[movie] Apollo 18

[CeeKay]

this one looks like it's The Blair Witch Project on the moon.  It's about footage found from the 7th lunar landing of the Apollo program, and of course it's fiction.



or is it?




 

[leo8877]

I'm totally in!

[Ironrod]

Potentially awesome. Potentially silly. Hard to say which way it will go. (The notion that NASA could secretly launch a moon mission is a big stretch right up front). As a big Apollo fanboy I'm hoping for awesome.

[CeeKay]

(The notion that NASA could secretly launch a moon mission is a big stretch right up front).

well if they could fake the moon landing........


 

[Kagath]

I'm soooo scared! *shoves camera up nose*

  I refused to watch more than the little of the BWP than I've seen on the basis that it looked fucking stupider than shit. And I was told the same about it.

[Ironrod]

I'm soooo scared! *shoves camera up nose*

  I refused to watch more than the little of the BWP than I've seen on the basis that it looked fucking stupider than shit. And I was told the same about it.

When it came out, the first-person shaky-cam technique was brand new, and the movie was accompanied by some web marketing that made it appear to be a real documentary. When the studio denied that it was real, some people believed it all the more. So its impact came from the amateur shaky-cam novelty plus some doubt over whether it was real or not. I saw it in a packed theater and the audience was spellbound.

I don't know if that will port over to an Apollo 18 movie or not. On one hand you have the same first-person shaky cam with video that's plausibly unclear due to the technology of the time and the great distance, and you have conspiracy theorists who are eager to believe in government coverups. OTOH, neither technique is fresh anymore. Now that the videography technique is common and the story is clearly fiction, the BWP has lost all of its original impact.

[EngineNo9]

Frankly, people that didn't believe the Blair Witch Project was not real are stupid tools.

[Ironrod]

It was one of the first viral marketing campaigns. The filmmakers started planting stories on message boards about three college kids disappearing in the woods while investigating witch reports for a school project. Their camera was found and the film inside was restored. The hoax fed upon itself with some gentle guidance, true believers being what they are.

The movie was made for $22,000 and grossed $248 million, so their marketing strategy worked pretty well. By the time the movie's theatrical release was announced it had enormous buzz.

[hepcat]

I give credit where credit is due, and BWP was a brilliant endeavor at the time.  It combined the lost footage genre (I'm not going to say it invented it because I don't know if that's entirely true) with an imaginative and ingenious web advertising blitz that was carefully crafted to look as if it WASN'T an ad campaign.  They did things that are still being copied by Madison Avenue...usually unsuccessfully.

The movie itself, in spite of its flaws, was pretty creepy.  It's not something I would watch twice, but I don't regret seeing it in a theater full of people.

However, it was almost ruined by a friend who....

Spoiler for Hiden:

...fell asleep halfway through the film (I will admit it is REALLY slow in a lot places) and woke up only during the final moments when folks were grabbing each other's arms and yelling out.  I remember seeing that final scene and him stirring, looking up at the screen, then saying, "That's it?  A guy taking a piss in the corner is the end of the film?".

[Razgon]

Frankly, people that didn't believe the Blair Witch Project was not real are stupid tools.

I pride myself on being quite good at understanding the english language, but I struggled through your sentence I have to admit :-D

Anyways - this sounds interesting. Don't see anything about a euro release though.

[hepcat]

Frankly, people that didn't believe the Blair Witch Project was not real are stupid tools.

I pride myself on being quite good at understanding the english language, but I struggled through your sentence I have to admit :-D

Anyways - this sounds interesting. Don't see anything about a euro release though.

double negative.  you aren't the only one who had to read it twice.   

[Wargus]

I give credit where credit is due, and BWP was a brilliant endeavor at the time.  It combined the lost footage genre (I'm not going to say it invented it because I don't know if that's entirely true) with an imaginative and ingenious web advertising blitz that was carefully crafted to look as if it WASN'T an ad campaign.  They did things that are still being copied by Madison Avenue...usually unsuccessfully.

The movie itself, in spite of its flaws, was pretty creepy.  It's not something I would watch twice, but I don't regret seeing it in a theater full of people.

However, it was almost ruined by a friend who....

Spoiler for Hiden:

...fell asleep halfway through the film (I will admit it is REALLY slow in a lot places) and woke up only during the final moments when folks were grabbing each other's arms and yelling out.  I remember seeing that final scene and him stirring, looking up at the screen, then saying, "That's it?  A guy taking a piss in the corner is the end of the film?".

Not sure I'd call 'lost footage' a genre, as in horror, its more of a thematic choice that can be used in multiple genres.  I understand why movies use it however always end up feeling that any movie that did could be much better if they didn't.  

[Razgon]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I loved cloverfield and the way the handheld camera was used there. It was there for a storytelling reason, and (to me) it worked quite well.

