News

A Million Miles Away is a biopic based on the life of NASA Astronaut Jose M. Hernandez, and it closely portrays his inspiring journey from migrant farm worker to space explorer. The film showcases Hernandez's roots as a Mexican-American farmer, emphasizing how his background equipped him for success in his scientific career. It also highlights the crucial support he received from his loved ones, which helped him overcome roadblocks and self-doubt. A Million Miles Away accurately captures the essence of Mexican-American culture and has become popular within the Latino community. While a few details were left out, the biopic provides a realistic depiction of Hernandez's life and received his endorsement.

A Million Miles Away is a biopic based on the life of NASA Astronaut Jose M. Hernandez, and, as with any biopic, it's fair to wonder how closely it sticks to his true story. Directed by Alejandra Marquez Abella,...

Stars: Jim Lovell, Russell Schweickart, Eugene Cernan, Michael Collins, Charles Conrad | Directed by Al Reinert

Nasa’s historic Apollo programme only becomes more fascinating as time passes and technology advances. Ahead of the release of Todd Douglas Miller’s Apollo 11, Criterion are offering a chance to see another Space Race documentary, similarly relying on remastered Nasa footage and the voices of people involved in those groundbreaking (ground-leaving?) space missions, some fifty years ago.

Charitably, director Al Reinert and editor Susan Korda don’t just focus on the first Moon landing, but rather cover multiple ventures, from Apollo 8 through to the final Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Six years in the making, this 1989 version is only slightly less barebones than its original 1983 format. There’s little information about who is speaking at any given moment, or even which mission we’re watching (tip: turn on the subtitles). Some of the post-dubbed sound...

Red Bull Media House has pacted with Berlin-based space pioneers PTScientists to be the exclusive media production and distribution partner for “Mission to the Moon,” the first private venture to land on the Moon. The partnership was announced at an event at TV conference and market MipTV in Cannes.

Fifty years after the first humans stepped on the Moon, PTScientists will undertake their mission to land on the Moon in the second half of 2019. “Mission to the Moon” will be a robotic space exploration mission led by Robert Böhme. It will return to the landing site of the Apollo 17 mission, and will view the final footprints and the Moon buggy left behind on the lunar surface.

“We aim to create an ‘Apollo moment’ for a new generation. PTScientists believe that space belongs to everyone and ‘Mission to the Moon’ will make space accessible for all to explore,” Böhme said in a statement.

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

– Neon, the recently launched distribution company founded by Tom Quinn and Tim League, will release Oscar winning director Errol Morris’ “The B-Side,” a heartfelt portrait of photographer, Elsa Dorfman. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 2016 followed by a prestigious festival run, screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (Idfa).

The film is slated to open theatrically on June 2.

– Gravitas Ventures has secured worldwide rights to “Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo,” the compelling untold story about an extraordinary team.

The story is told told “with unprecedented access to archival footage and stories from the men who lived it, including the creator of Mission Control,...

Astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, has passed away, per Nasa. He was 83. Cernan was selected to be an astronaut in 1963. He piloted his first orbital flight in 1966 and flew to the moon twice, first on a test mission on Apollo 10 in 1969 and then as commander of the last human mission in 1972. He retired from the Navy after 20 years of service in 1976, ending his Nasa career. He went into private business and also served as a television commentator. He was the subject of the documentary The Last Man on the Moon, directed by Mark Craig. In his review, Christopher Campbell commented on the portion of the movie that covers the Apollo 10 mission, describing it as "a tribute to all the unsung and less-noted people who humbly support the deeds of the...

Read More...

“We leave as we came, and, God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” — Cernan’s closing words on leaving the moon at the end of Apollo 17.

