Movie Review: The Martian [2015]

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The Martian
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Written by: Andy Weir (book) Drew Goddard (screenplay)
Runtime: 141 min
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Chiwetel Ejiofor, etc
Nominations: None

RRR: 8.6/10 Letter-grade: A-

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I always get excited for adaptations of my favorite books, just like I did last year. Gone Girl ended up to be my most favorite. Even further, The Perks of Being a Wallflower sneaked in my all time favorite list, just as I rewatched it multiple times. 

The Martian turned out to be an amazing adaptation - as joyful and entertaining as Weir's brilliant work. In fact, I loved most parts of the book, because it was smart, with quirky humor and delightful main character. Andy managed to create the most realistic story about living on Mars, so realistic that you will never cast a doubt on anything he writes. Having said that, there were few parts where a though of skipping couple of pages crossed my mind. Anyways, I read all of it.

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Movie Review: Fifty Shades of Grey [2015]

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Fifty Shades of Grey
Directed by: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Written by: Kelly Marcel (screenplay) | E.L. James (novel)
Runtime: 125 mins
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Marcia Gay Harden, Eloise Mumford
Nominations: none

RRR: 5.3/10 Letter-grade: C-

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I never thought of either reading or watching Fifty Shades of Grey and especially in cinema. Couple of days ago I received two invitations on its premiere from local theater chain called Rustaveli/Amirani Movie Theaters. So, I though, why not? Accordingly, I went to the screening totally blind, knowing nothing but its erotic nature and the fact that over 100 million copies were sold. So, obviously, my review will not discuss how well adapted the film is, it's merely a collection of my thoughts on so many things happening in film.

Fifty Shades of Grey has two main characters: Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). As in most love stories, they belong to two different social classes - the girl being a poor, beautiful student, while the boy is a rich, powerful, handsome billionaire. They meet each other by chance and fall in love. For now you might think that you've seen it hundreds of times and you are definitely right about it. Most things in this movie is so well known and familiar that it bores you. Accordingly, if you continue watching it as another complicated love story, you might walk out of theater or order a cup of coffee to keep yourself awake. What I tried is to look at this story in a different perspective, something alike to Nymphomaniac or even more, Blue Is the Warmest Color (the comparison does not necessarily mean they are equally good). At the end of the day, not many films, at least in Hollywood, talk about BDSM or dominant/submissive sex experience.

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Movie Review: Jupiter Ascending [2015]

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Jupiter Ascending

Directed by: The Wachowskis

Runtime: 125 mins

Cast: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, James D'Arcy, Douglas Booth

Nominations: none, but I'd give all the Razzies

RRR: 3.6/10 Letter-grade: D

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When it comes to creation of cult movies, The Wachowski siblings are among few directors who created something so outstanding that it still defines the genre - I mean The Matrix Trilogy. Then it was Cloud Atlas with rave reviews and my personal favorite. Logically, I expected something very extraordinary, that would blow my mind in any ways their films do. Honestly, the casting of Jupiter Ascending should be giving a clear vision of what would the movie look like. 

Movie starts with introducing Russian immigrant Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) waking up at 4:30 in the morning, rushing to her job which merely includes cleaning toilets of rich people. She's obviously hating her life, because there is nothing happening until some unearthly creatures try to assassinate her at the hospital. Being saved by ex-military member named Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) she learns that one of the members of galaxy's most influential families wants her dead. Balem (Eddie Redmayne) has inherited Earth after his mother's mystical death. His other sibling Titus (Douglas Booth) wants to take over control on our planet, because it is such a treasure. The reason why Jupiter needs to be killed is that she is a reincarnation of Balem's mother and accordingly the sole owner of the planet, meanwhile Titus is trying to save her, marry her and claim the title. For that reason, he sent Caine as a savior. 

And here starts Miss Jones's voyage through galaxies to meet her "family" and prove that she owns the Earth, in order to keep it safe. As visually spectacular Jupiter Ascending is, as messy the story seems. It's two hours of Jupiter's stupid decisions, number of drama scenes between Wise and her, tons of fights and flights. 

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Movie Review: Force Majeure [2014]

This film can not be discussed without spoilers

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Force Majeure
Directed by: Ruben Östlund
Country: Sweden
Runtime: 119 mins
Cast: Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Vincent Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju
Nominations: Golden Globes [Foreign Film]

RRR: 8.2/10 Letter-grade: B+

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Force Majeure is a Swedish film shortlisted by The Academy in best foreign film nomination. It's director Ruben Östlund's fourth full feature film, were he tells about a family of four that is about to fall apart, because their perceptions of each other were actually far from reality.

