Considering the name of my blog, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that 39 years ago today, Neil Alden Armstrong and Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. became the first men to walk on the moon.

The Apollo 11 mission marked the culmination of more than a decade of hard work and fulfilled the commitment made in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy (in a speech at Rice University) to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Kennedy, unfortunately, would not live to see that accomplishment.

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

– President John F. Kennedy

By the time Apollo 11 landed, the nation had been locked in a space race with the then-Soviet Union since 1957, following the launch of a spherical, beeping satellite named Sputnik. We were beat to the punch on putting the first man into space — that honor went to cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin — but were never far behind, putting Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. into space a mere 23 days later.

Pictured, from left, are Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin. The top photo is Aldrin on the lunar surface. It’s interesting to note that beyond grainy television footage, there are no photographs of Armstrong, first man on the moon, on the surface; he had the camera during the lunar excursion.

Along also for the ride aboard Apollo 11, is the unsung member of the crew, command module pilot Michael Collins, who orbited while Armstrong and Aldrin frolicked on the lunar surface. Still, Collins is amongst a select group of men, one of only 24 to have journeyed to the Earth’s desolate moon.

I actually had the opportunity to meet Mr. Aldrin back in 2002. It was an incredible honor and thrill to hear him speak and even ask him a few questions during a joint interview. And, to this day, I am still amazed that I had the opportunity to shake hands with a man who had walked on another world, something only 12 men in total can claim.

Learn More…

• About Apollo 11
• NASA (main site)
• NASA: Hubble
• NASA: Johnson Space Center
• NASA: Kennedy Space Center
• Space.com

Okay, this one I can’t pass up … yet another thing I would not be allowed to do if I was aboard the Battlestar Galatica:

• Refer to the New Caprican smokable happy herb as Baltar Wort, Gaius Bane or Dr. Who?
  - Actually, I’m not supposed to mention that particular herb at all since the only people we saw smoking it was Madame President and The Admiral.
  - And if I do mention it … AIRLOCK!

As I’ve said before, I’m a huge movie buff. My first job was working in a video store, which was great for someone who already liked movies and even greater for someone willing to expand their viewing palate — which is a fancy way of saying I had the opportunity to see a broad variety of films and consequently learned to appreciate more genres than I probably would have otherwise. That said, I’m still a sucker for movies that are just plain fun with no goal of being anything other than escapist fantasy and pure entertainment.

I just saw two movies recently — which you should be able to guess from the title of this post — one of which was fits that description well and another that was outstanding all the way around.

Wall-E

I’m a big fan of Pixar’s movies. The stories are always fantastic (if not perfect), and the animation, in my opinion, is the best in the business. I’ve loved every one they’ve made so far, but when I first saw the trailers for Wall-E, I KNEW this one would be my favorite yet. First off, Wall-E is just too cute for words (and reminds me of my little Shih Tzu, Sailor Boy). Then there’s the fact it involves robots and outer space. Not to mention the story looked very promising.

That said, I was so looking forward to Wall-E that there was a very real possibility that it might not live up to my expectations. I am glad to report, however, that that possibility did not come to fruition and that Wall-E is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, animated or otherwise. It is as adorable as its little robot star and as inspiring as his longing to have a special someone to hold hands with.

At its heart, Wall-E is a love story that speaks of the desire of many a heart in this world, but it also addresses the dangers of our increasing disconnectedness as a society, courtesy of technology and the numerous “entertainment” distractions that so often cut us off from our fellow human beings — and ourselves.

Overall, Wall-E is masterful storytelling wrapped up in phenomenal animation, a grown-up tale told with a child’s clarity of thought and a very powerful look at the difference between existence and living.

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I’ve seen every Indiana Jones movie at the theater and I wasn’t missing this one. And I’m glad I didn’t. Even though this Indy outing has its flaws, it is just plain fun and probably the last we’ll see of our fedora-wearing, whip-wielding, sometimes-bumbling hero on the big screen. And that’s okay. I have no desire to see anyone other than Harrison Ford as Indy, and I have no desire to see anyone else try to take on that mantle in any other incarnation. This is one film series that should be left alone for all time, no remakes attempted — EVER.

In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy is older and not as spry as he once was, but he is still a brilliant archaeologist, a scrapper of a fighter and, more importantly, still possesses the most amazing luck of anyone alive.

To me, the movie got off to an uneven start. It seemed to take a while to get into the groove, but once it was there, it stayed there. The story was good, though, I confess I missed having the Nazis as bad guys. I also missed Salah (John Rhys Davies) and though Jim Broadbent is a great actor he doesn’t quite inject the same charming warmth that the late Denholm Elliott embodied as Marcus Brody. Also missed is Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery).

On the plus side, the talented young Shia LaBeouf is along for the ride, looking very Marlon Brando ala The Wild One when we first see him, as is the delightful Karen Allen, returning as Marion. I was thrilled to see Allen as her Marion adds a dimension to Indiana that I’ve missed since Raiders of the Lost Ark. I love how she inspires him as much as infuriates him; they are good together, and Allen makes the most of her limited screen time. Of course, it goes without saying that Cate Blanchett is a wonderful villain. Honestly, is there anything that this woman cannot do? She is a chameleon of the first order and arguably one of the greatest actresses to ever grace the screen.

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a good movie, but not a great one. It doesn’t quite live up to Raiders or The Last Crusade, though I did like it better in many ways than the Temple of Doom. Regardless, it was wonderful to see Indy on the big screen again, to have George Lucas and Steven Spielberg team up again and to see Ford don the legendary fedora one last time, giving us a bigger-than-life adventure and hero that harkens back to a bygone era of cinema.

***Images used in this post are copyrighted works and used here for informational and entertainment purposes ONLY.***