Apollo 13

30 years ago Apollo 13 took the film world by storm. 55 years ago Apollo 13 made space travel history. In 1995, Jason entered Apollo 13. What did this Ron Howard docudrama about a dangerous Nasa mission add to his creative journey? Jason and Ashley discuss the power of Tom Hanks and the invisible directing in this film that was also nominated for Best Picture. What did you think of this 1990s movie?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Houston. We have a podcast. Hello and welcome to Geek
History Lesson. I am Ashley Victoria Robinson. You may wonder
why Jason Inman is not here this week, and well,
my friends, that is because he is hanging out with
a certain consulting detective and world's greatest doctor in Pittsburgh

(00:24):
at you Hop and that's gonna be the case for
a while. So we're going to be doing some really
really fun episodes with a bunch of guest professors and
bring some things to you that you have never heard
from us before, including today's episode. So this is from
the Patreon archive. One of the many things that we
do on Patreon is exclusive podcast and exclusive video series.

(00:47):
Sometimes they work out, friends, and sometimes they don't. One
of the projects series that didn't work out was something
called film Footsteps, where Jason and I would pick a
film from our past that shaped us and inspired us
as creators to through the film its history, its impacts,
and then talk through how it impacted us personally as creatives.
We wound up scrapping it after only a few episodes,

(01:09):
but one of the films that we did talk about
was a Jason Inman pick, and that is nineteen ninety
five's Apollo thirteen, based on the Apollo thirteen mission that
happened in the nineteen seventies. This year is the thirtieth
anniversary of Apollo thirteen's release, and next weekend, Fathom Events

(01:29):
is re releasing Apollo thirteen in cinemas worldwide. So it
only felt correct for us to bring this out and
bring this to you to listen to. And also, I
will say Jim Lovell, who was the head of this mission,
who was played by Tom Hanks in the film, did
pass away earlier this year. So not only is it
the anniversary of this film and its amazing impact and

(01:52):
the awards that it won and deservedly did win as
its impact in film history, but also to honor Jim
level we want to bring this to you. I also
want to leave a little note and say, at the
time when we recorded this, I was not super warm
on this film, and actually this is something that through
time and through exposure I have come around on. So
sometimes it is just ding dang delightful to be wrong.

(02:15):
So without further ado, here is our film Footsteps episode
on Apollo thirteen for your geek history lesson this week.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
Hello and Welcome to film Footsteps. Each and every episode
of this podcast, we pick a movie that inspired us
to start our creative careers. The scenes, the scores, and
the things that were personal to us. These are the
footsteps in film that got us to where we are today.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
I'm Jason Inman, I'm Ashley Victoria Robinson.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
And neither of us are astronauts, were just podcasters, but
we're still going to try to talk about Apollo thirteen
stays movie. It's my choice. It's a nineteen ninety five
American space docu drama directed by Ron Howard, Sorry Tom Aches,
Mister Kevin Bacon, mister Bill Paxton, Senora ed Harris, and
mister Gary Sonise. The screenplay by was Why William Broyles

(03:14):
and al Reinhart, and of course dramatizes the aborted nineteen
seventy Apollo thirteen lunar mission. It's also based on a
book called Last Moon, The Perilous Voyage of Apollo thirteen
by astronaut gym level In Jeffrey Klueger. And just like
their long journey, their long eight day journey of perilous
non breathing and everything like that. That was a long

(03:34):
intro wasn't it, Ashley? Yeah, yeah, we're here. We're here
to talk about Apollo thirteen. Are you excited about this?
You like space, don't you?

Speaker 1 (03:41):
I don't like space. This is a movie and a
string of media that Jason has encouraged me to watch
where space is dangerous and uh, it's scary.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Space is very dangerous and it's scary, and it's so
dangerous and scary that when this was released in theaters
and June thirtieth, nineteen ninety five, it received wide critical
claim and was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best
Picture and Best Actor. It only won for Best Film Editing,
the Best Sound, and The film also won the Screen
Actors Guild War for Outstanding Performs by a Cast, as

(04:17):
well as two British Academy Film Wars.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
That does.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yeah, there's a lot of this stuff. So do we
want to talk about what it opened against? Before we
get to talk?

Speaker 1 (04:28):
Why? What year is this again?

Speaker 2 (04:30):
This is June thirtieth, nineteen ninety five. Sure, now, Ashley,
you are not ready for this.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
I would not have been cognizant of any of these films,
so you were not ready.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Hit me baby one more time. You are not ready
for this, would you like? Okay, I'm going to say
is last time we talked about Midsummer Nightstream our favorite
opened in ninety nine. Our favorite movie We've seen against
some big movies.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
Now we're in June, We're in the summer. We're in
summer Blockbuster season. Nineteen ninety five, Ashley. Yeah, Apaulla thirteen
opened against a murders row of movies and still was
number one.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
It is one of them, a Disney movie.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
Yes, now I am going I am probably going to
tell you fifteen other movies. Okay, this movie was against
and they are all big movies. But I would love
for you to make a guess. I would love to
see if you can hit any of these fifteen movies.
The Lion King incorrect, Aladdin incorrect.

Speaker 1 (05:35):
I've got literally nothing, so I don't know what was
on in nineteen ninety five. I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
I'm going to go through the list. I'm gonna give
you the top fifteen movies for June thirtieth, nineteen ninety five,
and I'll bet you you have heard of most of these.
You're gonna give me the top fifteen, top fifteen. I'm
gonna count how many I have seen Okay you ready?

Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (05:55):
So Number one, of course was a Paula thirteen. It opened, sure,
made forty six million. It's opening weekend. More than it's
a right stream YEP. Number two Pocahontas. Number three, Judy
Kuhn Batman Forever?

Speaker 1 (06:11):
Have I seen Batman Forever? No?

Speaker 2 (06:13):
You have not. Number four Mighty morphin Power Rangers the movie,
Yeah Sure. Number five, Judge Dread starring Sylvester Stallone. Number
six Congo, the Michael Crichton movie that stars Bruce Campbell
and Tim Curry. Number seven, The Bridges of Madison County

(06:37):
starring Clint Eastwood. Number eight, Casper the movie.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Oh That's a Good Movie.

Speaker 2 (06:44):
Number nine, Brave Heart Mel Gibson. Number ten, die Hard
with a Vengeance, Diehard three, Number eleven, Crimson Tide starring
Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. Number twelve, and this is
the one that I don't know while you were sleeping.

(07:04):
I don't know that.

Speaker 1 (07:05):
I don't know that either.

Speaker 2 (07:06):
Number thirteen, Bad Boys, the Will Smith Martin. Number fourteen.
I don't know this one forget Paris. Number fifteen is smoke.
But I'm going all the way to number sixteen because
number sixteen is a favorite movie of yours, Ashley Kevin
Costner's The Postman.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Oh, I mean, I'm not counting The Postman as something
I've seen because we turned it off halfway through. So
for what we did, Costler Christmas, who knew I've only
seen four of those movies. The summer of ninety nine
was so packed. Yeah, but I mean my question is
when did these movies open? Did they open that weekend?

Speaker 2 (07:45):
I don't know, they were just they were all kind
to understand. But I think that's you know, because I
guarantee you I think Braveheart opened in the spring.

Speaker 1 (07:52):
I think so too. But this that was a time
when movies ran in theaters for long time, six months.
Braveheart might crop up here on this Heree podcast for sure.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
That would be a fun rewatcher, I think. So I'll
tell you what if you do you do Braveheart. You
have to do Gladiator. We have to have yes because
we else other than for ourselves. Yeah, because Gladiator is
like that my historical classic movie that really actually was
the first movie that made me realize that working in
film could be a job. Yeah, So where we go?

