Evies Blog

First off, if I could give this miniseries 10, 20, a zillion stars, I would. Amazon objective didn’t let me count high enough.

So let me procure ahold of myself long enough to mumble you to rush, rush, hasten and score this DVD residence now, if you haven’t already. “From the Earth to the Moon” is one of the most novel and inviting (as well as gorgeously produced) miniseries I’ve ever seen — 12 hours of spellbinding, dramatic, interesting, homely, and ultimately completely appealing entertainment. As a kid born in the unhurried sixties, I missed the moon rush (and I’m quiet ticked about it) . But this literally perfect 12-episode miniseries makes me feel as if I’ve been there too — from the tragedy of Apollo 1 to the triumphs and near-misses of the ensuing missions, to the vastly underappreciated final Apollo 16 and 17 missions. (As one character in the film laments, “We stopped going up honest when we were getting really satisfactory at it.”)

Those of you who might have avoided this because it’s “history” — let me reassure you legal now that it’s as lively as any drama you’ll scrutinize in or out of a theatre. This isn’t unprejudiced history painstakingly created by some of those who were there — it’s also impartial wearisome astonishing, suspenseful, ecstatic entertainment.

Buy,Download, Or Stream From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition! Click Here

And for those of you who saw it on HBO, the DVD state is well worth the sign, even if you’d already taped it. The DVD station offers not only crystal-clear viewing you’d ask (and the special effects beget up admirably under the discerning look offered through DVD), but also special features including an delightful making-of featurette (emphasizing Tom Hanks’ vast role in bringing the project to the veil), plus behind-the-scenes studies of special effects, 3D ship models (which can be rotated or even viewed in wireframe), a transcript of Kennedy’s “We Determine to go to the Moon” speech, a follow-up put a question to, and a virtual tour of the solar system. And that’s unprejudiced for starters.

The writing, acting, music, direction and more are all simply first-rate — each hour out of the twelve having its hold particular examine and feel, while nevertheless meshing perfectly with the others. The introductions to each chapter in Apollo history are delivered quietly, but with eloquence and power, by the project’s producer, co-writer, actor (and driving force) Tom Hanks.

One of my common aspects of the project was the intention it brought in so many actors who are often underused (or at least under-appreciated) in TV and film today — many of whom are cast against type to note what they can really do. Stephen Root, a guy I’d loved as Jimmy James on NewsRadio for years, does a terrific job in a serious role as Mission Control’s Chris Kraft, as does Prick Searcy in a still and often sensitive turn as the program’s father figure Deke Slayton. Meanwhile, Stephen Root’s weak NewsRadio news director Dave Foley also gets in on the action, and gets to shed his “Kids in the Hall” cynicism with a surprisingly sweet and innocent portrayal of Al Bean.

Buy,Download, Or Stream From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition! Click Here

Other favorites out of the dozens of astonishing actors include Ted Levine’s wistful, complex (not to mention curmudgeonly) Alan Shepard, the criminally underused Jo Anderson’s sensitive and engaging Pat White (wife of Gemini and Apollo I astronaut Ed White), and memorable appearances big and runt by such gifted folks as Kevin Pollak, Elizabeth Perkins, Matt Craven, Tim Daly, Note Harmon (returning for a few moments to his lighter roots), Paul McCrane, David Clennon, James Rebhorn, Stamp Rolston, Jay Mohr, George Newbern, Brett Cullen and Steve Zahn.

The surprises are the best section. Before viewing this, I would never have guessed that the Apollo 13 (”We interrupt this Program”) segment, while modern and distinguished, would be my least accepted of the group, while “Spider,” a recognize at the development of a *machine*, for goodness’ sake, would depart me to tears. Other standouts (keeping in mind that they’re all terrific) include a quietly great discover at Apollo I, the trials and surprising fates of the astronauts’ wives in an episode directed by Sally Field, and the bittersweet old-man-as-underdog battle of Alan Shepard to execute it “up there” one last time — and for more than 15 minutes.

