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AN EXCELLENT SCI-FI BOOSTED BY EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE from MATT DAMON NASA recently announced that they found water on Mars. It indicates, though still a long way to go, that humans can travel and probably live there someday. If that’s really the case, then maybe we won’t have to worry anymore about the excess population on earth (because we can move to Mars in the future) or if someone is accidentally stranded on the planet (because there’s water there, and it’s basically the source of life. So what’s the fuss?). Sadly, this is not the universe that the main character in ‘The Martian’ lives in. The Mars in the film contains no water at all, so it’s a huge problem to be stranded there. Unfortunately he is indeed left behind in the planet, alone. Directed by legendary director Ridley Scott (known for ‘Alien’, ‘Blade Runner; and ‘Gladiator’ to name a few), ‘The Martian’ focuses on astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon), who is on Mars for a mission with his team. The team consists of Captain Melissa Lewis (two time Oscar-nominee Jessica Chastain), Rick Martinez (Michael Pena), Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara), Chris Beck (Sebastian Stan), and Alex Vogel (Aksel Hennie). In the middle of their exploration, they are forced to leave the planet immediately due to the approaching destructive storm. On their way back to the ship, Watney is struck by a piece of satellite-like thing and was separated from the rest of the team. After trying their best to find Watney, the team decides to leave for the earth assuming that Watney is dead, while the fact is he’s alive. Now that he’s alone on Mars with very limited supplies, how will he make it? Can he go back home? As I saw ‘The Martian’, I was so glad for the fact that the film has so many good things going on in it. Let’s first start with the beautiful cinematography by Dariusz Wolski. All of the shots in the film are gorgeously taken and absolutely a visual treat to the eyes. Capturing the dry and inhabitable Mars is no easy task. Wolski did it just right by giving us a depiction of Mars that is as vivid as it is fascinating. The scenes that take place in the outer space are impossible not to make you want to explore them. Supporting the great cinematography is the equally mesmerizing production design. You can tell that the ships, the Mars itself, and the other space-related stuff that I can’t remember the name of are all well-designed and meticulously made. The script is another standout of the film. Penning a sci-fi film is never easy, as you have to carefully insert the science elements without making the film too heavy or complicated. In other words, the science you put really need to appeal the audience instead of bore them. Thanks to Drew Goddard, the science in ‘The Martian’ not only does appeal the viewers, but also excites them. Goddard succeeded in blending it with heartfelt humor, the kind of humor that gives you a good laugh and stirs your emotion as well. Credit also goes to Andy Weir, for which the film is based on his best-selling novel. Though I haven’t read the novel, but I believe it is at least as great as the film, if not better. Backing up the smartly-written script is how the film is edited. The back and forth scenes that show what’s happening on Mars and on Earth are woven seamlessly. That adds to the charm of the film, so you get to see how everyone else reacts to what happens to Watney. Though all of the aforementioned factors contribute heavily to the success of the film, ‘The Martian’ wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t for Matt Damon’s amazing performance. I can assure you that nobody could play Mark Watney better than Damon. He was born to play this role. He portrays all of Watney’s traits perfectly, especially his persistence and his sense of humor. So far, he is the only actor in 2015’s movies that I’ve seen that gives an Oscar-worthy performance. There’s one scene in the film that best simulates his talent. It’s a scene between him and Michale Pena’s character that is as funny as it is very touching. I guarantee you’ll be laughing with tears streaming down your cheeks watching that scene. And now it’s time to thank the person who tied all of the aforementioned aspects that make ‘The Martian’ one of the best films of 2015. It’s the very man himself, the director Mr. Ridley Scott. After a string of commercially and critically unsuccessful movies, ‘The Martian’ serves as a return-to-form film for the director. He successfully put the words thrilling, engaging, and hilarious all in a single sci-fi movie. After last nominated for an Oscar more than a decade ago, this film is his biggest chance in years to get back to the awards circuit. Apart from the goodness I mentioned above, the film still has a few flaws. What irritates me the most is how thin Sebastian Stan’s character is written. It’s a shame an actor as talented as he is doesn’t get the chance to shine in an otherwise great film. Although the rest of the supporting characters are not that deeply written, but at least they’re given a chance to show another layer or two of themselves in the film. (MINOR SPOILER ALERT) Speaking of his character, the romance involving him and Kate Mara’s character is just unimportant. It appears too late in the film to give the viewers any emotional impact. Do I even care that they’re together at last? No I don’t.