Apollo 17 Astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, died Monday, Jan. 16. (1934-2017)

“Cernan, a Captain in the U.S. Navy, left his mark on the history of exploration by flying three times in space, twice to the moon. He also holds the distinction of being the second American to walk in space and the last human to leave his footprints on the lunar surface.” – Nasa

We interviewed Captain Cernan for the documentary The Last Man On The Moon. This is the story of one of the very few men who went to the moon not only once, but twice. He first went to the moon on the Apollo 10 mission. It was the dress rehearsal for...

Eugene Cernan, whose tribute to his daughter in the most recent moonwalk has ingrained him in pop culture, died Monday, according to NASA. He was 82. Cernan was profiled in the 2014 documentary The Last Man on the Moon.

Cernan was the commander of Apollo 17 in 1972 and the last crew member to re-enter the lunar module. Just before the module was set to leave, Cernan dropped to one knee and etched his daughter’s initials, “TDC,” on the moon’s surface.

Because the moon has no wind or atmosphere, it will likely remain there forever. The story became immortalized in a hit a song by No More Kings,...

Mark Craig’s documentary on astronaut Eugene Cernan aims to capture the pioneer spirit of the early Apollo missions and gets lost in cowboy romance

Related: The last man on the moon on crash-landings, losing his wife and watching an 'Earth-rise'

The rodeo spirit of American endeavour is still bucking, even if Nasa lacks it; so says director Mark Craig in his documentary about astronaut Eugene Cernan. A pilot on Apollos 10 and 17, Cernan became the last person to set foot on the lunar surface in 1972. Craig introduces us to him at a steer-wrestling show, then leaves us to draw the parallel: that it was the red, white and blue-fuelled pluck of cowboys like Cernan that took the Us to the stars. Craig’s film deals with the fallout of the era – and how the returning heroes kept their feet on the ground – but he can’t help but get swept...

★★★☆☆ Not too many men can sit by a campfire at night, look up at the moon and know that they once bounded across its chalky grey surface. Gene Cernan is one of only twelve lucky souls to have done so, leaving the final human footprints of the Apollo missions in its lunar dust. The Last Man on the Moon shines a light on a charismatic, courageous - some might say foolhardy - thrill seeker and spaceman whose contribution to exploring the great yonder is on a par with any of his pioneering band of brothers, including a famous colleague who once took a giant leap for mankind.

This is the Pure Movies review of The Last Man On The Moon. Former Nasa astronaut and Navy Captain Gene Cernan became the last man to walk on the moon in December 1972. Featuring rare footage of the last moonwalk, and interviews with former astronauts, including Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, the documentary shares Cernan’s personal story of fulfilment, love and loss. The Last Man on the Moon charts Eugene “Gene” Cernan’s incredible career from a Top Gun Naval pilot, to an early Nasa astronaut and the last of the 12 men to ever set foot on the moon. Director Mark Craig (Talk To Me, The Flying Scot) takes us on an intimate journey, encapsulating the pioneering-spirit and at times brutality of early space travel.

The Last Man on the Moon is a documentary that tells Eugene Cernan’s story. He was selected as commander of Apollo 17, which carried out the most recent moon landing in December 1972. It was on this voyage that Cernan, the final astronaut to reboard the lunar module, became the 12th – and last – man to walk on the moon

The last man on the moon on crash-landings, losing his wife and watching an ‘Earth-rise’ Continue reading...

Propelled by rocket fuel, ego and tunnel vision, Eugene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon. Now a new film tells his amazing story, from the crash that charred his helmet to the ‘spacewalk from hell’

Eugene Cernan has felt the white heat of re-entry three times. “The landing,” says the astronaut, understandably animated by the memory, “is like being immersed in a sheet of fire, a comet, a shooting star.” Cernan, alongside crewmates Thomas Stafford and John Young, has also travelled faster than any human being in history: Apollo 10 at one point reached 24,791mph, earning it a mention in the Guinness Book of Records.

Continue reading...

