Neil Armstrong: A Tribute To Earth's First Moon Walker

Neil Alden Armstrong 1930-2012

The man who took one small step for a man and one giant leap for all of mankind tragically passed away only hours ago at the age of 82 at a hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He died of complications following heart bypass surgery he had earlier in the month. Now this was a man who in July 1969 made history and became the first man ever to set foot on the Moon, defying all the odds. Hundreds of millions of people back on Earth tuned in to watch history unfold on the lunar surface where Commander Neil Armstrong took the first steps off the lunar module and onto the surface famously declaring, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." This landmark achievement paved the way for other successful lunar expeditions as part of the Apollo program and undoubtedly galvanized a generation of aspiring astronomers and scientists. The Apollo 11 astronauts went above and beyond where no man has gone before, opening our eyes and minds and giving us a vivid and better understanding of not only our Moon but of us and our place in the solar system and ultimately the universe. By venturing beyond our little world we discovered the sheer vastness of our galaxy and how Planet Earth seems insignificant in contrast to the bigger picture of the ostensibly infinite universe. This startling and rather sobering realization has only propelled us to further explore our solar system, even beyond our Moon. The Moon Landing of July 1969 was not only just a historic event or even a technological and scientific breakthrough, it set the groundwork for how incredibly audacious and extraordinary we could be if we came together. To me that is what Neil Armstrong is an embodiment of, our intrepid, indomitable and insatiable will to: explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations and yes boldly go where no man has gone before. Thank You again Star Trek, very apt.

Neil Armstrong's family released a statement in which they requested people in memory of his life to: "Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and next time you walk outside on a clear night and the see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink." As a child, I was always fascinated with the Moon, so much so my parents' nickname for me back then was Moonboy. I would gaze up at it constantly, in awe at what it actually was or what it was doing up there looking down on us. Neil's achievements and accomplishments will never be forgotten and he will live long and prosper in our hearts and minds forever. His sheer modesty proved how in fact down to Earth he actually and literally was and was always a bit uncomfortable with his hero status. He took it completely in his stride and was a gentleman to all those who knew him best. We know him as the first man in the spacesuit bouncing about the surface of our moon in glorious black and white, now preserved for all time. His legacy will live on forever and as Neil once said: "Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand." So very true, and we owe Neil for igniting that wonder in us all to better understand our galaxy and our universe. We have really come leaps and bounds since '69 and every time we have undertaken another successful and daring space mission we owe it in part if not all to the original success of the Apollo 11 astronauts. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins pulled it off in truly spectacular fashion. Speaking of which, it only seems fitting to put up that original and iconic footage of Neil Armstrong's first steps onto the Moon courtesy of YouTube. I'll give you a wink and a little wave on the next clear night Neil, your gone but never forgotten, Rest In Peace.   

My Top 5 Film Trilogies

Since were on the subject of films, or more specifically film trilogies since I reviewed The Dark Knight Rises which was the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, I thought it would be a neat idea to go a step further. Trilogies in the typical sense as we know are fairly sporadic and there are only ever a handful that a majority of people can declare a "truly great trilogy". How do we define a "truly great trilogy"? Well of course first and foremost it must have fluid continuity. I know this generally goes without saying, but we need to nail down the 101's first here guys. Secondly and probably most importantly to me anyway is that it should use the foundation of the first film to take the successive installments or chapters up a couple of pegs, perhaps even exceed it's predecessors either out-rightly or in various ways. Thirdly, since were going with the whole trio theme here..it's all about pushing the envelope, breaking the parameters while at the same time staying true to the core of the formula which is no cakewalk and can be a notoriously difficult balancing act sometimes. Anyways here are my personal top five film trilogies and yeah I know it's a matter of opinion but I thought long and hard about these five choices and they are all in my mind deserving of there place. Oh, and for the record and the whole: "yeah, yeah you must have had a pretty deprived childhood yadda yadda yadda..." don't judge me please folks but I have never seen ANY of the Star Wars films so they won't be on this list. So after that awful bombshell, unforgivable I know but before all you Jedi Grand Masters crucify me, keep them lightsabers at bay at least til I'm done...please? Thank you, haha.


5. The Scream Trilogy

To those who are at sea thinking I've miscounted, I haven't honest. Scream 4 which was released some eleven years after Scream 3 was in my mind only ever intended to please Dimension Films big cheese Bob Weinstein or cash in on the franchise's popularity or at best it was a half-baked attempt to reel in a new audience. Screenwriter for the Scream franchise Kevin Williamson himself originally conceived it as a trilogy, penning a five-page outline for TWO sequels to the original Scream. So with that we will completely disregard the fourth and focus on a trilogy that as a whole in my mind revitalized the horror/slasher genre. The original Scream which was released back in 1996 came at exactly the right time, since the genre had become so saturated with direct-to-video films and a ridiculous influx of pedestrian and derivative sequels. With an ingeniously constructed script and a tongue firmly planted in cheek, Scream provided a fresh perspective on the genre with it's acutely self-referential and wry humor complete with it's own brand of scares. It was a breath of fresh air and while I was too young to see it when it was originally released, some eight years later I saw it on TV for the first time and absolutely loved every minute of it. At last I finally had a horror film to really scream about! On it's own it's definitely one of my favorite all-time horror films like ever.  