Overall, ‘The Martian’ is an A-level sci-fi film that delivers entertaining thrills and heartfelt humor. With Matt Damon is at the top of his game, the film is definitely a front runner for the upcoming awards season. Score: 4.5/5
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AN UNSATISFYING YET WATCHABLE SEQUEL TO THE MAZE RUNNER A year ago, a bunch of teenagers were stranded (or trapped?) in a ruthless maze filled with terrible creatures. They learned how to survive by establishing hierarchy and strict rules in the community. Those who had the capability to run fast could be a runner, whose task was to examine the maze regularly in the hope of finding an exit. After a string of unfortunate events, they finally got out of the maze and faced with the fact that they were put in there by a mysterious organization called W.C.K.D for a supposedly noble purpose. As if it wasn’t bitter enough, they also learned that the outside world was no longer habitable due to the widespread of Flare Virus that makes people have appetite for another people (they are called ‘Cranks’). What I just told you about was actually what happened in the first installment of this series, ‘The Maze Runner’. ‘The Scorch Trials’ begins right where its predecessor left off. Thomas and the gang are picked up by a group of army that’s seemingly against W.C.K.D and taken to their quarter. There, they meet some other teenagers that had been in the different mazes created by none other than W.C.K.D. For once, they get to taste the comfort that they’ve been longing for, such as hot showers, nice beds, and proper meals. But things of course can’t go on continuously good like that, because Thomas quickly realizes that everything is not at all like it seems. So now the question is what’s next for these unlucky kids? The story basically still revolves around how Thomas and his friends survive their cruel surrounding. Throughout the film, you will see that they’re running from one hell to another. I like how Wes Ball (the director) managed to keep the story going fast-paced. That’s really helpful in locking the audience in their seats. Another thing to praise here is the constantly good performance from O’Brien and Brodie-Sangster as Thomas and Newt. As for the new cast, the spotlight goes to Rosa Salazar who plays Bren. The crispy deep-voice she has fits perfectly with her role as a girl hardened by the unrelenting situation. Despite all of the highlights I mentioned above, the film unfortunately still feels bland. Yes, the cranks are creepy. Yes, they mostly successful in shocking the audience whenever they appear on screen. Yes, the scope of the film is broader than the first one. But that’s it. There are no other things that will give you the maximum thrill. I remember in the first film there was this one provocative scene where all the Gladers push their friend to the maze just because he was bitten by the maze’s monster, The Griever. Sadly, that kind of thing doesn’t appear here, there’s nothing in ‘The Scorch Trials’ that can provoke you the way its older brother did. Besides that, most of the new characters don’t contribute much too to the film’s charm. (WARNING! BIG SPOILER AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK) The other element that I find distracting in this film is the many nonsensical things going on in it. I’m going to spill two of them here. The first one is I’m highly annoyed by how everyone seems overly depends on Thomas to save their lives. There are too many “Thomas help me!” and “Thomas, do you have a plan?” happening in the film. I know he’s supposed to be a hero, but come on give him a break! He’s just as suffering as they all are. The second one is if W.C.K.D has already known that they can only get the immune kids' blood by literally draining them from a long time ago (one of W.C.K.D’s ex-member who’s now on the Right Arms’ side reveals that in the film), then why would they still lock immune kids in their brutal mazes?
