DEEP IMPACT MOVIE

EPOXI is a combination of the names for the two extended mission components: the extrasolar planet observations, called Extrasolar Planet Observations and Characterization (EPOCh), and the flyby of comet Hartley 2, called the Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI). The mission is called by the peculiar acronym, EPOXI. It will be the fifth comet to be observed in a close flyby by a spacecraft. The Deep Impact spacecraft is about to rendezvous with another comet. There also are some fairlyunconvincing scenes in which millions of people try to flee from a city, andall of them are trapped in gridlock except, of course, for the two who arerequired by the plot to get somewhere fast.What can be said about the Deep Impact spacecraftвЂ™s imminent second rendezvous with a comet? From NASA websites comes the following information: NASA's EPOXI mission will fly by comet Hartley 2 on Nov. There's a laborious subplot in which Tea Leoni resentsher father ( Maximilian Schell) for divorcing her mother ( Vanessa Redgrave) andmarrying a bimbo, and while Redgrave brings a nice sad quality to her scenes,the rest of the subplot plays out suspiciously like a scheme to place twohumans in front of a big special effect.

DEEP IMPACT MOVIE

We'll all have high schools named for us.вЂќ But the movie as awhole is pretty routine. Famous people always get more sex.вЂќ AndI liked a line from late in the movie, when one hero tells another, вЂњLook onthe bright side. A friend tells him, вЂњYou'regonna have a lot more sex starting now. They're just scared of lookingbad on TV.вЂќ There's another good line at the high school assembly where the kid( Elijah Wood) who also discovered the comet is honored. The veteran has a nice line aboutthe youngsters: вЂњThey're not scared of dying. The younger crew members resent him, we are told, althoughdissension onboard is never followed up on. We meet the Messiah crew members, including old Spurgeon Tanner( Robert Duvall), called out of retirement because he once landed on the moonand might be able to land on the comet. The president, played convincingly by Morgan Freeman, goes on TVto break the bad news to the world, and talks of the Messiah Project, whichwill send a manned U.S.-Russian space craft to plant nuclear bombs in the cometand blow it up. My guess is, the president wanted him out of the Cabinet. He must not have beeninvited to the briefing where it was explained that all surface life would bedestroyed by the comet, or the other briefing about the 1,000-foot-tall tidalwave. She accuses him of having an affair with awoman named вЂњEllie,вЂќ and he gets to say, вЂњI know you're just a reporter, butyou used to be a person.вЂќ (The approved media response to this is, вЂњLook who'stalking! A Cabinet member!вЂќ) Soon she discovers her error he is resigning notbecause of Ellie but because of an E.L.E., which is jargon for вЂњExtinctionLevel Event.вЂќ He wants to spend more time with his family, and has stocked ayacht with dozens of cases of vitamin-rich Ensure. (The other movieI saw on the same day, вЂњ The Horse Whisperer,вЂќ also opened with a runaway semi,and indeed I cannot recall a single movie in which a semi on a two-lane roaddid not careen out of control.) Then there's a little ritual media-bashing TeaLeoni plays a reporter for MSNBC who suspects there's more to the story of acabinet official's resignation. вЂњDeep ImpactвЂќ begins with the obligatory openingpre-catastrophe, in this case a runaway semi that mows down a Jeep and killsthe astronomer who is bringing news of the approaching comet. I always think it's more interesting if they know from the start thatthere's a big problem I get tired of scenes in which they live blissfullyunaware of the catastrophe unfolding beneath their feet, or above their heads,or wherever. What's the formula?Assorted archetypal characters are introduced, they're assigned personalproblems, and the story cuts between them as the moment of disaster growscloser.

Meanwhile, youcan enjoy the way they create little flashes of wit in the dialogue, whichenlivens what is, after all, a formula disaster movie. How do they do this? I would not dream of revealing theirinspiration, although you may be able to figure it out yourself.

Deep impact