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Reviews by Matt Heffernan <matt@filmhead.com>
This week my picks are
Man on the Moon
(1999 - 
) and
Apollo 13
(1995 - 
).
The first film this week came in at the end of last year with
high expectations, but somehow never caught fire with the public.
Jim Carrey plays avant garde comedian Andy Kaufman in Milos
Forman's film about Kaufman's tragically short life. Based
on the title of an R.E.M. song, Man on the Moon shows how
Kaufman got started in comedy clubs, eventually moving on to
the TV sitcom "Taxi", then dying from cancer at age 35. Carrey's
performance is the brilliant centerpiece of this otherwise
uneven film. Also contributing good performances are
Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, and Paul Giamatti. The Foreign
Press saw Carrey fit to win a
Golden Globe for best
comedic performance, and the Screen Actors Guild nominated
him as well, but the Academy failed to nominate this film
for any awards -- to the surprise of many in Hollywood.
Full review from December 22, 1999
Andy Kaufman was never on the moon, of course, but neither was Jim Lovell, despite NASA's plans. Ron Howard directed the second film, based on Lovell's account of the Apollo 13 mission that failed to reach the moon, and nearly cost the lives of its three crewmembers. Tom Hanks plays commander Lovell, with Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon aboard, and Gary Sinise and Ed Harris in the control room. Only Kubrick's 2001 can rival Apollo 13 in its highly detailed depiction of space travel. Add in some solid performances, with a healthy dose of feel-good Americana, and you have a stirring adventure. The film won Academy Awards for best film editing and sound, and a SAG award for the ensemble cast.
For more information, visit the Internet Movie Database:
Man on the Moon (1999)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Here's some merchandise for sale at
| Man on the Moon (1999) | -- VHS |
| Man on the Moon (1999) | -- DVD |
| Man on the Moon: Soundtrack | -- Compact Disc |
| Apollo 13 (1995) | -- VHS |
| Apollo 13 (1995) | -- VHS Widescreen |
| Apollo 13 (1995) | -- DVD |
| Apollo 13, by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger | -- Hardcover |
| Apollo 13, by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger | -- Paperback |
| Apollo 13, by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger | -- Audio Cassette (read by Edward Herrmann and Jim Lovell) |
| Apollo 13: Music From The Motion Picture | -- Compact Disc |
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