The Martian

Matt Damon in The Martian

The Martian is the newest movie from the veteran director Ridley Scott. You may know Scott's movies from The Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, and Alien. His latest movie starts on a mission on Mars which a team of astronauts is collecting data samples for a team of scientists. Things soon go down hill as a storm races in on the barren planet and Matt Damon's character, Mark Watney, is left alone the planet as his team leaves due to the storm. He is left to find ways to make food for himself from the artificial living areas that Nasa has left on Mars from previous missions.

Visually, the movie is striking and one that should actually be watched in a movie theater and not on a television set at home. Many people try to stay critical to the facts behind a movie, and The Martian seems to give you every fact you need if you need to survive on Mars. I thought watching this movie that the storyline was rather predictable, but a solid one. Many people want to see problems happen and have the character overcome more and more obstacles, and I think it misses what could of been a more climactic ending. In the end, if your in the mood for an action film, this hits the spot sometimes, but not nearly as much as Ridley Scott's old films. The Martian co-starred Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, and Michael Pena. Solid story line, visually striking, and good acting. I give the film a 7/10.

Her

Her may seem like a silly movie when you first hear what it is about but the movie packs a punch when it comes to romance and drama. Joaquin Phoenix really is the force behind Her stealing the show with a performance not many actors I know would be able to pull off. The film is set in the future in Los Angeles, the date is not specified but what you do take notice is how the technology in this certain time and place is taking over everything. A new system called the OS 1 is an artificial intelligence system that makes you feel like an actual human being is in the room. Joaquins' character, Theodore, has just gone through a divorce with what he thought was the love of his life and has fallen into a level of depression. When Theodore finally buys the OS 1, he eventually falls in love with the voice behind it, Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). They lead a type of romance that normal people would, except for the fact that she isn't a person and eventually they fall into the ins and outs of a modern day relationship.

Hearing about the movie, I always thought there was no way this could be appealing or make sense. It is the first movie that I have seen to pull off an emotional adventure that really only involves the emotions of one human being. It is very main character drive, and when that can be pulled off they usually turn out great. The chemistry, photography, and the dialogue are what makes this film more than just watchable. What I thought the films real goal was to not make Samantha just a computer, but have her actual hit you with a type of emotion through her words which they achieve. It is directed and written by Spike Jonze and also stars Amy Adams and Chris Pratt. I give Her a 7/10.


Jaoquin Phoenix in Her. From http://www.blastr.com/2014-2-19/futurist-says-her-may-become-reality-sooner-we-think