Well, these past 2 months have been crazy as it’s certainly been memorable as a lot had happened. The Oscars was pretty much nuts as I feel like what happened at the end was just that someone behind the scenes really fucked things up. I feel sorry for Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway for being made fools out of as they had no idea what to do. I feel sorry for the people in Moonlight for never getting their moment and I feel sorry for the people of La La Land who got bamboozled. All of this on the same day where Bill Paxton died and my laptop crashed.
I have no idea what happened although I should’ve seen it coming considering that it had some battery issues which I hoped would be replicated and that it was a bit slow. I thought everything seemed fine but something happened that day where it wouldn’t startup for some reason and then it took a lot longer and things went to shit. It took me a few weeks to find a place that I hope would repair it but the damage proved to be more severe than I thought as I ended up buying a new laptop for about $360. Sadly, the contents in my hard drive in laptop were un-retrievable as it was something I had to accept. Fortunately, about five and a half years of material that I had backed up over the years in my external hard drive had been saved which is a good thing though I still have no idea how to read or retrieve those files. I’m just fortunate that I was able to publish everything I’ve done and the lone screenplay that I have finished is in a flash drive. Other than some pictures, outlines, and other documents that had been lost. I’ve decided to just move on and start over which has been easy.
In a way, it’s kind of a blessing in disguise as it had been time to get something new and rebuild everything as I had a very hard time dealing with that seven years ago when so much was happening and my old external hard drive had been damaged just as I had gotten a new laptop. That was just something that added to a very difficult year where I was going through a lot emotionally and mentally. I’m fortunate that I was able to overcome that and the fact I’m able to be very calm in this recent situation showed that I have grown a bit. I’ve been relaxing a bit more while being excited about the fact that Atlanta has a soccer team that is doing pretty good right now after a few games as I’m able to escape through that as well as watching some films and TV. It’s something that’s allowed me to not work as much and not be overwhelmed in submitting reviews over and over again as it can get tiring.
In the month of February, I saw a total of 31 films in 20 first-timers and 11 re-watches which is kind of surprising considering what I was going through late in the month. The best film of that month is definitely my Blind Spot choice that month in Hoop Dreams. Here are the top ten first-timers that I saw on February of 2017:
1. Super Fly
2. A Bigger Splash
3. Blithe Spirit
4. Paper Moon
5. Ghostbusters
6. Hobson's Choice
7. The Sound Barrier
8. Michael Clayton
9. Good Ol' Freda
10. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Top 10 Re-watches
1. Somewhere
2. The Revenant
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
4. The Natural
5. Ordinary People
6. Innerspace
7. The U
8. The Princess and the Frog
9. The Kid Stays in the Picture
10. The Rocker
Bi-Monthly Mini-Reviews
This Was the XFL
The first of several 30 for 30 documentary films I saw in the past 2 months is definitely the one I wanted to see more than any as I was definitely familiar with the failure that was the XFL. While it was more about the relationship between NBC’s Dick Ebersol and WWE chairman Meekmahan. It is still an interesting but flawed film of the series as it play into why NBC cut its ties with the NFL in the late 90s and how Ebersol used the XFL as a way to get football on NBC with Meekmahan’s help who wanted to stick it to the NFL. Well, it was shit. Lousy football, lousy attempts to cross over sports and entertainment, desperate ploy for ratings, and all sorts of bullshit destroyed this lame football league as Meekmahan wants to try and do it again with Ebersol which goes to show how out of touch he is. Another thing about the film that was really irksome is some of the historical revisionism it has as it relates to Meekmahan and the WWE as a lot of what is said about the company isn’t exactly true.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War
While it’s a sequel that I’m sure many people didn’t want. It’s not as bad as people says it is as I thought it was quite watchable and a bit more fun. Notably due to Chris Hemsworth’s performance where he doesn’t just display some charm but also some humility which makes him fun to watch as does Jessica Chastain as his estranged wife. Yet, it was Sheridan Smith as a female dwarf that stood out as she had some of the funniest lines though the script was lacking in terms of a strong plot as it doesn’t give Emily Blunt a lot to do while Charlize Theron’s appearance is kind of a waste as I wanted more of her in the film.
