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I haven't seen FIRST MAN yet either, but it's hard to imagine it bettering THE RIGHT STUFF which is my top American movie of the 1980s.
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Posted: |
Oct 18, 2018 - 1:24 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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BOB DiMUCCI:
I've heard FIRST MAN is bombing at the box office.
According to Variety:
"Ryan Gosling’s “First Man” launched in third place at the low end of expectations with $16.5 million at 3,640 sites...“First Man” audiences gave the film a B+ CinemaScore. Universal’s distribution president Jim Orr said that the “First Man” results were not disappointing, given that the core audience is an older demographic.
“As we’ve seen in this release corridor, quality films like ‘First Man’ — Certified Fresh at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes — have strong playability and will have tremendous legs at the box office,” he said. “This weekend’s results are a just a starting point. Quality adult dramas released in this time period produce very healthy multiples. This is very much a marathon, not a sprint.”
That "older demographic" may be influenced by some attacks on the film by conservatives, who believe that the film does not (literally) wave the flag enough. They argue that the American flags on the astronauts' suits are purposely obscured, that the raising of the flag on the moon is shown only in long-shot so that the flag can't be made out, and that the patriotic aspects of the whole moon endeavor are de-emphasized. Presumably, this was done so as not to offend foreign audiences. Instead, attention is put on anti-NASA, anti-establishment protests--everything from a song by Gil Scott-Heron which contrasts ghetto poverty with the refrain "and Whitey's on the moon" to a La Raza protest of the landing (two years before La Raza even existed). Add to that the portrayal of Armstrong as a dour, gloomy man, who perhaps harbors a death fetish, and this may not be the way that those who were actually alive to witness the moon landing want to remember that event.
I should add that I haven't seen the film, I'm just reporting what some critics are saying.
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It may or may not be difficult to judge "The Right Stuff" if you've only seen it on the confines of a home theater system -- even on a very good large screen. Back in the day I was there on opening night in NYC -- and the thunderous sound mix and epic design of the film was truly overpowering. The audiences (I saw it three times that weekend) all loved it. It was a wonderful "movie" experience to share with an audience. I tried watching it at home not long ago -- and it just wasn't the same. The vistas seemed cramped -- the walls of my apartment weren't shaking and threatening to self destruct with shattering bass -- and the close ups simply didn't "land." The jokes also seemed jokier -- less balanced by the grand, epic tone of the film when seen in large format projection, super-duper sound.
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Posted: |
Oct 19, 2018 - 10:05 AM
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By: |
Grecchus
(Member)
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Which is the odd man out?
I remember when films shown on TV would be heralded with the vocal notification of, "which was made in black and white," if the film was not in color. This was done, presumably, to stop viewers ringing up to complain, or to stop them fiddling unnecessarily with the color control. The Right Stuff and Apollo 13 were made in genuine, vibrant celluloid, but if all these 'films' are heretofore shown on TV, no such undertaking in making the distinction is ever given. Nor is it ever likely to be. Imagine it - "Gee folks, this film was a real bona fide film! Can't you tell the difference, dummies?"
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Posted: |
Oct 19, 2018 - 6:54 PM
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By: |
dogplant
(Member)
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From all accounts....
No, not all. Here's James Hansen – author of the biography about Neil Armstrong that the film is based upon – commenting on the filmmakers' interpretation, and his personal experiences with Neil:
https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/first-man-writer-tells-what-neil-armstrong-was-real-life-ncna919741
Hansen's book is around 800 pages long, and it is a dense and studious account of a very private man. I was gratified to read Hansen's appraisal of the film, cutting through the media white noise, and I loved his closing comment, which echoes my own feelings: 'there are times when the power of poetry prevails over the uncertainty of fact.'
To return to the topic of the thread, 'The Right Stuff, Apollo 13 or First Man?' – my answer would be, 'Oh, yes, please!'
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