Moonshot

[shapinglight]

So - Moonshot.

Er, I don't need to give spoiler warnings, do I? I mean, we all know what happened, don't we?

Anyway, spoilers for the program behind cut.



It didn't start well for me, in that both S and M (Heh! sorry, still funny) were still up and neither could understand why I wanted to see this program. Then, before it started the continuity person announced that it starred Daniel Lepaine (spelling?) and James Marsters. At once, two pairs of eyes swivelled in my direction.

M: O-oh, so that's why you wanted to see it. :smirks:
S: :gives me a disgusted look:
Me (feebly): I only want to see the start.

In the end, S fell asleep on the sofa and when he woke up, went off to bed, so I ended up watching the whole thing, and I really, really enjoyed it. Despite, as I said above, knowing what was going to happen, I found it suspenseful and dramatic (and if I hadn't, I would have known it was because the subtitles told me so - I had to turn them on because everyone was mumbling so much) and the blend of original TV footage and re-enactment worked really well. Much better than it usually does. James was very good, and so was everyone else. I especially liked Daniel Lepaine's very calm Armstrong contrasted with James's more volatile Aldrin, and the actress who played Armstrong's wife.

And what's more, given that it was made in Lithuania for 5p and a piece of old string, it looked really, really good, I thought.

What did everyone else think? And why isn't the DVD for sale yet on Amazon.uk?

And why don't I have a Moonshot icon? Shall have to snag some.

ETA: Finally got a Moonshot icon.

Comments

[gillo]

I read this out to my husband.

"Ah. That's why you wanted to record it. I did wonder." Smirk.

[shapinglight]

It's really good. You'll enjoy it.

:needs Moonshot icon:

[ex_peasant441]

Oh bother, does this mean since it's recorded without the subtitles I won't understand a word? Oh well, just have to turn the volume up really high and hope for the best.

[shapinglight]

Well, as we established over the weekend, I'm a bit deaf so you may well be fine.

[next_to_normal]

I had to turn the volume alllll the way up on my TV, but I could understand it okay without subtitles...

[deborahw37.livejournal.com]

I loved it.

[shapinglight]

Yep. Pretty much sums up how I feel.

:is impatient for that DVD:

[calturner.livejournal.com]

I loved it. It was a film I would have enjoyed even if James hadn't been in it. I thought he made a wonderful Buzz Aldrin! Definitely one I'll want to see again. :)

[shapinglight]

Yes, me too. The whole thing was very, very enjoyable.

[ruuger]

I've already watched it twice - first by downloading a copy, and then again when to my surprise it turned out that one of the Finnish channels was showing it on Sunday - and I think I liked it even better the second time.

Sure, it was a small-budget tv-movie, and the screenplay had times when I wondered if it had been originally meant to have been even more of a documentary, but in all I thought the movie managed to create the suspense quite well without being melodramatic. I also really liked the cast, Armstrong, Collins, and Mrs. Armstrong were all very good, and James was of course great as Aldrin (and had much more screentime than I had expected - it was like watching the Buzz Aldrin Show at times).

I'll definitely be buying the DVD if there ever is a region 2 version released.

[shapinglight]

and I think I liked it even better the second time.

I really want to see it again. I'd like to see the longer version too. Is the copy you downloaded the longer one, and if so, what are the differences?

I agree there was quite an emphasis on Aldrin. Not that that bothers me.

I'll definitely be buying the DVD if there ever is a region 2 version released.

Yep. Me too. I hope there is. In fact, I'm sure I saw someone saying she'd pre-ordered it from Amazon in Germany. Odd.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

it was like watching the Buzz Aldrin Show at times

Yeah, I was surprised. It was like he really was the lead in the movie.

[mere-ubu.livejournal.com]

And what's more, given that it was made in Lithuania for 5p and a piece of old string, it looked really, really good, I thought.

Heee! This made me laugh so hard that I had to read it to my husband, who's still giggling. I roped everyone into watching it with me last night under the pretext that it would be Educational for The Child. We got about five seconds into the program, and she said, "Oh my god. Is that Spike?" Well. No fooling the ten year-old. I will note, however, that she didn't seem to be complaining. ;)

[shapinglight]

We got about five seconds into the program, and she said, "Oh my god. Is that Spike?" Well. No fooling the ten year-old

Heh! It's terrible how they find you out, isn't it? However, it was Educational. Definitely. :)

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

I'm having a bit of a TV conundrum this week, as Moonshot was on opposite the first day of Torchwood CoE, and we are flying out for the Comic-Con tonight thereby missing all the rest of Torchwood, the Doctor Who Dead Planet special, and the first showing of Being Human! Argh! Who decides on scheduling over at BBC America, anyway? This is the week that the hardest core of their SciFi core audience is out of town! And, now I feel like a slave to the television, which is not helping.