Central Intelligence
This was a surprise as I watched it with low expectations only because there was nothing on and I had nothing to do. This was actually a funny film thanks in large part to the chemistry between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart as the latter toned down his persona to be the straight man. It’s a fun chase film of sorts where Johnson plays a CIA agent on the run as he turns to Hart for help as they try to find some mysterious bad guy. There’s some nice appearances from Jason Bateman as a bully and Amy Ryan as a CIA agent tasked to go after Johnson. It’s actually a nice surprise with a homage to a famed John Hughes film.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
This is a pretty funny comedy as well as quite raunchy though I think Adam DeVine isn’t very good in this film as one of the brothers as he just overplayed the part. Zac Efron is funny as the film really belongs to Anna Kendrick and Audrey Plaza as a couple of misfit ladies pretending to be good girls for the partying Efron and DeVine. Yet, it’s the scene in which Sugar Lyn Beard’s character as the bride is getting a massage from Kumail Nanjiani is one of the funniest moments I had ever scene as just seeing Beard getting a fucking orgasm in front of a horrified DeVine is just fucking gold.
The Boss
I do like Melissa McCarthy as I really enjoy watching her as current press secretary Sean Spicer as her impression of the man is fucking smacked on. This film however I thought was OK though my mother liked it a lot more than I did because she thinks McCarthy is hilarious. It’s a film that is pretty funny though very uneven at times as it does enough to bring in the laughs yet not enough to make the story that engaging. Despite some solid work from Kristen Bell and Peter Dinklage, the rest of the film is just underwhelming.
The Diplomat
The first of 2 episodes of the Nine for IX documentary film series that is a companion piece of 30 for 30 but mainly focused on women and directed by women filmmakers. This episode is about Katarina Witt and how she managed to wow the world of figure skating in the 1980s as well as talk about life in East Germany under the rule of Communism at the time. Witt also talks about the skaters that came before her who didn’t do much after the Olympics as well as being under watch by the Stasi police as it’s something she remains uncomfortable by.
The Band That Wouldn’t Die
For anyone that lives in Baltimore for 40 years or more would probably remember that awful night when the Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis on a cold, blistering morning. Yet, the one thing that wasn’t taken during that move were the uniforms and instruments of the marching band that played for the Colts. In this segment of 30 for 30 that is directed by Barry Levinson, this is about the marching band that kept on playing despite the fact that Baltimore didn’t have a football team yet would succeed in any way to get Baltimore a NFL team. They would succeed finally in the late 90s where they got that franchise in the Ravens while the original Baltimore Colts marching band did eventually get their own farewell and pass the torch to the Ravens marching band as it’s one of the most touching entries of the sports series.
Playing for the Mob
The second of five episodes of 30 for 30 that I saw in March is about a scandal involving Boston College and a point shaving scheme that would involve mob figure Henry Hill who is interviewed in the film just months before his death. It’s an eerie episode that showcase what some guys are willing to do as some regret their involvement. It showcases how smart some of these mob guys are but also events that play into other scandals as it’s narrated by actor Ray Liotta as documentary also has mentions on the film Goodfellas.
Phantasm II
I haven’t seen the original film by Don Coscarelli but I did watch this sequel late one night as it’s just a silly and fun horror film. It’s got some moments that are quite scary yet it doesn’t take itself so seriously where it allows itself to be pretty funny. It’s got some nice special effects and some thrilling moments as it’s just a film that is fun to watch late at night.
Swoopes
The second of two episodes of the Nine for IX series is about the basketball player Sheryl Swoopes who was one of the finest players of the sport. It’s a film that chronicles her life and career but also the controversy she made in October of 2005 announcing that she was gay. It’s a very compelling film that showcases a woman who was trying to find herself as well as deal with the aspects of fame and glory while trying to be a good person.
Survive and Advance
The story about the 1983 North Carolina State men’s basketball team led by its coach Jim Valvano is probably one of the great underdog stories ever told. A team that seemingly had little chance of making it to the NCAA tournament let alone win it. It’s largely told by the surviving players of that team who talk about the late Valvano as does one of his dear close friends in Duke’s basketball coach Mike Krzysewski. It is definitely one of the best episodes of the 30 for 30 series as well as something that is very essential for anyone that loves the underdog story.
Pele`: The Birth of a Legend
Biopics about anyone famous can be a hit and miss depending on who the person is and the approach in telling the story. This film is an example of what not to do in telling anyone’s life story as it’s a film that even my father saw as he is a big soccer fan. If there’s anything that annoys me when it comes to films about a real-life individual or a historical event. It’s about accuracy as this is a film that takes too many dramatic liberties with Pele’s life as the actor who plays him is very bland while these stories about how the Brazilian rhythm known as the jinga was the reason why the team lost 1950 World Cup is such bullshit. The idea that Brazil was the underdog against Sweden in 1958 is also untrue as it’s just a film that features some bad acting and lots of exaggerated stories about other players as it’s really a bad film that no one who loves soccer should see.
