Wrinklies in Space! It seems such an obvious idea, it's surprising nobody thought of it before (except in the later William Shatner…

Wrinklies in Space! It seems such an obvious idea, it's surprising nobody thought of it before (except in the later William Shatner-era Star Trek movies of course). But who better than veteran actor-director Clint Eastwood to give us Space Cowboys, opening next Friday. Eastwood, James Garner, Donald Sutherland and Tommy Lee Jones play Team Daedalus, a group of US Air Force test pilots who were ready to become the first Americans in space in 1958, but lost out to a chimpanzee. Over four decades later, a Russian satellite suffers a systems failure which threatens that country's entire communications system. Only Eastwood and his band can understand the satellite's antiquated Soviet technology, so they finally get the chance live their dream.

Hugh Linehan

Hugh Linehan

Hugh Linehan is an Irish Times writer and Duty Editor. He also presents the weekly Inside Politics podcast