[hepcat]

I give credit where credit is due, and BWP was a brilliant endeavor at the time.  It combined the lost footage genre (I'm not going to say it invented it because I don't know if that's entirely true) with an imaginative and ingenious web advertising blitz that was carefully crafted to look as if it WASN'T an ad campaign.  They did things that are still being copied by Madison Avenue...usually unsuccessfully.

The movie itself, in spite of its flaws, was pretty creepy.  It's not something I would watch twice, but I don't regret seeing it in a theater full of people.

However, it was almost ruined by a friend who....

Spoiler for Hiden:

...fell asleep halfway through the film (I will admit it is REALLY slow in a lot places) and woke up only during the final moments when folks were grabbing each other's arms and yelling out.  I remember seeing that final scene and him stirring, looking up at the screen, then saying, "That's it?  A guy taking a piss in the corner is the end of the film?".

Not sure I'd call 'lost footage' a genre, as in horror, its more of a thematic choice that can be used in multiple genres.  I understand why movies use it however always end up feeling that any movie that did could be much better if they didn't.  

yeah, it's probably best to call it a style or a technique instead of a genre. 

but i think it's a perfectly viable choice for movies like BWP.  The impact of the story is more personal, more intimate.  I'm not saying it should be shoehorned into every low budget film like 3D is now being forced into every big budget film, but it does have its time and its place.  i can't imagine BWP having the same resonance with audiences if it were filmed like a standard horror movie.

[Scuzz]

god I hate that shaky camera shot...........

[Geezer]

god I hate that shaky camera shot...........

Shaky cam is the worst technique to hit filmmaking in forever. 

[hepcat]

god I hate that shaky camera shot...........

Shaky cam is the worst technique to hit filmmaking in forever. 

One wishes that were true.

[rittchard]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I loved cloverfield and the way the handheld camera was used there. It was there for a storytelling reason, and (to me) it worked quite well.

I was a big fan of it too, and I'm someone who gets easily nauseated by just about anything like this. 

- - -

I just saw the preview for this over the weekend, right after watching Paranormal Activity 2 the night before, so it was kind of funny.  It was like Paranormal Lunar Activity.  I was joking that this was the pre-prequel to PA.

[Wargus]

I hated Cloverfield, it would have been a much better movie without that type of footage.  Its a director and producers jobs to make a movie up close & personal, to minimize the need for willing suspension of disbelief, this is a gimick, a crutch to use when they are unable otherwise to accomplish that goal. I won't say it can't be used well, just that I haven't seen it yet.

[hepcat]

If you don't like it, that's fine.  But it's hardly a gimmick.  Thankfully, there's more to filmmaking than mounting a camera on a pole and pointing it towards anyone who's talking. 

[CeeKay]

There's more to filmmaking than mounting a camera on a pole and pointing it towards anyone who's talking.

isn't that all that PR_GMR does?

 

* CeeKay ducks.

[hepcat]

There's more to filmmaking than mounting a camera on a pole and pointing it towards anyone who's talking.

isn't that all that PR_GMR does?

 

* CeeKay ducks.

Not all the time.  Sometimes he has to act as the fluffer.

[Razgon]

I hated Cloverfield, it would have been a much better movie without that type of footage.  Its a director and producers jobs to make a movie up close & personal, to minimize the need for willing suspension of disbelief, this is a gimick, a crutch to use when they are unable otherwise to accomplish that goal. I won't say it can't be used well, just that I haven't seen it yet.

No no, 3D is a gimmick, handhelds are a tool.

[Wargus]

I hated Cloverfield, it would have been a much better movie without that type of footage.  Its a director and producers jobs to make a movie up close & personal, to minimize the need for willing suspension of disbelief, this is a gimick, a crutch to use when they are unable otherwise to accomplish that goal. I won't say it can't be used well, just that I haven't seen it yet.

No no, 3D is a gimmick, handhelds are a tool.

They are both tools. They just happen to both be gimmicky tools, ones that can be used quite well but more often than not aren't. I have seen all of one movie (Avatar) that used 3D quite well and none that used handhelds well (none that I liked at least).  I could give you Blair Witch Project, however didn't think it was all that great of a movie (what sold it was the marketing and being the first to use handhelds).  I suspect some would say Cloverfield used it well, however I constantly felt that each scene would have been better if filmed traditionally.  I am willing to accept I am biased against that film style enough that i won't ever judge it fairly.

I remember when you could tell that the 3D effects in a movie were cut out rocks and you could see the strings the arrows flying towards you were tracking on as 3D was in its infancy.  I think handhelds are in their infancy and sometime down the road we may see inspiration in their use in a way I can't imagine and I'll love it.  It took 30 years for 3D to reach that point for me, so I'm not holding my breath.  

[Razgon]

yeah, I know - I was kinda just trolling you a bit ;-)

I feel the same towards 3D as you feel towards handhelds, I think - I hope the bastard just dies already! ;-)

[hepcat]

  I think handhelds are in their infancy and sometime down the road we may see inspiration in their use in a way I can't imagine and I'll love it.  It took 30 years for 3D to reach that point for me, so I'm not holding my breath.  

what advances can one make in the field of hand held cameras?  Genetically larger hands for steadier shots?  