Propelled by rocket fuel, ego and tunnel vision, Eugene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon. Now a new film tells his amazing story, from the crash that charred his helmet to the ‘spacewalk from hell’

Eugene Cernan has felt the white heat of re-entry three times. “The landing,” says the astronaut, understandably animated by the memory, “is like being immersed in a sheet of fire, a comet, a shooting star.” Cernan, alongside crewmates Thomas Stafford and John Young, has also travelled faster than any human being in history: Apollo 10 at one point reached 24,791mph, earning it a mention in the Guinness Book of Records.

Continue reading...

Photo: M.Craig

Georges Méliès’ A Trip To The Moon, Apollo 13, The Right Stuff, HBO’s “From The Earth To The Moon.” Since the birth of cinema, audiences have been preoccupied with trips to our closest celestial body. Hollywood and Nasa merge once again – this time to tell the story of Captain Gene Cernan in the documentary The Last Man On The Moon.

This is the story of one of the very few men who went to the moon not only once, but twice. He first went to the moon on the Apollo 10 mission. It was the dress rehearsal for Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. His next flight was Apollo 17, the last time men would go to the moon. Riding aboard a Saturn V rocket, the largest and most powerful and impressive rocket that ever successfully flew, he was on man’s last mission to explore earth’s closest neighbor.

When it comes to sci-fi movies, Gene Cernan, 81, isn't a big fan. After all, the guy hasn't even gotten around to watching Stanley Kubrick's 1968 classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. And yet, he admits that he "loved" The Martian, especially the scene where Best Actor nominee Matt Damon's character staves off disaster by his ingenious use of duct tape. Then again, it's probably no wonder Cernan got a kick out of Ridley Scott's space epic - especially since he once used duct tape to repair a busted fender on the lunar rover during his last voyage to the moon in 1972. "Duct tape,...

When it comes to sci-fi movies, Gene Cernan, 81, isn't a big fan. After all, the guy hasn't even gotten around to watching Stanley Kubrick's 1968 classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. And yet, he admits that he "loved" The Martian, especially the scene where Best Actor nominee Matt Damon's character staves off disaster by his ingenious use of duct tape. Then again, it's probably no wonder Cernan got a kick out of Ridley Scott's space epic - especially since he once used duct tape to repair a busted fender on the lunar rover during his last voyage to the moon in 1972. "Duct tape,...

2015 may just be noted in the annals of cinema history as the year that Hollywood really went “space happy” (a more benign term for “space madness” I suppose). The Martian, a fairly fact-based film (though we’ve not gone to the “red planet”) won critical praise and was a box office smash. We’ll see if it takes home some Oscar gold this Sunday night. And of course there’s that space fantasy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, that smashed several records and is still in the box office top ten nearly ten weeks after its release. The studios have mined the stars since the beginnings of movies over a 100 years ago. The great majority of these films are fictitious, with a couple of notable exceptions being the overlooked gem from the 80’s, The Right Stuff, and the 90’s nail-biter Apollo 13 (and its HBO companion mini-series “From the Earth to the Moon...

The Apollo program was a time when true space travel happened. The United States wasn’t just going into space and coming back, it was sending men to another celestial body in our universe. The stakes were very high.

Everything had to work – spacesuits could not leak, rocket engines absolutely had to fire, life support systems could not fail. When you’re a quarter of a million miles away from earth, there are no safety nets. No rescue missions were possible.

What started out as a presidential goal in the early 1960’s turned into the most impressive feat of all mankind. We did something no other country ever did or has done since. Not only once, but six times.

Now comes the story of Gene Cernan – one of the very few men who went to the moon not only once, but twice. He first went to the moon on the Apollo 10 mission.

Documentary tells story of Captain Eugene Cernan, the glamour of the Apollo astronaut's lifestyle – and the cost to his family

In 1972 Apollo 17 astronaut Captain Eugene Cernan became the last man on the moon. Cernan, a Us Navy fighter pilot handpicked by Nasa in 1966 despite not applying for the space programme, nor having gone to test pilot school, went on to fly three space missions. He is the only person to have descended to the moon in a lunar module twice and holds the world record for the highest speed attained by a manned vehicle after the crew of Apollo 10 reached 24,791 mph during re-entry.

