AerospaceFan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (6 years 11 months 1 week ago) and read 1972 times:
Which aviation-related movies do you think are best?
For the purpose of this thread, I include realistic space travel as part of aviation.
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Apollo 13
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (close to the line of being nonrealistic)
3. 2010: The Year We Make Contact (same)
4. Airport (drama) and sequels
5. Airplane! (comedy) and sequels
6. Top Gun
Others that would qualify include movies about World War II aircraft and air strikes. Also, there is a recent movie with Jody Foster whose title I can't remember.
Other movies featuring aircraft might be Black Hawk Down and Behind Enemy Lines, as well as the James Bond flicks.
The only two I really count are You Only Live Twice because it features Little Nelly, the awesome autogyro, and Goldfinger, with Pussy Galore's flying squad. *Maybe* Goldeneye because of the feature of the Tigre helicopter...
1. The Rocketeer and
2. The Aviator - both capture the glamour of not only mid-century aviation, but the golden age of Hollywood--the Hollywood that never was but always will be.
3. The Great Waldo Pepper - I saw this movie when I was really young and have loved it ever since.
4. Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines - a classic for the humor, the history, and the outrageous stereotypes, lol.
5. Catch Me If You Can - I only include this because I really love the parts where he's pretending to fly for Pan Am. Don't we all wish we could fly for Pan Am?
6. "Plane Crazy" - this cartoon short receives special mention because it is the on-screen birth of a powerhouse of the 20th century--Mickey Mouse.
Airwave
When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29350 posts, RR: 62 Reply 6, posted (6 years 11 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1935 times:
I am not sure we should count space films.
Anyway here is my top 10 list in no particular order.
The High and the Mighty
12 O'clock high.
Airport
Those Magnificent Men and their Flying Machines (If they made that movie today they would ruin it with GCI graphics.....they actually had to build those machines)
Th Right Stuff (Enough crossover from space to count IMHO)
The Battle of Britian
Island in the Sky
Flight of the Phoniex-(THE ORIGINAL!!!)
Top Gun
The Bridges at Toko-Ri
And my Guilty please pick-Iron Eagle III aces... If for no other reason then they decided to poke fun at their own franchise....besides you had to love that Reynolds Wrap/Chaff gag!
EDIT: Thinking on it a bit farther, I want to drop The Right Stuff off my list, and replace it with "Wing and a Prayer" 1944 with Dana Andrews, Don Ameche, Richard Jakel and Harry Morgan.
To go a movie these days you would spend 9 bucks for the ticket another $6.50 I spent less the 8 bucks for the flick, can make my own popcorn, and it has two things today's movies just usually don't have, a plot and actors with actualy acting ability. And it only cost me 8 bucks.
[Edited 2006-06-23 05:11:33]
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
AerospaceFan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (6 years 11 months 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 1885 times:
The title, Island in the Sky reminded me of an early 20th Century movie featuring a preposterously large aircraft. In fact, before checking on the title, I thought that it referred to that movie.
That "retro" view of aviation can also be seen in that Angelie Jolie movie entitled, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
Confuscius From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 3634 posts, RR: 2 Reply 13, posted (6 years 11 months 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1832 times:
Glenn Ford - Sam C. McBane (Consolidated Airlines' Director of Engineering & Maintenance)
Nancy Kwan - Sally Fraser (oceanographer/Jack Savage's girlfriend)
Rod Taylor - Capt. Jack Savage
Suzanne Pleshette - Martha Webster (stewardess)
Jane Russell - Herself (USO performer in flashback sequences)
SlamClick From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 10062 posts, RR: 71 Reply 15, posted (6 years 11 months 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1826 times:
The male lead's credits start with having been a wrestler? Well THAT is promising!!!
I spent the 18th, 19th and 20th of this month watching them shoot the aero footage. That was all pretty cool.
They had "Big Bossman" an F-7F, "Rare Bear" an F8F that has won the Reno Air Races many times, the Super Corsair that raced at Cleveland back in the 40s, Miss America a P51, Precious Metal I and II which are a P-51A and a highly modified Mustang with a Griffon engine and counterrotating props, a Yak and a couple other Mustangs flying past the camera helicopter out on the race course. The camera might also have captured me, standing under a juniper tree taking pictures of the above airplanes.
None of my pictures were good enough to be submitted here but there were some serious shooters out there, maybe some will show up.
Good aero footage. Dumb Hollywood plotless plot. They even had the F7F leading the race!
Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.
Airwave From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 1117 posts, RR: 3 Reply 16, posted (6 years 11 months 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1819 times:
I only just realized that I was recently reading about one of the most promising aviation films since--well, probably TMMiTFM...
It's called Flyboys and is about the Lafayette Escadrille--the group of young Americans who joined the French army in World War I before the United States entered the fray.
The amazing thing about this film is, although they *do* use a decent amount of CGI, they actually use *real* aircraft--whether full-scale mock-ups and recreations or the original item.
Airwave
When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
Dragon-wings From United States of America, joined Apr 2001, 3920 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (6 years 11 months 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 1795 times:
Quoting SlamClick (Reply 15): The list will probably NOT include this one:
In this movie they used the Apache helicopter in the drugs wars. They had the helicopter chasing and shooting down other helicopters small planes, and even jets! Not once in the movie did they show what the helicopter was made to do........attack gound targets.
Homer71 From United States of America, joined Jul 2001, 2209 posts, RR: 17 Reply 20, posted (6 years 11 months 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1731 times:
Quoting Airwave (Reply 1): The only two I really count are You Only Live Twice because it features Little Nelly, the awesome autogyro, and Goldfinger, with Pussy Galore's flying squad. *Maybe* Goldeneye because of the feature of the Tigre helicopter
Don't forget Octopussy, gotta love the Acrostar
"On spaceship earth there are no passengers...only crew."
DreamsUnited From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 264 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (6 years 11 months 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 1718 times:
OHHHH! Airport 1975! Just for kicks, I watched it in Spanish once and it's still as good, and I don't even know spanish.
Do not abort a takeoff because a cockpit window pops open!
A330Fan1 From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 856 posts, RR: 12 Reply 22, posted (6 years 11 months 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 1712 times:
the aviator rocked, and so did catch me if you can. it's only a coincidence that leo is in both of these, he's not the reason i like em. these are probably my two favorites. all those funny ones from back in the day were great also. turbulence was great, and so was that one with halle berry (forget the name of the movie). movies about airplanes rock. has snakes on a plane come out yet?
Airwave From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 1117 posts, RR: 3 Reply 23, posted (6 years 11 months 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 1704 times:
Quoting A330Fan1 (Reply 22): and so was that one with halle berry (forget the name of the movie).
Oh, yeah, forgot about that one. That would be Executive Decision, which was so outrageous and had a bevy of plot holes and factual errors. Now, I'm all about suspension of disbelief with fiction--but that movie was ridiculous. The best part? Steven Seagal getting sucked out of the Hail Mary plane at altitude--I laugh my ass off every time I see it on TV, lol.
As I don't recall them being mentioned, I'll add Broken Arrow and Air Force One to this ever-growing list. Now, I'm not saying either of 'em are among the best, but they are (sorta) entertaining, lol.
Airwave
When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
RJpieces From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 24, posted (6 years 11 months 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 1702 times:
A few others:
Miracle Landing--the story of the Aloha flight that had it's cabin ripped open
Pandora's Clock--a fictional movie about a FRA-JFK flight that has an ebola-like virus on board
Mercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771--Great aviation scenes plus Robert Loggia!