The Martian (2015)

After doing some writing last night to honor the great Edgar Allan Poe on his birthday, I had planned to venture into the world of David Lynch to celebrate his birthday. Unfortunately, my daughter Jillian wanted to instead watch The Martian. While I gave it, I should have stayed true to my plan, it would have been more entertaining.

Plot/ During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit, and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

This was a movie that my daughter was excited about, and unfortunately, it left us both somewhat dissatisfied. From Ridley Scott, we both knew going in that the scenery and cinematography would be amazing, and it was. However, that is about the extent of what was worth watching. There was almost zero atmosphere, the characterizations felt flat and uninspired, and the storyline could have definitely been cut back to keep this in the two hour range. Honestly, there was nothing new or redeeming about this flick at all, and it took up too much time. In the end, the Sci-Fi entry misses the mark and could have been ignored all together. If you love Matt Damon, maybe you should watch it, but in you aren’t stay away; this is categorically NOT a Ridley Scott classic.

Dogma (1999)

There are times in my life where I realize that I missed something. It does not matter whether it was a great book, a great ban, or even a great movie, having spent so many years out to sea, I just overlooked some classics. As I discovered tonight, that was the case with the 1999 classic comedy Dogma. 

Plot/ An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole and re-enter Heaven 

It may seem crazy, but tonight was the first time I have seen this Kevin Smith classic, and I am glad I did. In fact, I am kind of pissed at myself for not watching it sooner. There was a lot to like. The cast was perfect, the dialog hilarious, honestly everything worked better than I could have ever imagined. Yes, it was violent, and yes, the language and subject matter will turn some people of, but who cares. Smith absolutely hit the nail on the head and pointed out many issues of the church that filmmakers usually will not touch, and he should be applauded. In the end, this is one of the funniest and entertaining flicks I have seen in some time, and I am mad I waited 15 years to see it. Don't make the same mistake, if you have not watched it, go out and watch it today.

Elysium (2013)

When I went to Family Video, one of my daughters made a request for something Sci-Fi. While I usually stay clear of mainstream blockbusters, how could I pass the opportunity to keep up the daughters interest in Sci-GI and horror? Armed with that request, I picked up what she wanted, 2013s Elysium. 

Plot/ In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds. 

In some ways a follow-up to District 9, this film in no way measures up to that piece of great Sci-Fi cinema. While not a terrible flick this one just lacks a coherent script. Yes, the action sequences are solid, the CGI is above average and the cinematography creates a tremendous example of a post-apocalyptic world. While these aspects and the set design create stunning visual world, it cannot save the film from a severe lack of  characterization that brings it down. while some of the performances are solid, many are flat, and fall short of the potential that existed with the cast. When you couple the uneven performances with a uneven storyline and a simple ending, you have a recipe for issues. In the end, this is a visually impressive flick that had the potential to be something special. Unfortunately, the miserable characters and dismal script prevent that from happening. Sure, it is watchable, but it is nowhere near a Sci-Fi masterpiece.

Contagion (2011)

After spending a few hours at the skating rink for Genesis’ birthday party, (I cannot believe she is 14), it was time to kick back and enjoy some decent virus based entertainment. While zombies are always fun, the tragedy and devastation of a real outbreak may be scarier (especially considering this is the year 2012), fortunately, that is exactly what the 2011 thriller Contagion may deliver.

Plot/ A thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

When I saw the preview for this, I wanted to see it. With the way the media covers outbreaks such as H1N1 or SARS, I felt it was a great time for Hollywood to capitalize on the mass hysteria involved. To me, this one did not disappoint. The cast was solid and their performances were all good. Unfortunately, by boasting such a dynamic cast, the character development did suffer some with all of the divergent storylines formulated to take advantage of the cast, but that flaw was not a showstopper. Surrounding this cast, the storyline was tremendous, perfectly centering the main character of this movie The Virus itself. The scenery and cinematography was awesome, and overall this is a well-put together docudrama. It does have some flaws besides the character development as the pacing was a bit slow and there was a lot of story that went unresolved.  In the end, this was much more a docudrama than thriller and should be viewed with that in mind, but it is an effective venture into the mind of an epidemic that would ravage the world. Check it out!

Pictures from the filming of The Adjustment Bureau (2010)

The story is loosely based on the Philip K. Dick Sci Fi/Thriller short story, "Adjustment Team" and will feature a smooth-talking congressman whose political future is thrown in doubt by uncontrollable events and the arrival in his life of a mysterious ballerina. Matt Damon will play David Norris, a former Fordham University basketball player and charismatic United States Congressman who seems destined for national political stardom. He meets a beautiful ballet dancer named Elise Sellas, played by Blunt, only to find that strange circumstances keep them from becoming romantically involved. Norris discovers forces are at work to keep them apart, and he peels the layers to find out why. The action takes place in various places in Manhattan.

Pictures from an on location shoot of the film with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt at the Statue of Liberty on June 10, 2010.