Cernan's story is told by director Mark Craig in Last Man on the Moon, a documentary screening at this year's Sheffield Doc/Fest. Craig shows the Apollo astronauts – now in their 80s – recalling an era when America had a presidential mandate to be daring, a license to venture into the unknown.

A review of the "Mad Men" mid-season finale coming up just as soon as I have to talk to people who just touched the face of God about hamburgers... "Bravo." -Bert Cooper In Peggy's pitch to Burger Chef — easily the best she's ever given, and one that gets much closer to the level of the Carousel pitch than I think we might have ever imagined anyone on this show (including Don himself) reaching again — she talks about how Neil Armstrong's first footsteps on the moon brought the whole world together, all watching the same amazing thing as it happened. It's a masterful blend of current events with the themes she and Don had already decided on — turning the thing that she feared would torpedo the pitch and making it into the element that closes the deal and nearly moves the Burger Chef executives to tears — demonstrating a keen...

This is a trailer for a great looking documentary called The Last Man on the Moon. It focuses on Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan. In December of 1972,  he returned to the lunar module after two and half days of surface operations on the moon, and no one has returned to the moon since.  The doc tells us the story of this momentous final journey. The film features interviews with Cernan, his family, and several other astronauts.

Astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt and Ronald Evans were the three brave men chosen to fly Nasa's final mission. They have been written up in history books and acknowledged by the space and scientific communities, but have never received the public recognition they truly deserved. Apollo 17's voyage to the moon was the crowning glory of man's lunar exploration. This documentary features spectacular Nasa footage and exclusive interviews with space scientists who worked on the...

A 50 Year Argument will be highlight of festival's 21st year, along with films about Lance Armstrong, Eugene Cernan and Pulp

Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014 will host a new documentary from Martin Scorsese alongside stories of doping cyclists, moon-landing astronauts and the skulduggery of the tabloid newspaper trade. The documentary festival, now in its 21st year, will feature the first public screening of Scorsese's A 50 Year Argument, which goes behind the scenes at the New York Review of Books, the venerable journal of literature, culture and politics.

Scorsese's film joins Alex Holmes's Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story, in which ex-confidants of the disgraced cyclist spill the beans on the drugs scandal that saw him stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. In the peloton with Holmes's film is Adrian McCarthy's Rough Rider, which also tackles cycling's need for speed at any cost.

Continue reading...

Martin Scorsese’s documentary about The New York Review of Books to receive its world premiere at this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest.

Sheffield Doc/Fest (June 7-12) has unveiled this year’s line up and has secured the world premiere of A 50 Year Argument, the feature co-directed by Scorsese and David Tedeschi that charts how The New York Review of Books has reflected Us culture since its launch in 1963.

The festival will include 21 world premieres, 12 European premieres, eight international premieres and 24 UK premieres.

As previously announced, music doc Pulp: A Film About Life Death and Supermarkets will open the festival on June 7.

There will be focuses on South Africa, art, sex, cycling and interactive.

World premieres will include Alex Holmes’ Stop At Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story; The Last Man On The Moon, which tells the story of former astronaut Captain Eugene Cernan, who will attend the festival; One Rogue Reporter, written and directed...

Connor Johnson has big dreams of becoming an astronaut, and is proving he's ready to do whatever it takes to get to space. Last week, the 6-year-old boy donated his piggy bank to Nasa and launched a petition on the White House's website to get the program more funding. Johnson's spirit encouraged thousands to sign the petition and many to reach out. One of those eager to talk to Johnson was Gene Cernan, the last astronaut to walk on the moon. After seeing a story about Johnson on Kusa-tv, Cernan called the boy on the anniversary of his moon landing.