Thomas and Ebba with two children are having a vacation in French alps. On a fine morning, while they are having their meal on veranda, allegedly controlled avalanche cascades towards the hotel. They all panic but behave differently. Ebba grabs kids to cover them, Thomas, to the contrary rushes inside, leaving hopeless family members behind. This is when his, as a family patriarch's status is questioned leading the relationships to unwilling direction.

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Movie Review: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) [2014]

Birdman is a type movie that does not impress until I watch it, because there are films that grab my attention from the very fist teaser. However, it got my heart the moment I finished it and realized how genuinely original and masterfully done it was. 

Alejandro González Iñárritu's new film is a story of a washed-up actor Riggan (Michael Keaton), who once played an iconic superhero Birdman and now he has to overcome his ego, family trouble, relationship and reclaim past glory, by directing a Broadway play. Ongoing financial problems make it harder to find a proper lead actor for the play.

First thoughts about Birdman - how crazy it is to cast Keaton, who played Batman in two films, as a widely loved superhero. And especially, when his career was also faded for such a long time. Nevertheless the true masterful acting, it's been a good catch. The same time, Birdman is not an easy movie to review, it's just an experience you should feel by watching the film, because if I start describing what's going on there, you'll never get the enjoyment I had during almost two hours.

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Movie Review: The Imitation Game [2014]

You might read some spoilers here

Back in 1940s, world's one of the best mathematician's and not the world savior, yet, Alan Turing created a very simple game, which had three players male, female and the interrogator, who was unable to see the other two and only communicated with them through notes. The idea was to guess which of those two was a man and a woman. And he called this game The Imitation Game. Later, before suicide at the age of 41, based on this earlier work, Alan created a standard Turing test, which only included the interrogator and other party, which either was a person or a computer. In between these two, he saved our grand parents' lives by assembling first computer machine and decrypting unbreakable Enigma that Germans used for all communications during WWII.

Morten Tyldum's The Imitation Game is a story of this man, who saved more lives than probably anyone in history and who actually made it happen that now I'm writing the review on my PC and you're reading it. 

To begin with, I did not find The Imitation Game to be simply a biographic movie, it's rather complex, detail oriented story of morality, of heroism and of what really matters in life, on the example of one particular brilliant mind - British mathematician Alan Turing (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). Because of its many layers, the film starts with voice over of Alan, urging someone (a policemen interrogating him? or the viewers? or both?) to listen carefully, to pay attention and if you decide to stay, than everything is your responsibility. I found the start very intrigue, as if it prepared for something very big, very deeply emotional and satisfactory. 

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Movie Review: Pride [2014]

Lesbians and Gays Support Miners!

This is not a fiction or product of some creative mind, it's all the nearest history of the Great Britain. During the British Miner's strike in 1984, a group of lesbian and gay activists decided to raise some money to help families of those affected by the strike. Having decided so, they contacted to The National Union of Mineworkers - the organizers of almost two year strike - and suggested their full support. However, the Union declined it due to the union's worries about being openly associated with a gay group. So the activists decided to directly take their donations to Onllwyn - a small mining village in Wales. This is considered to be the birth of organization Lesbians and Gays Support Miners (LGSM) that finally managed to help affected citizens recover from this long running problem.

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Movie Review: Whiplash [2014]

How far would you go to challenge yourself and be the number one?

We all will probably do a lot, but not everything. Unlike us, Andrew Nieman (Miles Teller) went all the way to be the best at Shaffer Conservatory of Music, in New York, in the whole world. At Shaffer, being the best means to be accepted by Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) at his class and still, it's always just the beginning and the road is never easy. Fletcher is an eccentric, charismatic, harsh, indifferent asshole. He is the best teacher and the worst person the same time, so it's always intense to be in the same room with him. Nieman, to the contrary, is an young boy full of dreams, skills and guts who is just starting to step into the jazz world. His temper and obsession with jazz grabs Terence's attention who invites the newbie to the class.

