Brute's "The Martian" *Non-Spoiler* Review

The Martian lived up to my personal hype. It is just simply a great movie. Director Ridley Scott returns to his Gladiator form and takes us on the Journey of Mark Whatney (Matt Damon) having to survive on Mars for over 500 days. The story and flow of the film is one of the many things that make it great. The Martian is only 142 minutes, but it feels shorter. This is a movie where you will actually want it to be longer. There is so many great scenes and sequences you will want to see more of. There is a lot to love in this movie. This is not just an all drama, no fun movie. There is plenty of levity in the film to help even out to intense tragedy of the situation Damon is in. Speaking of Damon, he gives a great performance. He perfectly plays a stranded astronaut who is trying to make it out alive, make light of his situation, and not lose his mind. When things go wrong, you feel for his character and are on the edge of your seat to see what happens next. Damon makes his character relatable, witty, and charming. He is not the only one to give a great performance. His crew, The Hermes, consist of Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara), Rick Martinez (Michael Pena), Chris Beck (Sebastian Stan), and Alex Vogel (Aksel Hennie) all give wonderful performances and bring depth and insight to each of their characters. The most underrated performances may be of both Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Both characters are back at NASA working to bring Mark home, and the intensity they bring to such a task is brilliant. One thing not to be overlooked is the visual effects of The Martian. They are seamless and flawless. You would have thought that this movie was actually shot on another planet. Finally, the soundtrack is a marvelous on, probably not as good as Guardians of the Galaxy’s soundtrack, but pretty damn close to it.

Conclusion: The Martian is a must see movie. The story is gripping and will have you on the edge of your seat throughout. It is not all drama, prepare to have some laughs along the way with great performances around the board. You will nod along with its great soundtrack and be amazed by the visuals of the film. This a movie you may want to see in IMAX, it is that good. Director Ridley Scott conjures up his old form and brings you a movie you will want to see again right after you leave the theatre. It is an amazing experience. Do yourself a favor. Go see The Martian, the best movie of the year so far.

GRADE:    A

Most Anticipated October Movies

Welcome to the first day of October! In today's blog I will be giving you my top 3 most anticipated movies of the month. Last October gave us some pretty good movies such as; Gone Girl, The Judge, and Fury. Here's hoping that this year's October can meet those same standards, or hopefully exceed them. I based my top 3 off of simple categories; Trailers, actors, and what the movie is about. Remember, not everyone's list will be the same so feel free to comment below and share your top 3 most anticipated movies!


3) Burnt
Release Date: October 23
Director: John Wells
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Bruhl, Omar Sy, Lily James, Uma Thurman, Emma Thompson
Trailer: Chef Trailer #2

In all honesty, when I first saw the trailer of Burnt, the first thing that came to my mind was Jon Favreau's Chef. But when I thought more about this movie, I realized that they were two completely different stories. Chef told the story of the main character rediscovering his love for making his own meals while Burnt tells the story of a chef who has destroyed his career through drugs and other means, and tries to work his way back to redemption. The story alone gets me excited, but add in that the movie has both Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller (Both starred in American Sniper), it just amps up the excitement level that much higher. Also, I love Daniel Bruhl. He is great in everything and can do nothing but help the overall quality of the film.

2) Bridge of Spies
Release Date: October 15
Director: Steve Spielberg
Cast: Tom Hanks, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan, Eve Hewson, Peter McRobbie, Austin Stowell
Trailer: Bridge of Spies Trailer #2

Tom Hanks and Spielberg. That is what initially first got me excited for Bridge of Spies. Hanks very rarely puts out a sub par movie. He does such a great job giving depth to his characters and fleshing them out in a way that we can latch onto them and connect with them. And what can I say about Spielberg that hasn't been said? The man can just make great movies. The movie takes place during the cold war era and tells the story of an insurance agent recruited by the CIA to help rescue a US pilot caught in the Soviet Union. I would probably say that the cold war period is probably the one period in US history that I am fascinated the least in. It never really hit me like the world wars, civil war, or the revolutionary war. But what I will say is that when I saw the first trailer, it captivated me with the story and the drama in just the trailer alone. Bridge of Spies looks to be a hit.



1) The Martian
Release Date: October 2
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Chiwetel Ejiofor
 Trailer: The Martian Trailer #2

First and foremost.....that cast is simply amazing. Oddly enough though, the cast was not the first thing that had be really excited for The Martian. The story and the trailers got me right away. The story of an astronaut being stranded on Mars and having to survive without knowing when or if he will ever get help just grabbed my attention. The first trailer for the movie had it all; Drama, action, emotion, and laughter. During the trailer, when I saw the cast list, I knew that there would not be a lot, if any, bad performances. All the actors and actresses listed above have the talent to give great performances. I know director Ridley Scott can be hit (Gladiator) and miss (Exodus: Gods and Kings), but right now The Martian is rated a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. I cannot wait to get out there and see it this weekend and review it.


*Let's hope that these 3 films live up to my hype and make it on my best movies of October and not one of them is my least favorite!*