Overall, The Scorch Trials is a less intense and less thought-provoking feature than its predecessor. Nonetheless, it’s still an enjoyable young-adult film to watch. Here’s hoping that their next (and presumably last) film will grant us with satisfying ending! Score: 3/5 An Exceptionally Original Creation from the Mega Studio Disney Pixar Have you ever wondered what’s going on in your head when you feel all the feelings you feel? Like when you’re happy to see your significant others, mad for being left out by your friends, or even sad for being cheated by your romantic partner? (I certainly hope the latter one didn’t and won’t happen to anyone of you!) Well, wonder no more! Disney Pixar is here to answer your questions, though you may need a spoonful of imagination to grasp that, with its latest film ‘Inside Out’. The film focuses on Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), a bright and cheerful eleven year-old girl whose life seems always surrounded by happiness. We get too see what’s going on inside Riley’s head through the five emotions she has, Joy (Amy Poehler), Sad (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) who live inside the Headquarters. Those emotions not only react but also reflect what Riley feels towards her environment. One day, she and her family moves to a new neighborhood and that seemingly simple event threatens the status quo in the Headquarters. Will she finally get a grip of her emotions? And more importantly, will she adapt to the new situation? First of all, let me give a huge applause to Pete Docter (known for his award-winning ‘Up’) and the team for creating such an incredibly creative and original piece. They excelled in taking something that’s so apparent in our everyday life (who doesn’t feel the feelings mentioned above?) to a whole new level. The story is also very well-thought with just the right amount of imagination. So the film is neither too ‘out-there’ nor too by-the-book. That’s an important thing since what they try to convey in ‘Inside Out’ is actually very scientific. I know that because I learned all that mind and emotions thingy in a class I took in college. Never thought my class would come handy in this movie-review stuff. They also managed to insert moments that will resonate to anyone seeing the film. The final result is a heart-warming and touching film without being overly sappy. Though it doesn’t achieve the emotional peak like ‘Up’ did, ‘Inside Out’ will still make the manliest man alive trying his best to hold the tears from streaming down his cheeks. Oh have I mentioned that this film is hilarious too? Out of the five emotions, Disgust is my favorite and the best laugh-inducer among them with her witty and sarcastic lines. Another thing to adore from this film is its striking visual. Definitely a feast for the eyes! This film of course has its own flaws. One of them is the explanation regarding all the things in Riley’s head and how they work at the beginning of the film feels a little bit too fast. So viewers might get a bit confused to grasp all of that at once. The duration of the film is also a bit too short (or maybe it’s because the film’s so good it just passes by without me noticing the duration?). But don’t worry, all those flaws don’t affect the quality of the film much and they are covered by tons of the other goodness of the film. (NOT SO MINOR SPOILER AHEAD. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED)
Seeing this film, I can’t help but admiring the message it’s trying to say. Throughout the film, we’ll see that Sad is always ignored and pressed by the other emotions, especially Joy. I see that as the representative of human who naturally denies any vulnerable feelings. The film then concludes that any one of the emotions can really complement each other, even sadness. So the point is: don’t be afraid to embrace your feelings. It’s okay to be sad, because sadness allows you to be vulnerable and open yourself to people around you. By doing that, you’ll feel relieved and guess what happens when you feel relieved? You feel joy. Overall, ‘Inside Out’ gives an interesting look at what’s going on in people’s heads that is as exciting as it is very original. Best Animated Feature for the next awards season? Yes, please! Score: 4.5/5 Note: MAKE SURE you don’t come late to the theater to catch the heartbreakingly sweet short movie ‘Lava’. Be careful, the song (which happens to be the entire dialogue of the short film) is extremely contagious you won’t stop humming it on your way back home! A Strong Adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s Brave True StoryLife is full of eye-opening and harsh realities. What will you do if it hits you and knocks you down? Some might say they will go to someone whom they can share the burden with. The others might say they will just suck it up and move on. Whatever the answer is, we all have our own way to deal with our problems in life. So does Cheryl Strayed. Adapted by Nick Hornby for the film, the script is based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir ‘Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail’. The film centers on Cheryl’s decision to go on a hike, solo, in order to overcome her recent problems. Through flashbacks in the film, we will eventually see the reason why she actually experienced the problems. As the director, Jean-Marc Valee does a good job in capturing the essence of Cheryl Strayed’s adventure. He has this stylishly tender way in directing his films that can be seen in ‘Wild’. Seeing this film also reminds me of his previous work, ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, who won its stars peak achievements in acting. Speaking of that, he is also succeeded in bringing the best out of his two actresses in the film, Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. The former plays Cheryl Strayed and the latter plays her mom. This brings us to the acting department of the film. As a woman, Cheryl Strayed is flawed and complex. (SPOILER ALERT!). She cheats on her husband and abuses drugs. She is also brave and very affectionate especially towards her mother. In portraying her, Witherspoon gives a very strong and appealing performance. She makes us care about her character, which to me is one of the hardest things to do in acting. My favorite scene of her in the film is (SPOILER ALERT!) when she says goodbye to her husband. The emotion she displays there is just real and honest.
