the role of Ed White, Neil’s fellow astronaut and friend. In some ways, he seemed to be Neil’s closest friend, but once Ed White dies in the Apollo 1 fire, we barely see his family again. Then there’s Corey Stoll who has limited screen time as Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. I don’t have a problem with Stoll, but the script makes Buzz Aldrin look like an asshole. I’m not saying the man was perfect, but in everything I’ve seen and read on the real Buzz, he wasn’t this much of a jackass.

When all is said and done, “First Man” is a near perfect space drama. The movie has compelling characters, thrilling visual effects, a soaring musical score, and heartbreaking and exhilarating moments. Ryan Gossling and Claire Foy deliver some of the best work of their careers, and Damien Chazelle proves he can direct any genre of films. Whether you saw it in theaters or missed it as I did, “First Man” is definitely worth checking out.

“First Man” score: A-

Retro Review: From the Earth to the Moon

I’ve always been fascinated by space travel. As a kid, I spent hours reading everything I could about NASA and the various space programs around the world. My sixth-grade science project was on the Space Shuttle, and I even dressed up as an astronaut one Halloween.

Over the years I also devoured any movies and tv shows that had anything to do with space flight. One of my favorite space shows is HBO’s “From the Earth to the Moon.”

“From the Earth to the Moon,” was one of the most expensive television miniseries in history. Costing around $68 million, the twelve-part docudrama took viewers back to the incredible era of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, culminating with the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

Along with producers Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Michael Bostick, Tom Hanks served as executive producer/co-writer/co-director/actor and even introduced eleven out of the twelve episodes. Their passion is evident throughout the series, and all of them went to great lengths to ensure “From the Earth to the Moon” would be as accurate as possible.

The ambitious project aired weekly over six weeks in two-hour installments. Each chapter had radically different artistic styles behind the camera. With different writers and directors gave each episode its own tone, look and feel. Each hour of “From Earth to the Moon” plays like a mini-movie, beautifully mixing archival news footage with the new material.

But when “From the Earth to the Moon” first aired in 1998, I wasn’t able to see it, because I didn’t have HBO at the time. I didn’t discover the series until the following year when it hit DVD. It didn’t matter though, I was hooked from the first episode. “Can We Do This?”

Directed by Tom Hanks, the opening chaptter is arguably the most linear, condensing the first few years of the space program into an hour-long episode. This one episode told you everything you needed to know about the history of manned space flight and introduced you to all the key players for the rest of the mini-series. From the opening shots of the Vostok 1 launch to Mike Peck sequence. All of it was a joy to watch.

However, as good as “Can We Do This?” is, other episodes have become my personal favorites. For example, episode five “Spider” begins in 1961, as NASA engineer John Houbolt tried to convince management that the easiest way to land men on the Moon will be to use a separate landing craft. It then traces the design and development of the Lunar Module by a team led by Grumman engineer Tom Kelly.

“Spider” also covers the selection and training of the first crew to fly the LEM: James McDivitt and Rusty Schweickart (along with Command Module pilot David Scott), and culminates with their first flight of Spider in Earth orbit on Apollo 9.

Another episode I can watch over and over again is episode seven, “That’s All There Is.” This episode tells the story of Apollo 12, the second lunar landing mission. The entire episode is narrated by Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean (Dave Foley).

I like this episode because of the friendship the Apollo 12 crew share, and how lost friends are never forgotten by the astronauts.  Pius, there are some very funny moments involving a camera, and a school field trip.

Finally, there is episode ten, “Galileo Was Right,” and episode twelve, “Le Voyage Dans La Lune.” I see these episodes as the two-part story of Harrison “Jack” Schmitt (Tom Amandes). He was the first scientist to go into space.

But maybe, more importantly, Schmitt was essential in getting the astronaut corp the geology training they needed. Plus I also like how nerdy Schmitt and professor Leon Silver (David Clennon) get on field trips.

All in all, “From the Earth to the Moon” remains one of my go-to space shows. IT’s brilliantly cast and directed, no other mini-series has topped it since. I can sit down and binge watch this series at any time, and I usually watch it at least once a year at least.

Whether you saw it twenty years ago, or are just hearing of it for the first time, “From the Earth to the Moon” is an exceptional piece of television, and well worth your time.

Worth a look: Space Camp

In June 1986, a little movie called “Space Camp” opened in theaters. From what I can remember, the movie wasn’t a big hit upon release, and a lot of people my age don’t remember it at all. That’s a shame, because even after over thirty years, “Space Camp” is still one entertaining film.

“Space Camp” starred Kate Capshaw as Andie Bergstrom, a fully trained astronaut who hasn’t made it into space yet because the idiots at NASA keep passing her up. After missing out on the latest shuttle mission, Andie and her husband Zach Bergstrom (Tom Skerritt), spend the rest of the summer running NASA’s Space Camp. For those of you don’t know, Space Camp is a summer like camp where kids and teens learn what it takes to be an astronaut. As I kid I dreamed of going to Space Camp, but my famoly was cheap.