(08:24):
So I lost my place? Where did I first see this.
I saw a paull A thirteen on a VHS copy
from the Walnut, Kansas Public Library, and two things stuck
out to me. It stuck out to me because of space,
and then also I have always been able to hum
this score by James Horner.

Speaker 1 (08:46):
You do your a James Horner.

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Stan because when he's good, he's good.

Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. When you like James Horner, you really.

Speaker 2 (08:54):
I mean he's really good.

Speaker 1 (08:55):
I mean, I'll say this, We even do that of
every composer, like you can, like, I love Howard Shore,
and when Howard Shure was good, really cool.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
I can hum the Avatar pieces from the Avatar score
because of James Horr And I still think to this
day it's the best thing from that movie. There's literally
no other redeeming qualities of that movie. You are correct, Okay,
So we want to get into what made me pick
this film? Sure, So I watched this in high school

(09:21):
and this is like one of the first times that
I really realized the importance of sort of a biofilm. Now,
this is not a biofilm by true, because usually biofilms
are like center around one person.

Speaker 1 (09:34):
It's closer to a memoir where it's about a specific
period of time.

Speaker 2 (09:38):
Well. Wikipedia called this a docu drum, which I thought
was very interesting. Yes, because I said to you earlier
that I feel that many parts of this movie feel
like you're watching a documentary.

Speaker 1 (09:45):
You said that when we were watching it.

Speaker 2 (09:46):
Yes, but this is also this is a movie that
really showed to me that real life could be just
as interesting as fiction. And this also is a movie
that really showed to me what I like to call
the style of invisible directing, when the directing and the
editing are so good that you just disappear into the movie.

(10:11):
You are completely just in the movie and you don't
even realize the cuts, the shots, the act. You just
go with it. And I think this entire movie is
full of what I like to call it invisible dirut.
It's like it's a good lettering in a comic book. Yeah,
when it's so good that you don't even notice it. Yeah.
And I think Ron Howard does this as well.

Speaker 1 (10:33):
I think that's an interesting observation because to me, watching
a Ron Howard movie is like watching a Disney movie.

Speaker 2 (10:40):
There is like I've loved to hear I don't understand
that Sam, and I've loved to hear this the way
if you look at you know, the comparison, you know what.

Speaker 1 (10:47):
A natural piece of wood looks like, Yes, and then
you know when you lacker it so that all the
imperfections are gone and it's got a sheen on it
and it's shiny and it's beautiful.

Speaker 2 (10:55):
Black cor actually brings the imperfections outBut that, to me
is what a Ron Howard movie is like.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
There is just this movie does have like grit and
realness and danger, but there is just something. It's like
Ron Howard just like took a cloth and like wiped
to the screen. For me, there's just something. Yeah, I
would say two shoes about a Ron Howard film that
I can't quite put my finger on.

Speaker 2 (11:16):
You know. It's funny because when you talk about directors, yeah,
and Ron Howard to me is one of those directors
that when he is at the top of his game,
he's very good. When he is at the top of
his game, he's invisible. Yeah, like you don't. He doesn't
only have a stylistic shot and most of his movies
are heartfelt. But when he when he is good, you

(11:37):
don't feel him. It's tone with Ron Howard.

Speaker 1 (11:39):
Ron Howard is a little Sacharin where's like, I feel
like a Bridge of Spies. For example, that was Spielberg.
I thought that was just kidding.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
I was like, do you feel Spielberg the second.

Speaker 1 (11:52):
Yeah, I don't know. There's just something about this that's
kind of gosh golly to me.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Well, to me, I was gonna say, like, Ron Howard
to me is what you would call a workman director.
He disappears into the movie.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
Uh huh.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
He puts the pieces together and the movie just runs.
And when it runs solid, you're just like, this is
a good movie.

Speaker 1 (12:08):
Ye yea yeah, Like I mean when he's at the
heightest power, he's directed like some of the best movies
ever made.

Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yes, okay, Bryce has that too, I think. So we
added this segment last time. Could you please pull up
the im I got it up and we will go
through this cast by the IMDb star meter.

Speaker 1 (12:25):
This one is a lot more accurate than Midsummer.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
Should we explain we didn't explain this last time. Would
you like to briefly explain to our listeners what is
the ranking of the IMDb, the Internet Movie Database star meter, Like,
how does this website determine how many clicks your profile
has see how populous your profile is.

Speaker 1 (12:41):
So this is a completely arbitrary, absolute BS way to
rank it.

Speaker 2 (12:45):
It's a mob rule popular vote. Okay, so yeah.

Speaker 1 (12:47):
They also they also have an article that does, uh,
these stars are on the rise and everyone's headshot is
over forty right.

Speaker 2 (12:53):
So to me, this is a Tom Hanks movie. Yep,
but it is going to be ridiculous to make is
not number one, but I'm gonna make the guests the
number one is actually Kevin Bacon, false who is number one?

Speaker 1 (13:06):
Tom Hanks?

Speaker 2 (13:07):
Good? Good, Then all is right with the world.

Speaker 1 (13:10):
Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sonise
who has a great headshot. All right, so we're pretty
star ed. Harris Kathleen Quinlan Kathleen Quinnlan. Yeah, she plays
his wife. I know who she is? That hot Mary
Kate Shellert who's Mary Kate? His whiney daughter who wants

(13:31):
to be the hippie. Okay, Emily Ann Lloyd, the younger
daughter who doesn't act and doesn't have a headshot. Miko Hughes,
Max Elliott Slade, and Jeane Spiegel.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
Howard, Oh, is that is that his dad?

Speaker 1 (13:46):
That is his mother?

Speaker 2 (13:48):
Where is she?

Speaker 1 (13:48):
She plays a mom.

Speaker 2 (13:51):
Yeah, she does a fantastic job. Yeah, she does a
really good she's well, you should state that Ron Howard
always puts his family in on all the movies. He
puts Clint Howard. She was also enscrooged in Cocoon. He
put Clint Howard. He's one of the NASA tacks. His
dad is the old man priest in this movie. And
I didn't realize that his mom. But we should also
point out I just want to throw this out there

(14:11):
that we have a Star Trek connection, not only with
Clint Howard.

Speaker 1 (14:16):
Yes, oh yeah, o g Star track.

Speaker 2 (14:19):
We Clint Howard is in Starter TS yeah, and Starter Discovery. Yeah.
But Max Grotenschak, who plays Rom and started d Space nine,
is also one of the nasattacks for one scene in.

Speaker 1 (14:30):
The and he does a really this is a solid
throw it away. Yeah, he's he's really good at this.
It's also wild to hear his real voice.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
It's pretty close to his Rom voice.

Speaker 1 (14:39):
His Rom voice is just like like his gut cotton
in his mouth. Yeah. Okay, so I have a lot
of really cool pre production Yeah, I imagine you have
a lot of fun facts.

Speaker 2 (14:50):
So this original screenplay Fro Paul thirteen was written with
Kevin Kostner in mind for Jim Lovell. It is such
a this is such a Costner via. Apparently, Kevin Coster
looked very similar to young Jim Lovell, so he was
always first choice. By the time Ron Howard acquired the
director's position on this, Tom Hanks had expressed, I mean

(15:14):
in the way that you look.

Speaker 1 (15:15):
Like Ben Affleck like he does not look like Kevin Costner.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
I can see it. I mean sort of are not
really a good looking guys. That's fine. Oh, I'm gonna
absolutely agree with that. While planning the film, Ron Howard
decided that every shot should be original and that they
would use no mission footage.

Speaker 1 (15:33):
I think that was smart.

