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"
My Thoughts
A lot of people I talked to about this film before it came out said that they felt it was very similar to "Interstellar" I can say after watching this film that it is not really similar to "Interstellar": at all, that is not a bad thing by any means, this was one of the best films I have seen this year. First off the acting was superb, Matt Damon was excellent as an astronaut who is left behind on a alien planet with no one to help him and no one able to reach him for years, this was for me probably my favorite role played by Matt Damon to date, the different situations he had to be put in and how he reacted played very well on the screen, and what really surprised me was the way his character was able to make light of his situation and make it believable to the viewer which for me he did very well, The rest of the was also excellent and of the highest quality, I will make special mention of the acting job done by Chiwetel Ejiofor he was also really excellent in this film and I enjoyed every scene he ad in the film. The special effects in this film where for the most part of the highest quality, I really enjoyed the Mars scenes the way the production crew was able to re-create the red planet was masterfully done and it really felt like I was actually watching a film made on Mars, I also want to point out that the space ship scenes with the crew where amazing as well the zero gravity scenes where breathtaking and absolutely beautiful, the one gripe I had with the CG had to do with showing Matt Damon's body after extreme food rationing later in the film, other than that I had no other complaints. Honestly there was not much about this film that I did not like, it was overall an awesome film that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film 93% saying "Smart, thrilling, and surprisingly funny, The Martian offers a faithful adaptation of the bestselling book that brings out the best in leading man Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott". this was a very good film and I recommend this to anyone who wants to see a space epic on par with :"Interstellar" in my opinion.
Rating
Very good film one of the best I have seen this year, I recommend to everyone 8.7/10!!!!
The next movie for the month of October is "Crimson Peak" Starring Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain.
Plot
"In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds...and remembers".
My Thoughts
I will be the first to say that "Romance" films are not at the top of my movie genre type, not that I do not like them but usually they are boring and cliched filled and not entertaining for me personally. When I first saw the trailer for this film, I was a bit skeptical about how interesting this film would be, that was until I saw the second trailer for this film, it made the film come across as a good mix between romance/Horror, with horror films being one of my favorite genres I gave this a try. After viewing the Film I can say that this was actually a very solid film. first off the Acting was top notch by the main cast Mia Wasikowska was excellent as Edith, I have seen her in a few films through the years (my favorite being "Stoker") and I can say this was her best performance for me so far, she played the role very well and was very convincing, I will add in every movie I have seen with her she gives off a very "Innocent and Naive" vibe in whatever character she plays and that went really well with the tone/setting of this film . Tom Hiddleston (who I had previously only seen in the Thor films and Avengers) was very convincing in his role of Thomas Sharpe the outsider who shows up out of nowhere and has an aura of "Mysteriousness" and "Intrigue" about him that played perfectly for the character who as the viewer you never quite trust and feel he has an ulterior motive, he and Mia Wasikowska's character's had very good chemistry and it made for an engaging relationship on screen, I look forward to seeing More of Mr.Hiddleston in other roles besides "Loki" in any upcoming Marvel films. While Hiddleston and Wasikowska both did very good jobs in there roles, the star of this film in terms of acting was Jessica Chastain in her role as Lucille Sharp, Thomas Sharpe's older sister, I have been a big fan of Jessica Chastain for a few years now and this performance ranks up their as one of the best I have seen from her, the coldness and lack of emotion she showed throughout the film was uneasy and sometimes hard to see unfold on the screen, and for me that is what a villain is supposed to be, not likable not upbeat, not positive. Cold,calculated and cunning is what a villain is supposed to be and Jessica Chastain delivered that in spades in this role, she was awesome. for any Sons of Anarchy fans Charlie Hunham rounded out the main cast as Alan McMichael, I have only seen him in one other film (Coincidentally another Guillermo Del Toro film "Pacific Rim") and I would say his performance in this film was good as well and did a solid job. Now onto what really caught my eye with this film was the visual effects, once the films setting switches over to "Allerdale Hall" the film for me was a feast for the eyes, it was beautiful, some of the color contrast was just beautiful, I really liked the whole setup of the mansion, it really felt like it had a mind of its own, with all the creaking and groaning that was going on throughout the entire film it really set the mood for what was going to happen to Edith (Mia Wasikowska) for the rest of the film, I have to congratulate the visual effects team they did an awesome job. The film was not perfect however, as I mentioned before this film at its core is romance film and there are parts of the film that really slow down and explore that side of the film and for me got a little boring, I know it comes with the territory and I accepted it but for me it was a little negative, going hand in hand with the romance side of the film, I will also add that the film starts off slightly slow and takes a little time to get going.
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 69% saying " Crimson Peak offers an engaging -- albeit somewhat slight -- diversion driven by a delightfully creepy atmosphere and director Guillermo del Toro's brilliant knack for unforgettable visuals". I agree that the Visuals were brilliant and the atmosphere of the house really sets the mood for the plot, overall this was a solid film and I recommend to see at least once, is it a masterpiece or one of the best films I have seen in the last couple years No and No, but it was enjoyable, if you are in the mood to see a Romance film with some horror elements and creepiness to it with very good-acting I recommend to see this.
Rating
Solid Film, Good acting, awesome visuals and perfectly placed atmosphere elements . 7.8/10!!!!
The Next film up for review is "The Last Witch Hunter" Starring Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie and Elijah Wood.
Plot
"The last witch hunter is all that stands between humanity and the combined forces of the most horrifying witches in history".
My Thoughts
When I first saw the trailer and read info on this movie, the first thought that came to mind was "I know What I am getting here" what I mean by that is that, I knew what I was getting myself into here before even seeing the film. Every year there are movies like this that come out, and I usually see them but always temper my expectations and know what to expect. for example last year I would have put "I,Frankenstein" and "Dracula Untold" into this category its a genre for me, that Genre is B-Movie Supernatural Film, as I mentioned earlier nothing against these types of films just do not expect much. Unlike most people I prefer to see Vin Diesel in acting roles other than the "Fast and Furious" films I am a big fan his "Riddick" films so when I saw that he was doing this film I knew I would give it a hot. Now having seen the film I can say that the film met my expectations noting more nothing less. the acting in this film was average, no great performances here, Vin Diesel did a serviceable job in the lead role and I had no complaints here, I will say that it was really nice to see Elijah Wood on the big screen again felt like I haven't seen him in a film since "The Lord Of The Rings" Trilogy and lastly I will say that Rose Leslie was a joy to see on screen and I enjoyed her scenes the most (has nothing to do with my bias for redheads). The special effects in this film where hit or miss, at some points they looked good and at other points I thought I was watching a Syfy channel film.The Film was somewhat enjoyable and kept me engaged throughout the 1 hour and 50 minute run time. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 14% saying "Grim, plodding, and an overall ill fit for Vin Diesel's particular charms, The Last Witch Hunter will bore and/or confuse all but the least demanding action-fantasy fans". I did not feel the film was boring overall, I knew what I was getting into and adjusted my expectations accordingly and what I saw was mostly what I expected from a Movie of this caliber. Overall this film was exactly what I thought it would be, an action/adventure film with so-so special effects, average acting and that is what it was, for me the best part of this film was to see Elijah Wood acting again, if you are a Vin Diesel fan or a fan of Action/Adventure films I would suggest to see this once if not I would say pass on this film, as most likely you will not enjoy it and want your money back.
Rating
Met my expectations, was what I expected. 6.7/10!!!!
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