Posts: 399 From: North Carolina Registered: Mar 2002
posted 12-10-2018 03:37 PM
quote:Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn: ...is this particularly quick for release on DVD, so soon after the movie release?
Jan. 22 is the date of the Oscar nominations announcement, per Robert's post above. That's a sure way to drive sales, assuming it is nominated for at least one award.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 12-10-2018 03:47 PM
The "First Man" release is on par with "The Martian," which was also released on DVD three months and 10 days after its theatrical release.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 12-10-2018 03:52 PM
Thanks for the clarification Robert.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 12-14-2018 08:13 AM
Variety has a slide show feature "Directors on Directors" with filmmakers praising some of their favorite movies of 2018. Christopher Nolan ("Interstellar," "Inception") wrote about Damien Chazelle and "First Man":
Three features in, Damien Chazelle has emerged as one of our most exciting and accomplished filmmakers.
His take on Neil Armstrong's voyage was never going to be a middle-of-the-road affair: Instead he crafted a masterfully staged re-creation of the space program with utterly compelling physical detail and layers of cinematic immersion that command credence and ensure that the radical and intensively subjective nature of Chazelle's point-of-view comes as a gradually unveiled shock.
By equating our most intimate human moments with the great adventure, the film doesn't diminish the cosmic, it elevates the earthly. Discussions about the film's portrayal of the flag on the moon largely missed the point: the choice was not about forms of patriotism, it was about a filmmaker presuming to leap over the collective sense of this great event to land on a genuine understanding of what stepping onto the farthest point of mankind's reach might have actually felt like to the individual who did it.
No one can know Neil Armstrong's thoughts as he stood on the moon, but Chazelle commits and the intimacy of his interpretation is plausible and resonant. We rely on, indeed, demand this commitment from our finest storytellers and Damien Chazelle does not let us down.
He has dared to make an introverted film about the most extroverted moment in the history of the world. "First Man's" true significance, not unlike the momentous events which it dares to interpret, may not come into focus for some time.
SpaceCadet1983 Member
Posts: 227 From: United States Registered: May 2012
posted 12-14-2018 02:48 PM
Well said, Christopher Nolan!
Daniel on the Moon Member
Posts: 354 From: Bronxville, NY Registered: Jun 2015
posted 12-26-2018 06:19 PM
As someone who worked with and trained astronaut Armstrong as Space Suit Portable Life Support System (PLSS) EVA Crew Training Mission Manager, the movie provided insight into Armstrong's personal life that I knew little about! Here is my YouTube video review of the movie:
MCroft04 Member
Posts: 1634 From: Smithfield, Me, USA Registered: Mar 2005
posted 12-26-2018 09:43 PM
Daniel, it will be a shame if you don't write that book!
MCroft04 Member
Posts: 1634 From: Smithfield, Me, USA Registered: Mar 2005
posted 12-27-2018 01:30 PM
Most people seem to agree that Armstrong was a great fit to be First Man. Had Armstrong and Aldrin been forced to leave the lunar surface before their historic EVA and Armstrong’s first step, Pete Conrad would have become the first man to step onto the moon on the Apollo 12 mission.
Would that first step by Conrad have been as historic as the one Armstrong took? After all Apollo 12 was the 2nd lunar landing, and the public was already beginning to think of going to the moon as “been there done that.” If so, would Conrad have been able to warrant the same respect given to Armstrong?
capoetc Member
Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
posted 12-27-2018 04:57 PM
quote:Originally posted by MCroft04: Would that first step by Conrad have been as historic as the one Armstrong took?
Yes.
And if Jim McDivitt had accepted Deke Slayton's offer to stick with Apollo 8, sans LM, and flown that mission around the moon, then his backup (Pete Conrad) would have been the Apollo 11 commander.
oly Member
Posts: 905 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2015
posted 12-27-2018 07:06 PM
I do not agree. If, hypothetically, Apollo 11 had achieved the first lunar landing without the crew exiting the spacecraft, their achievement would still be the first lunar landing, which was the goal set down by Kennedy.
The Apollo 12 mission would still be significant in its own right, the first footstep would still be a monumental event, however the crew leaving the lunar module on the second lunar landing may have been seen as an evolution from the first lunar landing.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3118 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 12-28-2018 07:20 AM
I agree that Kennedy's goal (literally interpreted) was to "land on the Moon and return safely to Earth." However, the term "the first man/men on the Moon" had been waiting, for as long as anyone ever thought about going there, to be attached to the first crew to land AND walk, because it was always assumed that whoever made the first landing would then climb out and make the first footprints. If the above scenario had played out (Apollo 11 first landing, Apollo 12 first footprints) then the historical record would have been messy, with the glory being shared and therefore somehow lessened. The confusion about "who was the last man on the Moon?" would have been multiplied to the nth degree, with major disputes about "who was/were the first man/men on the Moon?"
