จำนวนการดูหน้าเว็บรวม

วันจันทร์ที่ 15 ตุลาคม พ.ศ. 2561

APOLLO 11 and APOLLO 13

Day 165 of the Lower Puna Eruption, and nothing new.

********
FIRST MAN is the story of the first person on the moon, Neil Armstrong.  Rotten Tomatoes reviewers gave it an 88% rating, but audiences only scored it at 61%.  Both were about right.  This film was memorable for me because of a variety of personal reasons, but the movie itself had abundant rather boring sequences, perhaps to balance the stress, noise and space travel highlights.

This posting is linked to my article of last week on Hurricanes Michael and Camille, for after driving through this region of Florida Panhandle in July of 1979, we went on to Merritt Island to visit the Kennedy Space Center.  On the pad was Apollo 11.

Image result for logo, florida solar energy center
In those days the Florida Solar Energy Center was located on this island, and I twice was there in the eighties when shuttle shots launched, and you could see the takeoff a few miles away, with the ground seriously rumbling.  FSEC later moved to Cocoa, Florida on the main peninsula. 

Man to the Moon was advanced by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, who set  a goal of reaching that goal before 1970.  The film had as executive producer, Steven Spielberg, director Damien Chazelle, with Ryan Gosling, who starred in La La Land under Chazelle, as Armstrong, and Claire Foy as his wife.  

Image result for photo of gosling and foy in first manI might add that there was an unexpected connection here.  Two days ago I reported on the Ironman Triathlon, founded by Judy and John Collins.  This is a film waiting to be made, and Claire Foy would make the ideal Judy.  I might add that Judy's brother (he commanded the U.S.S. Kamehameha), husband John and two children all went to Annapolis.  Armstrong became a Navy aviator.

You all know about the moon landing, so to continue on with his life, he resigned from NASA and joined the engineering college at the University of Cincinnati (he is from Ohio) in 1971.  Not having a PhD, he did not exactly receive the respect he was due, and did not accomplish much during his eight years there.  My major professor, David Greenberg, had moved on to this university during the seventies and he arranged for me to meet with Armstrong during my visit.  Unfortunately, this never happened due to schedule conflicts.

There and thereafter Armstrong kept a low profile and was almost a recluse.  But he was basically a humble person and maintained his own lifestyle.  He avoided interacting with the public but agreed to work with James R. Hansen on First Man:  The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, published in 2005 and from which came the film.


A second movie I saw yesterday was a recently recorded Apollo 13, a 1995 production of the aborted 1970 lunar mission, which begins with Jim Lovell (played by Tom Hanks), at a house party to watch Armstrong walk on the Moon. This movie, directed by Ron Howard, received nine Academy Award nominations.  The sound track was incredible.  Rotten Tomatoes bestowed 95%/87% ratings.  Towards the end of this film, Lovell's wife and children were visiting with is mother in a rest home.  Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stop by to stay with them during the harrowing TV reportage.  Lovell's mom remarks, "Are you two with the space program?" 
Needless to say, Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins succeed in their Apollo 11 mission with much skill.  However, Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise never make it to the Moon in Apollo 13, and miraculously return to Earth with great skill, awesome support and incredible luck.  Armstrong passed away six years ago, but Lovell, now at the age of 90, is still alive, and well. The photo to the left is Hanks with Lovell.

Three 100% Rotten Tomatoes openings are scheduled for October 19:
-

ไม่มีความคิดเห็น: