Things I learned after watching Capricorn One
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dleigh80 — 16 years ago(January 31, 2010 08:45 PM)
- Gargle with mouthwash before drinking stale coffee late at night
- After trying to kill a news reporter by sabotaging the brakes in his car, show him you really mean business by shooting a few bullets in his general direction when he visits a remote tourist attraction. Then high-tail it out of there; reporters are known to pursue and take revenge on the assassin squads who shoot at them.
- Reporters and aerospace engineers in Texas generally talk like they are from the east coast or west coasts rather than the south.
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Gheelnory — 16 years ago(February 04, 2010 04:09 AM)
- After two obvious attempts on your life, of COURSE you should follow your usual routine, going back to your office, free of concern that other attempts might be made.
- There is no more poignant piece of children's literature on this earth than "Fox in Sox".
- When prancing through a cemetery in slow motion, be sure to coordinate the landings and launches with your prancing partner. Synchronous prancing makes for a more triumphant visual.
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dleigh80 — 16 years ago(March 07, 2010 05:18 PM)
- When an astronaut's wife leaves her house to address a massive throng of media encamped outside, generally only one reporter will have an actual question prepared.
- Always record the audio from spaceflight practice simulations, just in case it's needed later for some reason.
- If you are contemplating blowing the whistle on a muti-billion dollar government plot, discuss your plans openly on the actual location of the hoax, with plenty of cameras and microphones around.
- Nobody gives a crap about anything anymore.
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dleigh80 — 16 years ago(March 08, 2010 05:31 PM)
DoomJust to be clear, I LOVE Capricorn One. I enjoy it more than much bigger movies of the period such as Star Wars or Close Encounters. The film has a genuine joy to it and was clearly a labor of love by the film makers. It includes some really sharp dialog, and the attention to detail with the launch and tracking by mission control feels authentic a full 30 years later.
One risk with "things I learned" threads is it can be hard to distinguish cynical / hateful posts from affectionate tributes by true fans of a movie. My contributions here reflect my memories of the film, and I can only remember such details because I've seen it so many timeswhich wouldn't have happened if I didn't love the movie. -
Gheelnory — 16 years ago(March 12, 2010 12:40 AM)
dleigh80 wrote: One risk with "things I learned" threads is it can be hard to distinguish cynical / hateful posts from affectionate tributes by true fans of a movie. My contributions here reflect my memories of the film, and I can only remember such details because I've seen it so many timeswhich wouldn't have happened if I didn't love the movie.
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Excellent point. If I ever start a 'things I learned' thread, I'll remember your words and include, in the opening post, a reminder that remarking on a movie's particularities doesn't have to be an act of contemptit can be an act of affection. -
Gheelnory — 16 years ago(March 18, 2010 12:53 AM)
(I can't help wondering if this movie is ever popped into the DVD player at Chez Streisand/Brolinand if so, what must go through Babs' mind during the 'prancing in slow-mo through the cemetery' scene)
Anyway, counting your three as #42-44:
45: When choosing a space program in which to become an astronaut, NEVER pick the one that gives the low bidder the contract to build the spacecraft's Life Support system. -
caladon — 16 years ago(March 30, 2010 09:30 PM)
- Three well trained astronauts escaping in a jet never realize that jet planes have radios for contacting the rest of the world.
- Or realize that escape jets have a very limited supply of fuel; even though it was the same jet that they were just flying on that was taking them to another location.
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cormac_zoso — 12 years ago(July 08, 2013 07:54 AM)
*** 33. Reporters and aerospace engineers in Texas generally talk like they are from the east coast or west coasts rather than the south.***
sorry, that one doesn't work NASA recruits the best and the brightest regardless of where they grew up they don't restrict themselves to Texas or the South for hiring their engineers if they did restrict themselves to that area, you'd have seen lots more duct tape on the lunar lander
and as far as reporters go, considering the 'reputation' the Elliot Gould character has, he probably has been bouncing around to many papers (or TV stations as he's technically is that tho i remembered him as a newspaper guy) he's probably been fired and worn out his welcome in plenty of cities near where he grew up or what-have-you and so would have decided, in true cinematic tradition, to try a new city where 'they don't know him' so that isn't really much of a point either -
golden-24 — 15 years ago(September 26, 2010 01:26 PM)
If you want to pull off an elaborate manned-mission-to-Mars hoax, instead of making sure in advance that you will have the cooperation of the three people who are most crucial to the success of the plot, just wait until the last possible moment to bring them in on it, and hope that they go along with you.
If the feds want to make a low level NASA technician disappear, they will do it very discretely by kidnapping him from a crowded bar while he is playing pool with a friend rather than waiting until he is alone.
When a woman poses very basic, obvious questions (like "Why are you asking me these personal things about my dead husband?") to an inquisitive reporter she barely knows, that means she is remarkably bright and perceptive. -
golden-24 — 15 years ago(September 27, 2010 06:03 PM)
If the continued success of your massive mission-to-Mars hoax requires you to keep three astronauts captive, put them all together in a conference room with one locked door. Do not restrain them or put them under armed guard, or take any other measures to prevent their escape, because these are not the sort of people with the ingenuity to devise a way out.