I assume the Soviet Union had hoped to "steal" some of Apollo's glory by sending the first men TO the Moon, on a free-return trajectory without orbiting. Apollo 8 would later have gone into orbit (or perhaps Apollo 10, if Apollo 8's mission would by then have seemed superfluous), but history would always have recorded that the first men TO the Moon were the Soviet crew.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-06-2019 08:23 PM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: "First Man" has been nominated in two categories for the 2019 Golden Globes.
Justin Hurwitz won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score.
Claire Foy was passed over for Best Actress in a Supporting Role — the award went to Regina King ("If Beale Street Could Talk").
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-22-2019 08:58 AM
"First Man" received four Oscar nominations: Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.
The biggest gut punch came for Damien Chazelle's "First Man," which looked to show signs of life with the British Academy's nominations announcement and, frankly, could have been better positioned overall this season. It was sort of left in the dust by Universal's "Green Book" focus down the stretch. Misses for cinematography, film editing, and original score are honestly flabbergasting, though. A movie like this, daringly intimate in its approach to such a massive global moment, slammed with a bogus controversy as soon as it got out of the starting gate, needed to be better nurtured.
garymilgrom Member
Posts: 1966 From: Atlanta, GA Registered: Feb 2007
posted 01-22-2019 03:00 PM
My take: A very flat portrayal of a complex man. And I thought Gosling's acting insipid but maybe that was his direction.
SpaceAngel Member
Posts: 307 From: Maryland Registered: May 2010
posted 01-23-2019 03:43 AM
I got the DVD (along with the Blu-ray) movie; it was a long wait but I got it at last!
p51 Member
Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 01-24-2019 06:00 PM
I'd forgotten to check when the DVD/BluRay would be out and missed the chance to snag a copy at the local Wal-Mart yesterday morning, dang it! I just now looked it up and it's been out for 2 days.
This would a perfect movie for home video as once you've seen several sections of the movie originally, many space fans won't need to see them again very often. Like some, I'm primarily interested in again watching the scenes from Gemini and the crew egress to Apollo 11 at KSC. That scene in the elevator really spoke to me for some reason. And the landing sequence for me was amazing. I even bought the soundtrack just to have that music, which I listen to in m SUV often.
SpaceAngel Member
Posts: 307 From: Maryland Registered: May 2010
posted 01-26-2019 06:19 AM
From the deleted scene from the movie, was it true that Armstrong's house caught on fire in real life?
capoetc Member
Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
posted 01-26-2019 08:12 AM
Yes. I highly recommend you read the book First Man or listen to the audio book. That event and many other details are covered very well therein.
canyon42 Member
Posts: 238 From: Ohio Registered: Mar 2006
posted 02-09-2019 04:50 PM
Finally saw the movie today on Blu-ray, having not caught it in the theater. While I could certainly appreciate its technical qualities it would be a lengthy stretch to say overall that I "enjoyed" it. More than anything it left me wondering how a film about one of the greatest explorations in human history could not feel uplifting in some sense at its conclusion. I will watch it again in a few weeks and will be curious whether I have an increased appreciation for it as some others have mentioned.
One thing I did frequently wonder during the movie was how anyone who was not fairly familiar with space history had any real notion what was going on and how the various events tied to one another and the overall progress of the space program. I know the focus was obviously on Armstrong, but... For example, we see Ed White frustrated that the Soviets stole his thunder with the first space walk — but did he then actually do a space walk? Once the emergency of Gemini 8 ended, what happened next? The film sort of implies that next came the Apollo 1 fire. I know it wasn't going to be a linear documentary, but I wonder if average viewers were able to follow the trail, or if it mattered to them.
The narrative structure just seemed somehow peculiar to me, and I would suspect that most viewers would walk away with no idea who anyone was in the movie besides Neil and Janet Armstrong, Ed and Pat White, and maybe Deke Slayton. And even then I doubt they would have any sense at all of what Deke's role was. Perhaps I'm wrong about that, but that was the impression I was left with.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-10-2019 10:33 AM
quote:Originally posted by canyon42: ...it left me wondering how a film about one of the greatest explorations in human history
If you do watch it again, it might help to keep in mind that the film is not intended to be about how the world experienced the first moon landing.
There is a great anecdote from Buzz Aldrin about how he realized that he, Neil and Mike "missed" the moon landing because they were the only ones to not experience it with the rest of the world. For everyone back on Earth, the moon landing was this amazing event to witness. But for the crew, it was a completely different experience.
"First Man" focuses on that disparity.
