Thanks for the memories!

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

As Good As It Gets

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Having grown up near the Wind Tunnel Test Facilities mentioned in the film, I thought I'd purchase the DVD for archival purposes. It had some notable actors and I was surprised that Frank Sinatra had anything to do with it. Jimmy Stewart even did the narration.The 1960's based film could have been a lot better, but it does show what it was like in the early part of the space race. The most disappointing aspect was the terrible screen format used by MGM. The 16:9 aspect ratio was too small on my 16:9 TV screen. I finally managed to compensate somewhat. MGM...what were you thinking? Couldn't you at least release a better print?It would be nice to see a refresh of this movie with an improved script, better stock footage, new actors, and a more interesting story line. However, I don't discourage anyone from watching the film for it's historical coverage.

This is one of those flicks you find by accident. You see a few familiar names in the cast, notice the early date, then rent it on a whim. And if you're like me, you say to yourself, "Good choice." A space film without all the invasion drama. This dealt with actual exploration. And unlike a lot of sci-fi, seemed to take it seriously.Mary Tyler Moore in an early role, and she looked good. The talent was blossoming.Bronson played his usual strong, weary type. He never had a prayer as a sex symbol, but he was underrated as an actor.This is in need of reviving.

Just about 40 years ago I saw this movie in an Air Force theater where I was stationed. It was the very first movie that I saw after basic training. I thought the movie was terriffic then when I first saw it in wide-screen. I just saw it on a premium channel without commercials but it was not in wide-screen so a lot of it was missing. The flying scenes were very good as they were probably mostly shot by the Air Force but the family life scenes off-duty were very boring and predictable and mostly used a filler. What makes me smile is that the characters were just like those in a soap opera, in other words all the wives are gorgeous and the pilots were all perfect male specimens. Since I first saw this movie 40 years ago I have seen many documentarys on tv about the X-15 which were far more interesting and real than this hokey movie. I might be wrong but I thought that in the theater 40 years ago the movie started with Jimmy Stewart at his desk in his Air Force uniform but this was not in this version but I am not sure.

One day someone will write a book comparing films of this sort to the artistic accomplishments of 1920s and 1930s Soviet socialist realism. There is minimal character development as the film focuses almost entirely on the technological triumphs of space age America. The fetishistic treatment of the space programme and all its minutiae is dull in the extreme, and the only relief is a stolid performance by the always reliable James Gregory.