Scream 2 while not as immediately impressive as it's predecessor, was a more than worthy sequel on almost every level with some instances where it even surpassed it. It had the same satirical, razor-sharp humor that had now become it's stable and was used to great effect again here in contrast to the body count that was again stacking up. While you'd think it would suffer from the typical sequel problem of simply rehashing what the original did so well, Scream 2 really stood on it's own feet and played to the series' strengths which worked. The finale Scream 3 however I will admit was nowhere near as good as the first two. It was nonetheless a satisfying conclusion to the franchise with some interesting and welcome callbacks to the original. Unfortunately it had become a victim of the very thing it was satirizing, which makes me wonder whether it was actually intentional. The trilogy's placing on my list is purely based on the fact that the first two were fantastic, and while the conclusion didn't really end the franchise on the highest of notes, it did what it had to wrap everything up and was satisfying enough. 


4. The Matrix Trilogy
 
"Welcome to the real world." Just before we greeted the dawn of a new millennium, in early 1999 The Matrix literally exploded onto screens, becoming a sensation almost overnight and later a phenomenon. You can't deny the impact this film had not only on us film-goers but the industry as a whole. It practically reinvented the rulebook on how to make an action film and set the benchmark for future action films. Boasting some truly awe-inspiring cinematic fight sequences and employing the use of slow-motion, incredible camera angles and spins and a jaw-dropping bullet time effect, which was an innovation. Conceptually it is one of the finest of it's kind, blending a mix of cyberpunk, dystopian fiction and a high emphasis on Hong Kong action cinema. It features some of the finest fight choreography I've ever seen in a film with a premise so profoundly unique you'd swear it came from the mind of someone like Phillip K. Dick. If the literary minds of Phillip K. Dick and George Orwell had been combined and put through a filter, it would have come out something quite like this I imagine. It has that distinctly Orwellian palette only on a much more grander scale of something as metaphysical and philosophical as a Phillip K. Dick work. There is really no film quite like it, and to quote Morpheus: "No one can be told what The Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself." Very true indeed.

It was followed by The Matrix Reloaded in 2003 and was a true sequel in every sense of the word. Featuring some of the same incredible action sequences and in particular a memorable highway chase which is one of the best scenes of the trilogy. It carried over the same philosophical tones that had made the first so unique and executed them well for the most part. However, I did feel it sacrificed some character development here and there for the sake of a bigger emphasis on action which isn't necessarily a bad thing cause like I said the action scenes are still top draw. Some more exposition would have been welcome to flesh it out a little more, but overall it was a great follow-up. The Matrix Revolutions was released only a few months later in the same year. Now the final chapter of The Matrix Trilogy was considered something of a letdown by many people. Expectations were high, and while I agree it was flawed, I still found that the better aspects of the film outweighed the negative. The Siege on Zion which made up almost half the film was visually spectacular and the final showdown with Neo and Smith was nothing short of epic. It remains one of my all-time favorite showdowns and it ended the trilogy on a bang for me, despite it's flaws. You have to give The Wachowskis credit for coming up with something that was so original and being able to pull it off competently for the most part. Flaws be damned, it's still a remarkable feat of imagination.


3. Toy Story Trilogy
       
Being a kid of the 90's, it should have been considered sinful if you hadn't ever seen or heard of Toy Story. This for me defined my childhood, and it was one of the first films I ever saw in cinemas back in '95 when I was only a wee pup of six. It left such a lasting impression on me then and there are few films I can ever recall having that much of an affect on me. Toy Story may have been one of the very first feature-length computer-animated films and it was unlike anything I had ever seen. Featuring probably the most beloved cast of characters ever put into a film, animated or otherwise, it instantly propelled young kids like me to go out and buy all the merchandise. I can vividly recall going into Toys-R-Us with my mum in December of '95 and picking out literally dozens of Toy Story stuff that I wanted off Father Christmas. What I had is something I still cherish to this day (hey don't judge me...) which was a limited edition Buzz Lightyear with chrome silver armor, the best present like ever! Toy Story will always have a special place in my heart and not only is it one of my favorite all-time animated films, it's one of my favorite films period. It truly had something for everyone, it had universal appeal which you rarely see nowadays but Toy Story pulled it off. Visually spectacular with an incredible ensemble of instantly likable characters, in a heartwarming adventure story of friendship and acceptance, a truly rare gem that only comes along once in a generation.

