45 Replies to “Embrace Hollywood”

  1. We should be grateful that Hollywood even acknowledges that there was a moon landing in the first place. After all, didn’t Stanley Kubrick construct the sets where all that was filmed in an Area 51 hangar?

    In the documentary In the Shadow of the Moon, Apollo 11 Command Module pilot Michael Collins made the comment that if the moon landing was faked, why was it necessary to fake 6 times?

    1. I forget which moom-landing astronaut did it. But some time ago some crazed wing-nut confronted him, saying the landings were faked, and the 60+-old retired-astronaught punched him in the nose. As I recall the judge found the astronaut innocent, saying the wing-nut deserved the smack-down. Hilarious.

        1. I met Buzz in person at the Kelowna Community Theatre while he was on a speaking tour back in the mid ’70’s. He gave me his business card. One of my keepsakes which I just held and looked at just a few months ago.

    2. BA, recently there was an article about the “lighting”. A lighten technician stated that the lighting needed to relicate the shadows was not available at the time of the landing (1969). Something I had not considered. So a movie guy debunks the great conspiracy minds. :-)))

      1. The movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was released 50 years ago, well before the lunar landings. Part of the story takes place on the moon and some commentators noted that the terrain, as portrayed in the film, looks a lot like the depictions painted by artist Chesley Bonestell. Until the Apollo astronauts were actually walking on the surface, nobody had a real idea of what it looked like.

        So, if Kubrick was supposed to be responsible for faking the moon landings, how is it that he was able to change how the lunar terrain looked like? People like Bart Sibrel (Aldrins “sparring partner”) haven’t been able to provide a convincing answer to that.

  2. First they came for the people, then they came for the statues, and now they come for the flag.

    1. How soon before astronauts like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Frank Borman are branded as war criminals because of their service in Korea?

      By the way, if you want to see an excellent documentary about Armstrong, PBS’s Nova had an hour-long show about him about 3 years ago. It had interviews with many of his family members, friends, and, of course, colleagues. I highly recommend it.

  3. “It’s about placating the Chinese box office and not adherence to historical accuracy.”

    Exactly. Without Chinese money propping it up, Hollywood would have long ago been forced to either start keeping the anti-Christian, anti-European and anti-American prejudice of its management to itself, or face complete financial ruin, making way for entrepreneurs happy to entertain Americans rather than lecture or insult them.

    1. It’s sort of like the re-make of Red Dawn from a few years ago.

      In the original movie, it was the Soviets, assisted by Cubans, who invaded the U. S. In the re-make, it was supposed to be the Chinese, but, since Hollywood didn’t want to lose that market, the plot was changed to make the North Koreans to be the baddies.

      It didn’t matter. The movie, apparently, was a stinker and soon sunk out of sight.

    2. Pffft whatever you want to tell yourself man. There are plenty of movies that makes tons of money even without China. Anything Marvel for instance. Your kind are dying off.

  4. These block buster movies conform to the patriotic needs of Hollywood’s most important customer, CHINA.

    Would Chairman Xi and the Chinese Communist Party ever allow a movie with a triumphant American flag be shown in China? No. Any scenes showing American patriotism are never even written, much less filmed by Multinational Hollywood. They don’t want to piss off their most demanding customer.

    Looks like Canadian and Rupertslander above know about this too.

  5. Thank goodness Hollywood is not in Canada, otherwise we might get such epics as The Thousand Sons Who Ran the Red Light, or a comedy offering, Short Term Rental, No Hurt Dental.

  6. I had just turned seventeen when the moon landing occurred. I remember some television network or other interviewing spectators at, I think, Cape Canaveral (which may have been called Cape Kennedy at the time). I believe that every spectator who wasn’t an American said that it was an important achievement not only for America, but for the entire world. All that I could think of was that it wasn’t the entire world who got those astronauts to the moon; it was the United States of America.

    1. Iowa Jim,
      As a 18 year old Canadian watching the first moon landing I was full of pride for mankind. That said there was never a moment when I thought it was any other country that could have made that landing possible. The space race encapsulated the contrast of the Cold War. While the Russians desperately tried to keep up they lost many cosmonauts in that effort but did so in secrecy. Five brave souls on one mission with their heart beats fading to nothing. Contrast that with the USA who televised every launch and yes those efforts that failed. Apollo 1 with 3 brave souls aboard. IMHO those losses crystallized the vision and all that was great about America.

      The lunar landings were all about American greatness. To make it anything else is merely ‘envy’ and a cheap political trick by those who actually hate what the USA used to mean. I say ‘used’ to because America is under attack in ways I would never have dreamed possible.

      1. PET didn’t think so. Someone suggested to him that there should be a national holiday in observance of the event. After all, it was a pivotal moment in history.

