First Man (2018)

Yet another attempt at Oscar bait? 😬

Total movie of the year potential here ☕

A guy like that definitely deserves his own biopic, though I’m not really feeling Gosling.

Richard Wilson4 said:The guy deserves a biopic, but I’m not exactly sold on Gosling.

Look, Gosling isn't a bad actor by any stretch, but I have my doubts about him pulling off the Neil Armstrong role specifically. The real kicker is how they decide to package Neil's personality for the big screen. See, Neil Armstrong wasn't your run-of-the-mill American astronaut. Back then, these guys were treated like literal gods in the USA—they were constant media fixtures and basically heartthrobs for half the country, which meant they had plenty of opportunities to stray from the path.

Neil was (just like every other top-tier American astronaut back in the day) a killer military pilot, a total pro through and through, but he was also incredibly private, almost introverted, and dodged the spotlight whenever he got the chance. That's a massive contrast to most of his peers who lived for the cameras, the fame, and that constant rush of being the center of attention.

NASA picked Neil Armstrong to lead the Apollo 11 mission because he was simply the best of the best; they chose him because he had this uncanny ability to stay ice-cold and collected when everything was going sideways. Throughout his entire career as a pilot and an astronaut, it was that specific mix of expertise, grit, and insane self-control that pulled him through a dozen near-death situations during combat sorties, space missions, and high-stakes test flights.

You can dig deeper into that here:

http://curious-droid.com/279/neil-ar...-times-apollo/

So, I just really hope Hollywood doesn't try to give Neil's personality a "makeover"—polishing him up or making him look "cooler" just to make him more palatable or "relatable" for the average moviegoer today.

I honestly think Gosling could really nail this, mostly because he’s got that knack for subtlety and those tiny little nuances, provided the director actually asks him to lean into that... personally, I was sold on him as an actor way back when he was doing those smaller, more intimate roles in things like Blue Valentine, Half Nelson, and The Place Beyond The Pines. To be honest, what he did in Blade Runner was probably my favorite bit of his work... but at the end of the day, it all comes down to the director and whatever specific story Chazelle is trying to pull off with this one. The trailer looks decent enough, but after seeing movies like The Right Stuff and Apollo 13, you really feel like they need to find some fresh angle or something...

Film just kicked off its run at the 75th Venice Film Festival (Venice Film Festival).

New trailer →

Richard Wilson4 said:The guy deserves a biopic, but I'm just not feeling Gosling.

Only if he actually walked on the Moon, which I seriously doubt.

Honestly, I’m not exactly jumping for joy over the idea of Gosling being cast, but I’m definitely still planning on checking out
.
I mean, even if he isn't my first pick, the director is making some massive promises here, and that alone makes me want to see

Look, quit cluttering up this thread; honestly, nobody cares about your little conspiracy theories or whatever doubts you're nursing.
The whole point of this movie is the life story of Neil Armstrong... not the rambling opinions of some random conspiracy nut.

Jeffrey Wood said:That’s assuming he actually walked on the Moon, which I highly doubt.

My bad
I couldn't find the thread when I was looking for it earlier
You guys could have just deleted my post...

The movie is mostly just a bunch of tedious filler—it drags through these long, boring stretches and there’s honestly barely anything worth paying attention to in between... I'm not even sure how I'd categorize it, really. By the end, it almost tries to pivot into some kind of romance, but it feels totally half-baked and unfinished.
It'll probably end up being an Oscar candidate, mostly thanks to that incredibly pretentious, self-important monument to ego from gagin...

I honestly think this one’s going to be the biggest loser at the Oscars—anyone want to place a bet?

Just watched the trailer, and I’m feeling that same sense of profound unease I felt when watching Interstellar...

To me, that trailer looks incredibly dull.

First Man is just boring. It’s overstretched, lacks any real focus, and tries to touch on too many different themes without ever diving deep enough into any of them to actually pull you in or make you feel anything.
The soundtrack choices at times make the movie feel like a total parody. Especially that moment when we first see the Apollo 11 landing site lit up by those spotlights accompanied by this "epic" score—I was honestly just waiting for Leslie Nielsen to pop out from behind a rock.
All things considered, it wasn't a total waste of my time, but it wasn't anything special either. It’s fine, just mediocre. Honestly, it'll be forgotten before the week is out.

Only after seeing it did I realize that Chazelle was the director behind that mediocre La La Land too. 🙂

La La Land theme : Quote : Flying Buttress EDIT : Lolz

silentsurfer2 said:To build on that—everything in the movie is technically solid, but there’s nothing actually interesting or unique about it. I don't know why it left me feeling so drained; honestly, felt like it dragged on for three hours. 🙂

Honestly, La La Land EDIT : Lolz just dragged me down too
And I can't shake the feeling that it just went on forever...

This is a seriously good flick, honestly bordering on masterpiece
I’m really digging that slightly vintage aesthetic where the image quality isn't overly polished; it just feels so much more authentic
The directing is top-tier—it avoids all that over-the-top, bombastic energy you see in movies like Armageddon, opting instead for tight close-ups and those quiet, heavy moments rather than relying on forced, cheesy dialogue or grand monologues. Those quick cuts and the pacing work so effectively
There’s a deep emotional and human core here, and Gosling delivers an incredible performance as the steady, resilient Armstrong
It might not be everyone's cup of tea since it steers clear of that typical Hollywood trope of glorifying the USA and its astronauts; this feels like a deeply personal and intimate portrait

Is it actually worth hitting up the theater? (The visuals, the sound, all that good stuff...)