Chasing Tyson
Whenever boxing is discussed, heavyweight fighters such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson, Lennox Louis, and the Klitschko brothers are often discussed but there’s one person who is often never discussed in the conversation. Evander Holyfield. He is a very underrated compared to these men as he had a different personality than a lot of these boxers as the film is about him trying to prove himself to be a respected heavyweight champion and the need to fight Tyson in order to legitimize himself. It took years for the fight to actually happen as there is a mutual respect between the two men.
The Price of Gold
Anyone who competes at the Olympics all have aspirations to win the gold medal as this film is about Tonya Harding’s quest to win gold at the Olympics but also gained controversy when her husband and his friends were involved in trying to take Nancy Kerrigan out of the competition. Directed by Nanette Burstein, it’s a documentary for the 30 for 30 series that show the parallel lives of Harding and Kerrigan with the former having to struggle more to make it in figure skating as she didn’t have the look and grace like other skaters. It’s largely told from Harding’s perspective as Kerrigan declined to appear in the documentary.
Dante’s Lunch
A two-minute promotional short for the upcoming Pixar film Coco is definitely a fun little short film about a dog trying to go after a bone and wreaking havoc. Especially as it some rich animation and so much to get into for only 2 minutes. It’s definitely worth the time.
In the month of March, I saw a total of 35 films in 22 first-timers and 13 re-watches. One of the highlights of the month is my Blind Spot choice in World on a Wire. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw on March 2017:
1. The Young Girls of Rochefort
2. God's Country
3. The Young Victoria
4. Rio, Eu Te Amo
5. For All Mankind
6. Westworld
7. Place de la Republique
8. Eagles of Death Metal: Non Amis (Our Friends)
9. Survive and Advance
10. Chasing Tyson
Top 10 Re-watches
1. Rust and Bone
2. Scarface
3. O.J. Made in America
4. Crimson Peak
5. Commando
6. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
7. Steve Jobs
8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
9. Pink Floyd: The Story of Wish You Were Here
10. Without Bias
Well, that is all for February and March. I have no idea what new films in the theaters that I’m going to do next month but I am going to focus on several films that I have in my never-ending DVR list. Other than the next Blind Spot assignment, I have no idea what I’ll do next as I’m just trying to take it easy and have some fun watching films. Especially as spring is coming along which means allergies as it’s something I’m going to deal with all over again. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2017
For the fifth and final week of March of 2017 as part of the Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer of Wandering Through the Shelves. We venture into the world of TV period dramas. A genre of television that allows actors to wear costumes and play roles from a period in time that is probably foreign to them. It allows audiences to watch something on TV for a number of seasons to showcase a time period which would evolve in the course of a few years.
1. Boardwalk Empire
From HBO is one of the finest mob series set during the period of Prohibition in the 1920s in this fictionalized story about Enoch “Nucky” Thompson who ran Atlantic City as if it was a kingdom. It’s a show that is really unlike a lot of mob series where it’s rich in its imagery and has an amazing ensemble cast led by Steve Buscemi as well as standout performances from Michael Shannon, Gretchen Mol, Kelly MacDonald, Michael K. Williams, and Stephen Graham as a young Al Capone. It’s pretty much one of the finest shows HBO has ever produced.
2. Masters of Sex
A show that just recently ended due to a lackluster fourth season that kind of ran out of steam is about Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson in their exploration of human sexuality in the 1950s and 1960s. While it’s really a fictionalized story of what Masters and Johnson discovered, it is still a fascinating show thanks in parts to its two leads in Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan as well as an excellent supporting cast in Caitlin Fitzgerald and Annaleigh Ashford. Especially as it has a compelling story about the world of sex and what kind of led to the sexual revolution in the second half of the 20th Century.
3. Magic City
A show that is just really style over substance as it didn’t have enough of the latter to really become a show that people could enjoy. Despite some strong work from Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Danny Huston, and James Caan for its second season. It’s a show that is all flash and no gas as it is set in the late 1950s/early 1960s in Miami about a guy trying to run a hotel but stupidly borrows money from a mobster. It’s a show that’s really known more for gorgeous and nude women as well as young yet uncharismatic actors who never have anything to offer. It’s a show that had a nice idea but fails in its execution.
