Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-04-2024 03:37 PM
Sony Pictures' "Fly Me to the Moon," directed by Greg Berlanti and starring Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Jim Rash, Ray Romano and Woody Harrelson, is set premiere in movie theaters on July 12, 2024.
The film, which is set during the Apollo program, was partially shot on site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A trailer announcement was released today:
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-08-2024 07:05 AM
The trailer will be released at 9 a.m. EDT today (April 8):
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
If you are even a casual space history enthusiast, watching the new trailer for the upcoming movie "Fly Me to the Moon" might leave you thinking that it is an entire work of fiction.
And for the most part, you would be correct.
SpaceAngel Member
Posts: 503 From: Maryland Registered: May 2010
posted 04-12-2024 10:47 AM
Is this movie based on a true story or is it fictional?
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3779 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 04-12-2024 01:05 PM
I have a bad feeling about this...
I saw a trailer for the film, which includes footage of a fake Apollo 11 landing being shot on a movie stage. Shades of "Capricorn 1." At least that was about a fictional future Mars landing, not a historic, factual Moon landing. I can't think of any circumstances where this is going to be appropriate.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-12-2024 01:18 PM
The film received NASA's permission to film at Kennedy Space Center and to use the agency's logo, which means the space agency had script approval. That doesn't mean everything has to be factual, but it does have to show NASA in a good light.
The trailer makes it clear that they aren't faking the moon landing — the mission is proceeding — but they are filming a backup to show the world should something go wrong. While clearly fictional, there are also parallels to real-life events.
The CIA considered putting debris under LC-14 in the event that John Glenn's Mercury-Atlas 6 launch went awry, so the U.S. could blame the tragedy on Cuba. Obviously, that is not the same as trying to get the world to believe we successfully landed on the moon when we didn't, but it is still a subterfuge.
And, as pointed out in the article and has been discussed a few times on this forum, NBC and CBS staged simulations to fill in when live video was not available. In essence, they too were faking the moon landing in real time on national television, though they labeled it as such so there was no confusion.
"Fly Me to the Moon" is a work of fiction, but has hooks into the real-life efforts to market the moon landings to the American public and the world. Personally, from what we've seen so far, it looks like fun.
MartinAir Member
Posts: 420 From: Registered: Oct 2020
posted 04-12-2024 01:42 PM
Neil deGrasse Tyson once said that the conspiracy theories are actually paying space agencies a compliment for their unbelievable achievements.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3779 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 04-12-2024 04:19 PM
Robert, I really can't see any justification for Hollywood encouraging Moon-hoax idiots by suggesting that a fake Moon-landing was being filmed "just in case." In case of what? If the Saturn V had blown up, we would have seen it. If the LM had crashed, we would have heard it live. If the TV camera had failed, the TV networks (as you point out) would have shown simulations to support the live audio. If the LM had failed to launch from the Moon, the (real) live Moonwalk TV would already have been shown, and there would have been no way to hide the deaths of the crew.
By the way, to say that NBC and CBS were "in essence... faking the Moon landing in real time on national television" is absurd. There was no confusion because there is no way to confuse an acknowledged simulation for a deliberate fake designed to fool people.
It is clear from the comments which follow the YouTube trailer that there are a lot of people concerned that this is going to be a bonanza for Moon-hoax supporters. I'm afraid that the age-group most likely to watch this in the cinemas won't be able to distinguish comedy/satire from historical reality. And so it will go on.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-12-2024 04:29 PM
So we're all supposed to pander to the lowest common denominator because of the fear that we might be bolstering something they already believe?
Besides, show me someone who truly doesn't believe we went to the moon and I'll show you someone who has much larger problems than any movie can ever pose.
quote:Originally posted by Blackarrow: Hollywood encouraging Moon-hoax idiots...
Hollywood made the movie to make money. The individuals involved in the film made the movie to produce an enjoyable piece of entertainment (and to make money). I doubt anyone associated with "Fly Me to the Moon" made the movie to encourage anyone of anything.
posted 04-12-2024 04:43 PM
I agree with Blackarrow. This is a bad idea. Especially when we're about to go back to the Moon! Another Hollywood stupidity.
mercsim Member
Posts: 258 From: Phoenix, AZ Registered: Feb 2007
posted 04-13-2024 08:11 AM
Its a movie! A comedy movie! You're acting like professional movie critics. C'mon man... clearly NASA got it.
I'm looking forward to being 'entertained,' not 'educated.'