Even though Andrew has heard a lot horrible things about Fletcher, he experiences something only one man had experienced before - and he then committed a suicide. Even though Teller's character is extremely talented, there is never enough for his teacher, who does literally everything to turn his students into someones exceptionally brilliant. Unheardly difficult practice sessions are the least of problems, when you might be thrown a chair at, if you play a note slightly faster or slower.  But Nieman is never ready to give up - ends relationship, sleeps with drums and does everything to get a permanent drummer place. And it all ends up with mind blowing competition between two brilliant minds creating a spectacular journey from day one of their meeting to its end.

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Movie Review: The Skeleton Twins [2014]

The Skeleton Twins is director Craig Johnson's second movie, starring Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as twins who've been apart for a while and are reunited after Milo's (Hader) suicide attempt. Every siblings' story has a background, deeply buried in their memories but somehow sticking up to the surface of each's mind time after time. Maggie and Milo have their own.

Milo is out gay man with romance history with his professor, whose career and life was almost ruined when Maggie learned about their relationship. Even though all went well, Milo lost love of his life, which contributed him moving to L.A. to pursue an acting career. Just because he dreamed too big, he kept feeling like a real loser which boiled down to unsuccessful act of suicide. Now Maggie - who really enjoys playing a big sister - is the one to take care of him. When they are forced to go back to each other, they re-examine their relationship and personal lives.

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Movie Review: The Theory of Everything [2014]

The Theory of Everything is a James Marsh's movie about the life, struggles and greatest discovery of today's greatest physic Stephen Hawking (played by Eddie Redmayne). The movie starts when Stephen - a Cambridge science student meets Jane, his future wife, an arts student and leads to the point where they divorce and Mr. Hawking becomes widely acknowledged scientist for his black hole theory. Anthony McCarten's screenplay tells the whole story in between, how those two fought against motor neuron disease, Stephen was diagnosed while attending Cambridge.

This movie caught my attention from the very first trailer, which gave a brilliant idea about masterful acting of Eddie. It's always fancy to watch an actor playing someone living in the same decade as you, a person you have admired, read about, watched and especially, if that person has such some kind of disability - it definitely makes acting work a lot harder. So, I was very much wanting to know how Redmayne, who I'd loved for Les Miserables, dealt with it. Accordingly, it would be fair if I start with performances and especially him.

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Movie Review: Interstellar [2014]

Unlike most of Christopher Nolan fans, I'm never freakishly excited about his upcoming films. Mostly because that he's not one of my favorites, even though I love most of his movies and second of all, I know that Chris can always think of something, I'd not adore that much. Interstellar was not an exception and I just went to theater having in mind whatever I've heard or read about it. 

Imagine the Earth on the edge of extinction, cataclysm and windy storms, that threatens lives of everyone and probably the generation we live with may be the last one. The only way out is to think of new home, where mankind can safely reside with all its species. Interstellar is a story of the voyage that aims saving our civilization and this journey takes place not only within the space, but minds of each character. It's a plain illustration of who we really are, what is our destiny (if there is any), if there is anything superficial than human mind and what is beyond the space we see.

Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a farmer living with his two kids and father-in-law in the corn fields. He is an ex NASA astronaut, who's given up the job after the tragic incident and abolition of NASA itself. His ten year old daughter Murphy (Mackenzie Foy) believes that she's seeing ghosts in her room, who try to talk to her, to give some kind of signs but of course, nobody believes it. Until Cooper himself finds encrypted coordinates in the dust storm and gets to secret NASA base. Professor Brand (Michael Cane), who is the head of this secret mission, explains that the organization has been working on options to save humanity, by sending astronauts through a wormhole in another galaxies. Obviously, Cooper turns out to be a perfect candidacy as a pilot to save the world. While deciding to be the hero, his daughter Murphy is not that happy thinking of father gone for indefinite period of time, baring in mind that her "ghost"  urges to "STAY" on the earth. But who listens to kids!

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Movie Review: Gone Girl [2014]

You will read a lot spoilers here

I have waited for this moment from the very first trailer of David Fincher's Gone Girl. Back that time, I had not read the book. But first look seemed interesting enough to bring me to Gillian Flynn's bestseller, I had no idea before. The Book has the most intrigue start, I've ever read:

When I think of my wife, I always think of her head. The shape of it, to  begin with"

Enough suspense to later blame Nick Dunne in disappearance of his wife, on the exact day of their 5th anniversary. But even later, Flynn gives a lot reasons to believe that a good wife, amazing Amy, loving woman became a victim of unfaithful husband. And you will partly be true. The most brilliant thing about Gillian's book is that she never hints about Nick actually killing Amy, there is no direct indication of that, but she just makes a bad guy out of him, a guy anybody would hate and blame for anything and she makes you believe that he is the cold blooded killer. This is exactly what Gone Girl is about, among many other things.