As if defining an entire generation wasn't enough, Pixar went a step further and released the much anticipated sequel Toy Story 2 four years later which was a truly rare accomplishment in the fact that remarkably it was even BETTER than the original. I don't know how they did but they did. They completely blew it out and took the franchise to new heights, attracting a new generation of kids with the same wit and sophistication that made the first such an instant classic. Toy Story 2 surpassed it's predecessor on so many levels with an even grander adventure that would take Woody, Buzz and gang literally to infinity and beyond. We have become so attached to these characters that we want them to succeed and Toy Story 2 really does tug on the heart strings more so than the first film did. I guarantee you will laugh and you will cry like I did and there is absolutely no shame in that confession. It would be almost eleven years before we would see another Toy Story film which was going to be the conclusion to this incredible and beloved franchise. Toy Story 3 was not only a more than fitting conclusion to this franchise, but it had achieved the impossible by still maintaining the same quality and sophistication as it's precursors to top off a truly remarkable trilogy. I think the Toy Story Trilogy is deserving of an inclusion in everyone's personal top ten or top five trilogies ever, and I urge anyone out there to come forward and convince me otherwise.


2. The Dark Knight Trilogy 
                 
It wouldn't be unfair at all to say that the much lambasted Batman & Robin effectively killed the Batman film franchise for everyone. Joel Schumacher's cheesy sleaze-fest of cringe-worthy one-liners, mind-numbingly awful acting, completely over-the-top action sequences with campy costumes complete with Bat nipples and close up crotch shots, Hollywood had really dropped the ball big time. So yeah...there was a lot to like about Batman & Robin, sarcasm aside. Fret not, cause a guardian angel in the form of one Christopher Nolan came and gave the franchise a much needed boot up the arse with a complete reboot that finally did Batman the justice he so deserved. Don't get me wrong, the Tim Burton films were really good at the time but Nolan really came and presented us with a much more mature and grittier Batman. Batman Begins really nailed the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with the evolution from a young orphan witnessing the tragic and senseless shooting of his parents to his eventual rise as The Caped Crusader. It was a completely fresh perspective with Christian Bale at the helm delivering an incredible performance as the Bruce Wayne/Batman of our time. It was faithful to it's source material while Nolan put his own unique stamp on it, and for better or for worse took it from a comic-book-like approach to something more adult and darker. For me this is how a superhero film should be done and Christopher Nolan really hit the nail on the head. It was really high time that Batman was taken a bit more seriously for a change.

Batman Begins really reinvigorated the franchise and came at just the right time. Along with the first Spiderman, they both remain one of my two all-time favorite superhero films. What followed Begins was the inevitable sequel that would go on to receive unprecedented commercial success, surpassing the $1billion mark that only a few films have achieved. It is among one of the highest-grossing films of all time, and was at the time the highest grossing superhero film ever until being surpassed by The Avengers in 2012. The Dark Knight descended upon the world and set it on fire almost overnight. Featuring an astonishing and legendary performance by Heath Ledger as The Joker, which rightfully went on to become one of the greatest villains ever portrayed on screen. He truly captured The Joker, and not only was his performance exatrodinary but the film featured incredible performances by Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, Christian Bale reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and overall a fantastic ensemble. It is a one-of-kind film that completely eclipsed Begins on every level. The Dark Knight to me is the definitive superhero film that has yet to be surpassed and as good as the conclusion is (won't go into it here, for a more detailed analysis see my review), it still doesn't quite hold a candle to this masterpiece.  


Well, this is it folks we've come this far. Shockingly there is a trilogy out there that surpasses the pure nostalgia of the Toy Story Trilogy and the gritty grandiosity of The Dark Knight Trilogy. You may be wondering, "hey, how come that isn't up there? Surely that deserves a place somewhere, I mean it is...that for Christ sake!" Well, perhaps I am saving the best for last...ah to hell with it I'm done being vague, here it is!! My number one all-time favorite trilogy is...

1. The Lord of the Rings

It's not surprising really that this just simply trumps them all by far. Behold undoubtedly the greatest fantasy epic of all time. A truly remarkable piece of film-making by a master director who really captured the very essence of the Tolkien books and blew all expectations. Every film is a landmark achievement in itself, with a meticulous and mind-boggling attention-to-detail. Middle Earth is brought to life in the most spectacular and awe-inspiring fashion. There are really no words I can use to describe just what a perfect trilogy this is. It's perfect, a true diamond, flawless and with no comparison. The one trilogy to rule them all, that would be The Lord of the Rings.