I'm surprised there was such enthusiasm at your screening, which obviously makes a difference. I saw it on a first-day screening in a rather large cinema with about four other people. The atmosphere was about as sullen as the film's Neil Armstrong. Plus I notice the box office takings have been distressingly low. I was watching the film from the perspective of what it needed to do to connect with a modern audience. And a cheerless film about grief featuring 16mm hand-held camera work and a curious refusal to exploit the epic grandeur of the story isn't the answer. And I think that was obvious from the trailers. I also think Gosling (whom I like) is woefully miscast. Armstrong may have been deeply affected by his daughter's death but he had a goofy, likable quality about him (he wouldn't have been selected otherwise) which Gosling utterly fails to replicate.
I'm one of those people who don't care about box office since it has absolutely zilch to do with the quality of a film. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's films usually open at no. 1 to high grosses but they're usually crap movies. The superb Bad Times At The El Royale opened at a disappointing 7th position but I think it's one of the best films of 2018 (I actually liked it more than First Man). Again, I don't find Chazelle's refusal to exploit the "epic grandeur of the story" curious at all. It's not the kind of film HE wanted to make. He could have done a big rah-rah America planting of the flag scene with rising music but that kind of film making isn't Chazelle's style. Instead, we simply see a glimpse of an American flag planted far in the background without any "epic grandeur". I liked that. It's not about the planting of the flag. It's about Armstrong. The film is based on a biography of Armstrong and Gosling spent a lot of time gleaning information about Armstrong from his surviving family, friends and co-workers. His portrayal is based on what information he could get. The private Armstrong, not the public "goofy, likable" public Armstrong. I think Gosling's performance is terrific and while it's too early to suggest he'll win an Oscar for it, he'll certainly be nominated.
I will say that though I enjoyed First Man, I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite films of the year. Although I liked it a lot, I had problems with it too. But I took the film for what the film makers intended (Chazelle, Gosling, Claire Foy did a Q&A after the SAG screening) and on those terms, they were successful. It may not have been to your liking (or even mine) but it's his movie. I'm just glad he didn't pander to the masses.
There's a bit of strawmanning there as I wasn't looking for ra-ra American flag-on the-moon, either. Nor do I care about box office vis-a-vis quality (THE RIGHT STUFF, one of my favorite movies, also flopped). The problem is that this is the only film ever about the lunar landing and -- now that it exists -- it's likely to be the only one we'll ever see in our lifetimes. I just think it's a crying shame that Chazelle turned it into a French arthouse film. The most monumental moment of our age deserves better.
Ryan is miscast here, he was miscast in this director's last film La La Land as well. He is making himself seem like a much worse actor than he actually is by taking the wrong projects.
It may not have been to your liking (or even mine) but it's his movie. I'm just glad he didn't pander to the masses.
Though I don't know that I'd call it "pandering" to make a crowd-pleaser (and what's wrong with pleasing crowds?), I do agree that Chazelle earned the right to make the film he wants to make. It's not my money on the line.
But watching it, I did get the feeling that a lot of the choices were less about what he wanted to make and more about what he didn't want to make. That the film spends as long as it does on the dangers of getting to the moon, then completely skips the return, is a very deliberate choice to thwart audience expectations. Chazelle would likely say that that's not what interested him, but it certainly interested me. He made a decision to skip the life-or-death drama and replace it with a very muted, downbeat scene about a damaged, dour person, and just because that's an audacious artistic choice doesn't make it the right choice to me.
I'm surprised there was such enthusiasm at your screening, which obviously makes a difference. I saw it on a first-day screening in a rather large cinema with about four other people. The atmosphere was about as sullen as the film's Neil Armstrong. Plus I notice the box office takings have been distressingly low. I was watching the film from the perspective of what it needed to do to connect with a modern audience. And a cheerless film about grief featuring 16mm hand-held camera work and a curious refusal to exploit the epic grandeur of the story isn't the answer. And I think that was obvious from the trailers. I also think Gosling (whom I like) is woefully miscast. Armstrong may have been deeply affected by his daughter's death but he had a goofy, likable quality about him (he wouldn't have been selected otherwise) which Gosling utterly fails to replicate.
