Houston, We Have a Problem! (2016) User Reviews

Interesting movie, but bitter without a reason.

[brankodjipalo · 9/10 · 25 September 2016]

For starters, every movie that gives you new information and makes you think, is a good movie. That said, I didn't really like the whole picture that movie tried to describe. But, that said, that picture is directors prerogative, and I respect that. There are a few informations in this film that were hardly obtainable before it, but they are used to paint that fore-mentioned directors vision. In his eyes, by my opinion, he tried to paint the story of Icarus, through a whole country of Yugoslavia and its late president Tito. But, in essence, it is a classic story about capitalism vs. communism (sociallism derived from communism) OK, Tito was master of "sales of testicles for kidneys" (majstor prodaje muda za bubrege), but nevertheless, while he was president, of former socialist republic of Yugoslavia, people always had their 13th paycheck, they were getting condos from their firms for contribution, and they had 30 days a year of paid vacation. It was a happy life. His main mistake was, by my opinion, that he didn't MAKE his successor in like 1965., and gave him power over country in 1970., continuing to lead from the "shadows". This movie, in first half is very joyous, but later it makes you think that all the bad things that happened in Yugoslavia were direct consequence of one bad deal in 1960, and some kind of revenge for that bad deal (SPOILER ALERT: Nikson says: "we will bomb the hell out of those Yugoslavs". In what civilized society is killing people OK as an retribution for bad deal?!). Film is also describing Slavoj Zizak as copy/paste of today's Srdja Popovic. Really didn't like the, not bitter end, but obnoxious end. (It is destiny of a single person, and opinion too. And a bit much dramatically intense). Base 505 (Objekat 505) was a military project whose prime mission was control of the Yugoslavian sky from strategically good position.

Whose to say that Yugoslavia didn't sell a working project and after that America just said "IT DOES NOT WORK" (They did send a man on the Moon 7 years later). This is a movie that is supposed to tickle your imagination, and it is very good it that aspect. Makes you think, and that is what I love about it! 4 years ago I saw trailer for this movie and I was expecting it on my toes. I heard it was finished a year ago. And, if you look form marketing aspect, or marketing point of view, why wait so long for premiere?! Well, it has to have something with change from summer to autumn, people tend to stay at homes because it is cold outside, it is Sunday and this is literally THE PRIME TELEVISION time. HBO, Sunday, 8 PM. Prime goal is to reach to as many people/viewers as it can. (...but that is normal economic goal too...) So, to conclude, very interesting movie, but don't take it as the whole truth! :D

Great!

[rinakarinaka · 9/10 · 4 March 2021]

It takes one great mockumentary to make a truly remarkable hommage to the idea of Yugoslavia. Witty, entertaining and clever. It's a must, especially if you are into balkans or former Yugoslavia.

"Truly unbelievable story"

[janieklund · 8/10 · 26 September 2018]

So well put together story that one think it could have happened...

Amazing illusion, constructed to deliver the truth

[b4blue · 10/10 · 13 October 2016]

This movie is really an amazing peace of work. I took everything it told me as truth and let it create certain feelings. At the end I went back to an assumption that it is fabricated but the feelings remained very solid and suddenly a lot of other information about the past started to fill in the gaps where fabrication was removed. Everything started to make more sense. It was not a pleasant discovery. It's one thing to feel as a victim of some powerful force, but to finally realize your own active role in the abuse, I think it is even harder to accept. Every movie, no matter what genre, is some type of manipulation and an attempt from author to present his own illusion. This movie seems like it is an illusion constructed to deliver the truth, indirectly.

A long awaited documentary about history that haven't been told

[ognena · 26 April 2017]

