My favourite film of the year by some margin (having seen a lot of the 'front runners')
First Man (2018)
Yeah, this was pretty damn awesome. Shame it bombed. Hope it doesn't affect Chazelle's career too much.
Got my Blu-ray copy today and I just.. I can't..
WHY DID PEOPLE LET THIS MOVIE BOMB?
Also, this scene is heartbreaking and I want that cue right now! The Theremin at the end is so good.
WHY DID PEOPLE LET THIS MOVIE BOMB?
Also, this scene is heartbreaking and I want that cue right now! The Theremin at the end is so good.
Christ, I don't know why I waited until now to watch this. This is an incredible movie that GOD I wish I saw in theaters. The score 
.. I also really appreciate the ending and why they focused on what they did instead of the actual plating of the flag. God damn..
.. I also really appreciate the ending and why they focused on what they did instead of the actual plating of the flag. God damn..Posts: 568
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Pray for Nolan to cast Gosling in this event movie before Villeneuve locks him in in Dune or he gets cast as an FBI agent in Flower Moon.
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January 2019
Right now I’m just thinking about how two Oscar front runners continue to gain controversy for, among other things, maligned representations of their historical subjects while this film devoted itself to paying as much respect to the losses that paved the way to the Apollo mission’s success so as to earn itself a bit of historical speculation (the ultimate result of which, in my opinion, cements this as one of the most daring accounts on the subject put to screen yet.)
Hurwitz’ “Landing” track left me dumbfounded. It’s so good.
Hurwitz’ “Landing” track left me dumbfounded. It’s so good.
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I didn't get to see it on the big screen but I have pre-ordered it on Prime Video and can watch it on the 4th February.
I love space and engineering, so I am really looking forward to it.
I love space and engineering, so I am really looking forward to it.
finally saw this again, a few thoughts posting this elsewhere later but here first:
On 2nd viewing, I confess FIRST MAN didn't win me over. For those wondering why I'm not, er, over the moon for FIRST MAN, here's why:
Chazelle's style & structure scatter the narrative threads to an elliptical extreme. I feel admiration but not love. Singer conceals the inner life of every character besides Niel, limiting them to dude-banter and techno-speak. So when they die, their deaths matter insofar as they matter to Niel, since they *can't* to us. To us, they aren't real people. It's up to Niel, then, to make us care. These deaths are the emotional backbone of the whole movie. FIRST MAN only works if you empathize with Niel's pain. I don't. Not completely. Look at each scene Niel gets the heart breaking news: Niel sits quietly by a puzzle, Niel breaks a glass, Niel stares pensively at the moon
What do each of these beats have in common? They're 1.) usually brief 2.) always hard-cut to "back to work" Niel Armstrong, a consummate professional who doesn't bring baggage into work. Every time a door is opened to invest in Niel, personally or existentially, they shut it. The deaths are the rocket-fuel to motivate Niel's journey, but because Niel himself distances us AND we always cut from moments of grief, it's up to the style to ground the drama.
Buut the docu-drama "home movies" "fix it in the edit" style, while beautiful, is also distancing.I applaud the ambition here: an impressionistic lament where the moon mission & its words, "When you get a different vantage point, it changes your perspective," carry poetic innuendo and resonance. If FIRST MAN is meant to be taken as poetry, it is the kind that is scattered, smeared and indistinct, and not entirely the kind for me. There's a lot to like, and I am sincerely jealous of those who "get it" but I can't say I'm among them.
