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SPACE ODDYSSEY Ron Howard's flag-waving, spirit-boosting APOLLO 13 is a very well done and convincing movie. Relying on the intensity of the real life dangers, Howard eschews overwhelming special effects or inappropriate sidebars. It's interesting to remember that in 1970, we had just come off of landing a man on the moon, so what could possibly overshadow that? Indeed, in 1970, space travel was so mundane or 'unexciting' that when the astronauts gave a live broadcast from their capsule, the networks did not even run it; they said it wasn't dramatic enough. However, when the crew and program became jeopardized, television couldn't get enough of it. A prime example of the desensitized, ratings-craved television world. The performances are excellent throughout: Tom Hanks gives his usual stalwart performance as Jim Lovell--the thing about Hanks is he makes his characters believable and displays a wide range of emotions, sometimes with just the look on his face: Bill Paxton calms down a bit to play Haise, the more "cowboy" astronaut; and Kevin Bacon is good as the last minute addition to the crew when Gary Sinise is ousted because he was exposed to measles by one of the backup crew. Sinise's disappointment is captured in his understated performance. Ed Harris is brilliant as the flight director, a man who keeps his cool and faith in the catastrophic conditions. Kathleen Quinlan does well as Marilyn Lovell, Hanks' on screen wife, who bravely tries to get her family through the crisis. An intelligent script, special effects and Howard's assured direction combine to give us a heart pounding realistic view of the endangered space program.