© thevoid99 2017
Written, directed, and shot by Louis Malle, God’s Country is the story about a small farming town in Glencoe, Minnesota where Malle visits the people in 1979 as he would return six years later to see how much has changed. It’s a documentary film that explores the life of a small town that seemed to have a nice niche for themselves only to suffer through an economic decline during the years of Ronald Reagan. The result is an intoxicating film from Louis Malle.
Originally made for public television, the film has Louis Malle traveling around America where he stumbles around this small farming town 60 miles west from Minneapolis in Glencoe, Minnesota. Though Malle was originally going to make a documentary about a large mall in the state, he and a small crew roamed around the country where it was an old lady’s garden that got Malle’s attention as he made this film about this little community where everyone kind of know each other and they would all mow their lawn once a week. Shot largely in 1979, the film chronicles this life where many of the locals are Caucasian of German descent as they all eat and run local businesses. Some of the locals that Malle would meet would prove to be very fascinating.
Among these locals is the old woman Malle meets in the beginning of the film as he would see her again six years later where she’s still planting and tending to her garden at the age of 91. Much of the film’s first hour is focused on the town in 1979 where Malle would meet various individuals such as an attorney and his wife who is a councilwoman and creates plays, a bachelor whose job is to get cows pregnant by inject bull semen into their genital areas, a family who runs the local Dairy Queen, and some farmers as the youngest of them is in his late 20s. The people that Malle talk to are very interesting as the lawyer and his wife have a son who is part of movement in the 60s as he had moved to California and eventually become part of the culture in Silicon Valley. While some of the locals admit to talking about issues such as homosexuality, racism, and political issues. They all do it very kindly as it is surprising that as conservative as the town is. They are open to progressive thinking as it allows people to get along easier as there’s not much crime.
By the time the film reaches its final 20 minutes where it picks up six years later, it becomes a much somber film as it play into the struggles that the farmers are going through. Especially as the young farmer and his family reveal the dreams they had for their children about taking over the family farm only to wish years later for the children in hoping to do something else. Even as some farmers become frustrated with how things have turned out during the Ronald Reagan administration as it ends with Malle, who doesn’t make his presence known in the film except in the last 20 minutes, eating dinner with the attorney and his wife where the former expresses his own views of what Reagan has done for the country as his sentiments really echo a lot of what America was becoming. Much of Malle’s direction is straightforward as he and a couple of camera operators shoot the film with James Bruce editing all of the footage where he uses some jump-cuts for some of the interviews. Sound editors Jean-Claude Lareux and Keith Rouse both provide the sound with the former doing much of the work from the 1979 footage and the latter doing the sound from the 1985 footage.
God’s Country is a phenomenal film from Louis Malle. Not only is a rapturous portrait of a small American town seen from the eyes of a European but also a look into a community that is very ordinary yet content despite the troubles they would endure in the 1980s. In the end, God’s Country is an incredible film from Louis Malle.
Louis Malle Films: (The Silent World) - Elevator to the Gallows - The Lovers (1958 film) - Zazie dans le Metro - (A Very Private Affair) - (Vive Le Tour) - The Fire Within - (Bons baisers de Bangkok) - (Viva Maria!) - (The Thief of Paris) - Spirits of the Dead-William Wilson - (Phantom India) - (Calcutta) - Murmur of the Heart - (Humain, Trop Humain) - Place de la Republique - Lacombe, Lucien - Black Moon (1975 film) - (Close Up (1976 short film) - (Dominique Sanda ou Le reve eveille) - Pretty Baby (1978 film) - Atlantic City (1980 film) - (My Dinner with Andre) - Crackers (1984 film) - (Alamo Bay) - (And the Pursuit of Happiness) - Au Revoir Les Enfants - (May Fools) - (Damage (1992 film)) - (Vanya on 42nd Street)
© thevoid99 2017
Written, co-shot, and directed by Louis Malle, Place de la Republique is a film that explores the working class and common people in and around Paris, France on the street section in which the film is named after. The film is a documentary that has Malle going around the many street corners and such to explore the ordinary lives of Parisians. Even as he tries to find something extraordinary in people who are just ordinary. The result is a fascinating and engrossing film from Louis Malle.
