Cinderella Man

The second movie directed by Ron Howard I watched was Cinderella Man. Similar to Apollo 13, a big name actor played the leading role - Russell Crowe. The film was inspired by a true story, as was Apollo 13, about an underdog who becomes a Heavyweight Boxing Champion. James Broddock works many low paying jobs during the Depression of the 1930s in order to support is family. Though, he still dreams of a return to boxing and making it big. When a boxer cancels at the last second, Broddock gets his chance to return to the ring. He makes the most of it with a third round knock out. From there he claimed the ladders until he was able to fight Max Baer for the Heavyweight Championship. Ron Howard depicts Max Bear as a brutal and inapprioate fighter who has killed 2 men. In reality, Max Baer was said to be a nice fellow or often cracked jokes. Though, I do understand why Ron Howard did this. The film had a true sense of James Broddock, the underdog, versus Max Baer, the brutal killer. It makes viewers rally around Broddock. Nonetheless, the movie was very inspiring and motivating. Ron Howard is 2/2 on masterpieces in my book. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors because his unique style of bringing historical events to the big screen.

Cinderella Man Clip

Apollo 13: Better Late Than Never?

The first film I watched of Ron Howard's was Apollo 13. It was the first time I had seen this movie, and I was not disappointed at all. The movie was suspenseful and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I was surprised at how many things went wrong for the Jim Lovell and the crew of Apollo 13. Just as one problem was solved, the next seemed to occur. Two days after the launch, Apollo 13 suffered an explosion in the oxygen tank. I like how Ron Howard previewed this happening in a dream that Jim Lovell's wife had earlier in the movie. My favorite part of the movie was the plan the control center used to get the crew home safely. Because the shuttle didn't have enough fuel to get back to Earth after the explosion, they used the moon as a slingshot to send the shuttle back to Earth. Apollo 13 wrapped around it just at the right speed and time that propelled it back towards Earth. Also, I thought Tom Hanks was amazing playing the lead roll of Jim Lovell. Kathleen Quinlan was a very believable concerned wife of Jim Lovell, and Ed Harris was outstanding as the man in charge of the control center. I think Ron Howard does a great job showing the courage and bravery of Apollo 13 in what could have been a tragic event for those involved. He intertwines the realism of history to the cinematic adventure to make a great movie. I am excited for Cinderella Man, now!