Not only Witherspoon, Dern also shines in ‘Wild’. She gives a heart-warming performance as Cheryl Strayed’s positive-minded mom. Although her part is considerably small compared to Witherspoon’s, it doesn’t mean that it’s not effective. There’s one scene that showcases Dern’s acting chops. It is when she is confronted by her daughter on how she is being so naïve in regards to the difficulties they’re facing. That scene really serves as her Oscar-moment. All in all, ‘Wild’ offers a look at how Cheryl Strayed, just like every single of us as a human being, tries to cope with problems in life. Anchored by fantastic performances from Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern, this film is definitely worth of your time. Score: 4/5 A Subtle Look at Deteriorating RelationshipPeople say that love conquers all. When you love someone and he/she loves you back, all of your problems can seem to go away. Apparently, that’s not what happens to Connor Ludlow (James McAvoy) and Eleanor Rigby (Jessica Chastain), the two main characters in ‘The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby : Them’. As a married couple, they have this flaming desire towards each other. But then a tragedy strikes their marriage and their once-intimate relationship is challenged. That leads to each of them struggling to cope with the situation in their own way. The film is a debut feature from Ned Benson. He did double duty for the film, directing and writing the script. It was originally released in two formats, ‘Him’ and ‘Her’, with each focuses on the events surrounding the couple through one’s perspective (the ‘Him’ version uses Connor’s perspective while the ‘Her’ version uses Eleanor’s perspective). Both version were intended to be screened back-to-back, so that the viewers could experience the couple’s whole perspective in mending their relationship. They actually did screen both versions back-to-back, but only in last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and selected art house cinemas. The version I saw was the ‘Them’ version a.k.a the combined version of ‘Him’ and ‘Her’, which was initiated by the film’s producer, Harvey Weinstein. For a first time feature-length film director and writer, Ned Benson undoubtedly did a good job. It mustn’t have been easy to direct big names for the film. I’m not only talking about Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy here, but also Viola Davis as Eleanor’s tutor-yet-friend Professor Friedman, Isabelle Hupert and William Hurt as Eleanor’s parents, and Ciaran Hinds as Connor’s father. Not to mention the way he unified two different feature into a pretty-balanced film, which must have been hard to do too. He also succeeded in penning the potentially-sappy story into a mature one.
