Movie Reviews

The Martian (2015)

the-martian

The Martian (2015)

Director:

Ridley Scott

Starring:

Matt Damon

Jessica Chastain

Kristen Wiig

Plot:

An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

Review:

This book has been on my radar for a while but it leans more hard science than I usually like to read so I haven’t really wanted to pick it up. However, I thought the movie would be a nice compromise.

I enjoyed the theme of hope throughout and I loved the fact that with every set back Mark, Matt Damon, didn’t succumb to despair and fought to survive. He never lost his humor and it made what could be a really depressing movie lighter.

There were a few things that I thought probably worked better in a book. Donald Glover’s character seemed kind of shoehorned in and was barely there but he seemed to have an important role. Not sure about Kristin Wiig’s character either, she was just sort of there. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending. It would have been easy to be anti-climactic but it went too far on the other side and was too over the top after a movie that seemed so grounded.

All in all I liked the movie, but it’s not one I need to own or probably even watch again.

3.5/5

Doctor Strange (2016)

doctor-strange

Doctor Strange (2016)

Director:

Scott Derrickson

Starring:

Benedict Cumberbatch

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Rachel McAdams

Tilda Swinton

Plot:

A former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.

Review:

Probably the best way for me to go into a comic book movie is to know nothing about the character, which is how I went in with Doctor Strange.

My first thought was surprise that there was a character out there that was a bigger dick than Tony Stark. There was some character growth on that part but I doubt the two of them would work well together or even fit in the same room.

I’ve come to accept, though not really like, the fact that superhero movies do not know how to film action scenes. Tons of quick cuts and you could rarely fully see the action when it was happening. The fact that Scott Adkins was in the movie but never fully utilized felt like such a waste and disappointed my husband who had been excited about his inclusion.

They basically introduced a whole new world in the Marvel universe so there was a lot of information that needed to be told and I don’t think it was completely. There were still some things I’m unsure of and other parts that were slightly confusing. Maybe if I read the comics it wouldn’t have been that way but I couldn’t be the only person going in blind.

I also thought that the little bits of comedy they tried for were out of place and didn’t fit the tone of the rest of the movie. It’s like they were trying to channel Guardians of the Galaxy lite and they really shouldn’t have at all. I get that Marvel movies like to have lighter moments but the jokes fell flat for me and those moments could have been done differently.

Overall I enjoyed the movie, it added a new element to the Marvel universe and I thought Tilda Swinton’s character was awesome. There were some flaws and it was nowhere near as good as Guardians of the Galaxy but I enjoyed it a lot more than several other Marvel movies.

3.75/5

Side note: Cumberbatch didn’t appear to get as ripped as previous male stars which kind of sucks for the other dudes but I hope it’s not a new trend lol

V.I. Warshawski (1991)
V.I. Warshawski, un privé en escarpin

V.I. Warshawski (1991)

Director:

Jeff Kanew

Starring:

Kathleen Turner

Jay O. Sanders

Charles Durning

Plot:

A female PI babysitting for a boyfriend gets stuck with his daughter and the case of her murdered father.

Review:

I had never heard of this movie when my husband picked it up from a used bookstore. Since it had Kathleen Turner as a kick ass woman and was filmed in the late 80s early 90s he thought it would be right up my alley.

The movie definitely had the feel of a movie from that time and it was awesome to see a female character kick butt, but I wish she didn’t have such a cliché fatal flaw. She manipulates men like they’re pawns but her love for one is her weakness. Other than that, though I liked the movie.

The ending was classic 80s action, it didn’t stick around once the bad guys were taken care of. It had a foul mouthed kid that followed Turner’s character around. There was also a surprisingly high body count. The man that Turner’s character meets in a bar is very manly and the villain is kind of hilarious looking. I also found it amusing that all the ways she got men to do what she wanted would probably still work today.

Why can’t they make movies like this now a days? It’s not a blockbuster, but it’s got to be cheap to make. The only female led action movies coming out now, that I’m aware of, are pure crap. Their budget is shoestring and their actresses aren’t any good. That’s a market I’d love for someone like Netflix, or Amazon, or Hulu to fill. Maybe I’m the only one out there though.

4/5

True Memoirs of an International Assassin (2016)

true-memoirs-of-an-international-assassin

True Memoirs of an International Assassin (2016)

Director:

Jeff Wadlow

Starring:

Kevin James

Kim Coates

Maurice Compte

Plot:

After a publisher changes a writer’s debut novel about a deadly assassin from fiction to nonfiction, the author finds himself thrust into the world of his lead character, and must take on the role of his character for his own survival.

Review:

I hadn’t heard anything about this movie, at least nothing that I could remember, until it showed up on my Netflix homepage. The blurb and the trailer were enough to get me to watch even though I’m not the biggest Kevin James fan. I was pleasantly surprised and ended up enjoying this.

The plot was silly but not to the point where it was ridiculous and unwatchable. There also wasn’t a ton of the stupid comedy that I associate James with so that made it even better for me.

I did find myself screaming at the screen when he met his publisher for the first time, but that was because it was all too believable and I didn’t want him to be taken advantage of.

By the end of the movie he’d changed but he hadn’t become the super assassin he’d written about, it was a believable change which I liked.

Honestly, I’d watch another movie like this in a heartbeat. It wasn’t amazing but it was fun, a nice fusion of action and comedy leaning more toward action.

4/5

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

x-men-apocalypse

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Director:

Bryan Singer

Starring:

James McAvoy

Michael Fassbender

Jennifer Lawrence

Plot:

After the re-emergence of the world’s first mutant, world-destroyer Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.

Review:

The X-Men movies have gotten to be about as confusing as the X-Men comics. With the last movie the timeline was changed so I guess the first movies no longer matter, so the fact that Mystic, Lawrence, was going to become bad is no longer true? Maybe? I’m not sure and I don’t know if she is either which makes the ending a bit weird.

It’s probably best to completely forget the movies that don’t have McAvoy and the others in them because who the hell knows where they come into play if at all.

X-Men Apocalypse was fun, though it bounced around a lot and I was never quite sure where we were time wise. Quicksilver, Evan Peters, was again my favorite part even though I’ve seen a gif of his main scene several times at this point.

The ending was pretty massive, destruction on a worldwide scale, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the next movie. However, this franchise barely registers with me now so it’s not something I’m dying to see.

3/5