I shouldn't bitch, because the Con will be brimming with all sorts of wonderful related stuff, but I will bitch, because the spoilers will be impossible to avoid. Pft.

All this to say, MiAmor recorded it for me, but we only caught the tail end (after TW, as McDiva wanted to watch that), which didn't have all the emotionally dramatic bits. I was a bit thrown by the actual Aldrin-on-the-moon dialog coming out of James' mouth, since his voice is so much deeper than Aldrin's, but I caught on eventually.

Of course, as I was madly running around clearing the decks for another week away from home/work, MiAmor managed to watch it again from the beginning. Sneaky bastard.

P.S. It's wonderful to hear that subtitles are needed for the mumbling Yanks, as there's many over here that need 'em for all the impenetrable and wide ranging Brit accents. My dear old da, for instance, needs 'em for Harry Potter. Heh. I tell him that explains why he likes Swedish films so much: subtitles and lots of long, silent bits.

[shapinglight]

I feel your TV angst. I've noted that whenever there's something on I want to watch, there's always more than one thing at once. I'm pretty sure the History Channel will repeat Moonshot over and over, but I'm very sorry if you missed Being Human, because it really is a great show.

This is the week that the hardest core of their SciFi core audience is out of town!

Is it faintly possible that BBCAmerica doesn't know this?

Excited to hear that you're going to Comic Con. I hope for a full report. Will you be going to Joss's talk or any of the IDW stuff?

Re: the mumbling - in my case it's not just Americans. I have trouble with people mumbling in home grown stuff too. TW: CoE, for instance. I missed loads because they wouldn't stop mumbling.

[next_to_normal]

I really enjoyed it, too (which is a pleasant change from the stuff I usually watch for dear Jimmy). I'm a fan of astronauts and space movies, so I'd probably have watched it anyway, but it was a nice bonus to see our boy actoring. :)

I didn't see any advertising at all for it, though, so without updates from James and fans, I'd never have known about it. I'll have to recommend it to my parents when it's out on DVD, since I'm sure they probably missed it.

[shapinglight]

I'll happily watch almost anything with James in it, though I make an exception for Smallville, which is teeth-grittingly awful, and chick flicks. I did like this, though. I thought it was very well done considering the tiny budget, and James was pretty much the star, which is fine by me.

[whichclothes.livejournal.com]

Argh! I'm in Canada now and if they showed it on any Canadian stations, it wasn't one I get here. No Torchwood or Being Human, either, because, of course, no BBC America.

[shapinglight]

Oh dear! Don't fret, though. I'm sure the History Channel will repeat it ad nauseam.

[revdorothyl.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting about this! I was completely oblivious and missed last night's broadcast, but now I'll be sure to set my DVR to record the re-broadcast Saturday night.

[shapinglight]

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I thought it was great.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it and thought JM gave a really good performance. Oh, and looking at HuffingtonPost this morning and some of the home photos of the actual astronaughts, JM did look a great deal like Aldrin.

[shapinglight]

I enjoyed it and thought JM gave a really good performance

I agree. It was great fun. And I've finally got around to uploading a Moonshot icon.

[quinara]

Just caught this on ITV Player... It wasn't bad at all! In fact I thought it was very close to pitch-perfect - the suspense was understated enough that it still got its hooks in you, even though you knew everything was going to be fine. Daniel Lepaine was very very good (as, of course, was James).

[shapinglight]

Daniel Lepaine was very very good (as, of course, was James).

They worked well together, didn't they? Dare I say it, a bit Spike and Angel, with the tall block of wood bloke and the volatile shorter bloke.

[missus-grace.livejournal.com]

I loved it. It's not many shows anymore that will get me to sit still in front of the TV for two hours.

This one did. And of course, there was James. (Although he couldn't make me sit through Shadow Puppets, so it's not all about him)

I had to search the TV menu to see when Apollo 13 will be on again because now I'm all hot for space movies :)

[shapinglight]

I had to search the TV menu to see when Apollo 13 will be on again because now I'm all hot for space movies :)

Apollo 13 is a really good film, isn't it? I actually remember the Apollo 13 incident better than Apollo 11. I was a little older and of course the tension got to everyone. Will never forget the day Apollo 13 got back to Earth. I think the whole world held its collective breath and then cheered.

[yourlibrarian]

I'll have to see if we can record it (I don't even know if it's aired yet here, have been quite distracted lately). I quite enjoyed The Right Stuff so I'm sure I'll like this too.

[shapinglight]

It's not really up to The Right Stuff standard, having been made on a shoestring budget in Eastern Europe, but it's very enjoyable all the same, and always nice to see James on telly. I hope you get the chance to see it.