Next door neighbor Walt has died, and Luke mourns ... in his own way. Plus Jay has a bone to pick with Cam's dad.

Favorite Moments:

Claire's Joker death smile. There goes another Emmy.Uncle Manny. Well done, Haley.Luke and the TV was an Awww! moment."That's why dads everywhere hate Eugene Cernan."Phil and the diner moon was another Awww! moment.

What were your favorite moments?

Need to catch up on the season? You can find recent past episodes of Modern Family here.

Television Tags: Modern FamilyVideo Tags: watch videovideoTags: Eric StonestreetJesse Tyler FergusonIMDbJulie BowenTeaser Photo: ...

If there is one thing that anyone reading this website can get behind, it’s a special series of awards promoting the best and grandest in the world of DVD and DVD releases.

That is the case with the recently announced Sixth Annual DVD Critics Awards, and the winners of this year’s awards range from Criterion Collection releases, to the latest release of one of cinema’s most beloved films.

The biggest winner here is the newest release of The Wizard Of Oz: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition, which took home three awards; Best Catalog Title, Best Blu-ray disc and Title Of The Year. This was one of the more talked about sets prior to its release, and apparently, it didn’t disappoint, with its multidisc set, color booklet, and hours upon hours of amazing bonus material.

Among other winners were Star Trek (Best Theatrical Title), Monsters Vs.

 Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, said that President Barack Obama is "poorly advised" on space matters, renewing criticism of a plan to abandon a project to return Us astronauts to the moon.Appearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Armstrong said the Obama plan to end the Constellation program and cut other space efforts appeared to be made without input from Nasa or the president's science adviser."I have yet to find a person in Nasa, the Defense Department, the Air Force, the National Academies, industry, or academia that had any knowledge of the plan prior to its announcement," the Apollo 11 commander told lawmakers."A plan that was invisible to so many was likely contrived by a very small group in secret who persuaded the president that this was a unique opportunity to put his stamp...

Not everyone's pleased with Nasa's future, as defined by the Obama-led new fiscal plans for the space agency...and three particularly significant chaps would just assume tell him to shove it up Uranus. They're names are Armstrong, Lovell, and Cernan. Ring any bells?

Yup, that'll be Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Eugene Cernan. In order they're the first man on the Moon in 1969, the first American to fly to space four times (twice to the Moon) and the last man to leave the Moon, in 1972. They are three of the most memorable names in space exploration history, of any nation, let alone the U.S. and they're not pleased. Not pleased at all. They've written an open letter to the President to explain why.

After mentioning the successes of the Apollo era space program and the way it motivated scientific research and exemplified the human spirit of exploration, the letter...

He was there, man. Back in February, Barack Obama told Nasa it could not spend literally $100 billion sending astronauts back to the moon. “The moon mission, which had already cost $9.1 billion, was based on old technology and revisiting old places astronauts had already been, officials said,” according to the Huffington Post. (“Old places astronauts had already been”: the moon?) But now, Neil Armstrong and astronaut friends James Lovell and Eugene Cernan are so angry with Barack Obama for being no fun at all and wanting to spend all that money on research—research conducted on Earth—and not space exploration. How does Obama know the moon isn’t worth going to? Has he ever even been there, like Neil Armstrong has?...

Chicago – Is there any better way to learn about a unique experience than from the people who were there? You can read expert opinion, historic analysis, and news articles for one perspective, but it will never be quite as rich as that of actual participants. This undeniable fact lends immense power to Criterion’s new version of Al Reinert’s “For All Mankind”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 The event in question happened to take place forty years ago this month in July of 1969. Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon by revisiting that landmark event through the eyes and memories of the people who were there. Reinert uses only interviews with the key players of the space race and only actual footage that they filmed at the time. It makes for a mesmerizing experience.

For All Mankind was released on Blu-Ray on July 14th, 2009.

Photo credit:...

