Monday, August 27, 2012

Ode to Neil Armstrong - Scifi Icon

In our modern voyeuristic world of bad reality television, it's easy to forget what real news is. Armstrong, his fellow Apollo astronauts, NASA, and all of the men and women of the space program ARE news. I'm a few days late, but I could not continue this blog without giving a HUGE nod to Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon and American hero.


American icon, Neil Armstrong 1966

It takes an incredible amount of guts and determination to leave our little blue planet in a missile powered by rocket fuel (that has and could explode at any moment), fly into an airless vacuum, and land on a lifeless rock. These people turned science fiction into reality. They changed the world. Although I am not old enough to have seen the moon landing, I can only imagine that the moon landing was the ultimate (and the best) form of reality television EVER. Nothing else will compare. Thank you to Neil Armstrong and Godspeed.

Check out 'Apollo 18' - The creature has landed.
Lloyd Owen in 'Apollo 18'
In honor of the Apollo space program check out the low-budget horror film, 'Apollo 18.' It's a little slow moving and it didn't get great reviews, but I think it's worth watching. If only for the extra details it gives about the Apollo space program. Think 'Blair Witch' on the moon. The 'Blair Witch' format is as old as stale bread, but the moon environment gives it an interesting twist. The performances are solid. The actors are scifi favorites including Warren Christie of 'Alphas' and Ryan Robbins of 'Battlestar Galactica,' 'Sanctuary,' and 'Falling Skies.' Check out my post on 'Apollo 18' from last year.

See clips from the July 20, 1969 moon landing below.

9 comments:

  1. Neil Armstrong has been the realization of a dream for many of us. Gave us the Moon ... and then we all realized that it was possible to achieve any goal.
    Goodbye Neil. : (

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  2. I wish people were still going to the moon! I'd like to visit it one day!

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  3. Nick-- I completely agree. He made us realize what was possible.

    Bersecules-- Me too. What an adventure it would be!

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  4. I'm sure his footprint is still there...

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  5. Not only did he do amazing things back when he was alive, he's still doing amazing things after his death.

    Not everyone can cause the press to ignore idiots like Snooki.

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  6. He was such an amazing real life hero! I wish we were still moving forward with the space program.

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  7. I'm glad to see someone recognizing Armstrong. I picked up the Sunday paper and his death didn't even make the top of the front page; he got a little blip on the bottom right and you had to flip to an interior page for the rest.

    I was alive when he walked on the moon, but I have no memory of it. I was either too young to remember, or I believe it was the middle of the night on the east coast so I would have been too young to stay awake. I do remember watching a subsequent launch a couple years later at my elementary school.

    On the subject of related movies, I'd suggest The Dish. It's the story of the men working at a satellite dish in the backwater of Australia. Why is their story important? Because it was their dish that picked up Armstrong's signal from the moon and relayed it to the rest of the planet. And they did it in the middle of high winds that might have destroyed the dish and possibly even killed them if it collapsed on them. It's more of a quirky little movie than a Serious Drama.

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  8. Hear, hear, I agree with every thought expressed in the post and the comments.

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  9. Alex-- I'm sure it is. I don't understand these people who think it's a hollywood hoax. That's just silly.

    Dwei-- Ha, this one made me laugh out loud! So true, so true!

    Ciara-- Me too! It makes me so sad that we don't have a space program. I've been watching my friends on facebook take photos of the Endeavor's final voyage :(

    Chip-- I had no idea there was such a dramatic story behind the broadcast of Armstrong's moon walk. Who knew. I'll have to check that movie out.

    Corvus-- Thanks so much!

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