Speaker 2 (15:34):
The spacecraft interiors were constructed by the Kansas cosmopere In
Space Center space Works because they had also restored the
original Apollo thirteen command module Kansas Connection. Yeah. Two individual
lunar modules and two command modules constructed for filming composed
of original Apollo materials, but they were built differently so

(15:56):
that different sections could be removed, which allowed camera crews
to go inside them. Sure to Classic Film Church to
prepare for their film roles Hanks, Paxton, and Bacon all
attended the US Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and while there,
Jim Lovell and David Scott, commander of Paul thirteen, did
actual training exercise with them so that they would actually

(16:17):
be able to operate the command module in a realistic way.
The actors were also taught each individually all of the
five hundred buttons and toggles and switches, and it is
said that many of the actual things that these actors
do in the movie are the real procedures that would
have been done.

Speaker 1 (16:37):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (16:38):
In some scenes when the Earth can be seen out
the windows of Paul thirteen, it is one of the
photos that was taken by Jim Lovell and Bill Anders
when they were on the Apollo eight mission that was
projected outside of thing. And also this is something that
I mentioned to Ashley. The beginning of US movie starts
with a voiceover and this is a new piece of

(17:00):
audio that Ron Howard had Walter Cronkite, famous newsman Walter Concrete,
who appears several times in archive footage on screen, He
specifically recorded this for this movie.

Speaker 1 (17:10):
Can I say, and this is also me speaking to
the other non American race non races and American people.
This is like, so I understand logically the cultural impact
of that, and I've seen the old footage, but I
feel like it is something that is fairly lost on
me when I watched the movie.

Speaker 2 (17:30):
Well, here's the thing. He is very American, right, and
look that's just where you're raised. Walter Concrete was once
called the most trusted man in America. He anchored the
CBS Evening News for nineteen years from nineteen sixty two
to nineteen eighty one. You know, he's won the Presidential

(17:52):
Medal of Freedom. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (17:54):
Yeah, he's one of our better journalists.

Speaker 2 (17:55):
He's won a Peabuddy Award. I actually think he's one
of the last broadcasters, at least in America, that was
seen to be trusted to be fair and impartial. But
he is just legendary. I think there's a reason why
every past film always uses footage of Walter Konkrete.

Speaker 1 (18:17):
But that is cool that they went to him and
that he recorded stuff for them.

Speaker 2 (18:20):
That's right, much fun fact, this is the first Tom
Hanks feature film to have Tom Hanks portray a real person.

Speaker 1 (18:26):
Oh interesting.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
He would go on to do it a billion more times,
exactly director Ron Howard calls a Pall thirteen his absolute
favorite of every film he's ever made. And Ron Howard
says of the Apollo thirteen launch sequence, he says, I
think as a filmmaker, that might be the most cinematic
thing I have ever done.

Speaker 1 (18:44):
Are we going to talk about that sequence later?

Speaker 2 (18:46):
We will? Okay, yes? So again Apollo thirteen. Fun fact,
we already mentioned the Murderer's Row of films. It was
the third highest grossing film of nineteen ninety five, behind
Diehard with a Vengeance and Toy Story. Oh sure, Pixar film. Yeah,

(19:06):
its budget was fifty two million dollars.

Speaker 1 (19:09):
Wow. And it can't make a biopic for that now,
can't make a Slice of Life for that now?

Speaker 2 (19:14):
And it made three hundred and fifty five million dollars worldwide. Well,
I can't believe we didn't get Apollo fourteen right after
Now you would get Apollo thirteen point two. Jim Level
returns to finally get to the Moon.

Speaker 1 (19:28):
To fight his greatest nemesis, the Man of the Moon thirteen.
He didn't get to go to the moon.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
But he's going to. So Actually, I want to talk
about We're gonna talk about the rewatch here. Yeah, I
want to talk about you know, the movie opens where
with a lot of NASA movies open with the astronauts
watching Neil Armstrong and the crew of Apollo eleven land
on the moon. Yep, you know they're bringing the kids in.

(19:54):
Everybody's there. It is this. You know, there's not many moment,
I would say, in the history of the world, even
for All Mankind. A space television also begins with this scene. Mankind,
by the way, shares a character with this movie. It
does it? Does you know? Well, Neil Armstrong is also
in for All Mankind too.

Speaker 1 (20:15):
Oh yeah, I took a deep.

Speaker 2 (20:19):
As they say, the real person, the man who chose
who went up in all the spacecraft. What do you
think about that choice that so many you know, so
many like movies about astronauts begin with that scene. Now,
for All Mankind might have done it because of A.
Paula thirteen, Like we can't deny that A Paula thirteen

(20:42):
was a landmark movie because for sure nominated for Best Picture,
you know, and again third highest grossing movie, like like
third highest grossing movie of the year. But what do
you think about this choice here? I mean, and is
a Paul Thirteen's version of this scene. You know successful
or is it cliche? Now? In the rewatch?

Speaker 1 (21:02):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (21:02):
Okay, so is a cliche because they did first.

Speaker 1 (21:05):
I I have sort of struggled thinking about how I
want to talk about this movie. Oh please, okay, because
I know you're not a big fan of Space. It's
a great movie. I have no romance for space.

Speaker 2 (21:18):
Whatso it's interesting. I think we've just based on last month.
We have flipped. This is my romance, like Shakespeare is
your romance. Space is my like like I like the stars.
I've never had a single desire to go there. Every
time I see Space, I'm like, that's dangerous. I don't
want to go. Like nothing about space appeals to me.
Maybe I should make clear to the listeners as well.
And I've said it so many times. I do love

(21:40):
space so much. My original career, I wanted to be
an astronaut. And another reason I picked these movies is
that because these movies like help me live that dream
that I could never live.

Speaker 1 (21:48):
Yes, and I don't want to be disrespectful of what
I know it means to you, like as a concept
and as a story.

Speaker 2 (21:55):
I probably was a disrespectful for your Shakespeare, So please be.

Speaker 1 (22:00):
Just I just like I don't. I don't want to.
I don't want to come out here because I there's
a phrase that I use when I talk about space
to you that has a big swear in it, and
I don't think I want to say it in case
we ever air this pufflicly, well you swore in the
last time. Yeah, but we're that look, we were that
one was never going to be in contention for something
that we would take up from behind the facey on wall.
This one might It's basically like firetruck Space is my

(22:24):
feeling about going to space. And so to your question,
is it cliche? Yes? Does it? It does nothing for
me personally as a viewer to see people standing around
their living room watching Neil Armstrong wall like I I don't,

(22:47):
I don't care. I just don't care. That being said,
did for all Mankind do it because Apollo thirteen did it? Maybe?
I think I think for all Mankind gets away with
it because fra Allmankind tells an alternate history and kind
of spins that's their version of this scene is the

(23:09):
turning point. It's the thing that is different. So you
present it in a familiar dare I say incredibly cliche
way to let your audience know that it's the saying
your daddy's space race or whatever. I think Apallo thirteen
is probably responsible for making it cliche.

Speaker 2 (23:28):
Well, can I throw it an idea to you?

Speaker 1 (23:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (23:30):
Can you name me other TV moments, because again TV's
only been around since like the fifties. Other TV moments
that have changed, not just in America or Canada, the
entire world. Because the only other one I can think
about is nine to eleven.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
Uh, I mean, okay, so that also like marks our age,
of course I would nine eleven, of course, is the
first thing that comes to mind. I'm I'm certain there
was something.

Speaker 2 (23:56):
Well, because part of another one that I want to
throw up, and I don't know if it affected the
world beyond America is Nixon's resignation and the shot of
him leading.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (24:04):
I don't know, because I just I don't know that
the death of like see like the death of President
Kennedy in nineties, his story. I don't know if it
affected much of people outside of America.

Speaker 1 (24:13):
I don't know. I don't know, Like I want to say, like,
surely there has to be something from like World War two,
but I think that was more ratio television.

Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yeah, yeah, there was no television back then.

Speaker 1 (24:23):
Yeah, you know, I mean I'm inclined to be like.

Speaker 2 (24:28):
The like, do we think the invasion of the invasion
of Iraq in like nineteen ninety one, I.