        PET’s response was that people could celebrate the moon landing at their desks. It wouldn’t surprise me if he did it because it was Americans who got there first and not a communist.

        As for the Canadians who were involved, ironically, many of them were hired by American aerospace firms after the Avro Arrow was cancelled. Jim Chamberlin worked on Gemini and Apollo, while Owen Maynard helped design the Lunar Module.

  7. Interesting juxtaposition.

    Our betters endlessly harrass the president over his treatment of the “hero” John McCain.
    But if Hollywood does a portrayal of Armstrong that is a lie, its oscar worthy.

  8. You know, I’m going to do what I always do when it comes to movies these days: wait until it’s available from my local public library then watch it on my HDTV in the comfort of my own home. Plus I can press pause if I need to go to the loo or want another beer.

    And if I don’t like it, I can stop the DVD player, take it out and drop it right back at the library.

    The moon landings were both an American and a human achievement. Of course, the US definitely deserves the primary recognition here, but we can all participate vicariously in that recognition, just as we claim all great human achievements in history (well, those of us who aren’t demented university professors and mentally unstable activists). Also, the Soviet Union/Russia deserves recognition too, regardless of our feelings about communism (perhaps even despite them). Those cosmonauts were no less lacking in “the right stuff” – and the sound of the Sputnik radio signal in 1957 was both a herald of our future in space and a challenge to the US to get off its duff.

    (By the way, here’s one unfailing measure of whether a film is a success or not: the time it takes it to wind up in the Walmart five-dollar DVD bin.)

  9. It is inappropriate for a Canadian to attempt to portray our American Hero – he doesn’t have The Right Stuff.
    Even worse to project their corrupt political views onto the portrayal.

    From Neil’s family:
    “For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”

    The moon is out this morning, I’m going to go give him a wink.

  10. Hmmmm… having watched leftards in action for years now, here is how I see it.

    Sure, there may be an attempt here to signal fellow progressives and appease the Chinese, both potential audiences and Hollywood investors, but I believe their motivation is even more basic than that. I think this is more a reaction than a pro-action by Hollywood progressives. I believe this clear attempt to deny patriotism, just like the ongoing attempts to destroy America’s borders, respect for the anthem, historical statues, etc, are a DIRECT backlash to Trump’s open love for his country and all it stands for.

    Virtually every position the Democrats now champion can be defined by being the polar opposite of Trump’s beliefs. Which is why self-righteousness-addicted leftards regularly find themselves defending the likes of MS-13, Hamas, CNN, Antifa, etc, etc. If Trump had announced on the campaign trail that a key part of his platform was to keep immigrant families together at the borders, the left would have somehow invented the moral outrage to demand they be separated. If you don’t believe that premise, then show me ANY Trump policy the Dems do openly support.

    Nope, I believe this movie’s apparent historical revisionism is mainly a reflexive but enthusiastic insult aimed at the patriotic Trump and his deplorably patriotic supporters. This is the depth of hatred, contempt and vindictiveness that currently powers the left.

    1. The struggle against border checkpoints and statues glorifying criminals predates Trump. He and his supporters are the reactionaries.

  12. Like all scientific advances, the moon landing was achieved on the base of past scientific achievement. The Kraut rocket scientists of Nazi Germany played a role in this especially the ones that the Yanks brought over. BTW, I always like Ryan Gosling but his comment left me cold and I am very disappointed in him.

    1. Bang on Canuckguy. Also many ex-AVRO Arrow engineers found work with NASA’s space program so behind the scenes there were significant contributions from non-Americans. I’ve heard it more than once said that a big inside joke was that Canada put America on the moon. That said I agree with you 100% on Gosling’s insulting looney lunar sputter. indisputably America paid for that most amazing mankind changing exploration achievement with their own blood and treasure – it was Americans who died in Apollo 1. Had China or the USSR have done it first what are the chances that their flags wouldn’t be prominently featured in any movie made about the event? An unmistakable America-hating progressive Hollywood face slap to edit out the patriotic pride that played a huge role in the Apollo programs success.

      1. I’ve heard it more than once said that a big inside joke was that Canada put America on the moon.

        In the aftermath of Sputnik, people wondered how the Soviets were able to put a satellite in orbit ahead of the Americans. It was no secret that ex-Nazis were taken to the U. S. S. R. to work on their program, though this happened after Wernher von Braun and his colleagues came to the U. S. through Operation Paperclip.

        Someone (I think it might have been LBJ) asked if it had been the Germans in the Soviet Union who were responsible for Sputnik. Apparently, von Braun, who was disappointed but not worried, answered: “Ach, our Nazis are better than their Nazis.”

