First Man

Absolutely phenomenal filmmaking combined with the tale of one of mankind's most epic achievements makes "First Man" one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. On a pure technical level alone, it is a remarkable effort. Superior production values including editing, production design, sound mixing & editing, music, and photo-realistic Oscar-winning visual effects combine to immerse us into the excitement and risks of 1960's space travel and propel this biopic to classic status. "First Man" features a stellar cast led by another very fine, understated performance from Ryan Gosling as the titular astronaut. Gosling gives us a Neil Armstrong who is always fascinating to watch, regardless of whether he's flying an experimental spacecraft or listening to a lecture. Claire Foy is equally compelling in what could have been a much more formulaic role such as Kathleen Quinlan in "Apollo 13". Similarly, the rest of the ensemble- especially Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, and Lukas Haas- effectively play their historical characters as "real people" and never seem to be acting like, well, actors. They disappear into their roles and do not show off in ways most lesser actors would. There are a surprisingly fair amount of detractors for this film, so I can't say as confidently as I should be able to that everyone and their mother's uncle needs to see it. The "flag/ patriotism controversy" was nothing short of moronic. I have seen critics from far-right and far-left perspectives tear this movie apart; hilariously and ironically, these two radical opposites seemed to work together in putting a dent in this film's performance, and may well have succeeded: while reviews were largely stellar for "First Man", it fell short of box office analysts' forecasts and was unable to recoup its relatively modest budget theatrically. This all echoes the odd fate of 1983's "The Right Stuff"; it too was a well-reviewed, Oscar-winning film about NASA's early days, and it too was ignored by audiences in its initial release. *How* you watch this is vital for your appreciation of it. I recommend not watching this on anything less than a 40" TV and Blu-Ray; I saw it on a 50" on 4K UHD and was blown away by many sequences. I can't imagine watching it on a laptop or on DVD. While the documentary-style naturally prohibits "First Man" from being a definitively beautiful-looking film, the added details from 4K including ample film grain in the non-IMAX footage immerse us even further into the experience. The film may take minor liberties with history (especially for Hollywood), yet due to strong performances, documentary-style filmmaking, and impeccable production values, "First Man" is a stunning achievement. Last but far from least, the score by Justin Hurwitz is one of the best original scores I have ever heard, and that's a lot of praise coming from a soundtrack aficionado; it is a sin this was not nominated by the Oscars in favor of far more unoriginal music.

Neil and Janet Armstrong’s life together was poetic, tragic, and beautiful. Neil’s life reminds us of a classic Joseph Campbell Hero’s Journey, and one that deserves to be a myth of our time. This film does just that, paints a mythological narrative with artistic license and flair. You’ll be disappointed if you are simply seeking out a traditional 20th century Hollywood version of this 20th century historical figure. No, it’s a telling of the myth for the 21st century with the sensitivity and kindness it deserves in this new century by a director who wasn’t even born during the Space Race/Cold War. This is an emotional film and if your emotional maturity isn’t ready to deal with the topics of the pain of losing a child, friends dying, and the awareness of one’s own mortality than this might not be your film. The film’s cinematography, music, and sound design are gorgeous. Shot on film, the look throughout the movie is almost an art house film. It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards for the look and sound aspects of the film, which is no surprise. The acting though, is also top notch. This is the best I’ve seen Ryan Gosling, but Claire Foyle (from The Crown) steals the show. Her acting is amazing and was nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) for Best Supporting Actress. The 4K/Blu-Ray discs come with a series of short, but intriguing vignettes about the making of the film, the highlight being footage of the actors spending 3 days at NASA, where some of the scenes were shot. The real gem of the disc is the director commentary in which we get to hear the level of depth the filmmakers went to portray the life of the Armstrong family as accurately as possible ,and talk openly about when they deviated for narrative license. The filmmakers speak throughout the commentary about things they learned interviewing Janet and their sons (both sons star as extras in one of the Mission Control scenes.) This film is reviewed by critics on Rotten Tomato at 88% but I am going to bump it up a notch to 5 stars for the depth I personally got from watching the film multiple times and enjoying the extra content on the discs. Truly one of the best films I’ve seen in awhile.