I'm one of those people who don't care about box office since it has absolutely zilch to do with the quality of a film. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's films usually open at no. 1 to high grosses but they're usually crap movies. The superb Bad Times At The El Royale opened at a disappointing 7th position but I think it's one of the best films of 2018 (I actually liked it more than First Man). Again, I don't find Chazelle's refusal to exploit the "epic grandeur of the story" curious at all. It's not the kind of film HE wanted to make. He could have done a big rah-rah America planting of the flag scene with rising music but that kind of film making isn't Chazelle's style. Instead, we simply see a glimpse of an American flag planted far in the background without any "epic grandeur". I liked that. It's not about the planting of the flag. It's about Armstrong. The film is based on a biography of Armstrong and Gosling spent a lot of time gleaning information about Armstrong from his surviving family, friends and co-workers. His portrayal is based on what information he could get. The private Armstrong, not the public "goofy, likable" public Armstrong. I think Gosling's performance is terrific and while it's too early to suggest he'll win an Oscar for it, he'll certainly be nominated.
I will say that though I enjoyed First Man, I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite films of the year. Although I liked it a lot, I had problems with it too. But I took the film for what the film makers intended (Chazelle, Gosling, Claire Foy did a Q&A after the SAG screening) and on those terms, they were successful. It may not have been to your liking (or even mine) but it's his movie. I'm just glad he didn't pander to the masses.
There's a bit of strawmanning there as I wasn't looking for ra-ra American flag-on the-moon, either. Nor do I care about box office vis-a-vis quality (THE RIGHT STUFF, one of my favorite movies, also flopped). The problem is that this is the only film ever about the lunar landing and -- now that it exists -- it's likely to be the only one we'll ever see in our lifetimes. I just think it's a crying shame that Chazelle turned it into a French arthouse film. The most monumental moment of our age deserves better.
Very well stated. It didn't need to be a super ra-ra wave the American flag kinda film, but it appears the director had complete disregard for the subject matter. And as you said pissed away a great story "real space fans" will likely never see.
Regards the film, I think HBO's From the Earth to the Moon (and THERE'S a long overdue soundtrack collection) did it better. It's possibly an unfair comparison, but it was more mythic, tragic, uplifting, and had fantastic characters and stories ('Spider' anyone?).
I just had Justin sign my copy on CD yesterday. It is, least in the U.S.A. a CD not CDR. My copy was the first one he had seen and signed and he added under his signature, 1st Signed Copy. That made my night
I just had Justin sign my copy on CD yesterday. It is, least in the U.S.A. a CD not CDR. My copy was the first one he had seen and signed and he added under his signature, 1st Signed Copy. That made my night
Thanks for the confirmation, ordering it now! Great story
The problem is that this is the only film ever about the lunar landing and -- now that it exists -- it's likely to be the only one we'll ever see in our lifetimes. I just think it's a crying shame that Chazelle turned it into a French arthouse film. The most monumental moment of our age deserves better.
Very well stated. It didn't need to be a super ra-ra wave the American flag kinda film, but it appears the director had complete disregard for the subject matter. And as you said pissed away a great story "real space fans" will likely never see.
I'm starting to repeat myself so I'm outta here but before I go, once again, I don't get the mentality of "that's not the movie I wanted to see, why didn't you make the movie I wanted?"! Chazelle's film was never intended to be about the moon landing. It's called First Man and based on the non fiction book First Man: The Life Of Neil A. Armstrong. Doesn't that say it all? It's not called Apollo 11, it's not called Moon Landing. It's called First MAN! There's a great movie to be made about the moon landing and someday, someone will make it. Chazelle's film wasn't it, it was about something else and I just don't get the anger that his focus was the man, not the moon landing.
The problem is that this is the only film ever about the lunar landing and -- now that it exists -- it's likely to be the only one we'll ever see in our lifetimes. I just think it's a crying shame that Chazelle turned it into a French arthouse film. The most monumental moment of our age deserves better.
Very well stated. It didn't need to be a super ra-ra wave the American flag kinda film, but it appears the director had complete disregard for the subject matter. And as you said pissed away a great story "real space fans" will likely never see.