-Vader
On 2nd viewing, I confess FIRST MAN didn't win me over. For those wondering why I'm not, er, over the moon for FIRST MAN, here's why:
Chazelle's style & structure scatter the narrative threads to an elliptical extreme. I feel admiration but not love. Singer conceals the inner life of every character besides Niel, limiting them to dude-banter and techno-speak. So when they die, their deaths matter insofar as they matter to Niel, since they *can't* to us. To us, they aren't real people. It's up to Niel, then, to make us care. These deaths are the emotional backbone of the whole movie. FIRST MAN only works if you empathize with Niel's pain. I don't. Not completely. Look at each scene Niel gets the heart breaking news: Niel sits quietly by a puzzle, Niel breaks a glass, Niel stares pensively at the moon
What do each of these beats have in common? They're 1.) usually brief 2.) always hard-cut to "back to work" Niel Armstrong, a consummate professional who doesn't bring baggage into work. Every time a door is opened to invest in Niel, personally or existentially, they shut it. The deaths are the rocket-fuel to motivate Niel's journey, but because Niel himself distances us AND we always cut from moments of grief, it's up to the style to ground the drama.
Buut the docu-drama "home movies" "fix it in the edit" style, while beautiful, is also distancing.I applaud the ambition here: an impressionistic lament where the moon mission & its words, "When you get a different vantage point, it changes your perspective," carry poetic innuendo and resonance. If FIRST MAN is meant to be taken as poetry, it is the kind that is scattered, smeared and indistinct, and not entirely the kind for me. There's a lot to like, and I am sincerely jealous of those who "get it" but I can't say I'm among them.
-Vader
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Joined:
January 2019
I understand that the very dual structure of the film can be an issue. But I think it works for two reasons which are Hurwitz and Gosling. Gosling's understated performance really connects the dots for me, and the fact that the entire music is basically the same theme played differently depending on the situation really help carry the original emotion of the ten first minutes all along the film so that the grief never lets go (even during the landing, the theme is reminiscent of Neil's pain). I also love that Chazelle went for a film about grief and our incapacity to communicate through grief. It is such an original take on space exploration that it makes it feel very personal for him and his work feels very sincere and ends up feeling personal for the viewer also.
When it comes to other character than Neil, I agree that during the landing, Buzz is only here to play the part of the audience seeing Neil ready to do anything to get to the moon. But there are also a lot of scenes between O.Hamilton and C.Foy that are very moving and do bring a lot of depths to these characters.
When it comes to other character than Neil, I agree that during the landing, Buzz is only here to play the part of the audience seeing Neil ready to do anything to get to the moon. But there are also a lot of scenes between O.Hamilton and C.Foy that are very moving and do bring a lot of depths to these characters.
I don't like how you spelled his name wrong throughoutVader182 wrote: ↑January 29th, 2019, 7:31 amfinally saw this again, a few thoughts posting this elsewhere later but here first:
On 2nd viewing, I confess FIRST MAN didn't win me over. For those wondering why I'm not, er, over the moon for FIRST MAN, here's why:
Chazelle's style & structure scatter the narrative threads to an elliptical extreme. I feel admiration but not love. Singer conceals the inner life of every character besides Niel, limiting them to dude-banter and techno-speak. So when they die, their deaths matter insofar as they matter to Niel, since they *can't* to us. To us, they aren't real people. It's up to Niel, then, to make us care. These deaths are the emotional backbone of the whole movie. FIRST MAN only works if you empathize with Niel's pain. I don't. Not completely. Look at each scene Niel gets the heart breaking news: Niel sits quietly by a puzzle, Niel breaks a glass, Niel stares pensively at the moon
What do each of these beats have in common? They're 1.) usually brief 2.) always hard-cut to "back to work" Niel Armstrong, a consummate professional who doesn't bring baggage into work. Every time a door is opened to invest in Niel, personally or existentially, they shut it. The deaths are the rocket-fuel to motivate Niel's journey, but because Niel himself distances us AND we always cut from moments of grief, it's up to the style to ground the drama.
Buut the docu-drama "home movies" "fix it in the edit" style, while beautiful, is also distancing.I applaud the ambition here: an impressionistic lament where the moon mission & its words, "When you get a different vantage point, it changes your perspective," carry poetic innuendo and resonance. If FIRST MAN is meant to be taken as poetry, it is the kind that is scattered, smeared and indistinct, and not entirely the kind for me. There's a lot to like, and I am sincerely jealous of those who "get it" but I can't say I'm among them.
-Vader
