"Amelia"

k5083 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:57 am

The early reviews are in, and -- ouch! Here's a sample from today's Wall Street Journal:

Quote:

Amelia Earhart is still missing.

In her place, "Amelia" presents a protofeminist with a frozen smile spouting free-as-a-bird slogans from a bird-brained script. The film struggles to stay aloft, and may soon vanish, like its namesake, without a trace. But below and beyond the mystery of Earhart's fate, "Amelia" leaves you wondering how its abundantly gifted director, Mira Nair, and its Oscar-winning star, Hilary Swank, could have been complicit in such clumsiness. It's the age-old question of why bad movies happen to good people.

No reflection on the planes or pilots that participated in the filming, of course.

August

WacoRNF · **Posted:** Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:52 pm

Having just returned from the theater... we thought the movie was fantastic! WELL DONE to all of you!! Don't listen to the critics... what do they know about flying anyway!

WacoRNF

aabryant · **Posted:** Sat Oct 24, 2009 1:05 am

Like WacoRNF my wife and I just returned from the theatre. In my opinion this movie contains some of the best aviation cinematography I've seen since first watching the "Battle of Britain" in 1970. “Fleet16B” should feel very proud indeed, as should everyone who contributed to the extraordinary air-to-air and air-to-ground segments. This is definitely a “big-screen movie” if only to reiterate how beautiful our world is and what Amelia Earhart must have seen on some of her journeys.

My wife also loved the movie, and that says something about the acting talents contained therein (thank you Ms. Swank). My wife is not a big fan of aeroplane or historical movies, but occasionally indulges me. That the movie was essentially accurate made me very happy. That it was beautifully filmed made us both very content to have spent money to have seen it in the theatre. Recommendation? Go see it. On the biggest screen you can find.

Eric Presten · **Posted:** Sat Oct 24, 2009 1:14 am

I liked it too. It didn't hurt to see my own face on the screen, but I had very low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised. Lots of great airplane stuff.

Fleet16b · **Posted:** Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:11 am

aabryant wrote:

Like WacoRNF my wife and I just returned from the theatre. In my opinion this movie contains some of the best aviation cinematography I've seen since first watching the "Battle of Britain" in 1970. “Fleet16B” should feel very proud indeed, as should everyone who contributed to the extraordinary air-to-air and air-to-ground segments. This is definitely a “big-screen movie” if only to reiterate how beautiful our world is and what Amelia Earhart must have seen on some of her journeys.

My wife also loved the movie, and that says something about the acting talents contained therein (thank you Ms. Swank). My wife is not a big fan of aeroplane or historical movies, but occasionally indulges me. That the movie was essentially accurate made me very happy. That it was beautifully filmed made us both very content to have spent money to have seen it in the theatre. Recommendation? Go see it. On the biggest screen you can find.

Thanks very much for the kind comment.
I a glad people are enjoying the movie as I was having my doubts having read some of he reviews.
Tonight we are going for dinner with friends and then seeing the movie.
I will post my critique tomorrow.

Dave Hadfield · **Joined:** Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:31 pm **Posts:** 1672

Robin and I just got back from seeing it.

Ignore the bloody critics. It's worth watching. The flying scenes are mostly good. There's very little CGI, and only a few hokey-hollywood bits.

I just wish they hadn't cut quite so much of the 1929 Race scene. It was a lot more interesting, and important to her character in my view, than some of the other stuff they spent time on. There's nothing of her early aviation background in the movie. I'd have rather sat an addition 15 minutes in the theater to watch some good biplane flying -- the actual stuff that turned Earhart on as a young woman.

Like most mainstream movies, there's not enough airplane.

My wife was disappointed to find that Amelia back then was mostly a PR creation. That was truthfully portrayed.

But there's a good scene of Larry E. in the Bucker Jungmann (and I'm proud to say I've rolled that airplane!), and another of Hannu flying low passes in the modern Waco.

The Waco CTO I fly for VWoC is featured -- just -- following the Moth through the gates at the end of the race. The owner, Mike P is flying it. (They shot that scene 14 times.) And there's a close-up of it starting -- my idea, I'm proud to say (they had a little fan rigged, to blow her hair, and it looked fake as hell). Mike and I convinced Fleet 16B to talk to the Director, and we delayed the shoot enough to teach Hilary how to start the Wright 760. She did that for real.

I thought it was pretty good.

Dave

Iclo · **Posted:** Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:56 am

fleet16b: did you worked in the South Africa part of the filming too ?
Few months to wait before the film comes out in Europe :-(

Fleet16b · **Posted:** Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:19 pm

Iclo wrote:

fleet16b: did you worked in the South Africa part of the filming too ?
Few months to wait before the film comes out in Europe :-(

No
all the European shooting was done by second unit crews that were hired over there. Only a skeleton crew from Canada were sent to S.Africa

Fleet16b · **Posted:** Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:25 pm

Personally I am a little disappointed in the end product. Mostly for the same reasons as Dave Hadfield.
It was good to see some of the people I hired make it onto the screen.
Good close up of my Fleet idling with Vintage Wings of Canada founder Mike Potter's wife sitting in the cockpit.
The critics seem to be bashing the movie but most people I have spoken with seemed to have enjoyed it.
It is satisfying to see some of my technical advice did get used in scenes. Overall, some wonderful air to air but not really aa much of a flying movie as it should have been.

Obergrafeter · **Posted:** Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:22 pm

Just saw it, and not too bad. Took the wife and she enjoyed it so it's not too airplany (if thats a word).

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

I saw it last night as well. I thought it was an enjoyable movie with good flying scenes. It wasn't the perfect movie that makes you sit on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next (we all know the outcome), but it's very entertaining none the less.

This movie reminded me a lot of "The Aviator" about Howard Hughes from a few years ago. Starts out a little slow, but we are rewarded with fantastic flying scenes and things pick up quickly. Like "The Aviator", however, I thought the ending was very unsatisfying.

All in all, though, it's worth it to go see. I thought most of the overall details were mostly accurate regarding the airplanes and aviation settings and atmosphere. Though they had a few anachronisms in it, overall it was accurate enough, and had nothing in it which detracted from the storyline.

I recommend everyone see it because: 1) you will be entertained, and 2) that's what vintage airplane buffs do, and 3) the more people that support it and see it, the more likely there will be future Hollywood movies with an aviation theme. If this movie bombs, future Hollywood directors and producers will be much less likely to take gambles on aviation storylines.

Go see it, you won't be disappointed!

Django · **Posted:** Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:28 pm

I took my wife to see it on Saturday (her first movie since our son was born over a year ago) and we really enjoyed it. It is DEFINITELY worth the money for the big screen. It's a beautiful movie visually.

wacoykc · **Posted:** Tue Oct 27, 2009 10:13 pm

We went and saw it again tonight with some other aviation friends. Got a better view since tonight the only seats open WERE NOT in the second row. Enjoyed it a second time and could concentrate on a few scenes more.

Warbird Information Exchange

"Amelia"

Who is online