David C Member
Posts: 1014 From: Lausanne Registered: Apr 2012
posted 02-10-2019 03:50 PM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: "First Man" focuses on that disparity.
And, in my opinion partially fails by that criterion. The crew did not experience the spectacle of Apollo 11 seen from Earth. They did experience the exhilaration of a crucial, risky mission accomplished very successfully. Just look at the expressions on the faces of the actual crew after recovery. First Man completely failed to covey any sense of that — it was more like the Neil character went to a funeral.
In my opinion.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-10-2019 04:37 PM
quote:Originally posted by David C: Just look at the expressions on the faces of the actual crew after recovery.
I am not sure if that alone is a good judge of their experiences on the mission. Even if the journey had been outright lousy, I would expect to see them all smiles at the sight of their families, the President of the United States and a ship full of cheering servicemen.
"First Man" does show Armstrong as being happy during the mission, particularly upon achieving the moon landing, and nails his delivery upon first setting foot on the moon. But the film primarily focuses on the times when Armstrong was out of view of the camera and the public, when his reaction is not as well documented.
That said, I wish that a scene I watched being shot had been included in the film, because it would have added to the sense of elation and joy the astronauts experienced in the face of a challenge. The scene was cut because it interrupted the flow of the film. It is not included on the Blu-ray, but maybe it will surface someday.
randy Member
Posts: 2176 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
posted 02-10-2019 08:35 PM
I have a confession to make about this movie. I finally watched the movie and it is very good. I still don't care for Ryan Gosling, but the movie is excellent. Factual and follows the book exactly. I just ordered a copy for my library.
Daniel on the Moon Member
Posts: 354 From: Bronxville, NY Registered: Jun 2015
posted 02-24-2019 09:00 PM
"First Man" — Oscar winner-Visual Effects!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-24-2019 09:08 PM
In accepting the Academy Award, Ian Hunter, miniature effects supervisor on "First Man" said, "It is humbling to honor Neil Armstrong and all the men and women of NASA..."
328KF Member
Posts: 1234 From: Registered: Apr 2008
posted 03-10-2019 11:50 AM
I re-watched the movie last night and caught a few scenes during the Apollo 11 sequences that were, for some reason, reversed on screen.
During the crew's entry into the CM on launch day, when the center seat character (Aldrin) slid into the seat, his NASA emblem is on the left chest and reversed, and no flag is seen on the left arm.
In the scene where they are closing the hatch on Eagle, "Aldrin" is seen in the left side of the cockpit and the flag is on his right arm. As the camera pans around to "Armstrong," all of his patches are reversed, as are the placards on the hatch.
One explanation for the for the first error might be that they shot the scene mistakenly with "Collins" in the left seat and needed to fix that without re-shooting it, but I can't come up with one for the LM scene.
I was also curious in the theater why there were ghost images of the characters throughout the Gemini 8 sequence. It looked like it might look if one crossed their eyes. I assumed it might have been some issue with the projector, but these are present on the home version as well.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-10-2019 03:59 PM
With regards to the scene of Armstrong entering Eagle and closing the hatch, that was filmed as a single, continuous shot with Ryan Gosling mounted in the "Superman" rig (named such because it was devised for the recent Superman films).
It may be after reviewing the footage, that the flow of motion worked better flipped. Aldrin being at the commander's station would not necessarily be an issue, as I believe as lunar module pilot, he assisted setting up both sides of the cabin prior to separation.
posted 03-27-2019 05:23 AM
Finally got the chance to see this film. If you had no knowledge of spaceflight history then it failed to educate. I thought it fell between not being a very good biography and entertainment.
astro-nut Member
Posts: 946 From: Washington, IL Registered: Jan 2006
posted 04-03-2019 11:11 AM
Just my view, but I thought that this movie was poorly done and portrayed Neil in a negative way. Honestly, I did not expect this to be an outstanding movie when it was released. I purchased it on DVD and after watching it a second time, I think the movie could of have been made a lot better than it was. Just my opinions. Thank you.
capoetc Member
Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
posted 04-26-2019 07:00 AM
An interesting handwritten draft of a letter in the current Heritage auction from Neil Armstrong to Buzz Aldrin in which he states in part:
In all honesty, I believe that a movie of "Return to Earth" would not be good for you. I can't think of a biography of a living person that has ever been made into a good flick. That makes pretty long odds.
space1 Member
Posts: 853 From: Danville, Ohio Registered: Dec 2002
posted 05-21-2019 09:12 AM
If anyone is interested, a portion of the Gemini control panel that I made for First Man is currently in RRAuction's Hollywood sale, ending Thursday (May 23).
posted 12-10-2018 03:37 PM
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