  13. Ask not what your country can do for you.
    Ask what your screenwriters can do for your pocketbook.

  14. All I recall about the moon landing was how the leftists of the time were talking about what a WASTE of $$$ it all was. How we could have lifted the entire world’s poor out of poverty, Fed every hungry child on the planet, raised UNION salaries by$5.00/hr. Yadda yadda yadda. instead of WASTING all that $$$ on A ‘Nationalistic’ moon landing. So it is not surprising that the (Dr.Spock raised) children of those leftist fools now find new ways to denigrate one of America’s/Capitalism/Freedom’s seminal accomplishments.

    And what’s even sadder … is that our public school teachers will soon be showing this film in class to “teach” the “history” of the moon landing. It’s all my grandchildren (when they’re ever born) will ever see or hear about the moon landing of 1969. Wow. The summer of 69! I remember it well. Oh to be an 7th grader again.

    1. And what’s even sadder … is that our public school teachers will soon be showing this film in class to “teach” the “history” of the moon landing.

      While completely ignoring the HBO series From the Earth To the Moon. On the whole, it was quite accurate and astronaut Dave Scott was a technical consultant for it. Ron Howard and Tom Hanks put a great effort into making it authentic, such as the air-ground radio traffic in the series being taken from actual mission transcripts.

      Each episode emphasized a different aspect about going to the moon. My favourites were the ones about Apollo 1 (because it reminded me of my responsibilities as a professional engineer), Apollo 9 (which was about the design of the first manned Lunar Module, and the trials and tribulations of building it and getting it to fly), and Apollo 15 (probably my favourite mission). I wasn’t impressed with the episode about Apollo 11, though, largely because Aldrin was portrayed as a wimpy whiner.

      1. Yeah … if we had only … “invested” … the $$ taxpayer $$ on … studying … global warming (oh, wait … it was global COOLING at that time) … we would have “saved” the planet by now. Or at least enslaved the world’s population in some Marxist dystopia.

  15. In August 1992 I saw a live Presentation about going to Space by Astronaut Marc Garneau. His photos from Space were amazing and a novelty at that time. When the presentation was finished, at this hotel-convention center, I went to the bank of elevators and entered one. Guess who rode down the elevator with yours truly. Yes, Marc Garneau. We were alone. Yikes! We didn’t speak, of course. I was too stubborn about invading someone’s privacy. How crazy was that? I never forgot this incident. This can only happen to me, I thought. Oh sure, others would’ve had the courage to say, something smart like, “nice presentation, bla, bla, bla.” It was a long elevator ride for me, thinking, no one is going to believe this, what a laugh! He smiled at me when we got off the elevator. I smiled back!

    True story.

    1. My son regularly serves Andre Igudola of the GS Warriors. Andre always tips my son well, and gives him a wink … for not making a fuss over his celebrity (or announcing it for all to hear). You did the right thing. Famous people most often wish for the one thing they no longer have … anonymity.

      1. Famous people most often wish for the one thing they no longer have … anonymity.

        That was what largely hurt Armstrong’s first marriage. While he appreciated the fact that he was the first man to walk on the moon, thereby becoming a celebrity and ultimately a major historical figure, he didn’t always like the publicity. He preferred to choose when he would make a public appearance and the circumstances surrounding it.

        One way he handled the public attention was by returning to his farm roots and buying a spread in rural Ohio. His first wife, though, couldn’t adjust to the isolation and they split up as a result.

        Aldrin had problems with his fame at first. He became an alcoholic, which affected how he handled his subsequent assignments. One reason, apparently, was because those jobs were nowhere near as challenging as Apollo 11.

        His first marriage fell apart, as did his second. (He married for a third time and it appears that one has run aground as well.) He eventually dried out, so to speak, and began making public appearances again. He wrote a number of books, many of them related to space, and he attends scientific conferences, making presentations at some of them.

        Collins, being largely out of the spotlight, eventually became the director of the National Air and Space Museum and also wrote some books.

        1. @12:02 Kenji and @1:06 B A

          Today Marc Garneau is a Member of Parliament for the wealthy enclave in the city of Montreal known as Westmount- Notre Dame de Grace aka N.D.G. He maintains his popularity in the limelight. He is very much a North American guy, flawless in the languages of the ‘Two Solitudes’, both French and English. I often wished he would’ve become our Prime Minister, if it had to be one from the Liberal Party. He should have been a contender, in my opinion.

          Thank you gentlemen for your thoughts and imput. You’ve helped me erase a 26 year old regret. ( 50/50 ) I’ve none now, in this regard. I’m also glad that Marc survived an elevator ride with l’il ole me! After all the travelling he did, a mishap would’ve been ironic!

          Moral of the story, always listen to that little voice inside!