DVD Playhouse—July 2009

By

Allen Gardner

Do The Right Thing: 20th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Spike Lee’s groundbreaking fable about race relations in an ethnically mixed Brooklyn neighborhood during a sweltering New York summer remains as potent, timely and prescient as it was in 1989. Lee is among the cast, which also includes John Turturro, Danny Aiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Rosie Perez (to name a few), that provide the tableaux-like framework for this stunning work. Criminally ignored by Oscar (it wasn't even nominated for Best Picture, but did garner nods for Supporting Actor Danny Aiello and Lee’s screenplay), it endures as a timeless classic. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Lee, Ernest Dickerson, Wynn Thomas, Joie Lee; Documentary; Deleted and extended scenes; Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround.

Coraline (Universal) A young girl moves into an old Victorian house with her parents...

Here’s a list of some of the new DVD and Blu-ray releases this week. Plus, some old favorites (and not so favorites) coming out this week on Blu-Ray.

Movies:

For All Mankind: Criterion Collection ~ Jim Lovell, Kenneth Mattingly, Russell Schweickart, and Eugene Cernan (Blu-ray)

The Color of Magic ~ David Jason, Sean Astin, Tim Curry, and Jeremy Irons (DVD)

The Towering Inferno ~ Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Richard Chamberlain (Blu-ray)

The Haunting in Connecticut (Unrated Special Edition) ~ Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas and Virginia Madsen (DVD and Blu-ray)

The Edge of Love ~ Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Matthew Rhys, and Simon Armstrong (DVD and Blu-ray)

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon / Curse of the Golden Flower / House of Flying Daggers Trilogy ~ Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, and Chow Yun-Fat (Blu-ray)

Horsemen ~ Dennis Quaid, Ziyi Zhang, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Clifton Collins Jr. (DVD)

Van Wilder: Freshman Year – Unrated ~ Linden Ashby, Kurt Fuller,...

I should begin by telling you I have never purchased a documentary and I have yet to see a documentary I would say is worth buying. I don't say this because I don't like documentaries. As a matter of fact, to go along with the opening statement I would say there is hardly a documentary I have ever seen I didn't think was excellent. Of course, not being a movie watcher that seeks out documentaries I don't see that many and only make sure to watch the good ones, which should give you a good idea of what I think of Criterion's Blu-ray release of For All Mankind. Originally released in 1989, For All Mankind is directed by Al Reinert and perhaps to say it was directed may be a bit misleading. Reinert, in fact, was given access to over 6 million feet of film the Nasa astronauts shot during the Apollo...

Everyone has looked up into a clear evening sky to conduct their own survey of distant pinpricks in the regularly-occurring blackness. Passing aircraft, the stars and that which is always largest in the night sky - the Moon.

July 20, 2009, marks the 40th Anniversary of man landing on the Moon, and to showcase a different flavor of that same obsession, Screen Rant's newest writer (yours truly), dons his newly-minted writing/explorer spacesuit to provide a listing of the Top 5 Astronaut Movies - a look back at the best storytelling that put you into the shoes of those who have Truly gone boldly where we hope many more men (and women) will eventually go.

Cultures that predate written records have told stories of the moon. From the legendary tales of ancient African tribes, to the technology-laden yarns of  Nasa and the men of Apollo, we have become familiar with the process...

• Space missions aren't what they once were - back during the Apollo missions, an astronaut for Nasa was up there with cops and firemen as prime choices of "what I want to be when I grow up" professions for little boys. Th!NKFilm acquired all North American rights to In the Shadow of the Moon. Preeming in the World docu comp at Sundance, David Sington uses never-before-seen footage and images that were taken between 1968 and 1972, nine American spacecraft voyaged to the Moon, and 12 men walked upon its surface. They remain the only human beings to have stood on another world. “In the Shadow of the Moon” brings together for the first, and very possibly the last, time surviving crew members from every single Apollo mission which flew to the Moon, and allows them to tell their story in their own words. This riveting first-hand testimony is interwoven with visually

...