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[QUOTE=Hall;3964857]Although I think the flag controversy was overblown. the director should have put that in the film.[B] it is an iconic part of the apollo 11 mission.[/B] Maybe just as Houston we have a problem from Apollo 13.[/QUOTE]
I wonder if that'a a mandela effect. I watched all the television coverage at the time and while I remember the landing on the moon and Neil Armstrong stepping on the surface, the erecting of the flag is not something that impressed me. And when you look at the video footage now, it's pretty undewhelming and hardly a grandiose moment from the first mission. I think it might be because photos since then show an astronaut (not sure who) next to an American flag--and sometimes those photos are in colour, which the broadcasts weren't. From what I understand getting that flag up was a long drawn out process--it wasn't an easy thing to do. And there was no big ta-da! moment, like with the Apollo Lunar Module touching down or Armstrong's famous quote.
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[QUOTE=Jim Kelly;3966488]I wonder if that'a a mandela effect. I watched all the television coverage at the time and while I remember the landing on the moon and Neil Armstrong stepping on the surface, the erecting of the flag is not something that impressed me. And when you look at the video footage now, it's pretty undewhelming and hardly a grandiose moment from the first mission. I think it might be because photos since then show an astronaut (not sure who) next to an American flag--and sometimes those photos are in colour, which the broadcasts weren't. From what I understand getting that flag up was a long drawn out process--it wasn't an easy thing to do. And there was no big ta-da! moment, like with the Apollo Lunar Module touching down or Armstrong's famous quote.[/QUOTE]
I would agree. I was obsessed as a child and teen with the space program. I watched all the flights and kept track of it through the paper and magazines. I stayed glued to the TV through the whole Apollo 11 broadcast (Walter Cronkite, of course) the flag raising wasn't a dynamic event, as you can see in the video.
[video=youtube;wd6ekSYpt9w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd6ekSYpt9w[/video]
I am incredulous if this is the main reason for the movie's performance.
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[QUOTE=Jim Kelly;3966488]I wonder if that'a a mandela effect. I watched all the television coverage at the time and while I remember the landing on the moon and Neil Armstrong stepping on the surface, the erecting of the flag is not something that impressed me. And when you look at the video footage now, it's pretty undewhelming and hardly a grandiose moment from the first mission. I think it might be because photos since then show an astronaut (not sure who) next to an American flag--and sometimes those photos are in colour, which the broadcasts weren't.[/QUOTE]
So, basically it was MTV. :D
[QUOTE=Colossus1980;3966452]Small hits like The Notebook and Crazy Stupid Love. He played a small part in Remember the Titans but yeah no mega hits other than Lala Land.[/QUOTE]
Not a hit, but people should watch Half Nelson. Turns the white savior concept on its head.
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It was definitely going to have a blase box office. It screams "made for awards season".
Conceptually it's a story that has been told over and over and done to death. We all know how it ends and character it's based on isn't interesting enough to the general public. It should get some buzz during awards season.
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The flag-planting should have been in there, for exactly the reasons the former astronauts said. Its practically the entire reason we went to the moon in the first place, it was us "winning" the space race. So yah, big deal, historic context.
But this movie really needed good word of mouth, bottom line, to really become a hit. It could be fantastic for all I know, but there is simply no reason for me to care about it.
Maybe if they'd had the astronauts plant a Rainbow Flag instead, that would have created the necessary buzz.
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[QUOTE=titanfan;3966926]It was definitely going to have a blase box office. It screams "made for awards season".
Conceptually it's a story that has been told over and over and done to death. We all know how it ends and character it's based on isn't interesting enough to the general public. It should get some buzz during awards season.[/QUOTE]
Historical dramas are always a dicey proposition because, yeah, you already know how they're going to end which eliminates almost all the suspense before the film even begins. In that vein, there's only two such films I've ever liked enough to add to my home video collection: [I]Tora! Tora! Tora![/I] (the Pearl Harbor attack) and [I]Thirteen Days[/I] (the Cuban Missile Crisis).
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[QUOTE=WestPhillyPunisher;3967051]Historical dramas are always a dicey proposition because, yeah, you already know how they're going to end which eliminates almost all the suspense before the film even begins. In that vein, there's only two such films I've ever liked enough to add to my home video collection: [I]Tora! Tora! Tora![/I] (the Pearl Harbor attack) and [I]Thirteen Days[/I] (the Cuban Missile Crisis).[/QUOTE]
I own Apollo 13 and it was a big hit and while I never felt to own it Titanic. Historical films usually do well if a story not often told or people connect with the characters. I know that can be said for any film but its particularly needed for historical movies.
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Ryan Goslin is no Tom Hanks box office draw wise.
Why did anybody expect this to be a blockbuster on release?
This movie has "Oscar Bait" written all over it.
If it gets nominated (and there's every reason to think it will) it may get a box office boost then.
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Have there really been that many movies about the early space program?
I haven't seen it, but it seems like FIRST MAN is comparable to THE RIGHT STUFF (1983)--which was critically acclaimed when it came out, but that was a long time ago.
I think Ryan Gosling needs to take some inspiration from Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds has had a few missteps in his career but he does a good job of getting back on top by doing another crowd pleasing movie, which allows him to do the more risky stuff. Gosling has convinced critics that he's a serious actor, now he needs to do more of those movies that play to popular tastes, so he can win back audiences.
If Marvel ever wants to get me back into the theatre to see one of their movies (instead of watching them at home), then make ALPHA FLIGHT. And cast Gosling as James McDonald Hudson (Weapon Alpha/Vindicator/Guardian). If Gosling would do a super-hero movie, I think it would go a long way to improving his box office.
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JMO I don't think Gosling wants to do blockbusters even First Man was a historical piece made for around 70 million.
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[QUOTE=Calighoula;3965214]Maybe it's the director's way of saying the moon landing was a hoax.[/QUOTE]
Lol! When I saw someone mentioned flag controversy at the start of this thread, my first thought was that it was about the conspiracy theory put forward over the years by some who are still convinced the whole thing was a hoax, due to the flag waving around when it was planted even though there’s no atmosphere or wind on the moon.:D
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[QUOTE=WestPhillyPunisher;3967051]Historical dramas are always a dicey proposition because, yeah, you already know how they're going to end which eliminates almost all the suspense before the film even begins. In that vein, there's only two such films I've ever liked enough to add to my home video collection: [B][I]Tora! Tora! Tora![/I] (the Pearl Harbor attack)[/B] and [I]Thirteen Days[/I] (the Cuban Missile Crisis).[/QUOTE]
That's one of my favorite WWII movies of all time. The other is A Thin Red Line.
[QUOTE=Ken Ashcroft;3967246]Lol! When I saw someone mentioned flag controversy at the start of this thread, my first thought was that it was about the conspiracy theory put forward over the years by some who are still convinced the whole thing was a hoax, due to the flag waving around when it was planted even though there’s no atmosphere or wind on the moon.:D[/QUOTE]
I saw this thread and thought it was getting some many replies due to a moon hoax conpsiracy debate.
I am disappointed.
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Heard the movie was good, but Star is Born and Venom are the movies of the moment that have captured the audience's attention and there was just no oxygen in the room for this movie.
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[QUOTE=Colossus1980;3966452]Small hits like The Notebook and Crazy Stupid Love. He played a small part in Remember the Titans but yeah no mega hits other than Lala Land.[/QUOTE]
I liked Drive.Only God forgives and the Blade Runner sequel.
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[QUOTE=Ralmist;3964840]Gosling's recent movies haven't performed that well in the Box Office.[/QUOTE]
Well, that’s because he don’t do superheroes and franchise movies.