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3779 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 04-13-2024 12:55 PM
Robert, it isn't necessary to set out to encourage deliberately if one's actions will actually and inevitably encourage. I can't see any way that the plotlines which are clearly set out in the trailer won't encourage, enthuse and embolden the Moon hoax lobby, and I can't see how that is anything but bad news. "Capricorn 1" was "just a movie" but it arguably turbocharged a whole industry.
I agree that it won't make any difference to the people who could be flown to Tranquillity Base and still wouldn't believe Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon, but it will make a difference to people who will watch all the stuff in this film about faking a Moonwalk on a movie set and will say to themselves (and to each other, and to others) "Hmmm... it makes you think. Looks like the government did fake it after all."
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-13-2024 01:42 PM
The little the trailer shows of the fake moon landing shows it as being a farce. The actor-astronauts are fighting, there is a fire and Scarlett Johansson's character is regretting her choice of director. It's not exactly a convincing argument that the moon landing could be faked.
The trailer also gives no hint if the backup will even be needed. History could play out in the movie exactly as it did in real life, with Apollo 11 being a success.
As Scott (mercsim) said, it's a movie. It is best to enjoy it (or not) for what is, not what you think others might think of it.
capoetc Member
Posts: 2409 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
posted 04-13-2024 02:01 PM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: ... It is best to enjoy it (or not) for what is, not what you think others might think of it.
Or just don't see it, a tactic I take with ... pretty much everything coming out of Hollywood today.
Spacepsycho Member
Posts: 905 From: Huntington Beach, Calif. Registered: Aug 2004
posted 04-28-2024 07:39 PM
I do quite a few school presentations on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs with emphasis on the lunar missions and the spectacular achievements by America. At the end of the program I save 15 minutes for questions and invariably I'll get a teacher who asks "Did we really land men on the moon or was it filmed on a sound stage in the middle of nowhere?" Sometimes I'll pull up LRO photos of the landing sites, they clearly show the LRV and LM descent module and sometimes I'll ask if they're really a teacher with a degree in education.
To be honest, I'm not thrilled that a major motion picture is showing the moon landings being faked, primarily because so many believe what they're shown.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-28-2024 08:16 PM
quote:Originally posted by Spacepsycho: ...a major motion picture is showing the moon landings being faked
Based on the trailer alone, we don't really know if the film shows the moon landing being faked. It only shows them setting up a sound stage in an attempt to do so, but whether they are successful or even go through with it is not shown.
For all we know, maybe the hoax fails and the real moon landing succeeds. Maybe the punchline of this film is something those who have been debunking the hoax has been saying all along: it would be easier and less expensive for NASA to actually land on the moon than convincingly fake it on Earth given the technology at the time.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-09-2024 10:56 AM
Movie poster:
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 06-20-2024 05:01 PM
Final trailer release before the movie hits theaters on July 12:
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 07-05-2024 10:29 PM
Attended an advance screening of "Fly Me to the Moon" tonight. Really enjoyed it!
Don't let what you think this movie is about (based on the trailers) keep you away. I was pleasantly surprised how the movie unfolds.
More to come, leading up to the film's opening on July 12.
GTBuzz Member
Posts: 11 From: Atlanta, GA, US Registered: Apr 2019
posted 07-06-2024 12:14 AM
Same here — thought it was an entertaining and well-made film. I was surprised at the level of background detail — Wolfies! With the correct logo, albeit not at the Ramada Inn — that I wouldn't have expected in this kind of movie. Sure, there were a few errors, but someone definitely did their homework on this one. The production design and CGI were so well done that the "Apollo 11" 70mm scenes fit in seamlessly.
And, of course, there was the Georgia Tech reference, which, along with "Space Cadet," makes two for two in space-themed movies today!
rjurek349 Member
Posts: 1242 From: Northwest Indiana Registered: Jan 2002
posted 07-09-2024 06:58 AM
Was at an advance screening last night, too — and went in skeptical, but came out really enjoying the film. The choice of doing it as a comedy (for obvious reasons which become clear as the film progresses) was brilliant and just loved the look and feel of it. And the inside references, both visual and in dialogue: fantastic.
In one scene, Johansson’s character is standing in front of a portrait of Von Braun, which obscures him, but to the screen left, Abe Silverstein’s portrait is boldly framing the scene. Set design and framing like that is no accident. And some real inside baseball.
Will be on Alan Boyle’s fun podcast Fiction Science reviewing the film and talking all things “Marketing the Moon.” But in short: a thumbs up from me, too.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
For his new movie "Fly Me to the Moon," director Greg Berlanti faked the historic first moon landing. But fear not space fans, that does not mean what you might think it means.