The performances are also not to be missed. Jessica Chastain gives a nicely restrained performance while James McAvoy gives a more straightforward portrayal. Their chemistry together is nothing less than electrifying. There’s one scene in a car that serves as a prove to their chemistry which will make you want to hold your lover’s hand even more tighter. But my favorite here is Viola Davis, she plays an intellectual woman who has cynical view in life so effortlessly good! A Dark Story of One’s (Dark) ObsessionNowadays, finding a job is never an easy task. We’re faced with thousands of applicants as our competitors who fight for the limited (and often the same) job vacancies. More or less that’s what the main character in Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut ‘Nightcrawler’ feels. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the aforementioned character, Lou Bloom, who is searching for a job despite claiming to not have any formal education under his belt. He eventually delves into the world of L.A crime journalism. But the more he swims deep into his job, the more he gets darker pursuing what is considered good in his profession, for the sake of his personal gain. As the director and writer, Dan Gilroy executed the film well. He successfully makes the film works at two different level. Not only the film blatantly shows the ugly truth of what would (some) of the media do to reach higher rating, it is also a showcase for Jake Gyllenhaal’s acting chops. Lou Bloom is a hard role to play due to his layered characteristic. He is charming, smart, talkative, cold, lonesome, and creepy (not a good combination I can tell!). But Gyllenhaal skillfully portrays those layered characteristics, switching back and forth from the smooth-talker Lou Bloom to an ice-cold sociopath. There’s one particular scene involving Gyllenhaal’s Lou Bloom and Rene Russo’s Nina that shows how creepy and weird he is in building social relationship. Speaking of Rene Russo, her performance here has been hailed by many critics as the performance of her career. Some even linked her performance to the possibility of being an award contender. That may or may not be true, since I myself have only seen one Russo’s other film so far and it was really a long time ago (the remake of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’, in which I always get distracted by her steamy scene with Pierce Brosnan). She is good in ‘Nightcrawler’, but not great. The cinematography by Robert Elswit is also worth the attention. It suits the tone of the film really well. The constant shadowy lightning really adds up to the grim mood of the film. Despite of that, I still feel that the film is lacking of thrilling aspects. Being marketed as a thriller, I expected the film would be more, well, thrilling. Frankly speaking, I thought in my mind while I was watching the film that this would be a 3/5. But then the scene near the end of the film popped up which made me raised the score to 3.5. The reason is simple, that scene powerfully glues Lou Bloom’s status as the real jerk.
Final score: 3.5/5 A Cognitively fascinating space journey‘Interstellar’ is Christopher Nolan’s 9th feature film as a director and inspired by American physicist Kip Thorne’s work, who is also a scientific consultant and executive producer for the movie. Christopher works with his brother Jonathan helming the script for the movie. The film tells a story of a group of space travelers who make use a newly-found wormhole to find the solution for earth’s raging problem. Matthew McConaughey plays Cooper, one of the people assigned with the noble task. Cooper’s team includes Brand (Anne Hathaway), Doyle (Wes Bentley), Romilly (David Gyasi), and an uber-smart robot TARS (voiced by Bill Irwin). Meanwhile, Cooper has to deal with his family, especially his daughter Murphy (Mackenzie Foy plays the juvenile version while Jessica Chastain plays the adult version) regarding his departure. This is by far the most ambitious film from Christopher Nolan. The scope of the film is epic, ranging from the end of the earth to the powerful unseen entity beyond human knowledge. The cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema is sharp and beautiful. I have this one favorite scene in the beginning of the movie where Cooper and his kids driving across the corn fields that is just simply breathtaking. Let’s not forget about the score by Hans Zimmer, bewitching and heart-wrenching at the same time. The film also doesn't shy showing Nolan’s most obvious footprint, a sophisticated story conveyed by sophisticated script. This one unfortunately has its own advantage and disadvantage. The plus point is the script successfully shows the masterful skill of the Nolan bros in transforming such a complicated, science-packed material into a worth-watching film. BUT Sadly, it appears to me that the biggest problem in the movie is also somehow laid in the script. It’s kind of hard for me to relate to what the characters feel. This is (probably) because the science aspect itself, which (to me) is more dominant than the emotional aspect of the film. Make no mistake here, there are tons of scenes which are intended to drain the viewers emotionally. It’s not that I’m blaming the film for rely heavily on science. It’s actually a good thing and the science depicted in the film is not nonsense. I only think that the film demands us to invest most of our energy to try to understand what happens in it, so that we only have a little energy left to try to care with what happens to the characters and how they respond to it. Lastly, I can’t seem to talk about Interstellar without comparing it with last year’s ‘Gravity’. Well, I’m not talking about the story here. I’m talking about the experience watching both films in IMAX, which I personally think ‘Gravity’ did it better. But hey, some people say that the definition of a great film is the one which can catapult a global discussion. In that sense, I believe ‘Interstellar’ is 100% succeed.
Final score : 3.5/5 |
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AuthorA self-acclaimed movie guy who likes to socialize |