Operation Avalanche (2016)

Sometimes I just need to take a break away from the computer and such, and that was what I did last night while watching a solid conspiracy driven mockumentary. The moon landing may be one of the most famous conspiracy theories out there, and it is one that I have looked into more than a few times. To my surprise, I found a new movie dealing with that subject, 2016s Operation Avalanche.

Plot/ In 1967, four undercover CIA agents were sent to NASA posing as a documentary film crew. What they discovered led to one of the biggest conspiracies in American history.

When I saw this one at Family Video I was not really concerned about the quality or any other aspect, I was drawn to the storyline and subject matter. For better or worse, I love conspiracies and the moon landing is one of my favorite rabbit holes to go down. I am sure there are many out there that are in the same boat on that subject. Matt Johnson is one of the most inspirational filmmakers today. While this movie is not perfect and it does have some flaws, there were enough elements surrounding the story to make it an interesting take on this conspiracy. I loved the feel of the movie, as it definitely transported the viewer back to that period with a solid combination of soundtrack and cinematography. The idea of the story and the performances were also decent. However, the atmosphere and some of the scripting were uneven, plus the pacing was a bit choppy – all elements that detracted from the final product. In the end, this mockumentary was a different and entertaining look at possibly one of the greatest conspiracies of all time. If you are like me and are into conspiracies, give it a shot.

Iron Sky (2012)

Having finished Jericho, I decided I need something with a lighter mood to close out my weekend and I found just the movie. Yet, it honestly reminded me of the veterans of our past and the sacrifices they made. Of course, with Monday being Veterans Day, it is hard not to think of all those who served our great nation and all of the great people I served with during my career in the Navy. For all veterans new and old, Happy Veterans Day! Oh, what movie did I choose? I decided upon the 2012 action/comedy Iron Sky. 

Plot/ The Nazis set up a secret base on the dark side of the moon in 1945 where they hide out and plan to return to power in 2018.

This is a flick that I have debated about for some time. Now that I have watched it, I can see why there was debate in my head. This cheesy schlock-fest is one of the most unrealistic and strange flicks I have seen in some time. Yet, because it is so cheesy and unrealistic, it creates a fun and entertaining vibe throughout the movie. Honestly, it is one that is so stupid it is funny. Yes, the performances are uneven at best; there is some solid visual effects and decent action. In the end, this is one of the entertaining flicks the will be polarizing, loved and hated. Personally, I could not stop laughing, as it was one of the most ridiculous movies I have seen in some time. Check it out and decide for yourself. 

Stranded (2013)

It is time to get caught up with the flicks I watched this past weekend and there were a few. As usual, I tried to get a variety and watch some low budget films that may be overlooked by the mainstream. The next flick that is on the agenda in the 2013 Sci-Fi /or flick Stranded.

Plot/ Four astronauts working at a lunar base suffer a meteor strike that brings an infection that leads to paranoia, fear and death.

I was in the mood for a Sci-Fi / Horror flick based in outer space and found this one. Maybe I should not have. I understand that there were budget constraints, and with that, there are some decent scenes. Unfortunately, even with the positives that did come from the low budget, there were some painful flaws that really brought this flick down. The effects (especially at the beginning) suffer, the acting is all over the place, the scripting is bad, the storyline clichéd and there is zero characterization. Honestly, there were just way too many unanswered questions for this one to make sense. In the end, it is not the worst Sci-Fi / Horror flick out there, but it is far from the best. Stay away, stay far away. 

Apollo 18 (2011)

Having completed my first week of work, I had struggled with getting in the swing of things and conditioning my body to a new schedule. The same struggles happened with paying attention to movies or my blog. However, with it being the weekend, I was able to get into the swing of things again and watch a few new movies. My first selection for the weekend was the found footage conspiracy themed Apollo 18.

Plot/ Decades-old found footage from NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 mission, where two American astronauts were sent on a secret expedition, reveals the reason the U.S. has never returned to the moon.

