Speed & Angels

Yesterday evening I watched a film/documentary entitled 'Speed & Angels'. It was filmed a few years ago, and actually came out last fall. Let me first say how blown away I was by this film. It basically follows the story of two Naval fighter pilots through their journey of learning to fly the F-14 Tomcat. But it's so much more than that. It's a visually stunning film....I still need to figure out how it was shot. I know it's available in HD, but a lot of the footage looks like it was shot on 16mm film. That could very well be the product of post production editing, nevertheless it's amazing to simply watch.

I found the film very inspiring. Granted I loved the film because of its subject matter (becoming a fighter pilot), but I believe the same philosophies talked about in it, can be easily applied to every walk of life and/or profession. I grew up in a military family, the son of an Air Force fighter pilot. My mom calls me a 'wild man', I love thrills and adrenaline, this sorta thing is just in my blood.

Similar to the pilots in the film, I first watched 'Top Gun' at a very young age and remember being immediately captivated. I remember for years having to go down into the basement and pull out my dad's flight gear to put on, for at the time, that was the only acceptable way to watch the movie. All I wanted to do when I grew up was to strap myself into a jet, let the afterburners roar, go flying down the runway, pull up, and head for the sky going "mach 2 with my hair on fire". Oh, and I'd have a really sweet callsign too.

Here's a trailer of the film. It's pretty intense, and it's quite clear from just this sample the amount of time that went into making it.



Life goes on, the years pass, hobbies come and go, sports take over your life, the excitement you had as a little kid even starts to fade. The dream never really dies though. Sure it may dwindle over time, but it never leaves you for good. This film brought upon me a rush of feelings I haven't had in a long time.

I highly recommend to anyone to take the time to sit and watch it. You can watch it online here, or I know it's available on DVD too for those that prefer the couch over a computer chair. The films website can be seen at: www.speedandangels.com. As always, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.