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Movie Review: The Maze Runner [2014]

I was lucky enough to get early screening of one of my most anticipated films this year. Well, here it it and I've seen all I needed. 

The Maze Runner is adaptation of James Dashner's postapocalyptic bestseller about youngsters, who are imprisoned inside the mysterious maze and their struggle of living together, while trying to escape this nightmare. Movie opens with Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) waking up in the cage, that moves pretty fast upwards, right into iron doors. He is confused, he remembers nothing and does not understand how he got in here. When the cage reaches top, it suddenly stops and then he sees a very bright light and some young boys staring at him. Now, he is even more confused.

If you are not a book reader, like me, you can be also confused, even though trailer told most of it. But not that much to lose interest how it goes. Because, you know, most of movie in this genre are well predictable stories, just with actors who we are delighted to see on a big screen and some sentiments also. As the plot starts to open up, Thomas starts remembering some small details, it get more interesting. Later, The Maze Runner also suggest whole load of action, chasing and good fantasy. Without going into the deep of story, it has pretty much predictable ending. I've never read the book, but I was absolutely sure where it would go. But here, let me explain things I liked.

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Movie Review: Honeymoon [2014]

A newlywed couple Paul [Harry Treadaway] and Bea [Rose Leslie] drive to lake house for their honeymoon to spend some time alone. The place meets all creepy requirements the houses in horror movies have: skinned bear hanging on the wall, no sign of life, woods around it and silence.

Paul and Bea are madly in love, kind of hipsterish couple, without much money, but huge feelings towards each other. They are the people who can find happiness in every detail. In the very first scenes, we see their wedding videos, explaining how and why they got married, recorded in the tent, somewhere. Director and writer Leigh Janiak tries to make them one of those young couples that we meet in the streets, bars or anywhere. But soon, everything changes after Bea starts sleepwalking in the woods and Paul believes that something really bad happened to her. They suddenly stopped having sex, because she refuses, her mood transformed from happy-go-lucky to maniacal depression. Bea suffered from strange physical transformation neither she nor husband could explain.

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Rewatch Saturday: Mr. & Mrs. Smith [2005]

"As for now, I do more rewatch of old movies, than just watching new ones. So I decided to review one film each Saturday, as a part of Rewatch Saturday post series"

In 2005 two of Hollywood's hottest actors teamed up to film an incredibly dark, bold and entertaining Mr. & Mrs. Smith, directed by acclaimed creator of Bourne series. It tells a story of two paid assassins, married couple Jane and John Smith, who yet are unaware of each others real jobs. On the surface they seem to be an average, kinda richy American family, leaving really calm and boring lives. John, as a coverup story, is owner of Smith Engineering, Inc., while Jane owns a company I-Temp Technology Staffing. In fact, both use the marriage for safety of their real works. The couple successfully manages to keep in secret their professions during five or six years of "holy matrimony", until both are sent to kill the same guy... Two of the best agents going against each other is never a simple story and here they both fail to fulfil the mission. This is when things get complicated, because now they are ordered to get rid of their spouses.

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Movie Review: The Fault In Our Stars [2014]

- Okay?
- Okay.

The Fault In Our Stars stuck in my sights since the huge success of book. I could see it everywhere I go and I love bookshops. Frankly, book cover is truly original and catchy. But I'm not really into these teenage dramas and never read it. However, I did consider watching film because of  two leads: talented and beautiful Shailene Woodley and newcomer Ansel Elgort.

Golden Globe nominee Woodley [The Descendants] plays a girl, Hazel Grace Lancaster, with thyroid cancer, who's been diagnosed of disease in early age and since then her life mostly happens in between home, hospital and support groups. While Elgort's character, Gus, is an ex basketball player, cancer survivor with an amputee leg. As they meet at the most boring support group meeting, their friendship gets a weird and interesting start that turns into unconditional love [whatever it is]. Even from the very beginning we all know that this is not going to work, because any of them can just die and leave another behind. Gus and Hazel knowing this are truly having the moments of their lives, making all their dreams come true, which includes trip to Amsterdam - a place where the author of Hazel's favorite book lives.