Conspiracy theory flicks are always interesting, and when that conspiracy is interwoven within a different conspiracy, it is even better. The moon landings have always been ripe with controversy, and this flick definitely took it to another level. Sure, there were some flaws with pacing and at times, the acting seemed a bit uneven, but all in all, it was a terrific film. The atmosphere was tremendous, creating what I would imagine the natural eeriness of the moon would be. The cinematography did a great job at promoting the found footage realism by combining scenes on par with the video feeds from that era of space exploration. In addition, the plot had some realism to it, as it felt typical of a real covert operation and the information flow that occurs during the process. Being a retired member of the military, the practicality shown in this flick truly hit home and crafted a viable conspiracy thriller. Fans of conspiracies and Sci-Fi should definitely check it out.

Did We Go to the Moon?

As I prepare to write a review of Apollo 18, I decided to enter into my archives of material and pull out an article I did a while ago on the overall lunar conspiracy. Did we go to the Moon? That is a great question. One that sparks different answers from millions of Americans, in fact, 20 percent of all Americans do not believe we did. I guess you could count me into that 20 percent.

To me, the quote "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," is one of the greatest scripted catch phrases of the generations. True Americans should not fret; the government's choice to fabricate this endeavor was just. At that particular point in time, beating the Russians was all that mattered. It did not matter if it was to the moon or to the grocery store; we had to out-do the evil red machine.

The reasons why we had to win this race led to the small overlooked details, which in the end is a fate-full flaw in the story that changed history. The space agency and government apparently overlooked small items like sound-stage wind, film protection and most importantly a severe lack of technology when coming up with this charade.

As we progress through the technological age, it is easy to look back and say no way! However, the appearance of modern looking technology in that day and age was enough to fool millions. Let us look at some of the evidence. We can start with one of my favorites, the film used to take those great pictures of the lunar surface and the earth. That film is actually the same film used by our Space Shuttle astronauts today. Interesting enough, these astronauts have to keep this film encased in a radiation proof container until use, something that the original astronauts did not do. Anyone that has ever been to the Smithsonian Institutes Air and Space Museum can vouch for this as well, although they may not realize it. Look at the landing capsule on display, the real thing, it is what, three maybe four inches thick at the thickest point. In addition, there was barely enough room for the astronauts to sit and control the unit, let alone carry a load of lined anti-radiation boxes.

One more thing on the film, before I move on, those cameras must have had the best auto-focus feature ever made. The pictures taken are flawless, clear as any picture I have ever seen. I wish I had that camera, I have a thousand dollar digital SLR and I cannot keep my hands steady here on earth. It is amazing the there are no signs of shaking going on in those pictures. I would think that walk around on a desolate rock; thousands of miles above the earth would be a little scary. Maybe I am wrong, but let me see, no oxygen, no gravity, no chance of survival if something goes wrong would put some fear in me. How about you?

The flag planting, a great moment in history, that is until starts fluttering in the wind. In zero gravity, the flag should have stayed flat. I could buy it if the astronauts were shaking it, but it did not flutter like that when they were walking with it, if you can believe the video footage, we have been fed.

There are other small things. The lack of moon dust movement when the ship is landing and taking off, the lack of stars in those brilliant photo's, the lack of audible noise in any of the audio tapes (a great one, that Lander had to be loud) and disparities of light contrasts throughout the video clips and pictures. However, the largest question is how did they do it with out the technology? The computer systems in the entire rocket, the entire rocket including the landing craft, guidance systems, everything had less computing power than the Timex watch I am wearing right now. It is a known fact that there are light bulbs that we can go buy at Wal-Mart right now that could compute more stuff then anything on that mission. Yet, the American Government (and people think Republican Presidents lie) want us to believe that we not only left the atmosphere, made it through the radiation belt AND flawlessly landed on the moon with this technology. I think not!

Do not get me wrong, those astronauts were great pilots. They surely could fly anything on earth. However, landing on the moon is a very different dynamic; there was absolutely no way to prepare. Of course, as we sit here today, today's government has the technology to prove without any doubt whether we actually went to the moon. All they would have to do would be point the Hubble Space Telescope or one of the other spy satellites in the sky toward the landing zone one the moon. ALL of the rovers, carts, materials, and such we supposedly left behind. Even after all of these years something had to survive. Right?

However, as with any controversy, they shy away. This is not the first time and it will not be the last. Look at the original Mars Pathfinder. Is not it ironic that it fell off the known world when it entered the Cydonnia Region of our great Red (or maybe brown and green) neighbor. Once again, the truth is out there, we just have to look to see it. Unless, soundstage 21 is actually the landing zone, then we could be searching forever.