Movies: Apollo 10 1/2

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Scene from Netflix’s film Apollo 10 1/2. (Netflix)

Last week’s film was about young adults in space, but now we are hitting elementary school for the right stuff. This Nextflix film, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood, is a good weekend movie for the whole family if you are looking for something light. The basic story is that NASA flubbed its Apollo program and created a lunar spaceship that is too small for adult astronauts. Hence, instead of sending a dog into space like the Russians, NASA goes to elementary school for what it needs. Here is a clip of the film narrated by Stan, the astroboy, and directed by Richard Linklater (from other films such as Boyhood and Before Sunrise).

Rogerebert.com, which notes that the films does a pretty good job providing context on American life in the late 60s, gives the movie three stars (out of a possible four), stating:

…Stan is a thoroughly likable storyteller, and there’s something to be said, in an era when Hollywood couldn’t care less about any idea not based on an pre-existing property, for intimate, personal films that don’t take you where you think you want to go.

It may be a silly plot, but given the state of the world at the moment it might also be a nice diversion. And don’t worry – it is my understanding that the Artemis lunar mission is being planned for full-sized adults.

Movies: A Romance Set on Mars

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Upcoming HBO movie Moonshot. (HBO)

On March 31st you can can watch another space-related movie, though this one has a misleading name. Called Moonshot, the setting is actually a space colony on Mars. You can watch a trailer of the HBO Max movie here.

While its just a platform for a young adult romantic comedy, it will be fun to see how the film portrays life on the Red Planet. Given that it includes a stowaway on the trip to Mars, you have to wonder what kind of space program these people are running when every pound of extra weight is critical.

Of course, Netflix already did the Mars mission stowaway story in last year’s film Stowaway.

So don’t think too hard. Just enjoy the spacecraft and scenery.

Movies: The Coming Moonfall

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Source: Moonfall.movie.

On Friday, February 4th, you can watch another crazy science fiction movie if you are up to it, but be prepared. Moonfall has the following premise from Movieinsider.com:

In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Academy Award® winner Halle Berry) is convinced she has the key to saving us all – but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson, “Midway”) and a conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley, “Game of Thrones”) believes her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is.

Moonfall has plenty of stars, as was the case with the earlier disaster film Don’t Look Up. That said, I think you can just sit back and let this one wash over you without worrying about any science. I doubt NASA needed to be consulted on this one. In fact, late last week NASA sent out the following tweet:

At only ~240,000 miles away, our nearest neighbor affects our life here on Earth. Here are a few reasons why we’re grateful the Moon is stable in its orbit (no offense @MoonfallFilm)

After you enjoy the show, you may want to check out what is planned for the Moon as part of the Artemis Program. This accompanying video by NASA, How We Are Going to the Moon, is pretty dramatic all by itself (with the Moon remaining in orbit, of course).

Source: NASA.

Has Star Trek Gone Negative?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Source: Paramount+.

If you are a Trekkie, you have probably gained inspiration from the multitude of Star Trek series spawned from the original 1966 show. Star Trek: The Next Generation continues to be my favorite, yet I have also enjoyed all of the other earlier series and made it through at least one season of the latest Star Trek: Discovery. I admit it can be a little dark, but you still see hope for a better future around the edges.

Reason magazine believes the latest series is not up to par with the others. In a recent article, “Even if Modern Star Trek Doesn’t Think So, the World Is Getting Better,” the author states:

…Star Trek now seeks to reinforce the trepidation and existential doubt that is a hallmark of our modern culture. Instead of showing the potential of what humanity can become, Discovery seems to reflect more on what the feelings of the human condition are today.

The author also complains about Star Trek: Picard, but that is unfair. I found the series focused on Captain Picard to be both hopeful and fun. Maybe the author forgets about the dark role of Q in The Next Generation where all of humanity was a plaything. And what about the Borg? They were not exactly a sunny group of explorers. I left some of the Borg episodes with about as much hope as I did after seeing the Joker in The Dark Knight.

As far as the human conditions of today, the idea of a show paralleling present day reality is not all that new. I remember when the remake of Battlestar Galactica had episodes mirroring events taking place during the war with Iraq. The writers do live in the real world as well. I am not opposed to a little reflection with my viewing. Not even Sesame Street can escape the ongoing vaccine wars.

So I suggest viewers take a breath and pull up whatever version of the galaxy they can handle. I believe there is a Star Trek series for every season and every mood.

Source: Battlestar Galactica on SyFy.

National Science Fiction Day

Posted on by onespaceman2000

January 2nd is National Science Fiction Day, or at least it is recorded as such on the nationaltoday.com website. Whatever you think about such national days, it is nice to consider the role of science fiction in creating interest in science overall.

Here are a few facts recorded on the official page for this special day:

— January 2nd was chosen as the day to celebrate National Science Fiction Day because it is the recorded birth date of the great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.

— Mary Shelly’s book Frankenstein from 1818 is considered to be the first science fiction book.

— Other science fiction books and stories from the 1800s include Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth and H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.

— Georges Melies’ 1902 film A Trip to the Moon is considered to be the first science fiction film.

I am a fan of science fiction, as you will learn from this site, so I appreciate a separate day to consider all of the great works of this genre.

Source: War of the Worlds from the Best in Film website.