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Feeling a little spacey?

As a moviegoer for more than 70 years, I’ve seen some great movies, some not so great, some really bad ones, some trying but failing to be deep and meaningful, some reveling in their shallowness. I was born the year The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were released. My mother started taking me to the movies shortly after that. I saw some movies that were definitely not PG rated. I can still remember being afraid of The Thing.

Many times I disagree with the critics. I don’t call them and tell them what I think of their reviews, so now that there is an internet for anyone to babble on, I add my voice. I’m sure there are many of you who will disagree with my assessments. Some of you will agree.  I hope to hear from all of you.

Hollywood loves space movies. Movie goers do too. There are almost no boundaries. Anything can happen in the wild, blue yonder. There is a slight shift in films made after we actually put a man on the moon. The fantasy films still employ tons of special effects and strange-looking aliens, but the more realistic ones are, well, more realistic. I’ve included both.

Apollo 13 (1995): Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon find themselves in serious trouble as they head for the moon. This film is based on fact. It is so well done that even though I knew how it ended I was on the edge of my seat. Ed Harris and Gary Sinise co-star.

Silent Running (1972): Bruce Dern plays a botanist entrusted to keeping trees alive on a space vehicle. When ordered to destroy his forest, he refuses. This action places him alone with his fellow crew members against him. This is a quiet movie with a strong message.

The Right Stuff (1983): This film, based on a Thomas Wolfe novel, is great stuff. It is interesting and sometimes funny. The guys with the right stuff are Mercury astronauts in the 1960s. The cast is very strong and includes Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Jeff Goldblum and Barbara Hershey.

Space Balls (1982): This film is a spoof of the Star War series and features “the power of the Schwartz.” Funny man Mel Brooks joins with Bill Pullman, John Candy and Rick Moranis for a little comic relief.

Gravity (2013): I haven’t seen this film yet, but it is certainly on my list. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney find themselves in a sticky situation.

Destination Moon (1950): John Archer, Warner Anderson and Tom Powers are successful in reaching the moon, but once there they realize they won’t have enough fuel to get home. Oh, what is an astronaut to do?

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): In this Stanley Kubrick classic, astronauts Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood are sent into space to check out monoliths that have been appearing throughout the universe. Little did they know that HAL, the ship’s computer, would try to take over. Stunning cinematography.

Countdown (1968): This is a Robert Altman film based on the novel, The Pilgrim Project, by Hank Searls. In a race to beat the Russians to the moon, James Caan finds himself on the moon with dead Russians. Caan thinks he will be dead soon unless he can find the shelter that was sent. At the last moment, he sees the beacon on the shelter and heads for it.

From the Earth to the Moon (1958):  Based on a Jules Verne novel, this film tells the story of the invention of a super material that is used to build a spaceship during the Civil War. Joseph Cotton, George Sanders and Debra Paget co-star.

Marooned (1969): Astronauts are stranded on the moon when their space vehicle develops problems. On the ground, Gregory Peck is charged with finding a way to bring them home. A stellar cast includes Richard Crenna, David Janssen, Gene Hackman and Lee Grant. Entertaining little movie.

Solaris (2002): This is a strange film directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars George Clooney and Natascha McElhone. The plot is so convoluted and bizarre that I won’t even attempt to try to relate it. All you need to know is that Clooney is on a spaceship.

Space Cowboys (2000): A Russian satellite is about to fall to Earth. Only one man can stop it. He agrees to take on the task if his buddies can join him. Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, James Garner and Marcia Gay Harden make this a fun film to watch.

Abbott and Costello go to Mars (1953): These two screw-ups accidentally launch a rocket destined for Mars, but it ends up in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. There, they are forced by bank robbers to fly to Venus, which is inhabited solely by women. Oh, if it were only that easy.

Capricorn One (1978): NASA astronauts are asked to fake a Mars landing. They do and become heroes with the public until nosy reporters discover the truth. Elliott Gould, James Brolin, Sam Waterston and Hal Holbrook star. Interesting concept. Could our government really pull this off?

Moon (2009): An astronaut sends to Earth parcels of Helium-3 that should help with power problems. The plot sounds simple but it’s not. What’s going on here? Sam Rockwell stars and Kevin Spacey is the voice of the robot.

Project Moonbase (1953): This movie is from a story by Robert Heinlein that is set in the future (1970). The US wants to build bases on the moon. Three astronauts are sent to look for sites. One of them is an imposter sent to sabotage the project. He dies. The US decides to use the spaceship as base. One astronaut is male, one female. Because this is 1953, they must marry to avoid scandal.