OK, I’ll shut up. But if you ever have a day when you’ve encountered a really tedious driver, or been detained in ridiculous meetings with half-brained bozos, or wondered if human beings aren’t actually DE-volving — then this miniseries is fair the kind of thing to remind you of what human beings can be at their very best. And what wonders they are valid of.

And I can’t have I missed it all. We unbiased better go help. Darn it.

NOTE: For those of you inspired by the miniseries, I strongly race you to go select up Andrew Chaikin’s extraordinary “A Man on the Moon,” the history of Apollo that provided remarkable of the backbone for the miniseries. And for an even closer explore at the moon, don’t miss “Tubby Moon” (Michael Light and Andrew Chaikin) — a truly heavenly, resplendent, even eerie compilation of lunar photographs, many of which had never before been seen.

From the Earth to the Moon: Signature Edition (2005)

Buy,Download, Or Stream From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition! Click Here

I don’t intend to review the philosophize of this DVD region as it has been covered in tall detail by many hundreds already. If you fancy top-class historical drama and enjoyed Apollo 13, you probably know about the quality of this miniseries already. My rating for the miniseries itself is 9.5 out of 10.

This is a short review to point out the differences between the 2000 4-Disc box space and the 2005 Signature Edition 5-disc box area.

Buy,Download, Or Stream From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition! Click Here

In case you have already got the 2000 DVD region in your collection and are wondering whether to update it to the 2005 edition, here are the differences:

Firstly, there are 5 discs instead of 4, but NO dissimilarity in assert. No extra scenes, documentaries or commentary. The unusual DVD-Rom Disc 4 has been re-authored to play on your DVD player in the lounge room. This makes a lot of the verbalize immediately accessible instead of having to search for it on the salvage, but the interactivity is gone. For me that’s cramped loss as I didn’t procure powerful out of the games etc anyway.

Secondly, the entire spot has been remastered in DTS and Widescreen (1.85:1) . Now this sounds like manna from heaven, but unfortunately only the audio remastering is really worth spending any extra dollars on. The sound is crisp, positive and beautifully mixed and the liftoffs etc arrive booming out of your home theatre system like you were there at the Cape.

But the widescreen - well, sadly it fair doesn’t enhance the recent viewing experience. It’s evident that HBO produced the recent series in 1.33:1 for tv and have merely re-jigged and adapted that ratio for the new proliferation of widescreen plasma television sets. There is no extra data. You will gather some scenes are better carve in the frame, but others suffer. For example, in Disc 1, when the Gemini 8/Agena assembly is tumbling around the sky with a stuck thruster, you don’t leer the thruster in the recent widescreen version as it is slice off by the top of the frame. Some captions have also been compromised.

As the series was created for the 1.33:1 ratio, all the crucial information is positioned inside the frame for that ratio anyway. The only advantage of the widescreen ratio is that it now fits your unique plasma widescreen without the dismal bars. Also the video quality is not as crisp as I expected it to be, possibly from the re-sizing process.

Each chapter now gets its fill play and audio options menu and there are 3 chapters per disc, which is tidier. However there are composed those unusual groupings of episodes where some believe the titles and some don’t. Nothing has changed here.

The box looks impressive with the silver signature camouflage and Tom’s moniker on it and there is a nice holo of the Earth and the Moon which alternates as you tilt it this scheme and that.

But, in a major disappointment to this buyer, the novel cardboard foldout format is identical to its 2000 counterpart. My box broke apart after about a year due to excessive wear and plod and sadly I awe this box will succumb to the same fate. Two of my discs had already broken free from their moorings in transit and were sliding all round the inside of the box, picking up scratches and marks in the process. Awful packaging.

How I wish they’d outmoded the Battlestar Galactica Season 1 format where all discs sit securely in plastic pages like the leaves of a book. Sturdier, simpler and more durable.

In summary, if you don’t have From the Earth to the Moon, then choose this 2005 spot. If you have it already and are wondering whether to consume $100 on a better version, deem twice. You may reflect it’s worth it to gather better sound, but unless you are an audiophile with a top home theater surround system and DTS, you probably won’t eye. You may be better off spending your money on other titles.

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