I know that that style can cause people to become nauseous or give them headaches, but it doesn't for me (however, 10 minutes with the half life 2 engine and i'm ready for the vomit bag).  i can certainly understand why that would turn some folks off.  but i loved the bourne trilogy and there were a ton of hand held shots in that, so i disagree that as a film making tool it's a mistake.

[ibdoomed]

  I think handhelds are in their infancy and sometime down the road we may see inspiration in their use in a way I can't imagine and I'll love it.  It took 30 years for 3D to reach that point for me, so I'm not holding my breath.  

I agree with you in regards to handheld shooting.

yeah, I know - I was kinda just trolling you a bit ;-)

I feel the same towards 3D as you feel towards handhelds, I think - I hope the bastard just dies already! ;-)

I'm right there with you. I refuse to watch anything in sh___y 3d until it's glasses free, and hopefully that never happens. The whole thing needs to die, again. I hate retro.

[Caine]

  I think handhelds are in their infancy and sometime down the road we may see inspiration in their use in a way I can't imagine and I'll love it.  It took 30 years for 3D to reach that point for me, so I'm not holding my breath.  

what advances can one make in the field of hand held cameras?  Genetically larger hands for steadier shots?  

I know that that style can cause people to become nauseous or give them headaches, but it doesn't for me (however, 10 minutes with the half life 2 engine and i'm ready for the vomit bag).  i can certainly understand why that would turn some folks off.  but i loved the bourne trilogy and there were a ton of hand held shots in that, so i disagree that as a film making tool it's a mistake.

no, you make them bigger so they can house better optical stabilization technology then give the cameraman a shoulder harness to hold it. 

[hepcat]

 

[Punisher]

Just finished seeing this.... I was excited going in, not so much coming out.....
Some possible big spoilers

Spoiler for Hiden:

First off, if you have seen the poster, ignore it..... It has just about nothing to do with the movie.... The poster makes it look like like a predator type film.... no..... not even close..... The "monster"? Rocks....Sentient rocks.... ROCKS!!!! WTF?!? Rocks that transform into spider type aliens, but rocks none the less.... Also, I think you see them in about 3 scenes..... This is Blair Witch Paranormal Project in Space... Hell, there is even a scene very much like the ending to the Blair Witch!!! The movie was also VERY slow going...... I kept losing interest in the beginning and even towards the end.... I really liked the idea behind the movie, but the execution? not so much...  I was really looking forward to it and while it wasn't horrible, I am glad I got to see this for free.... Probably not bad for a rental....

[Blackjack]

My only issue with the plot -- the part about the Apollo 18 mission never being revealed -- is wouldn't it be just a little hard to cover up a Saturn V rocket launch? 

"Uh, that's nothing! Um, we're launching a satellite! Yeah, that's the ticket..."

I saw the trailer in a big theater before Battle Los Angeles. It sounds grimly fun enough, though I'm not sure why big parasitic alien spiders (or whatever) would want anything with the moon. There's nothing THERE, not even a plentiful enough supply of humans to munch on. 

[Punisher]

My only issue with the plot -- the part about the Apollo 18 mission never being revealed -- is wouldn't it be just a little hard to cover up a Saturn V rocket launch? 

"Uh, that's nothing! Um, we're launching a satellite! Yeah, that's the ticket..."

I saw the trailer in a big theater before Battle Los Angeles. It sounds grimly fun enough, though I'm not sure why big parasitic alien spiders (or whatever) would want anything with the moon. There's nothing THERE, not even a plentiful enough supply of humans to munch on. 

Spoiler for Hiden:

"Uh, that's nothing! Um, we're launching a satellite! Yeah, that's the ticket..."
I think that's the actual answer they gave...
Spiders were about half/quarter "Facehugger" size. They never explained why they were there. They only existing on the dark side of the moon...

Also, a question not too spoilerish I think, but just in case:

Spoiler for Hiden:

There are parts where they go into crater where there is no light, but they do not use a normal flashlight device... They use something that acts like the MiB memory eraser or a camera flash... it flashes for a few seconds and stops... Now I can see why they did this for the movie, but does anyone know if this is an accurate item and if so, why the hell would they use that and not a constant light to see?

[Punisher]

http://www.movieweb.com/news/apollo-18-shocking-proof-of-intelligence-document-found

making it more like Blair Witch Project....


Also...

Spoiler for Hiden:

These are supposed to be real, so if the film was left on the moon in a hostile area, how did it get back to earth? It wasn't being transmitted.... At least with BWP, you could see someone stumbling across it in the woods, how many people go for strolls on the moon?

[Ironrod]

I finally bumped this one to the top of my Netflix queue as a good movie to watch while the wife was away. It is a testament to low expectations that I didn't think it lived up to its reputation as a complete BOMB. It wasn't good -- there were plot holes you could launch a Saturn V through -- but I don't begrudge the 90-ish minutes I spent watching it.