Speaker 1 (24:33):
Don't know, you know, I don't know. It's it's certainly
hard pressed if you're talking about worldwide. Yeah, I'm talking
about I think world I think you're hard pressed to
come up with something other than that. And what is
nice about this particular type the scene is whether or
not you want to go to space. Like it's a
hopeful story, right, It's not like we're going to war
or someone has died, right, Like it is a positive thing.

(24:56):
Someone's going to comment and be like this and this
and this is this, Well.

Speaker 2 (24:59):
I'm certain and please do yeah, yeah, and please do
you know the movie moves forward, of course we get
you know, the classic scene that you see in every
NASA scene where you know, Jim Level was getting a
VIP tour of the NASA building and we get all
these questions about like, well, we've all right had been
to the moon, why should we go back? And he's like,
of course, progress, you know, it's the it's it's the

(25:22):
the argument that I hate about space all the time,
and I hate that we're still having this conversations to
this day, where you're just like, you know, changing the frontier,
fighting the frontier, Creating progress is never easy. It takes sacrifice,
it takes money, it takes time, and people never want
to spend that. And I'm glad that this movie at
least checks this. But of course we get very quickly

(25:43):
that Jim Level learns that he is gonna be flying
a Paul thirteen and not and not fourteen, and so
that means he gets a team up with Gary Sonise
and Bill Paxton as Ken Maddenley and Fred Hayes. And
fun fact, if you haven't done a google of Ken Mattingly,
who's played by Gary Sonee, please do it, because I
didn't know much about this guy during this movie, and

(26:04):
then I was googling him as we were watching this movie,
and Ken madeleine might secretly, might secretly be the coolest
astronaut that ever lived. This man set so many records
that have not ever been broken.

Speaker 1 (26:18):
And designed a bunch of stuff.

Speaker 2 (26:21):
And like he lived a hell of a life and
he retired as an admiral.

Speaker 1 (26:26):
Yeah, and he also saved these guys lives.

Speaker 2 (26:28):
But the big thing happens here is that you learned
that the surgeons say that Madeleine is exposed to measles
and because of that they will not let him go
and that's why they switch out him. They say, you
can't go on the mission, and that means that Jack
Swaggert played by Kevin Bacon, is going to be their
new pilot, which creates a big conflict because they're like, well,

(26:49):
we trained with Ken, and.

Speaker 1 (26:51):
So they don't really like Kevin Bacon.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
They don't. They well, he's the rookie.

Speaker 1 (26:55):
They're they're like, not disrespectful, but he's just like not
their guy.

Speaker 2 (26:59):
Yes, you know, let me of this crew of you know,
the Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon crew.
What do you think about their performances? Do you buy
them as a team, do you buy them as friends?

Speaker 1 (27:12):
I think Gersonesse crushes it in this part. I'm gonna
say this, I think and is unsung because like, this
is not a sexy part to play.

Speaker 2 (27:18):
Can I throw this out here?

Speaker 1 (27:19):
Sure?

Speaker 2 (27:20):
I think Gary Sinise is one of the most unsung
actors that that that was in films the nineties, and
I think he doesn't get his due because he kind
of left films the late nineties because he did that
CSI show for a while. He's on New York, Yes,
and he was so much better than that show. And
I took he took a regular back, did not. I'm

(27:42):
not insulting. I definitely he damned straight he took that page,
of course, but I don't think he ever gets his due.

Speaker 1 (27:49):
I was going to say, I think when he's amazing,
when people think of Gary Sonice, they either think of
New York or Lieutenant.

Speaker 2 (27:55):
Dane, which, by the way, the year before this in
one best picture?

Speaker 1 (27:59):
Do you know what one s ppicture? And I saying
that five's that stole it from Apollo thirteenth? Uh, you know,
I'll look it up. I looked it up.

Speaker 2 (28:04):
What is it?

Speaker 1 (28:04):
Might be loved Braveheart?

Speaker 2 (28:06):
Oh? That makes it? Yeah, because I was like, what
one instead? Do you know what were the five movies
that were not that man?

Speaker 1 (28:13):
Again?

Speaker 2 (28:14):
Was it a murderer's row of movies?

Speaker 1 (28:16):
Uh? Brave Heart, Apollo thirteen, Babe, Oh Man, Ill, Postina, Oh,
the Postman.

Speaker 2 (28:22):
The Postman was nominated for Best.

Speaker 1 (28:25):
Ilk Shostino The Postman.

Speaker 2 (28:27):
I don't think that's the right one. Click on it
and sense and sensibility. I okay, sense sensibility. Babe and
Babe deserves to be nominated for Best Picture.

Speaker 1 (28:38):
A nineteen ninety four comedy drama co written by in
starring Maurice Smotrosi, and directed by English filmmaker Michael Radford,
based on the nineteen eighty five novel Ardiente Paciencia Burning
Patients it self adapted from a nineteen eighty three film,
The film tells a story in which a real life
Chilean poet, Oh, it's a Pablo Neruda biopic and he'd

(29:01):
be friends a postman.

Speaker 3 (29:02):
So like, yeah, it's not, but it's not Kevin Costs.
It's an Italian language. There were two movies called The
post Post it was. It was up for Best Director. Like, yeah, Babe,
Babe was that much of a thing?

Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yes, yes it was, Yes, it was that children's movie.
Rewatch it. I'm I will put it out here. Babe.

Speaker 1 (29:23):
I first watched Babe in twenty years.

Speaker 2 (29:25):
Actually, the first Babe is an astounding movie.

Speaker 1 (29:29):
Wow, do you know what one best adapted screenplay? Let's
hear it sense and Susibility by Emma Thompson.

Speaker 2 (29:35):
Wow, okay, yeah, all right. Anyway, let's go back to
Apollo thirteen. Yea, there is a bunch of you know,
Maryland has space nightmares, which is a little cliche. But
we meet Gene Krantz as played by the astounding At Harris,
who also believe was nominated for an Oscar for this role.
And we get to the launch of Apollo thirteen, which

(29:57):
again it's hard to talk about because.

Speaker 1 (30:02):
He was Best Warning Actor nomination.

Speaker 2 (30:04):
It's because you know, it's epic. There's James Horner's music.
I'm gonna say this right now. I think the sequence
of Apalla thirteen taking off the shots of Gary Cnice
on a Malibu beach watching it with a cgiicoms shot
which doesn't look too bad. Actually, I actually think this

(30:24):
is one of the best sequences that I've ever been filmed.
I agree with Ron Howard and I think that sequence is.
It gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. It is
probably one of my most re listened pieces of film
score music I've ever heard. That's it's the p second
hum to James Horner. In fact, it was. It was
so well received. NASA actually shows this sequence sometimes in

(30:46):
training to its astronauts because they think it is like
one of the most realistic portrayals of a launch. What
do you think about again, very silent? What as a
person who is fire truck space? What are your feelings
watching this sequence happen.

Speaker 1 (31:07):
I don't like it, and it gives me anxiety. I
I don't and it's played a little bit that this
way to like scare you. I do find parts of
it very anxiety inducing. I think the CG doesn't super
hold those not CG it's models. Then I think the

(31:28):
models don't super like. There is something about it that
looks fake, and that's the movie's almost thirty years old.
I understand logically it's a well made sequence. I do
not enjoy watching it, okay, but like cinematically, do you
think it pulls off? I'm not as you know your person,
I get yeah, I guess. I mean, I don't think

(31:48):
it's as epic as you do. But I think it's impressive. Yes.

Speaker 2 (31:51):
If I were to ask, if someone were to ask
me name like the fifty best scenes in film.

Speaker 1 (31:56):
Abos, this would never even enter my brain.