Anyways, as a Space Camp instructor, Andie is in charge of a team of five kids. Her “crew,” is literally star-studded, at least by 1986 standards. First there’s Kathryn Fairly (Lea Thompson), she idolizes Andie and wants to be the first female shuttle commander. Next you’ve got Rudy Tyler (Larry Scott), a young kid who loves science, but admits he’s not always very good at it. The other girl on the crew is Tish Ambrosé (Kelly Preston), she’s not your typical “Valley girl.” Tish is arguably the smartest member of the team and has perfect memory recall. which comes in handy at times.

Rounding out the “Space Camp” crew, and making their feature film debuts are, Tate Donovan and Joaquin Phoenix. Donavan plays Kevin Donaldson, and arrogant and selfish student to whom Andie assigns the role of Commander. Pre-crazy Joaquin Phoenix is credited as Leaf Phoenix for some reason. He stars as Max Graham, an over eager 12-year-old boy whom Andie finally allows to stay at the main camp instead of the junior camp.

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The basic plot of the movie is actually rather simple. The space campers, along with Andie, get blasted into space by accident. This fiasco started when Joaquin Phoenix’s character becomes friends with an artificially intelligent robot named Jinx. The little robot tricks the NASA computers into forcing a routine maintenance solid rocket booster test into a full-on launch of the space shuttle Atlantis.

Because the shuttle wasn’t ready-for-flight, none of the essential systems onboard are ready to go. This means once in space, Andie and the kids encounter an insurmountable list of problems, including lack of oxygen, no communication with ground control, missed landing windows, and more.

It’s a far-fetched plot sure, but not as far fetched as Jinx was. Maybe today NASA has robots that can do everything Jinx can, but I highly doubt the agency had anything close to Jinx back in 1986. As a kid watching this movie back then, the robot was always
the most unbelievable thing in the film. Once I was older, I also realized that there is no way NASA would allow a bunch of kids to sit in a space craft for any test. But eight year old me loved the idea of riding out the booster test on Atlantis.

With a release of June 6, 1986, “Space Camp” was released less than six months after the horrible tragedy of the Challenger. The movie was likely in the can by the time the challenger happened, but it was probably still responsible for the film taking in under $10 million at the box office. I don’t think the general movie-going public was ready for a movie about a Space Shuttle.

Regardless, I still love “Space Camp” because I got to see how the actual Space Camp worked. The movie shows all the training the campers face, and you even get to see a lot of the facilities. Also, it was nice to see the kids learn to work together in order to get home. Along the way the kids learn what their strengths and weaknesses are, and I imagined kids at Space Camp faced similar things.

“Space Camp” is a very 80’s movie, and it shows, especially in the special effects. Everything else from the music, to the clothes, to kids’ attitudes, scream 1980’s. But for someone like me that grew up in that decade, it all felt realistic and relatable. Maybe that’s why I still have fond memories of seeing the movie when it came out.

Movie Review: Hidden Figures

Possible Spoilers Ahead!

It’s the early 1960s and the United States is losing the space race against the Soviet Union. The Russians have already launched several satellites and are on the verge of sending the first human into space.

Mathematicians Katherine Coleman (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) are all black women working in the segregated West Area Computers division at the NASA Research Center in Langley. One day, Katherine is promoted to the Space Task Group led by director Al Harrison (Kevin Costner). Their mission is simple: get an American into orbit around the Earth.

Katherine has been a math prodigy since she was a child, but even she struggles to keep up with the demands of her new job. Not because she can’t handle it, but because of the racist treatment that she, Dorothy and Mary must deal with on a daily basis. But soon it becomes clear to everyone involved: They must either learn to work together and treat each other as equals, or they will never get an American into space.

“Hidden Figures” is based on the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, and the film was co-written and directed by Theodore Melfi. The movie is amazing, and its shocking this story has taken this long to make it to the big screen. “Hidden Figures” is one of those rare true story-based films that succeeds in a every aspect. The movie is inspirational, heart-breaking, touching, and even funny.

The film’s three leads – Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, Oscar-nominee Taraji P. Henson and award-winning musician/actor Janelle Monáe do some of their best work here. Katherine Johnson’s job is trying to keep John Glenn (played by Glen Powell) from exploding during his mission. Dorothy Vaughan fights for the right to be a supervisor, and Mary Jackson wants to be the first Black engineer at NASA.

Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monáe all get solid character arcs, and their performances elevate the film, making the story even more impactful and satisfying. By the way, all three women could have been nominated for lead actress, because all three get equal screen time.

The supporting characters are also fully developed individuals who have their own character arcs. Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst showed range here that I didn’t know they had. Parsons as the NASA Space Task Group’s head engineer Paul Stafford and Dunst as Dorothy’s superior Vivian. Both of these characters are authority figures who undergo personal journeys of their own, over the course of the film.

Meanwhile, Kevin Costner once again proves he’s an acting force as the NASA Space Task Group’s director, Al Harrison. He’s the first person at NASA who treats Katherine Coleman (Taraji P. Henson) with some level of respect. He doesn’t care about her race, all he really cares about is can she do the job, and she can.

“Hidden Figures” does take some liberties with the true story of these ladies, as any movie would. I’m won’t list any of them here, because none of these liberties takes away from the fact that “Hidden Figures” is one heck of a movie, and one of those movies everyone should check out.

And who knows? Maybe this movie and the story of three women will inspire a new generation to study math and computer science

“Hidden Figures” final score: A

Your Moment of Zen

Sadly, The Martian 2 will have a smaller budget.