The Martian

Last Sunday I checked an item off of my bucket list.  You could say that it was a “first” for me, since until now, there was only one McMenamin’s location in Washington that includes a theater.  That location is in Centralia and is way too far away for this writer to attend on a regular basis.  Fortunately, the new W.A. Anderson School has opened in Bothell, a mere 15 minutes away, and is doing a brisk business.  The film being shown is The Martian starring Matt Damon, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Chitewel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig, and is the main subject of this review. 

First of all, I’d like to say that I don’t think there’s another actor I would have considered, had I been the one casting the part of Marc Watney, the astronaut who has to figure out how to survive on a uninhabited planet until/or if help arrives.  It’s a little bit MacGuyver in Space, Botany 101, and how to think quickly in very high stress situations.  Everybody sticks their neck out, their job on the line, and we, as human beings and Americans, could learn a thing or two from this film/book about cooperation, teamwork, and finding the good in any situation.  Not now, but in the future, there is definitely a plan in place to get out of “Dodge” and head to Mars.  It might be good to use this film as a training guide on how to prepare for a worst case scenario or several worst case scenario(s).  The author of the book, Andy Weir, must have been an Eagle Scout or a survivalist, or something akin to this and I also think the book is definitely in my future read list.  Rating:  roll of duct tape, a parachute, a crucifix, a few disco downloads, and potatoes….a lot of potatoes aka 4 stars.  To the moon, Alice, but in this case to Mars.    

Tomorrowland

This is coming out on video soon and I hope it’s better received than it was in the theater.  Banking on the premise that the future is bleak or non-existent without the skills of a girl who keeps breaking into NASA, we are taken to said future via a transporter button, it looks something like it stepped out of a comic book.  It instantly takes you to a wheat field in a prairie state, I’m thinking from Florida or Texas, or wherever these people live, and looks a bit like the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.  In an odd sort of way, it reminded me of a live action version of “The Robinsons” combined with elements of The Last Starfighter, Mockingjay, Star Trek, and about a zillion other sci-fi fantasies that have to do with quantum leaping and making the future so bright, you have to wear shades.   The main characters, of which there are three, include a rather scruffy looking George Clooney, a bright new up and comer, Raffey Cassidy, and the flavor of the year in the lead role, Britt Robertson, whom you may recall was the middle ‘desperately in love’ daughter in “Dan in Real Life”.  The cherry on top of this cake is Hugh Laurie…evil is as evil does, and nobody does evil quite as well as Hugh.  He can go from snarky funny to mean and nasty in 2.5 seconds.  So now I’m wondering if there’s going to be a new ride at Disneyland or Disney World that’s based on the film.  I’d go on it, now all I need is a magic transporter button.  Rating:  2.5 stars and rockets

Inside Out

I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart…..it’s simple, really, we’re all emotional for both the positive and the negative…it’s called a balance and it makes us who we are.  Personify those emotions and put a child into a new situation in one of the best cities in the world (San Francisco….love it) and you’ve got your basis for the latest Pixar flick.  It relies on the voice character actors to emit the feelings they’re portraying working as a team in a little girl who’s out of her comfort zone and does so brilliantly.  Amy Poehler is the stand-out among this motley crew as “Joy”.  She finds the good, the happy place from any situation.  On the opposite end, we have “Sadness” voiced by Phyllis Smith, “Anger” - Lewis Black, “Fear” -  Bill Hader, and “Disgust” - Mindy Kaling, all of whom are key to our girl's, Riley’s, healthy emotional state and well-being.  A special shout-out about Richard Kind as “Bing Bong”, I had a friend like you, but his name was Tommy.  The parallels to this writer’s life are spot-on…the dialogue, extremely familiar, and the one-liners, priceless.  I would love to see Riley progress even further in a sequel.  This film gets a heartfelt rating of happy, silly, fluffy, blue, and rainbow aka 4 stars.  

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Knights of the Roundtable, not looking for the Holy Grail, but protecting the British Empire and the world from crazy, what more could you ask for?  The special effects are brilliant…and even if you frown when someone tells you that this movie is extremely violent, there’s still the fact that most of it is “clean”, not visceral.  Still in all, the style used in telling the story of Eggsy and his journey from a “slacker” to the potential to be a new Lancelot or Galahad, is definitely worth the watch.  Situations pop along at a brisk pace with several surprises throughout, and even though it’s exceptionally violent, it still has its tongue firmly placed in its cheek.  Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Sir Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, and cool as a cucumber, Sofia Boutella as Gazelle, all deliver the goods with style, grace, and less “cheese” than you would expect from a movie based on a comic book.  Rating:  3.25 stars…not for the little ones by any stretch of the imagination, and by that, I mean pay attention to the rating, it’s there for a good reason.  Looking forward to a new episode when and if, it comes to pass. 

Avengers - The Age of Ultron

My head is spinning from the absolutely wonderful opportunity I was afforded to be able to attend this screening of the continuing Avengers series.  Thank you to my friend and former colleague, Ruby, for inviting me.  Besides the great company and the chance to see this film on a truly big screen (Cinerama), it was fun, exciting, edge of your seat anticipatory and I'm ready to go again.  We're introduced to new characters, alliances are formed, and amazing as it seems, technology is merged with fantasy in a wholly believable way.  It's every serial watching kid's dream-come-true.  Kudos to all the players (Downey, Johannson, Hemsworth, Ruffalo, Evans, and Renner).  It took me a moment to figure out who the voice actor was for Ultron, but when I did, it was perfect.  Loved, loved, loved, loved, loved this and looking forward to the next installment.  Rating:  6 Stars forging a better future for the planet.

American Sniper

If any of you have read my reviews in the past, you know that I’m not fond of films that deal with war, the military, ultra-violence, psychotics, etc.  You get the idea.  This film deals with an issue that hits pretty close to home for me…PTSD.  Whether it was the Civil War or most recently dealing with ISIL, makes no difference…the job of a soldier is to defend and protect and follow orders.  Chris Kyle, as portrayed by Bradley Cooper, did just that.  If you saw the Hurt Locker or Ground Zero, or any one of the myriad of films that have come before it, then you know that what you’re going to see is not a pretty postcard picture of what life is like in any part of the world that’s struggling politically.  The person that takes on this or any other job that requires they pit life against life, is not going to come back from the experience, or in this case experiences, unchanged.  My criticism of this film would be that we didn’t get a real opportunity to get to know Chris all that much before he’s in a situation that he can’t opt out of.  The film is very well cast and Bradley Cooper is a standout as Chris.  It must have been extremely painful for his widow to see how close this was to what she lived and hopefully, she has some happier memories to share with their children.  Rating:  3 Booyahs.

Into The Woods

Several years ago, I got a VHS copy of the Broadway version of this musical starring Bernadette Peters, and a variety of actors that I had no idea could sing.  Nor had I seen some of them on anything other than the occasional television sitcom.  It was a very long play, as I recall, and I couldn’t tell you if I paid attention (I should have), or what any of the songs were, except the pivotal “Children Will Listen”.   When it was announced that it was being made for the big screen and the witch was to be portrayed by Meryl Streep, my ears perked up.  The long and the short of this film is be careful what you wish for because you just might get it, but at what cost.  Biggest surprise…Emily Blunt and Chris Pine…both can really sing and biggest non-surprise, but a total treat…Anna Kendrick.  It’s a divine ensemble and a wonderful romp into the woods and beyond.  So, the rating for la Streep and cast – a red cape, a bunch of magic beans, a pair of golden slippers, and hair the color of golden corn aka 4 stars.