Shot in the course of 10 days during the fall of 1972, the film is simply a story of life at the street section of Place de la Republique in Paris, France where Louis Malle and a small crew talk to various people in the streets. Throughout the course of the film, Malle with cinematographers Etienne Becker and Fernand Mozskowicz and sound recorder/editor Jean-Claude Lareux would roam around the street and find many things in this street that isn’t just filled with some regulars but also people who are just there for some reason. Yet, the people that Malle would meet prove to be just as fascinating as the many other people in and around Paris. Among them is a partially-blind woman, a wig seller, a beautiful woman who would be briefly employed by Malle to hold the boom mic, an old woman talking about living in Paris during World War II when it was occupied by the Nazis, a man in his 90s playing violin, and various others.
Much of the filmmaking is simple where Malle, Becker, and Mozskowicz would shoot everything with hand-held or over-the-shoulder cameras as much of it is shot in the day with few scenes shot at night. With the help of editor Suzanne Baron collecting the footage and create jump-cuts for some of the interviews, Malle just goes for something simple in the way he films things. Even as the people he interviews are well-informed that they’re being filmed as they’re either annoyed or amused by being on camera. Malle would at times appear on camera with his crew yet prefers to have the film be focused on those he’s meeting in this small street in Paris proving that their lives are just as interesting as his.
Place de la Republique is a marvelous film from Louis Malle. It’s an engrossing film that explore the lives of ordinary people at a street in Paris who prove to be very interesting no matter how ordinary they are. In the end, Place de la Republique is a remarkable film from Louis Malle.
Louis Malle Films: (The Silent World) - Elevator to the Gallows - The Lovers (1958 film) - Zazie dan le Metro - (A Very Private Affair) - (Vive Le Tour) - The Fire Within - (Bons baisers de Bangkok) - (Viva Maria!) - (The Thief of Paris) - Spirits of the Dead-William Wilson - (Phantom India) - (Calcutta) - Murmur of the Heart - (Humain, Trop Humain) - Lacombe, Lucien - Black Moon (1975 film) - (Close Up (1976 short film) - (Dominique Sanda ou Le reve eveille) - Pretty Baby (1978 film) - Atlantic City (1980 film) - (My Dinner with Andre) - Crackers (1984 film) - God’s Country (1985 film) - (Alamo Bay) - (And the Pursuit of Happiness) - Au Revoir Les Enfants - (May Fools) - (Damage (1992 film)) - (Vanya on 42nd Street)
© thevoid99 2017
Written and directed by Michael Crichton, Westworld is the story revolving around an amusement park for adults where they pretend to be in the American West and have fun until some androids malfunction and kill off some guests. It’s a film about the dangers of technology and what happens when the fantasy turns against the individual trying to live that fantasy. Starring Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, and Yul Brenner. Westworld is an intriguing and thrilling film from Michael Crichton.
The film is the story of a couple of guys who go to this theme park for adults where they can delve into any fantasy world they want to be a part in whether it’s the age of the Romans, medieval times, or the American West where they can do whatever they want with the androids they encounter. Yet, something goes wrong during this vacation where guests pay $1000 a day for their own desires to be fulfilled where the androids suddenly go rogue due to some malfunction. Michael Crichton’s screenplay has a very simple structure yet it slowly plays into the moments everything goes wrong where it also shows what is happening behind the scenes as the people who created the androids suddenly have no control of what is happening. Though the objective of the park is giving people a chance to play fantasy and be unharmed, that fantasy becomes reality once everything else goes to shit.
Crichton’s direction is very simple as it starts off with this ad about this amusement park and the people who have returned as the announcer says “Boy, have we got a vacation waiting for you”. Then it cuts from being a small TV aspect ratio ad into a full-on widescreen experience as it play into what these two men are about to go into as one of them had been to the park. Many of Crichton’s compositions are simple as it pays homage to films set in the American West and medieval times with some stylistic elements that includes some slow-motion action for the former. There are also some chilling and suspenseful moments once it reaches the second half involving the character of the gunslinger (Yul Brenner) where Crichton shows exactly what he sees as it is one of the very first moments in film that uses digital image processing as it adds to the film’s climax where a protagonist has to deal with the gunslinger without any tricks. Overall, Crichton creates an engaging and whimsical film about a theme park for adults that goes horribly wrong.
