seat

The film, based on a true story, is based on a daring mission to the moon

We all know the story of the first moon landing when Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on its surface but almost as dramatic is the story of three astronauts who almost lost their lives on the USA’s third attempt to stand on the surface.

The Apollo 13 mission in 1969 saw Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise take off from earth on course for the moon. However, the mission almost ended in disaster and this 1995 blockbuster directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks and Lovell, Kevin Bacon as Swigert and Bill Paxton as Haise is being shown on ITV tonight.

After an unexpected explosion in space, NASA is running out of time to find a way to bring the three astronauts back to earth safely. The film was a huge commercial success when it was released, going on to become the third most successful film of 1995, behind Die Hard With A Vengance and Toy Story, which also starred Hanks.

Apollo 13 also went on to be nominated for nine Academy Awards and picked up two Oscars for Best Sound and Best Film Editing. It was also five BAFTAs and four Golden Globes.

It won over critics with an impressive 94 percent approval rating on the movie review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes. One critic described to film as Ron Howard’s “finest work”. They added: “In his finest directorial work, Ron Howard embraces everything that the astronauts of Apollo 13 aspired to be and ended up as. Unforgettable.”

Another said: “Director Ron Howard, who has built a career on easygoing, reassuring movies from Night Shift to The Paper, finally achieves true drama.” A third added: “For Apollo 13, the 1970 space mission, everything went wrong. But for Apollo 13, the movie, everything goes right. Director Ron Howard, who has a history of blowing hot and cold, is so far into his hot mode in this movie that he’s dang near on fire.”

Fans also couldn’t get enough of the movie. One wrote: “A phenomenal epic odyssey of the daring odds of the Apollo 13 crew trying to return back home against all odds after their space shuttle malfunctions. The cast is great, with Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, and Ed Harris all giving great performances.”

Another added: “Brilliant masterpiece!! It’s very gripping from start to finish!” While a third said: “All-time classic. An American masterpiece.”

Apollo 13 is on ITV4 at 6.35pm on Boxing Day, December 26.

‘For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website‘.

A woman has shared how an ‘entitled’ plane passenger tried to ban her from reclining her seat on a plane – and it has sparked a debate on whether it should or shouldn’t be allowed

A woman has slammed an ‘entitled’ plane passenger who tried to ban her from reclining her seat during a flight. She explained how she simply wanted to relax on the flight, knowing she could end up with back pain otherwise, and decided to recline her seat back to help with this.

However, the 5ft 2ins woman sitting behind her had a thing or two to say after she reclined her chair soon after take-off. She said on Reddit: “I tried to recline my seat and it popped back upright. I tried again and realised the lady behind me was shoving my seat forward.

“I tried again and she yelled at me that I couldn’t recline my seat. I was very shaken up by the interaction, so I just stayed upright for like 10 minutes until I could see a flight attendant nearby.

“I was able to quickly recline and have my chair click into place so she couldn’t shove it forward.”

It was at this point that the woman raised her voice at her, causing everyone on the plane to turn their attention to the pair.

She said: “I told her everyone on the whole plane gets to recline their seat. She said I was reclining too far back, though…

“I told her my seat was in the same position as the person sitting in front of me and kind of held my hands up at her through the little gap between the seats, and then sat back. She didn’t try to talk to me again.”

Sharing her regret, she says she wishes she’d called over a flight attendant to deal with the situation rather than facing the woman directly.

She added: “The whole thing made me so uncomfortable. Even the tall guy whose knees were jammed into the seat in front of him was getting involved, telling her she needed to calm down.”

Commenting on her post, one user said: “It’s such a doomed situation all around. Some people you are literally crushing their legs, and it’s horrifically uncomfortable to sit fully upright if you nod off. Airplane hell.”

Another user added: “I was shocked on a German train when I noticed the recline function in the seat worked by sliding the seat forward… this allowed the person to recline all they wanted, but into their own space.

“I still have no idea why this doesn’t exist in airplanes, as it would fix the problem once and for all. Want to recline? Sure… into your own space!”

A third user said: “As a tall person with long legs, it’s not that I don’t want them to recline, it’s that there is physically no room for the chair to come back any farther.

“Usually, I am flying domestically, and the options for buying a seat with more legroom don’t exist on many of the flights.”