Speaker 2 (31:58):
Oh, this would be in it, This would be in
the again. That is to me is the power of
film is no dialogue, images and music, and it's compelling
just by editing and just by camera work. It's compelling
as hell. Okay, so basically, you know, we we fast

(32:22):
forward and we get to you know again another shot
where like nobody watches the Apollo thirteen, like, oh man,
the Americans don't like space anymore. Which I'm kind of
glad that the movie moves past because we get very
quickly to they cycle liquid oxygen and the electrical short
causes the tank to explode, and we get the very

(32:42):
famous and often quoted Houston, we have a problem, which
is probably one of the most famous lines in film history.
It is tim pop cultures. Yeah, it's parodied. It's in
every movie trailer I can remember during these oscars because
this is when I was still watching the Oscars. They
I hate that clip a million times. O, here's Sterne,
we have a problem.

Speaker 1 (33:04):
It's also one of those it's like by Felicia, like
it's yeah, it is just delivered, like it's not designed
to be like the line of the movie.

Speaker 2 (33:13):
Yes, and it becomes the line.

Speaker 1 (33:15):
Yeah. It's really interesting that like that is the thing
that like the collective consciousness belong onto.

Speaker 2 (33:20):
I would say that people that probably have never even
seen this movie could quote that line.

Speaker 1 (33:24):
Oh yeah. I mean I didn't watch this movie until
maybe two thousand and fourteen, and I knew this line.

Speaker 2 (33:36):
Okay. So basically from this point on, this is where
the movie really becomes almost a documentary because they have
one fuel cell and they're fighting that like, oh are
we going to be able to land this in the moon?
And they finally give nasag Is the decision that we
do not have the power to land on the moon,

(33:56):
and gene Krans played by Ed Ferris, basically says we
are going to bring these astronauts home. Failure is not
an option. The very classic you know exposition scene where
he draws the diagram on the chalkboard and says, we
got to get the astronauts to hear. So, Ashley, I
have to ask you, yep, when this movie turns into

(34:19):
documentary mode, I mean, where do you think, like, do
you think the first half of this movie is better
than the second half, Because from this point forward, it
is basically something goes wrong, they find a solution to it.
Something goes wrong, they find a solution to it, something
goes wrong, like from here on out, it is basically like,
will these guys die in space? And of course we

(34:41):
have a little bit of a knowledge that we know
they did. If you know anything about history, you know
they didn't.

Speaker 1 (34:45):
So they rarely make movies about people who die.

Speaker 2 (34:48):
That is true because most of the.

Speaker 1 (34:51):
Most of the people survive.

Speaker 2 (34:52):
Yeah, but what do you think about that most of
this the rest of this movie becomes like this very serious,
like work the problem. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap.

Speaker 1 (35:03):
Yeah. I think it's definitely better. I think the beginning
is a bit slow, and I think it's great. I
think it's a bit trite. I think they're like nobody
watched their broadcast and my son is supposed to be
on Delivate. Like, I don't know, I'm just like they're
some of the most famous people in the world. They
think they're fine. I'm not saying that this wasn't like
a horrible thing to go through or whatever, but like,
I just don't think. I just think it's I think

(35:24):
it's a little boring. And I think once they get
out into space and the explosion happens, that's when it
really kicks into gear. And then like the movie feels
very quick from that point forward, but it feels like
in my memory it takes a long time to get there.
You know, I'm not a scientist, but I imagine that

(35:45):
being a scientist, which is what astronauts are, you say,
the pilots or whatever. But like they do, science and
maths is all about fixing problems. And obviously we're doing
this narratively to keep the drama clipping, because they're up
there for eight days and these are all presumably real
things that happened to them. But I do think, I
do think once once the explosion happens, the movie moves

(36:08):
is a good clip from that point forward.

Speaker 2 (36:09):
Well, and then also it gets kind of beautiful because
I do love the sequence that you know, there's a
big argument of like do we turn the ship around
or do we use the gravity to slingshot around the moon.
And I will tell you that this was the first
movie that I ever realized that you could do that,
that you could that you could use the gravity of
objects to physics baby to speed you up.

Speaker 1 (36:32):
And then every comic book and science fiction thing ever
does this.

Speaker 2 (36:36):
Well. I actually think that first, I think the first
movie at least for me that I can remember doing
that actually is Star Trek four because they do that
with the Klingon burder Prey. They sling shot around the
Sun to speed through time.

Speaker 1 (36:47):
Yeah, they do the expanse loves to do.

Speaker 2 (36:50):
Yeah, this type, but it's true. Yeah, yeah, it's science
and this is real. They actually did this to Yeah.

Speaker 1 (36:56):
And it's probably one of the things that saved them.

Speaker 2 (36:59):
So we get a really amazing sequence where they watched
the moon pass and they see like their landing site
and it's like the two guys, you know, and all
of these men have this dream. Like we start this
movie off this really great sequence where Tom Hanks is
like looking at the Moon with his thumb. Yeah, and

(37:20):
he's hiding it, you know, and he really dreams to
go to the Moon. And then when he gets the Moon,
he does the opposite to Earth. And this is the
second mission that Jim Lovell goes to the Moon and
doesn't land on it. He doesn't never land on the moon, right,
he never lands in the moon. He never lands in
the Moon. He got he got within eighty six nautical miles. Yeah, twice.

(37:44):
He orbited the Moon twice and at in fact, at
the first time, I think he ordered the moon like
sixty times before he came up. This time he just
did one loop round came out by Yeah. But what
do you think about I think the job. I think
the music a little wonky at this point, but I
think the movie does a little bit of a great

(38:05):
job with playing with this idea of getting so close
to your dream but not getting to fulfill it. And
what do you think about this sequence? I always think
the sequence is weird? Okay, why because.

Speaker 1 (38:20):
They're literally dying, like they have dying for most bigger
things to worry about than their ego about landing on
the moon. And I know that we're doing this because
it is it's poetic and it's a film, and like
maybe he had a moment up there, maybe they all did.

Speaker 2 (38:35):
I can almost guarantee you they did.

Speaker 1 (38:37):
But I'm literally like, when this sequence happens, I'm like,
you have things to do.

Speaker 2 (38:41):
It's not how humans.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
I'm like, why are you wasting your time looking.

Speaker 2 (38:46):
At the moon?

Speaker 1 (38:47):
Who cares no care? No?

Speaker 2 (38:51):
How humans were?

Speaker 1 (38:52):
I literally watched the sequence and I'm like, you are
wasting time. Go home.

Speaker 2 (38:56):
Humans are not logical. Actually, they're very not logical, right,
there are emotional characters.

Speaker 1 (39:01):
If these characters actually have to be incredibly logical, and
if these men had not been logical, they would have died.

Speaker 2 (39:06):
Well, yes, they.

Speaker 1 (39:06):
Would have a panic attack and they would have died
in space.

Speaker 2 (39:08):
But like it's one of those moments where it's.

Speaker 1 (39:10):
A beautiful sequence for a movie.

Speaker 2 (39:12):
I think that actually happened. I really think.

Speaker 1 (39:15):
It actually, I'm I'm sure it did. I will never
read the book, you know, I'm sure it did. But
like I watched this and I'm just like, this is
a waste of time. I think the show, I think
the thumb thing is a neat callback to the to
the earlier seat in the backyard with his wife.

Speaker 2 (39:31):
So this movie also has again, we have several problems, right,
we have they they they they're gonna freeze. There. There's
a sequence where their carbon dioxide filters are running out,
and the guys at NASA have to like very classic
scene that I've seen parroting a million things, where the
guys like, all right, we got to make this square
thing fit into this circle thing, and we only got

(39:53):
the stuff on the table, so figure it out.

Speaker 1 (39:55):
Guys, do you not think that that's what actually happened?

Speaker 2 (39:58):
I do, but I have also that movie parodied in
a million movies, like that has become a cliche.