I enjoyed this movie, probably because being from the region and living through the demise of Yugoslavia I was left with so many unanswered questions. I am not sure if this movie answers them in the most truthful way, but it tries to give a plausible scenario. To counterpoint the previous review, this movie to me was foretelling the saying "if you play with the wolf you'll end up being eaten". There is no argument that Tito's charisma was not an equal match for American imperialism. If anything, he and his little country were the mouse that USA needed to play with in order to match up with the Soviet space program, if this story has any historical merit. Therefore, I felt that there were few essential questions still left out and that the movie was trying to play it safe and appeal to western audiences as a political thriller rather than a historical documentary. The main story of an engineer going back to Yugoslavia after living in the USA for 5 decades and meeting his daughter contained few inconsistencies and seemed over dramatized. The interesting commentator/narrator role of Zhizhek was also a bit over the top while offering simplistic analysis. I kept wondering "why isn't he wearing shoes" and "he needs a new pair of socks" throughout his energetic delivery. Nevertheless, I enjoyed all the documentary footage of Tito since for the first time I was looking at him as if he was an ordinary person. And I felt compassion towards him, even though this time I wasn't obliged to do so by the regime. Maybe after seeing other regimes fail in even more humiliating ways I realized the tough job he was trying to do. And this is the ultimate value of this docudrama.

A Good Movie

[jovana_ivetic · 8/10 · 3 August 2020]

If this movie is true, that would explain many things. Being a Bosnian Serbian, I tried to be as unbiased and as objective as possible. I enjoyed the movie, found some answers I had had since I was a kid, and in the end felt extremely sad. It's a good documentary, with lots of genuine videos and recordings of phone calls. Definitely recommended.

It is a good view how it was and warning not to make a similar mistakes

[Irena_Spa · 8/10 · 15 January 2018]

First have to give comment that in here the author did not type names all of the protagonists. It would be good that he/she mentioned all, as for example are Ivan Pavic and his daughter. Finally I saw it and in it all is for me more than "docu-fiction". For sure many of those things really happened in that period, what is shown in that some around hour and a half. It is the truth picture how it can be when someone who is poor, without any cent in his pocket, is gambling with the big and rich players, who have not only the money, but also all needed tools, but maybe not all needed knowledge. Generally speaking, from seeing this material you ask yourself, is it worth to sell the knowledge and how much is it worth? In that situation, you never think about what consequences will appear and in what shape and in what measure. The people of ex Yugoslavia survived that and know very well how it can be.

very good

[zorankorencan · 9/10 · 24 July 2017]

The movie could be interpreted in many different ways, that is the reason why it is so entertaining. You can see it as comedy and a stupid presentation of Yugoslavia like Borat did with Kazakhstan, you can see it as black satire made by Kusturica, you can see it as story that actually happened (somehow) in real world or you can see it as total fiction..... . The special aspect of movie is in Slavoj Žižek's involvement. For those who never have any experience with Yugoslavia it seems that he is the person who is trust able - at the end he said, that even it is not truth, it really happened. For those who lived in Yugoslavia, it could be some "way for explanation" why living in Yugoslavia was not so frustrating and was really better in comparison to other communists states. On the other hand, the consequences of "selling space program".... were so devastating for many in Yugoslavia. Anyhow,it is must to see this movie...

Zelig in Yugoslavia

[Drusca · 7/10 · 20 July 2020]

Funny, even with an Eastern European background this had me fooled to an extent. After watching it I didn't exactly think it was made-up, but I was highly suspicious and thought "I don't trust anything I've just seen." It had the kind of effect misinformation would in Eastern Europe during the Communist era: you were highly skeptical, yet it planted some tiny seed in your brain.

There were several things throughout the "documentary" which raised flags for me:

"Ivan Pavic" seemed very one-dimensional, and why in the world would he wait 20-25 years after the fall of Communism before trying to locate his daughter? I have to say though that the woman playing the daughter was very convincing.

Knowing that the US already had Wernher von Braun and all those other ex-Nazi scientists, engineers, etc., with proven records and expertise in their field, working on NASA's program, why would they bother spending billions on a murky, unproven project from some small, under-developed country?

Old, color(!), home movies from the 60's are shown of "Pavic" and his "wife", which I think would have been, at least, extremely rare for an average citizen behind the Iron Curtain.

During a brief shot a file is shown which seems to say Zizek was on the CIA's payroll during the last years of communism, which, if you're familiar with Zizek, is a very amusing touch.

Some of Zizek's comments about perception vs. reality, etc. seemed a bit puzzling within the context of the film's narrative, and only make sense in a "meta" way: as commentary on the experience of watching this "documentary."

The film achieves its aim quite effectively, and I think the average American is pretty unprepared for the experience, and would very likely fall for the con.

I see now

[vujaoverlord · 10/10 · 9 September 2019]

Maybe one of the best documentary i have ever watched.