I'm starting to repeat myself so I'm outta here but before I go, once again, I don't get the mentality of "that's not the movie I wanted to see, why didn't you make the movie I wanted?"! Chazelle's film was never intended to be about the moon landing. It's called First Man and based on the non fiction book First Man: The Life Of Neil A. Armstrong. Doesn't that say it all? It's not called Apollo 11, it's not called Moon Landing. It's called First MAN! There's a great movie to be made about the moon landing and someday, someone will make it. Chazelle's film wasn't it, it was about something else and I just don't get the anger that his focus was the man, not the moon landing.
Then what does "First Man" mean other than first man on the Moon? That's the "subject" of the film. Which by the way is really misleading because when I read "First Man" and see something spacey I think "first man in space", which of course wasn't an American.
To make a movie about a man's greatest professional achievement in his life, arguably "man's" greatest achievement in human history up to that point in time, only to focus on his personal life/demons just seems strange if not bait in switch. In other words, if Armstrong wasn't the first man on the Moon would this film even been made?
I'm really loving the score, the cue "The Landing" is one of the first in ages that I have listened to over and over and over. Really like how this theme is woven through the score.
Am I crazy, or is the theme based on a theme from his LA LA LAND music? I'm not complaining, if it is I think that's really cool
Also, yes, "Apollo 11 Launch" was clearly temp-tracked with "The End" from UNITED 93, but the rest of the score is really great.
I'm really loving the score, the cue "The Landing" is one of the first in ages that I have listened to over and over and over. Really like how this theme is woven through the score.
Am I crazy, or is the theme based on a theme from his LA LA LAND music? I'm not complaining, if it is I think that's really cool
Also, yes, "Apollo 11 Launch" was clearly temp-tracked with "The End" from UNITED 93, but the rest of the score is really great.
Why is that cool? Isn’t reusing music from your previous score....a bad thing?
I'm really loving the score, the cue "The Landing" is one of the first in ages that I have listened to over and over and over. Really like how this theme is woven through the score.
Am I crazy, or is the theme based on a theme from his LA LA LAND music? I'm not complaining, if it is I think that's really cool
Also, yes, "Apollo 11 Launch" was clearly temp-tracked with "The End" from UNITED 93, but the rest of the score is really great.
Why is that cool? Isn’t reusing music from your previous score....a bad thing?
My favorite composer is Michael Nyman, he routinely reuses melodies from earlier compositions, I don't mind it at all, as long as he's bringing something new to them.
In this case, I'm fairly sure the main theme is either exactly the same as one of the minor themes in La La Land, or extremely similar, but I don't mind it because it's orchestrated in a radically different manner, and it's exciting to hear something that has some of the musical DNA of one piece completely reconceived in another home, and to find that it can live comfortably in both.
I posted a youtube of The Landing because of comments made on this thread, but it locked this thread, so it was deleted. I must say that I was impressed with the cue. It had unique orchestrations. I wondered if Hurwitz would just do musicals, and I can hear that he does provide an interesting score for a movie that is not a musical.
I'm glad I hadn't listened to any of the score before seeing the movie this past weekend because I probably would've soured on what I thought worked very well in the film. It fit the style of the film like a glove.
Like some other folks have mentioned, "The Landing" is the cue I've gone back to several times, and I'm surprised no one has mentioned John Barry yet. The approach, the structure, the repetition, the orchestration; it reminds me of something that would have been at home in MOONRAKER.
I just had Justin sign my copy on CD yesterday. It is, least in the U.S.A. a CD not CDR. My copy was the first one he had seen and signed and he added under his signature, 1st Signed Copy. That made my night
I just had Justin sign my copy on CD yesterday. It is, least in the U.S.A. a CD not CDR. My copy was the first one he had seen and signed and he added under his signature, 1st Signed Copy. That made my night
Have you asked John Powell to sign it as well?
There's one cue that has about a minute lifted from United 93 in a score running about an hour. Every director falls victim to "temp track love" at some point and every composer has to endure it. Heck, John Williams himself was guilty of it on Memoirs of a Geisha, with one cue that was absolutely identical to the temp track cue from The Last Emperor.