Speaker 1 (40:03):
And then let me ask you this back about the
question about the launch, like, do you think that that
has become cliche because of this movie?

Speaker 2 (40:10):
The launch speak? What are you asking me?

Speaker 1 (40:12):
Well, them all watching whatever, them all watching buzz aldridd
and on the moon, then watching the moon landing like
you asked me that if that was cliche at the beginning,
do you think that the scene where they're fixing their
filter is cliche because of this movie?

Speaker 2 (40:24):
No, I think it has become cliche, but I don't
think it's cliche in this movie. But anyways, as I
was saying, I was talking about we have the power loss,
we have the carbon dioxide, we have the they can't
land unless they only have so much power. Which of
the I guess disasters because there are a different level

(40:45):
of disasters because we keep piling on top. Which do
you find to be the most compelling that's interesting? Or
which do you think this movie actually because all of
these actually happened, But which do you think in terms
of the dramatic story telling you this movie? Which one is? It?

Speaker 1 (41:02):
Is?

Speaker 2 (41:02):
It? We don't have enough power to re enter the atmosphere.
We're going to bounce off the atmosphere. We don't have
enough power, we have too much carbon dioxide. Which which
of these do you think they do? Or? For you?
Speak those to you?

Speaker 1 (41:15):
Well, I confess that, like there's a lot of things
that I understand logically about this, but like I don't
really like them. Bouncing off the atmosphere like kind of
does nothing for me because like it's something I only
understand logically, Like I have no concept of what it's
like to bounce off the atmosphere. That kind of like
it does, but it doesn't make sense to me. Is
a problem. I know it's a real problem. I'm not stupid. Yeah,
I just can't quantify it as a real thing. Can

(41:36):
I as fall up to that? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (41:37):
Do you think this movie gets too heady sometimes?

Speaker 1 (41:40):
Do you do?

Speaker 2 (41:40):
You let me? That's hard because that's just something thing.
Do you think this movie doesn't explain itself enough?

Speaker 1 (41:46):
No? No, no, no, I just know. No, I don't
think so. Okay, I don't think so, But I'm just
I'm just trying to point out that, like in the
slew of problems to sort of make my point about
what does resonate with me. There are some things where
I'm like, I understand logically that stuff bounces off the
atmosphere all the time, but I have never seen it.
I will never see it, and I've never experienced it.
So there's different you go to space, I will rather die,

(42:08):
because if you go to space, you die.

Speaker 2 (42:09):
That is what happens.

Speaker 1 (42:13):
There's a difference between understanding something logically and like understanding
something like really in your body because you've experienced so Like,
the thing that resonates for me is how cold it is, Okay,
and in they do a good job from like day
three forward. You see their breath and you see how coold.
Like my favorite scene has to deal with how cold
it is in space.

Speaker 2 (42:31):
I love because I understand being cold in a really
weird way. I love that you see all the instrumentation
get frosty.

Speaker 1 (42:37):
And the condensation and.

Speaker 2 (42:39):
When they come into the atmosphere at all, like there's
just water like dripping, melting and such a great say, whoever,
like what set decorator decided to do that, or maybe
it was Ron Howard or whoever, whoever decided to do that,
Oh Chef's kiss.

Speaker 1 (42:54):
Because like I also understand that like they turn the
heaters off or they turn them as low as humanly
possible and stuff, because they're trying to say the amps
and the instrumentation and all this. I just I think
it is such a cool thing to do to those people.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
Well, let me ask you this. There's also a really
strong BT story in this movie of Ken manningly NASA
Superstar played by Gary Soonise.

Speaker 1 (43:14):
Oh I love this.

Speaker 2 (43:15):
Yeah, And he is in the module and he is
trying to figure out because they only have like twenty
amps or something like that to enter the atmosphere, and
so he's trying to be like, Okay, we've turned the
computer off to say power, we have to turn it
back on and can't use more than twenty ams. Yeah,
what do you think about the sequence? Because he's constantly like, well,
don't give me that they don't have that up here,
or I can't leave here because they can't leave.

Speaker 1 (43:36):
Yeah, that's actually probably my favorite plot.

Speaker 2 (43:38):
Do you think because there's some parts for me that
I think that Gary Snise plays it so dry, and
maybe Kim Maddiley was very dry, and maybe this's detail.
It's pretty dry, but like there's some points of that
for me, that is not as interesting.

Speaker 1 (43:53):
Oh that's so I find him compelling because to me,
I don't know if Ken Manningly was ex military, but
that is like military vibes to me, Like he feels
like a very real person to me in this I
think one of the reasons I like his storyline so
much is the first time I watched this movie, I
was with Jason and his family and your mom said

(44:17):
when when they brought him in to help out, she
was like, I feel so bad for him, and you
were like, why he's on earth, He's fine, and your
mom said, I bet he wished that he was up
there with them, And like your mom saying that resonates
with me so much about this character, like I feel
so bad for this character being like I it should

(44:40):
have been me. And I think that's why I buy
like how detached to you is because he's like, I'm
going to fix this problem sure, because it should have
been me. And I really actually really like the sequences
where you see him throughout the movie and.

Speaker 2 (44:51):
It should have because you later learned that they can't
get me. He didn't get measles at all, which.

Speaker 1 (44:54):
Was Fred Hayes was the one who was sick in space.

Speaker 2 (44:57):
Actually Fred Hayes got a urine air infection of what
happened him.

Speaker 1 (45:00):
Yeah, but he he was fading in the section, which
is why he was ill. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (45:03):
Yeah, Okay, So we finally get the landing procedure that
get all the things they're not certain about the heat shield.
It's a very dramatic sequence where they're they're coming in
and if you don't know this, when you're re entering
the atmosphere, there is always a two to three minute
sometimes four minute cut off because the heat is so
intense you can't set out a radio signal.

Speaker 1 (45:23):
Yeah, it's just like how when you take off you
just pass out for a little bit. Yep.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
So it's this very I.

Speaker 1 (45:27):
Do you want to go to say?

Speaker 2 (45:28):
It's amazing because there is this very intense sequence where
we're wondering are they alive? Are they not? And eventually
they land and we get the classic like voiceover where
we explained like what was the cause of the explosion
and the careers of all these men and the real
gym level actually is in this movie. He is the

(45:48):
admiral who salutes Tom Hanks on the carrier. He's now
passed away, but that was him.

Speaker 1 (45:53):
He was ancient when they made the movie.

Speaker 2 (45:55):
Well, yeah, I mean think about it, he was doing
this in nineteen seventy as a young man. What do
you think about the conclusion of this movie? This movie
does something Sometimes there's this movie has no epilogue. This
movie basically is the climax is they land, the movie
is over. That's that as correct. We get like three
minutes of an epilogue and that is it.

Speaker 1 (46:15):
You don't need it.

Speaker 2 (46:16):
Well, I agree, And this is something that a lot
of biopics do. It's like we make the like the
big event is the climax, and then the movie is over. Yeah,
what do you think about that? Is it successful in
this and do you think successful in other movies?

Speaker 1 (46:28):
Yeah? I want to ask you something about an earlier scene.
It's when we're done with this. No, I think it's
great because I don't like biopics where you get eighty
five slides at the end. I mean like Return to
the King telling you Return to the King has no
slides at the end.

Speaker 2 (46:45):
I'm just saying, like, oh, you mere talking about the
little text. Return to the King has a long epilogue,
but not a biopic. But I know I didn't say
it was.

Speaker 1 (46:54):
But I don't enjoy that, and I don't enjoy like
there is a probably a version of this film at
some point, even though it was just an idea and development,
where like he he gets back to Lynd and his wife,
who's been kind of nasty this whole. I can't decide
if I think Kathleen Quinland does a good job or
a bad job in this part.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
I think she does a bad job. I'm gonna like
I've never particularly liked her. She's the weakest part of movie. Awful.
But also that is also a cliche that yes, this
is like the cops wife either the military cops who
doesn't understand her husband's job.