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Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon 2 [2014]

It was the most anticipated movie of this year and finally, I watched it.

How To Train Your Dragon was a phenomenal animation, nearly as good as Toy Story 3. Unluckily for Dragon fans, which includes me, those two premiered the same year and there was nothing that could beat Toy Story either on market or at Oscars.

This year Dean DeBlois returns with second installment, continuing a splendid adventure of Hiccup and Toothless, fighting for integrity of dragons and safety of Burk. Second movie takes place after five years vikings started to cohabitate with dragons. It's been a quite long peace time for them. No enemy to fight against, Burk turned into a heavenly place. Movie opens with dragon race game, where most outstanding young dragon-riders compete to win. It's a beautifully shot scene, featuring all known and favorite characters and kind of bringing the same emotions we've missed for four years.

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Movie Review: Boyhood [2014]

Richard Linklater started a project in between the "before" series that most of directors are either incapable, or have no patience to do. He decided to film a life of one family, in particular a member of this family Mason [Ellar Coltrane] through 12 years until his young adulthood. More amazingly, he did not change any of actors, instead filmed different scenes of movie year by year, so that every actor grew old naturally in the film. The concept of Boyhood is similar to Linklater's acknowledged trilogy which also follows a couple through 18 years, visiting them in every 9 years. Here, instead, film is done as a one [damn] long story skipping from year to year and transforming to a later periods quite quickly. Having brought an impressive cast of Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and his own daughter Lorelei Linklater, Richard created an realistic journey with Mason, his sister Samantha and mom.

First, we are introduced to this small family of three, where mother [Arquette] is divorced and still tries to partner with the guy taking care of her children. This unsuccessful attempt results in those three departing to another city to make it work better. The next guy turns out to be tyrant, beating his wife and abusing children. So, this story also has no happy ending. While they are struggling, kids' father and ex-husband of Patricia's character - Ethan Hawke - is living his life, seeing children on weekends and holidays and doing the best of him to be a dad. 

Film feels extremely natural, as if you are looking at real life of real people. The fact that actors grow up, get old and progress through one movie and you know that this is not fake, makeup or special effects, just aggravates sense of reality. On the other hand, it sometimes gets as boring as the lives of others [and ours too]. Regardless all the good stuff I'm gonna say below, Boyhood sometimes felt a little long [it's 165 minutes] and hard to follow.

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Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy [2014]

I can only imagine how much hard work it took for Vin Diesel to films this.

If someone had ever told me that I'd love any film by James Gunn, I'd have laughed at his or her face, because last year Gunn managed to write for the trashiest movie with the most brilliant cast - Movie 43. To the contrary, Guardians of the Galaxy is probably one of the best superhero movies ever made for its decent, very nice humor, outstandingly good cast and catchy story. I believe very shortly, all superhero movies will pretty much look like each other, unless someone makes even a little difference. In this case, making action movie comedy was such a thing. I know, you can name other "funny" pictures from the genre, but come on, this was more than just funny.

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Movie Review: The Apartment [1960]

The Apartment is a classic film directed by Billy Wilder - a creator of one of my most favorite comedies Some Like It Hot. Despite being filmed back in 1960 it, as a comedy, brings something you can not easily find in modern era - a true joyful fun, some brilliant lines, very decent and enjoyable story. The Apartment alongside with Hitchcock's Psycho had been a brilliant start of 60's - a period of so many notable movies in history.

The Apartment is a story of C.C. Baxter [Jack Lemmon] - an insurance company employee - who lets his company executives to use his apartment for trysts in late evenings. In exchange, he hopes and gets some promotions moving up the corporate ladder. One day, he is called by personnel director Jeff Sheldrake informing about his sudden promotion in exchange of minor favor - adding married mr. Sheldrake to list of welcomed guests to his apartment. C.C. could not have been any happier, especially not knowing that Jeff is dating Baxter's darling Fran Kubelik [Shirley MacLaine] - an elevator girl C.C. liked for quite a long time. Despite the unsuccessful date with Fran, Baxter is still trying to win her heart and one day, he finds Miss Kubelik unconscious in his apartment. As it turns out, she has an overdose of sleeping pills after the date with Mr. Sheldrake. With the help of Dr. Dreyfuss young lady is safe, however she's to stay at Baxter's for couple of days to recover. And here their little romance and attraction starts to grow, while they are trying to cohabitate for their own comfort.

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