Cinematographer Gene Polito does excellent work with the cinematography as it is very straightforward with its gorgeous lighting and moods for some of the interior scenes at night as well as in the rooms where the scientists work at. Editor David Bretherton does terrific work with the editing as it has some elements of style in some slow-motion cutting as well as some jump-cuts. Art director Herman A. Blumenthal and set decorator John P. Austin do fantastic work with the set design as it play into the different areas of the park such as the look of the castle interiors in the medieval times area and the look of the American west in the western area. The special effects work of Charles Schulthies is wonderful for the look of what the androids see from their perspective as well as in some of the look of the androids in what they look like from the inside. The sound work of Richard S. Church and Harry W. Tetrick is superb for the sounds of gunfire and other objects that play into the worlds that the characters are in as well as the technological sounds in the computer rooms. The film’s music by Fred Karlin is wonderful for its mixture of musical styles that play into the different worlds with some orchestral pieces to play into its suspenseful moments.
The casting by Leonard Murphy is great as it include some notable small roles from Anne Randall as a medieval servant named Daphne, Terry Wilson as a sheriff, Victoria Shaw as the medieval queen, Linda Scott as a French prostitute, Michael Mikler as the black knight, Majel Barrett as a brothel madam, Norman Bartold as a man pretending to be a medieval knight for his fantasy, and Alan Oppenheimer as the supervisor watching over everything in the park as he tries to figure out what is going on with androids. Dick Van Patten is superb as a banker who goes into the west in the hopes he can become a cowboy where he is quite funny in his attempts to become a sheriff.
James Brolin is excellent as John Blane as a guest who had visited the park as he guides his friend into what goes on while becoming aware that something isn’t right. Richard Benjamin is brilliant as Peter Martin as John’s friend who is new to the experience at the park where he would have fun until he too becomes aware that something isn’t right. Finally, there’s Yul Brenner in an amazing performance as the gunslinger as it’s a variation of the character he played in The Magnificent Seven where even though it is a supporting role. It’s a performance that is just unforgettable in how menacing his presence is as he becomes the one android that goes completely rogue.
Westworld is a remarkable film from Michael Crichton. Featuring a great cast and a fascinating premise that blends all sorts of genres. It’s a film that definitely showcases what happens when a theme park for adults become a nightmare when the robots suddenly go rogue. In the end, Westworld is a marvelous film from Michael Crichton.
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Al Reinart, For All Mankind is a film about the Apollo program from NASA that would send astronauts to the moon. The film is a documentary that relies on the footage from those events as it’s told by some of the astronauts who would land on the moon during an intense space race against the Soviet Union in the 1960s. The result is a mesmerizing and evocative film from Al Reinart.
Featuring largely footage from the nine manned-missions to the moon from 1968 to 1972, the astronauts from Apollo 8 to Apollo 17 tell their stories through audio interviews and recollections about the missions from liftoff to returning to Earth. It’s a film about these missions that were considered monumental in the history of the 20th Century as the film begins with President John F. Kennedy’s speech about wanting to go to the moon and to do the impossible. Compiling more than 80 hours of footage into an 80-minute film, Al Reinart chooses footage to help tell a straightforward narrative from ascent into outer space and then back down to Earth. With the aid of editor Susan Korda in compiling many of the footage the astronauts filmed as well as the scenes in the control centers in Houston and Cape Canaveral.
The footage showcases what the astronauts see in space and life in and out of the space capsules including the landing of the Apollo 11 LEM on July 20, 1969 which would be a historical day. There’s other moments that is shown as well as a moment where one of the astronauts drops a feather and a hammer at the same time proving Galileo’s theory on what happens when there’s no atmosphere as it proves that Galileo was right. With the help of sound editor Bill Wistrom, Reinart also compiles the many interviews from the astronauts who were part of the program as they all talk about what they were doing on the moon or what the capsule pilots were doing orbiting the moon.
Adding to the film’s evocative tone is its music by ambient music pioneer Brian Eno. Consisting material from albums Music for Films III and Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks with some of the contributions from those albums from Daniel Lanois, Roger Eno, and John Paul Jones. The soundtrack also features music that the astronauts played ranging from classical music pieces as well as contemporary music from Frank Sinatra and some country music from Merle Haggard and Buck Owens.
For All Mankind is a phenomenal film from Al Reinart. It’s a film that tells the story of the Apollo program and the astronauts who were part of something very special that is very unlikely to be replicated again in the 21st Century. In the end, For All Mankind is an incredible film from Al Reinart.
© thevoid99 2017