Speaker 1 (47:29):
Yeah, and she like throws herself into his arms and
they kiss, Like I'm glad we did not get that.
I think the ending is perfect because all you need
to know is they got back safe. Yeah, Like that's
that's literally all that matters. And if you've never looked
it up, the actual photo of them all coming out
of the little pod is pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (47:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:51):
Yeah, they so bad. I think they would have stank anyway,
even even if they hadn't gone through what but yeah,
I mean even had been around all the urine and
poop bags yeah, and and sweat, yeah, et cetera. Yeah,
I mean yeah, they probably all smelled really bad least
of their concerns. I'm going to say. I wanted to
ask you there is a moment about halfway through the

(48:12):
movie where Jack Swigert and Fred Hayes fight with each other.
They argue and they are like screaming at each other,
and Jim Lovell has to like calm them down and
be like, we have bigger things to worry about. Stop
looking at the moon.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
No, he doesn't say it's way after that, he doesn't
say stop, No, I was evoking my thing. He says,
shut up, We're going to die.

Speaker 1 (48:36):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you think that is this a
piece of fiction or do you think they actually fought
up there?

Speaker 2 (48:43):
Yeah? I think we probably almost strangle each other, you
think so? Oh yeah? Talk about the most high stress situation,
because to me, this feels the most like tacked on
for drama, because we have to fight as for men.
Ask me who I think is the most realistic of
the three portroyals.

Speaker 1 (48:58):
Do you think you're going to say, You're gonna say
Kevin Bacon.

Speaker 2 (49:01):
Bingo, Yeah, bingo? The one who they kind of write
off is the dickhead. Well he's they write him off
as the rook the young hot shot. Yeah, but think
about this, right, when you are in one of those capsules,
you are trusting your life, yeah to the engineers that
built this thing. Yeah, which is the reason why they
test it and test it and simulate and simulate, because

(49:24):
you have to trust that this equipment will work. Yeah,
because you can't worry about it. Yeah, you just got
to go. But you're also trusting that everybody in mission control,
all those scientists and all those engineers have done the math. Yeah,
that will bring you home. So again, Kevin Bacon is

(49:46):
playing Jack Jack, he's the pilot, yeah, and his again,
his whole mission is to land this thing. Yeah, and
he would know at a certain point where he's like,
if they don't give us the exact pitch of the
re entry protocols, we're dead.

Speaker 1 (50:08):
Yeah, and that's what starts their fight, yes, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (50:10):
And he would also be like, I need time to
practice this, Yeah, I need time to get my head
into this game. And I think that's what that scene is,
and they don't really represent that well. But he's coming
in there and I think he's very much like, guys,
they should have given us this an hour ago.

Speaker 1 (50:29):
Yeah, he thinks they're going to die and he thinks
they haven't told them that they're going to do.

Speaker 2 (50:32):
But I agree, I think and in those situations, and
I bet that you happens all the time in space
and we never hear about it. He's like, he's like,
we have like we cannot land without them.

Speaker 1 (50:45):
Because like from a cinematic point of view, like do
you make this movie and not have a fight, Well
that is not have a screaming match, you know, Like
that's why I wanted to.

Speaker 2 (50:52):
Ask that question. I almost think they one hund percent
fought because high stress and they're going to die. Yeah,
that's stress. Haven't slept at all? Yeah, and they barely slept.
You can't sleep on spacecraft really anyway. Yeah, here's the
true secret about most military missions. You never sleep. Yeah,
most of the people doing all of us missions. You're
not sleeping. Yeah, you're not sleeping in you're stress out
of year thing. But that is why you do the training.

(51:15):
Because you do the training and you do the simulizations.
It is the same with the military, same with NASA,
so that you run on auto. You know it so well.
That's why NASA recruits for the military. That's why you
know it so well. That's why that's why NASA used
to recruit a lot of test pilots. Yeah, because you
know what test pilots do. They trust the aircraft.

Speaker 1 (51:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (51:34):
They don't let their stress or their fear or anything.
They're like, I know how to operate this aircraft. Yeah,
and as long as I do this, I can land
the plane.

Speaker 1 (51:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (51:46):
And you know, other people let anxiety and stress get
to them. Yeah, And if you're trained right, you don't,
because otherwise it's the here's the real reality of being
in places like that and doing things like this. If
you actually think about what you're doing, you will be
paralyzed by fear. Yeah, and you can't let that happen.

Speaker 1 (52:04):
Well, what I think is one of the most it's
not my favorite sequons, but one of the most brilliant
sequences is early on when the explosion first happened, and
it's and I think it's a very impressive piece of acting. Yeah,
it's Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton. Every time I think about
Bill Paxton, I think about cabin pressure and that woman
shot Bill Paxton where they're describing like a movie that
they're watching a movie on the plane they go and
that woman shot Bill Paxton. So Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton,

(52:26):
and Kevin Bacon are all that it's just exploded. They're
all talking to mission control and it is the three
of them and they are not screaming because they are
not hysterical, but they are. Their voices are raised, and
they are all having independent conversations. They'd all be talking
about three people NASA, and it is three actors speaking
three and it's a long sequence. It must be like
a two or three pages for each of them, and

(52:47):
they are doing it at the same time. And I
think it's a very impressive piece of acting because if
you tune into them and you can listen to one actor,
they're not just saying gibberish like they are having technical
conversations that they've had to memorize. But also because to me,
that exemplifies in my mind what those type of people

(53:08):
must be like in a high stress situation where you
hyper focus so you don't have a panic attack.

Speaker 2 (53:14):
Yeah, and if I was, if my hope is, if
I was the director of this piece, I would have
had people on their headsets talking to.

Speaker 1 (53:21):
Them at least like an at least like a pa
reading back lines or something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
but I mean you have you have to assume that
they just did it talking to nothing. Hm.

Speaker 2 (53:32):
Okay, so now we're going to get into, you know,
the things about the rewatch Ashley, Who do you think
the best actor in this movie?

Speaker 1 (53:41):
I actually think that's a tough question because I think
with a few exceptions, everyone does a really good job.

Speaker 2 (53:47):
Oh wait, this is a solid movie.

Speaker 1 (53:51):
I am going to give it to Bill Paxton. I
have a lot of empathy for Freddy's in this movie,
and I think he does a really good job at
playing an understate, like someone who is sick and tired,
and that is hard to do. I think he's really
really good in this movie. How about you?

Speaker 2 (54:13):
I think it's Ed Harris as Grant because there's something
about him being like, well, i think it's gonna be
our finest hour when everybody else is like ready to
like write them off. And also like there's something about
doing those exposition scenes where like we got to get
him them from here to hear that a lesser actor
will always screw up and a great actor makes those

(54:33):
the best scenes in the movie, Like, it's very similar,
and he does that a.

Speaker 1 (54:37):
Version of that scene several times over.

Speaker 2 (54:39):
Yeah, it's very similar to the movie The Fugitive, which
is a great movie. Harrison Forward, and there's a scene
in where Tommy ly Jones like We're gonna search every henhouse,
bar house, chicken house, and like a lesser actor makes
that monologue goofy. It becomes the song where You're like,
and I think Ed Harris takes a lot of dialogue
that a lesser of actor would have made. Like he

(55:01):
was rightly nominated for Best Supporting Acts at Aris is
ANOMI for Best Sporting Actor four times and ever one.
That's a shame.

Speaker 1 (55:07):
He's very silenced.

Speaker 2 (55:07):
That's a shame.

Speaker 1 (55:08):
Ashley, what's the best scene in this movie? My favorite
scene is I think it's day six or seven and
Tom Hanks is coming into whatever. I don't I can't
tell which part of the ship is which because I
don't know that much about space.

