Apollo 11 (Documentary)

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by ambientcafe

If the trailer is any indication, I'm most impressed that they were able to re-frame the archival footage (originally 1.33 AR) to 'scope' proportions, and still maintain an esthetically-balanced presentation ... and in the process of doing so, imbue the film with an epic '2001:ASO'-vibe ... and I'm sure the (archival) audio has been 'enhanced' as well

Eh? They found a treasure trove of 5-perf 65mm material when prepping this project, that format's got a native aspect as shot of about 2.25 (and is indeed what 2001:ASO was shot on). You can literally see the edges of the film frame in the image you've quoted, it's not been reframed from 1.33!

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Watching this in IMAX is a really mind-blowing experience, can't recommend it enough.

Will it be elegible for a Best Documentary Oscar next year? It should be a formidable contender!

I don’t see why it wouldn’t be eligible, it’s much longer than the 40 min limit (which separates documentary feature from short) and is getting a theatrical release. It certainly could be a contender in that race, but that category can be hard to predict- see the snubs for Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Three Identical Strangers this year.

[MifuneFan]

I'm actually a little surprised they didn't hold off until July to release this in theaters, when the launch happened 50 years ago. I suppose they're timing the home video release for that time? Though I feel like it would have made more business sense to release this in July in theaters, and have the home video release out for the holidays. I guess it's probably to do with getting an open slot for IMAX too.

[filmbuffTX]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I'm actually a little surprised they didn't hold off until July to release this in theaters, when the launch happened 50 years ago. I suppose they're timing the home video release for that time? Though I feel like it would have made more business sense to release this in July in theaters, and have the home video release out for the holidays.

I thought the same thing about First Man, but I suppose they wanted a Fall release for awards consideration. Also, the summer months are very competitive.

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I'm actually a little surprised they didn't hold off until July to release this in theaters, when the launch happened 50 years ago. I suppose they're timing the home video release for that time? Though I feel like it would have made more business sense to release this in July in theaters, and have the home video release out for the holidays. I guess it's probably to do with getting an open slot for IMAX too.

Yeah, I’m thinking the IMAX slot was a big factor since the director was very happy to be releasing the film in IMAX (and apparently the studio wanted it as well) and there was probably no chance in July with all the big Summer blockbusters. We know films have picked release dates to fit IMAX’s schedule before, for instance Sully chose early Sept as it was the only time they could get a multi week commitment from IMAX.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I'm actually a little surprised they didn't hold off until July to release this in theaters, when the launch happened 50 years ago. I suppose they're timing the home video release for that time? Though I feel like it would have made more business sense to release this in July in theaters, and have the home video release out for the holidays. I guess it's probably to do with getting an open slot for IMAX too.

It makes no business sense at all to try to distribute an indie documentary at the time of year when the theaters are playing almost nothing but blockbusters from the Hollywood studios. It would literally be the worst time of the year to try to secure screens for a small indie doc with minimal promotional budget.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

It makes no business sense at all to try to distribute an indie documentary at the time of year when the theaters are playing almost nothing but blockbusters from the Hollywood studios. It would literally be the worst time of the year to try to secure screens for a small indie doc with minimal promotional budget.

True, I wasn't really thinking about the summer blockbuster aspect so much as the celebration of the moon landing which will no doubt be a hugely popular topic during the month of the anniversary.

[tyee]

Just emailed my local IMAX theatre and this is what they said -

Thank you for your inquiry. We do not know yet when Apollo 11 will play in this theatre. A 45 minute edit of the film will be released at a so far undetermined date, and it’s likely that’s the film we will play as it will fit into our daily schedule.

Hmmm...oh well.

[Dr_Bedlo]

WOW! I was blown away by this. Knowing how everything turns out does nothing to diminish a single second of this film I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I know that sounds like hyperbole, and maybe it is, but to say any less would be trite. I had to travel a bit to find a theater showing it, but fortunately the AMC in Pittsburgh had screenings and I had a pretty hefty sized crowd to enjoy this with!

[HD Canuck]

Going to see it in a couple hours. I was trying to avoid all spoilers, but...

moon landing hoax video - YouTube

[worldchmps]

This is opening nationwide in regular theaters on the 8th. It’s only playing in imax until Thursday and it’s about 40 minutes away and at night meaning prices are through the roof for imax. I was wondering if the picture expanded to fill the screen or if there were black bars on the top and bottom? I know nothing totally equals imax but if it doesn’t fill the screen and I went to see it over the weekend on one of the larger screens my AMC has, I could get a similar experience and save a ton of money, especially going before noon. And if I went to the theater it’s currently in now in imax, they have stadium seating in all theaters so I could fill sit up higher for a regular showing. But the key is the ratio. Does it fill the screen?

[styxrogan]

saw this in IMAX lazer...sorta disappointing... nowhere as good as Dolby Cinema... film was way over hyped 2...

[Ssnake]

Originally Posted by Dr_Bedlo

WOW! I was blown away by this.....

Me too.

[BigPudge]

Really dug this documentary. I liked that it wasnt a talking head retrospective (even though i do like those) it was like watching something that happened recently, due to how clear the footage was and how complete it was.