Despite the trailers and the taglines ("Will they make it or fake it?"), anyone with concerns that the film gives in to the "moon hoax" conspiracy theory need not worry. In fact, if you are space enthusiast or remember watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin come "in peace for all mankind," then "Fly Me to the Moon" may be your next favorite film.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 07-12-2024 01:09 PM
Here in the U.S., it appears that if the movie theaters are running any promos with "Fly Me to the Moon," they are sweepstakes to win a trip to Florida. I have not seen much by way of collectibles, other than some decals and coasters that were unique to a special screening in Los Angeles:
That said, it appears Vieshow Cinemas in Taiwan has produced a promotional patch. (It appears, based on local movie posters, that in Taiwan, it not elsewhere, the Saturn V has been replaced with a more cartoonish, fictional rocket in the film's logo and on designs such as this.)
rjurek349 Member
Posts: 1242 From: Northwest Indiana Registered: Jan 2002
posted 07-14-2024 08:03 AM
An honor to read this morning in the USA Today interview with the movie's author Rose Gilmore that the advertising/PR story was inspired in part by reading "Marketing the Moon," the book I co-wrote with fellow cS'er David Meerman Scott.
Gilroy looked to "Marketing the Moon," a nonfiction book by David Meerman Scott and Richard Jurek, which details how NASA made the moon enticing to the masses through product placement, magazine articles and TV specials.
"It's about the original ads that were used, and how sci-fi was woven into the minds of the American people" using genre books and movies, Gilroy says. "That was instrumental. It was endlessly interesting to learn all the ways they sold" the Apollo 11 mission.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53600 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
"Brands get a tie-in money can't buy and NASA works its way into the minds of everyday people."
That is the pitch made by marketing maven Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) in the new movie "Fly Me to the Moon," now in theaters. A fictional romantic comedy set against a sometimes accurate but often not retelling of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the film is loosely based on NASA's real efforts to sell the moon missions to the American public and the world.
mercsim Member
Posts: 258 From: Phoenix, AZ Registered: Feb 2007
posted 08-17-2024 09:27 AM
My wife, an aerospace engineer/pilot, grew up in Cocoa Beach. Her dad worked the space program for 46 years there. We watched this last night. It was really fun!
After about 10 minutes we stopped the movie and decided to quit playing the game of "what's wrong." We decided it was all done on purpose. It instantly became funnier and more enjoyable.
Whoever consulted for them did a great job putting in all the stuff that didn't belong. I think that made the movie better. After all, it's a movie! I'm glad I purchased it instead of renting it. I'll watch it again for sure.
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 3126 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 08-24-2024 05:00 PM
We decided to buy the movie as well. Told my wife that I would take off my NASA glasses and just watch a movie. It was cute and entertaining.
Movies; cartoons with real people. I liked it overall as entertainment.
MartinAir Member
Posts: 420 From: Registered: Oct 2020
posted 08-30-2024 06:36 PM
Noticed Rick Armstrong, this time, in the launch control center.
Docdrew Member
Posts: 30 From: Scottsdale, AZ Registered: Aug 2013
posted 12-11-2024 11:20 AM
I recently watched it. I thought it was a good but not great movie. Nice period piece with interspersed NASA/Saturn V footage. No spoilers but the plot somewhat hinges on the Apollo 11 lunar module camera with some questionable "engineering" towards the end of the film.
Editor's note: Threads merged.
Chariot412 Member
Posts: 165 From: Lockport, NY, 14094 Registered: Jun 2011
posted 12-11-2024 12:08 PM
Loved the movie for just being a fun film. Think that's MARK Armstrong in the launch room. I was fortunate to have a very small extra spot and although Mark and I are in the same room at the same time in the movie, we shot on different weeks. A keen eye might pick up a real Apollo Flight Director (and technical advisor) in various launch room scenes
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3779 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 12-11-2024 05:27 PM
I would have been willing to set aside my concerns about this film and give it a go, if only because it has Scarlett Johannson, but it seems to have vanished without trace. I can't find a Bluray version and it's not on my Sky satellite service. It looks like its only on some streaming service I don't get (and I'm not going to get suck(er)ed in just to watch FMTTM.) If they want people to watch it, they need to make it more accessible. [ON EDIT: I've just noticed it IS available on Sky TV in the UK, but only to buy as a digital download, not to rent, and at the price they're charging, I think I'll pass.]
posted 04-04-2024 03:37 PM
I liked it overall as entertainment.
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