Highly Padded Documentary

[van-42949 · 6/10 · 16 August 2018]

While this documentary promised a deep look into a deal between Yugoslavia and the United States to transfer space technology to NASA, there is not enough new information presented to even fill a short magazine article. Most of the film is padded with stories about Yugoslavia's history, Tito and a single scientist from Yugoslavia who travels back to his home country for the first time in 50 years.

What little information is presented comes from an American historian who seems to be the only one in the documentary who speaks English. Subtitles are needed for most of the interviews in this film.

In any event, if you want to see a documentary that gives a passing mention to the Yugoslavian space program and more of a backstory into US-Yugoslavian relations from the 1960's to 1970's you may enjoy this. Beyond the first 30 minutes or so don't expect to learn much about NASA, the space program or what this title is supposed to focus on.

Even if it didn't happen, it's true. That's the crucial message.

[lironos · 8/10 · 10 March 2021]

This documentary should be watched without any previous information delivered, as Slavoj said: "even if it didn't happen, it's true. That's the crucial message". This documentary is all about telling a story of how a story might be considered as reality, if you believe it. A myth (a good narrative that is most likely false) is being written with true facts that are presented with a twist towards the truth that you want your audience to believe in. We should always remain skeptical, as reality is real only for those who believe in it, which is the true message of this mockumentary film, which is being presnted brilliantly - if you believe in it.

Not at all

[mariobadula · 1/10 · 20 August 2017]

"Houston We have a Problem" started with an interesting enough concept through a documentary/narrative/fictional structure and strategy in order to deliver a certain idea, which in the end becomes a kind of clinical allegory about the disintegration of Yugoslavia – trying to be entertaining and funny while at it. Until the last third of the film, it was interesting, I admit, and intriguing where it would end up. By the end it was somewhat disgusting by the shallowness of its "irony," given the tragedy it depicts.

Zizek's usual overcooked but useless philosophical platitudes ring even more hollow than usual in this context – although he did have some funny lines in the beginning (yeah, and the socks, whatever).

It may be an interesting film for a disengaged and clueless audience, who were not affected by the history depicted in this film (or similar experiences in other parts of the world) – but imagine making such a clinical allegory of another, more "relevant" "country disintegration war" or even (gasp) genocide – take your pick – Israel, Palestine, Syria, Libya, etc. -- the filmmaker would maybe be more vilified/ostracized/banished than celebrated for his "cleverness." If you want an effective allegory of what happened with Yugoslavia, watch Tanovic's Oscar winner "No Man's Land," or even better, Kenovic & co.'s SaGA films (google it) – from that part of the world, Bosnians are much better and more interesting storytellers and record keepers than Slovenians (and much funnier, too – for full disclosure, I am not Bosnian and I don't subscribe to ethnic disparagement or similar).

PS. It's not really a "1" more like a "5" rating, but just to counter this ridiculous overrated extravaganza here.

The winners write the history

[ivanakaranfilova · 1/10 · 17 September 2020]

This documentary is a pathetic attempt to represent a lie as truth. As a person who was born in Yugoslavia, I feel the urge to review this, even though I never do it. If you want to find the truth about Yugoslavia and Tito, please watch other documentaries made from the people who actually lived and fight in the war. Slovenia was the only winner after Yugoslavia fell apart. Wonder why Clinton visited it right after it happened.

Layered

[MarQuilly · 9 September 2020]

A conspiracy theory movie in a nutshell, with layers of myth, fiction, and with a truth on top.

For me, a movie works on every level, it is a funny and captivating, and you need to look at it until the end. It really delivers its purpose - entertainment.

Take out the myth and fiction, about "yugoslav space program", "naive americans who bought a faulty program" and "neutral russians/soviets who standed aside and watch it happening right in the front of them", and you will get the essence.

Strong outside forces influensed a small country in Balkans trough out its brief history, with money and politics due to geopolitical position, Tito was a charming and beloved guy, but a dictator to the bone, and a tragedy that happened 30 years ago in this region, it happened mainly due to unresolved conflicts as old as western civilisation, and had not started with Kennedy and Tito.

Yes, when you have a barrel of gunpowder, one small flame is enough to cause a disaster. Who set that fire is now less important, the important is an idot who holds a barrel under the bed, and lives on like nothing will ever happened.

Enjoy the movie, its a fresh look on the old and sad story.