Is the score available to buy anywhere? I really dug it

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by BigPudge

Really dug this documentary. I liked that it wasnt a talking head retrospective (even though i do like those) it was like watching something that happened recently, due to how clear the footage was and how complete it was.

Is the score available to buy anywhere? I really dug it

The composer Matt Morton said an official soundtrack is coming soon. The score was pretty great, very different from the usual space documentary stuff. Felt like it would work perfectly in something like Escape from New York. It worked surprisingly well for the tense scenes of this film.

Here's a vid he posted showing him working on a 1968 synthesizer for the score. Pretty awesome that he used an actual older synthesizer, and other period instruments, and not something digital.

Matt Morton on Moog IIIc Modular Synth - YouTube

Moog IIIc and valve varispeed Binson Echorec 2 T7E - YouTube

Matt wrote, orchestrated, performed, and mixed all of the original music for the film, as well as the teaser trailer and the theatrical trailer. Every instrument and effect used in the score existed at the time of the mission in 1969 including the Moog modular Synthesizer IIIc (see below), the Binson Echorec 2 (tube echo), the Mellotron (early keyboard sampler used by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc.), and the orchestra.

https://www.mattmortonmusic.com/

[Dubstar]

this left me speechless and the ending gave me such an emotional response ... I could have used my AMC A-list membership and trekked over to Georgetown but I specifically wanted to see this in 4K IMAX laser, so seeing this at the Air and Space Museum downtown was undoubtedly a unique and special presentation - to then see the final Apollo 17 exhibit and touch the moon rock - seems appropriate and meaningful

a re-edited condensed 40 minute version of the feature will be released in the summer.

Originally Posted by worldchmps

This is opening nationwide in regular theaters on the 8th. It’s only playing in imax until Thursday and it’s about 40 minutes away and at night meaning prices are through the roof for imax. I was wondering if the picture expanded to fill the screen or if there were black bars on the top and bottom? I know nothing totally equals imax but if it doesn’t fill the screen and I went to see it over the weekend on one of the larger screens my AMC has, I could get a similar experience and save a ton of money, especially going before noon. And if I went to the theater it’s currently in now in imax, they have stadium seating in all theaters so I could fill sit up higher for a regular showing. But the key is the ratio. Does it fill the screen?

from what I can tell the largest aspect ratio is 1.78 so on a 4:3 screen you will still have letterboxing going on.

[kingDeeCee]

Wow I am so glad I took the drive and watched this in IMAX before Captain Marvel takes over. I am floored at some of the footage and the soundtrack was a blessing as well. As a fan of space, I am ashamed to admit that I know very little about the Apollo 11 mission. With that being said, they did a great job informing me with every step of the process. Seeing those graphics explaining the module’s actions were pretty cool.

[sandman slim]

Wow. Saw this earlier tonight, absolutely amazing film. The immersive format & the decision to forego the usual narration really puts you "right there", like you're living it instead of just watching it. And the volume helps, too: this is one of the loudest movies I've ever seen. The seats were vibrating during liftoff.

Well worth a drive to see this in IMAX. But be quick: Captain Marvel takes over the big screens Thursday night.

[jacobsever]

Originally Posted by xbs2034

that category can be hard to predict- see the snubs for Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Three Identical Strangers this year.

One thing it has working against it, is that it's being distributed by the same company that released Three Identical Strangers. (Neon)

Maybe Neon just has no interest in awards season and doesn't campaign or send screeners for their movies?

In fact, in their brief 2 year existence, they've released 17 movies. Out of those 17, only 2 have received any Oscar nominations:

Actress, Supporting Actress, and Editing for I, Tonya.
Makeup and Hairstyling for Border.

Considering they've released some real quality movies, I'm guessing they don't spend the time and money to campaign and actively try to receive nominations. Hell, Vox Lux was completely snubbed this year for Original Score and Original Song.

Either way, I'd love to see this movie get a Best Documentary nomination. Hell, I'd love to see it get a Cinematography, Editing, and Original Score nominations too. Has any documentary been nominated for awards outside of the Best Documentary categories?

[filmbuffTX]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

[Show spoiler]One thing it has working against it, is that it's being distributed by the same company that released Three Identical Strangers. (Neon)

Maybe Neon just has no interest in awards season and doesn't campaign or send screeners for their movies?

In fact, in their brief 2 year existence, they've released 17 movies. Out of those 17, only 2 have received any Oscar nominations:

Actress, Supporting Actress, and Editing for I, Tonya.
Makeup and Hairstyling for Border.

Considering they've released some real quality movies, I'm guessing they don't spend the time and money to campaign and actively try to receive nominations. Hell, Vox Lux was completely snubbed this year for Original Score and Original Song.

Either way, I'd love to see this movie get a Best Documentary nomination. Hell, I'd love to see it get a Cinematography, Editing, and Original Score nominations too.

Has any documentary been nominated for awards outside of the Best Documentary categories?

Hoop Dreams (1994) was majorly snubbed from a Best Documentary nomination, but got nominated for Best Editing.