Directed by Al Reinert For All Mankind is a different kind of space movie. It's as awe-inspiring as movies like Apollo 13 (of which Al Reinert was a co-writer) and the recent documentary Apollo 11, but where so much of those movies were instilled with the inherent drama of traveling through the vacuum of space, this one … Continue reading For All Mankind (1989)
NASA
Apollo 13 (1995)
Directed by Ron Howard Around halfway through Apollo 13 there is an unexpected dream sequence. Astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) looks longingly at the moon as he, Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) orbit, seemingly close enough to reach out and tough the cold surface though unable to complete the planned descent to … Continue reading Apollo 13 (1995)
Apollo 11 (2019)
Directed by Todd Douglas Miller Apollo 11 is a riveting, a cinematic documentary that does away with talking heads, narration and outsider perspectives. This is a movie that, thanks to previously unseen footage, puts us right there on the ground floor with the astronauts, observers and mission control during the entirety of the Apollo 11 mission, … Continue reading Apollo 11 (2019)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Directed by Philip Kaufman The Right Stuff is an epic about the Mercury Seven. These were the first astronauts selected to risk life and limb as the U.S. competed with the Soviet Union in the space race. Their efforts are certainly noble, but the film takes a wide enough look at the powers that sent them … Continue reading The Right Stuff (1983)
First Man (2018)
Directed by Damien Chazelle When Apollo 11 hurdles its way to the lunar surface the camera remains inside the module, cramped in there along with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Other movies would cross cut between the two astronauts, the Houston control room and Armstrong's nervous wife, Janet, but First Man doesn't give us such breathing … Continue reading First Man (2018)