          P.S. Have a nice Labor Day!
          Smiles,
          Nancy

          1. Trust your instincts. Esp. if you are a ‘good’ person at heart. You know, like ‘affable-me’ 😉

  16. Its too bad that the US has essentially abandoned manned spaceflight.

    Meanwhile in Canada, Turdeau goes flying so high when he’s stoned.

    1. Its too bad that the US has essentially abandoned manned spaceflight.

      Not quite. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is scheduled to make its first test flight of a manned Dragon spacecraft early next year. Boeing’s Spaceliner is slated for its initial attempt a few months later.

      Those two are to be used for ferrying crews to and from the International Space Station.

      There are rumours that Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin might begin flying passengers in roughly a year’s time, though that’s hard to confirm as the company has a habit of not making public announcements. Virgin Galactic is still testing SpaceShipTwo, though, if Richard Branson is to be believed, flights will begin in “a few months time”, which has been the case for about the last dozen years.

      The company I wish would complete a manned spacecraft is Sierra Nevada. Its Dream Chaser is based on an old lifting body design but, unfortunately, SN lost out to SpaceX and Boeing in a competition for funding from NASA. It is working on an unmanned cargo version of the DC, though I haven’t heard when it might be making its first flight.

      And then there’s NASA’s white elephant, the Orion which some wag (former NASA head Mike Griffin, I believe) called “Apollo on steroids”. It’s way over budget and way behind schedule plus it’s designed to be flown on another white elephant, the Space Launch System. The design of that booster is based on space shuttle hardware but it seems to be largely a government pork project as much of the work is being done at the Marshall Spaceflight Centre, which happens to be in the district of Senator Richard Shelby. (I think you can figure out the rest.)

      Nobody seems to know when Orion’s going to fly with its first crew, though it’s believe to be early in the next decade. When the SLS will have its first launch is anyone’s guess right now.

      Meanwhile in Canada, Turdeau goes flying so high when he’s stoned.

      That comment reminds me of something I saw in the lobby of Dorval Airport more than 30 years ago. Someone had set up a booth and it had a large sign in front: “Help colonize space. Send Ed Broadbent to Pluto.”

      A number of people stopped and chatted with him, though I’m not sure if he convinced any of them.

  17. The very day they landed on the moon our cat had three kittens all male we named them for the astronuats and next years the 50th aniversery and also was the Woodstock concert and Hurricane Camile all in one year 1969

  18. As Instapundit says in typical understated fashion: “It seems like a mistake not to have him onboard”

    https://nypost.com/2018/09/03/buzz-aldrin-slams-first-man-for-not-showing-us-flag-during-moon-landing/amp/

    I think Buzz’s “Proud to be American” tweet with pics of ol’ stars’n stripes planted on the Lunar surface holds for every American directly involved with the tremendous reach the moon effort. As Marco Rubio pointed out “…it wasn’t a UN mission”. Had it of been a UN mission any flag planted would have been solid white. What country’s president was the guy who said “We choose to go to the Moon…not because they are easy, but because they are hard…because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win…”. It’s definitely not the gender confused hypocritically progressive politically correct group think one that Ryan Gosling was born in.

  19. Hey, what about the major contributions from Canadian scientists to the Apollo space program. When the Avro Arrow program was shut down, a significant number of Avro`s scientists went to work for NASA. Without them, the moon landing would have arguably been later than it was. So this was not America only. Good on the producers and Gosling (a Canadian, ha ha!) These moron critics including Rubio should get an effing life!

  20. so where’s the space program now?
    oh, right, depending on russian craft to get them to the rather low orbit ISS.
    where missions include supplies, change of personnel, etc.
    migawd, its taking longer to get the thing back on track than legalizing pot.
    follow the money.

    and when is the record of Apollo 11 going to be replaced by the ’twas faked’ as the official version?
    yup. when the chirese have control over media, manufacturing, international law, etc etc.

    1. “and when is the record of Apollo 11 going to be replaced by the ’twas faked’ as the official version?”

      When the #RealBuzz and the rest of his Apollo compatriots are no longer living among us. I’d reckon the official revisionist version hits the presses shortly after the last hearse for the last astronaut pulls away and the bobcat shows up to push the dirt in the hole.

      Btw Hoppsing the AVRO Scientists (a.k.a. engineers) did certainly make huge contributions BUT Uncle Sam signed their cheques (for which I’m sure they were grateful). Like with any contractors recognition for their work ultimately belongs to their employer – the US of A. Omitting the Stars’n Stripes from the movie is utter crap. The Americans were in a bitter winner-take-all space race with the USSR. Nobody else was. And when you win the Gold medal for being the best in the World at something you deserve to climb to the top of the podium, hear your anthem and see your flag rise. The “First Man” ‘s producers and lead will pay a high box office price by snubbing the flag. As they should.

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