Speaker 2 (55:29):
The command module of the limb.

Speaker 1 (55:30):
Yeah, I don't know which one is which. I have
no idea. He's coming into some part of the ship
and Bill Paxson is in there and his back is
towards you. And he's kind of curled up, and like
there's a split second the first time we watch it
where you're like, oh, no, is he dead And he's
just so cold, and Tom Hanks just like takes him
in his arms and like warms him up. And I
think it is just such a beautiful human moment and

(55:53):
it is such like an act of intimacy that you
don't get to see between men, and you don't get
to see between men, particularly of this era, Like I
think it is bar none. And then when he like
my other favorite scene is when they're about to re
enter and Kevin Bacon like helps him do up his
like seat belt. I don't know, I'm I don't know
what the eye it's not a seat belt, but hiss

(56:13):
like actual harness or whatever. I think those are like
the two of the most human moments that you get
in the whole thing, and I just think they're so
beautiful every single time. It's not a scene really, it's
just these like two quiet moments, but I think it
is like some of the most magnificent acting. So those
are my favorite moments. None of the scary stuff, none
of the takeops, just like them looking after poor Fredo

(56:37):
because he's sick.

Speaker 2 (56:38):
Yeah, how about you. I mean, the launch is amazing,
but if I have another moment. I love the moment
that right when they're about to re enter, when Tom
Hanks sits in the pilot seat, oh by accident, And
there's a brief moment where because again the entire movie,
they're all like Kevin Bacon, he's the pilot, he's the rookie,

(56:59):
and there's a well and they're trying to decide if
it's his faultic yes, And there's a brief moment where
you kind of get the impression that, like Jim Lowell
was basically who's alot? Again, they're all pilots, might just
fly the thing in and he's like, no, I'm going
to trust the guy that trained. And he's like, sorry
about that old habits and he flips And that's what
I think is like a really really great moment. All
right on the Rewrotch Ashley, did a paul A thirteen

(57:22):
pass or fail for you?

Speaker 1 (57:25):
No, A Paulo thirteen definitely passes, Like, like, no, my
feelings about space aside, no question. The pass for me
is well, it's a really good movie. Yeah, it's a
good movie.

Speaker 2 (57:37):
Okay, cool, all right, Now, next episode, we are going
to watch this movie.

Speaker 1 (57:52):
Some lunatic is out there killing members of the hockey community.

Speaker 2 (57:58):
For Detective Martin Ward. Solving his latest case is nothing
compared to getting along with his new partner. He's from Quebec.

Speaker 1 (58:12):
Mardn Ward.

Speaker 2 (58:13):
David's will charge the subject. Was it true Quebecer? His
heart is in Quebec.

Speaker 1 (58:18):
Yes, But as angst to you, their cultures don't match.

Speaker 2 (58:27):
The subject divorce talks about seventy five hours a week,
which I got from Montreal.

Speaker 1 (58:31):
Is a lot.

Speaker 2 (58:33):
Their styles don't blend. This is it called bond cop
bad cop? Actually? When it's come out, who is this
by a cal Fire was in a lot of that two.

Speaker 1 (58:40):
Thousand and six. I think this movie came out.

Speaker 2 (58:43):
The top comment on YouTube for this trailer says most
Canadian movie ever. Okay, do you agree with the statement?
Absolutely no, it's strange brew. I think it's the most
Canadian movie ever.

Speaker 1 (58:54):
Not if youesca Canadian. I'm certainly made by Canadians. Yeah,
not beloved where I come from. Because it perpetrates every
stereotype that America has about us being stupid. Boncop back
Coop is a two thousand and six movie two thousand
and six and six about the difference between Ontario and

(59:16):
Quemqua cultures through the lens of a buddy cop movie.
I'm not warm on buddy cop movies at all. I've
rarely seen one that I thought was good. I think
this is a very good one.

Speaker 2 (59:26):
There was a sequel to this.

Speaker 1 (59:28):
That dude from Continuum that you like is in this movie.

Speaker 2 (59:32):
Boy, that narrows it down.

Speaker 1 (59:33):
Eric Nudsen, he was the lead of Continuum.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
No, I don't think so. Who are you, Eric Nudson?

Speaker 1 (59:41):
I think that's is that not who this young man?

Speaker 2 (59:43):
I mean, he's in Continuum. I don't them call him
the lead.

Speaker 1 (59:46):
I don't know. He was the guy who was on
the poster all the time. Ok, he didn't much continue.

Speaker 2 (59:49):
I'm looking at the cast list for Boncop bat Coop.
He's like the fifteenth percent. He's in the movie. Then
that's where he is on Continuum. Yeah, yeah, well he
was on the boostairs. Sure.

Speaker 1 (01:00:00):
I really wanted to do a Canadian movie. Sure, and
I wanted to do a movie.

Speaker 2 (01:00:04):
I don't know who. Patrick Huard is the co lead
of this. I've never heard of.

Speaker 1 (01:00:07):
He's a French Canadian actor, and it explores this sort
of tenuous relationships that two of the larger provinces and
cultures in Canada have, but through a comedy. When this
movie came out, it's one of the first Canadian movies
that I remember getting an international audience, okay, and people

(01:00:30):
responding to positively. I also wanted to make sure that
we gave our listeners something that they didn't have to
pay watch. And it's fun. It's on at least in Canada,
as my phone wants you to know it's It's on Netflix.
So I wanted to do a Canadian movie. I like
this movie column Fire, you know, I said, we need

(01:00:51):
an actor from far all mankind to continue talking about
Face next.

Speaker 2 (01:00:54):
Month, because you love it.

Speaker 1 (01:00:55):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
I've never heard this movie, so I'm excited.

Speaker 1 (01:00:58):
I'm shocked of that movie. I'm not even remotely shocked
that you've never heard of this. It's on its face,
it's it's a pretty typical buddy cap movie. But I
remember this.

Speaker 2 (01:01:10):
Being very funny, so you remember it being very funny. Okay,
let me ask you this question. Do you think it'll
be funny to Americans?

Speaker 1 (01:01:16):
Honestly? Maybe who knows there was a joke.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
In there about a bickole Becker, and I was like,
I don't understand.

Speaker 1 (01:01:20):
That joke at all, that joke or the joke about
a seventy five hour work week being a lot in Montreal,
because I thought that was very funny.

Speaker 2 (01:01:25):
I don't understand that one. Can you give us some
insight about my job?

Speaker 1 (01:01:28):
Sort of the idea that in like English culture, we
look at the French as being very like lazy and
lacks of daisical and like I'm smoking and I am
making love to a beautiful woman and Milliam just so
it's like, well, seventy five hours would be like longer
than a typical work week. So that's the joke that
like for Montreal, it's a lot.

Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
Okay, all right, cool, Well we'll check that out next time.
So on, be sure to stick around, you know, and
listen to some of our other podcasts at patreon dot com.
Slash job on the JAWII in Ashley, Where can they
find you on social media?

Speaker 1 (01:02:00):
You can find me at Ashley V. Robinson everywhere.

Speaker 2 (01:02:03):
You can find me on Twitter, Instagram at jah on
jw I I in uh. And then finally, do we
think we'll ever rewatch Apollo thirteen. I can almost guarantee
you the answer is, yes, you will.

Speaker 1 (01:02:15):
They made a bun Cup Bad Cop too.

Speaker 2 (01:02:17):
I just I said that like five minutes.

Speaker 1 (01:02:19):
Oh, I didn't hear that. They made it the next year.

Speaker 2 (01:02:21):
All right, We're gonna see you on down the road
everybody next time on films as ball. Gulp. Wait, how
do you say see you down the road in French?
Let's let's send on that.

Speaker 1 (01:02:34):
I mean, there's like not a phrase that translates to that.

Speaker 2 (01:02:37):
Get as close as you can be into