Apollo 11 (2019) — PICK
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) — PASS
One is on Blu-ray; the other is on Netflix.
There are no shortage of worthwhile documentaries about the Apollo moon-landing project, but Apollo 11, from Todd Douglas Miller, is particularly noteworthy.
That’s because it’s composed entirely of archival footage — including newly discovered, pristine 70mm film from the National Archives never previously seen by the public.
With no contemporary talking heads or voice-over commentary, it’s an astonishingly pure time capsule and a magnificent tribute to one of mankind’s greatest achievements.
Critics generally liked Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (now on Netflix), starring Zac Efron as an attractive, charismatic Ted Bundy. That’s a problem: Efron is always charming and sensitive — particularly toward his main girlfriend, single-mom Liz Kloepfer (Lily Collins). The real Bundy could be charming, but he was also weird, abusive and threatening. The strategy of showing only “Ted the charmer” becomes an unsolvable problem as Liz drops out for much of the narrative, leaving the film with no point of view and ultimately no real insight.
Caveat Spectator: Apollo 11: Nothing objectionable. Fine family viewing.