Apollo 13 Movie Revisited + Kathleen Quinlan & Crew Images

Apollo 13 movie with Bill Paxton, Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, and Kevin Bacon.

Ron Howard’s 1995 Best Picture nominee Apollo 13 will be the next film in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ ongoing “Great To Be Nominated” series. The sentimentalized tale of the failed 1970 lunar landing mission will screen on Monday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Following the screening, best supporting actress nominee Kathleen Quinlan (Marilyn Lovell), actor Loren Dean (EECOM Arthur), film editor Dan Hanley, production designer Michael Corenblith, sound re-recording mixers Scott Millan and Steve Pederson, visual effects supervisor Robert Legato, special effects coordinator Matt Sweeney, and executive producer/second unit director Todd Hallowell will participate in a panel discussion about the film.

Starring Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton (top photo), Apollo 13 is an overlong, by-the-book, flag-waving adventure tale whose mission to entertain is not fully aborted merely because of the efforts of some of the talent involved. For whereas director Howard and screenwriters William Broyles, Jr. and Al Reinert hit on every drippy, sentimental note available, Hanks managed to create an honest, well-rounded character (astronaut Jim Lovell) while the special effects and production design teams performed an admirable job.

The winner that year, by the way, was Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, in my view the very worst Best Picture Oscar winner ever.

Apollo 13 received a total of nine Academy Award nominations, winning Oscars for Film Editing (Mike Hill, Hanley) and Sound (Rick Dior, Pederson, Millan, David MacMillan, right photo).

The nominations were for Best Picture (Brian Grazer, producer), Actor in a Supporting Role (Ed Harris, below right), Actress in a Supporting Role (Quinlan), Art Direction (Corenblith; Set Decoration: Merideth Boswell), Music – Original Dramatic Score (James Horner), Visual Effects (Legato, Michael Kanfer, Leslie Ekker, Sweeney), and Writing – Screenplay based on material previously produced or published (Broyles Jr., Reinert). Director Ron Howard was left out.

Chris Bailey’s Oscar-nominated Mickey Mouse short Runaway Brain will be screened prior to the feature.

Passes for part five of “Great To Be Nominated” are $30 for the general public and $25 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Including Apollo 13, there are 15 films remaining in the series. A $5 discount is available for those who wish to renew their passes from parts one, two, three or four of the series. Individual tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Passes and tickets may be purchased online at the Academy’s website, by mail, in
person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Curtain time for all features is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.

Kathleen Quinlan at ‘Apollo 13’ screening

May 7 update: Ron Howard’s 1995 Best Picture nominee Apollo 13 was screened as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ ongoing “Great To Be Nominated” series on Monday, May 5, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Photos: Matt Petit / © A.M.P.A.S.

Photos: Courtesy AMPAS.

Deliver Us from Evil, Dear Talula, and Two Hands will be screened as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Spring 2008 “Contemporary Documentaries” series on Wednesday, May 21, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission is free.

Amy Berg’s 2006 Academy Award-nominated documentary feature Deliver Us from Evil (above, top photo) offers a portrayal of pedophiliac Catholic priest Oliver O’Grady, who reminisces about his years in various Northern California parishes.

The 34-minute Dear Talula (above, lower photo) tells the story of Lori Benson, a 38-year-old downtown New Yorker diagnosed with breast cancer 14 months after the birth of her daughter. Benson herself directed the film, relying on the assistance of her husband and friends.

Nathaniel Kahn’s 2006 Oscar-nominated documentary short subject Two Hands follows pianist Leon Fleisher (right), who, after losing the ability to play with his right hand, spent 35 years looking for a cure.

“Contemporary Documentaries” continues through June 11, showcasing several of the 2006 Academy Award-nominated films as well as other documentaries considered by the Academy that year.

All films will screen at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The filmmakers will be present at screenings “whenever possible.”

The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue).

For additional information, visit the Academy’s website or call (310) 247-3600.

Photos: Courtesy of Lori Benson (Dear Talula), Courtesy of Crazy Boat Pictures (Two Hands), Courtesy of Lions Gate Films (Deliver Us from Evil)

The Iraq War documentaries presenting the point of view of U.S. soldiers, The War Tapes (above) and The Ground Truth, will be screened as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Spring 2008 “Contemporary Documentaries” series on Wednesday, May 28, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.

Patricia Foulkrod, director-producer of The Ground Truth, will take questions from the audience following the screening. Admission is free.

Directed by Deborah Scranton and produced by Robert May and Steve James, The War Tapes uses footage from cameras mounted on American soldiers’ gun turrets, Kevlar helmets, and vests. In The Ground Truth (right), American soldiers returning from Iraq discover that the battle continues at home.

“Contemporary Documentaries” continues through June 11, showcasing several of the 2006 Academy Award-nominated films as well as other documentaries considered by the Academy that year.

All films in the series screen at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. All seating is unreserved.

The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue).

Photos: Courtesy of Focus Features (The Ground Truth), Courtesy of SenArt Films / Scranton/Lacy Fil (The War Tapes)