It is a little dark and depressing .... but I grew to appreciate the side of the story they were trying to tell in that Neil had a heck of a lot of stress on him in both his private life and in his professional one. The part of his personality I loved from this movie was his even demeanor, ability to focus, and his team-player attitude but I hated some of these same characteristics in regards to his family life. Of course he loved his family ... but apparently he was a reserved guy in many ways. The opening scene in the movie is awesome as is the moon loanding scene. Very well done I thought capturing the intensity of both situations in doing things that have never been done before and in the latter case, 250,000 miles from home with no possibility of rescue if needed. When I saw this movie in the theater I wasn't happy that they didn't show the planting of the American flag -- and I am still not happy about that, but I do like the story they tell of sticking to something and winding up doing great things.

An interesting look at the behind the scenes training and trauma that had to be achieved to reach the Moon

Towar nie zgodny z opisem!- całkiem inne języki niż w opisie.

Lato tecnico, immagini ottime e audio buono per questa edizione in 4K, buoni e interessanti anche i contenuti speciali. Il film di per se mi è piaciuto molto, ma questo è un gusto personale

Everyone knows who Neil Armstrong was. And why he has such a place in history. But nobody really knows much about Neil Armstrong the man himself. Not least because he was a very private individual. Director Damien Chazelle brings us a biopic movie on the subject, with Ryan Gosling in the lead, that aims to shed some light on the man who was the first to walk on the moon. This is not a biopic that covers his entire life, though. Just the decade before the Apollo eleven mission. During which time Neil Armstrong flew many different craft, often coming very close to catastrophe in some primitive and dangerous experimental machines. When he suffered personal loss. And when he became part of a mission that the whole world would watch. That could very easily have failed. How does some cope with all this? First man has cinematography that makes it look like something from the era. The sound design is incredible, and it really makes you feel as if you are in these machines that are rickety and might come apart at any moment. But it also has human perspective. Ryan Gosling's Neil is a fascinating watch, a man who doesn't seem to be able to articulate his feelings, even though he clearly has them, and a man of incredibly intense focus. Claire Foy also stands out for her portrayal of his wife Janet, who mans the home front under all the pressure while her husband is doing all this. There's a lot of other figures from the history, some of whom you might blink and miss if you don't know the subject. But Corey Stoll [Eph from TV show 'the Strain] does manage to make an impression as Buzz Aldrin. And fans of tv show Gotham watch out for Riddler Corey Michael Smith as astronaut Roger Chaffee. Even though you know how the sequence will go, the lunar landing ends up being one of the tensest bits of cinema you will ever see. And although it doesn't show the flag planting, it doesn't show the difficulties they had in take off either, so it's not as selective as it was accused of being. This is a portrayal of one remarkable man who was at the centre of one remarkable achievement, and it brings it all to life in a manner you will never forget. With a subtle but memorable score as well. Well worth five stars. The dvd has the following language and subtitle options: Languages: English. English audio description. Subtitles; English. It goes into the menu when loaded without trailers or ads to get through. Extras; Deleted scenes. Two of these, which can be watched individually or in a row. One is four minutes long. The other no more than thirty seconds. There's a commentary from the director, the writer, and the editor. Plus a few short featurettes. Which run from two to six minutes. Shooting for the moon. One of those general overview of the movie featurettes. Preparing to launch. About the genesis of the film. Giant leap in one small step. About Neil Armstrong himself. This one is really good. Mission gone wrong. About filming the sequences of flying the machines. Putting you in the seat. More about general filming. Recreating the moon landing. Which speaks for itself. Shooting at NASA. some fascinating film of NASA locations. Astronaut training. more of the above.

Desde mi primera infancia (es decir desde que tuve uso de razón), fuy un fanático admirador de los avances que el hombre, reelizaba en el Espacio... Aún recuerdo como si fuese hoy (por entonces tenía nueve años), como aquella madrugada contuve la respiración, tras el visionado de aquellas borroras imágenes en blanco y ngro del televisor de la época, como aquel Astronauta pisó por primera vez la Luna. Lástima grande que ese sueño se desvaneciese en aquel momento... Pues en realidad tan solo se trataba de una carrera espacial, enmarcada dentro de la Guerra Fria, y la U.R.S.S. abrumada por las "facturas" de dicha carrera, tiró la toalla y acto seguido los vencedores hicieron exactamente lo mismo... en fin que el Sueño se habia acabado... Y 50 años después, el ser humano tan solo ha sido capaz de alejarse a unos 200 Kms. de la superficie de la Tierra: "QUE VERGüENZA PARA TODOS" . La pelicula en sí es excelente, pues se trata centra en el drama intimista de aquel héroe, y carece del chauvinismo, típico de este tipo de películas.