The Martian (8/10): Let's talk science!

“I don't want to come off as arrogant here, but I'm the greatest botanist on this planet.”

Ridley Scott’s latest film, The Martian, is an intelligently crafted science fiction drama that takes on the form of a problem-solving movie in a very nerdy way. It is not an easy movie to sell considering it is very talkative and there is a lot of science involved, but Drew Goddard’s adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel is quite captivating. There is no denying that the true star of the film is Matt Damon who basically manages to put on a one-man show in Mars and deliver a very entertaining performance in a similar way to what Tom Hanks did in Castaway. Although this film does give much more screen time to the characters back home as they try to communicate and find a way to bring their astronaut back, but it is Damon who really stands out. The film has been nominated for the Golden Globes for best comedy and although I don’t agree with that designation it is Damon who delivers the comedy through his charismatic performance as he faces each new struggle in quite a light and positive way. The movie is a drama more than anything else and it carefully studies every scenario of what could go wrong in Mars and presents interesting solutions to those problems. Ultimately that is what makes this film stand out from other space films which Ridley himself has directed. This is a different kind of movie, a survival film with brains that respects its audience and doesn’t try to include any fantastical elements for entertainment purposes (not that I have a problem with it since I was a huge fan of Prometheus, but this is a completely different genre).

Matt Damon gets all the credit for his charismatic performance as Mark Watney, the astronaut who is abandoned in Mars after a storm breaks out and his crew is forced to leave him behind, but the supporting cast is quite impressive as well. Jessica Chastain is Melissa Lewis, the astronaut in charge of the mission who has to make the fatal decision. The rest of the crew members are Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara), Rick Martinez (Michael Peña), Chis Beck (Sebastian Stan), and Alex Vogel (Aksel Hennie). They don’t get much screen time, but they are each given their moment and it is enough to know what motivates their decisions. I would’ve enjoyed to spend more time with these characters considering the cast is wonderful, but Matt Damon doesn’t even give us time to miss them. The focus is on his character and he delivers every line to perfection. We are instantly drawn to his character and we identify with his struggle to survive. Back home at NASA headquarters we are also introduced to several characters who are doing the best they can to bring Mark home. Jeff Daniels is Teddy Sanders, the man responsible for any decision taken as the NASA director, Kristen Wiig is Annie Montrose, the director of Media Relations who is trying to save face in the midst of the situation, Sean Bean is Mitch Henderson, the flight director who is in contact with Watney’s crew as they are returning home, and Chiwetel Ejiofor is Vincent Kapoor, the mission director. It’s surprising how Ridley Scott manages to include all these characters in the film and give them a unique personality as they all join forces to come up with the best solution. Daniels plays a very similar character to who he plays in The Newsroom, but if you only know him from Dumb and Dumber than you are in for a treat.   

When I first heard about this movie I was a bit worried about the effects that recent space films like Interstellar (which also starred Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain), Prometheus (which was directed by Ridley Scott), or Gravity might have on The Martian considering the space theme. To my surprise, the film stands out from the very opening scene as it takes a totally different approach and focuses more on Mark’s survival skills and his wit. He is a very charismatic character who easily pulls you in to his conflict and allows you to participate in the problem-solution process. This isn’t about special effects, it is about intelligent people getting together to come up with a solution.

Dumb and Dumber To (4/10): The Farrelly brothers unsuccessful attempt of recreating their success after 20 years

“There he is again. Almost two decades and he still comes.”

It’s been 20 years since the Farrelly brothers directed the cult hit comedy Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. I was a huge fan of the original film, as well as pretty much every comedy Jim Carrey starred in the 90’s. I don’t know if my sense of humor has changed, but this sequel didn’t work for me at all despite having a very similar structure and familiar gags. I’ve actually not been a fan of the Farrelly’s recent work either, but I still had high hopes for this sequel because I knew the chemistry between Carrey and Daniels couldn’t go wrong. I guess I was wrong because despite some very funny moments the film never worked for me and I found most of the jokes repetitive and at times offensive. I know the original film didn’t have a memorable plot, but it still worked thanks to the original crude jokes and a fantastic chemistry from the two leads. This time the formula is repeated, but without that unique quality and with only flashes of what once was a great pairing of two talented actors. There are still some funny moments scattered throughout its 110 minute run time, but it never lives up to the high standards set by the original. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are really committed to the material once again delivering hyperactive physical comedy, but unfortunately it is a bit outdated. There are much more misses than hits in this highly anticipated sequel and most of the hits are induced by the nostalgia from the original. In short, Dumb and Dumber To lacks its freshness.

I’m really having a hard time finding things to say about this uninspired comedy because there really wasn’t much thought put into it. There are some great scenes and funny moments with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. I’d be lying if I told you I was silent throughout the entire film because I did laugh several times. Carrey and Daniels are great together, but I didn’t really find the material interesting this time. There are also some great cameos (one I really didn’t recognize until I read the spoiler section in the IMDB page). I still don’t understand how they got Kathleen Turner to star in this film, but she did have some funny scenes. I didn’t really find Rachel Melvin all that funny in this film, but a lot of the blame can be given to the poor script (which is credited between six people including the Farrelly brothers themselves).The sequel also refers to the original in several occasions which actually hurt the film because we are constantly comparing it to the way the original made us feel. Dumb and Dumber To feels like a lazy comedy with many recycled gags which is why I found the pacing sort of torturous as it approached the two hour mark.   

My Review: The Squid and The Whale (8/10)

"Mom and me versus you and Dad."

The Squid and the Whale wasn't the first Baumbach film I've seen so I kind of knew what to expect. I watched Greenberg a couple of years ago and thought it was a pretty good film, so I've always wanted to watch The Squid considering it was Baumbach's breakout critical hit and has a cult following. I really enjoyed this movie and thought it opened really well with some extremely witty and funny dialogues. It had a very strong opening which helped me get involved quickly with the characters. I have to say that this film managed to maintain me interested in every character despite the fact that they are all unlikeable and hard to relate to. The performances were all really strong and I thought Jeff Daniels was especially great in his role, but I guess Baumbach should get the credit for writing such a witty and funny script about a tough subject. I found myself laughing during these scenes because I've actually met people like this and they are incredibly obnoxious. Despite having such a strong opening I thought the film fell short at the end. This could have been a masterpiece if it didn't end in such an ambiguous note where nothing was resolved. I still haven't watched Frances Ha, but so far this is my favorite Baumbach film and I can see why it received so much love from critics. This was a very personal film for Baumbach and you can sense it in his writing. The film, despite being a bit awkward, felt real and authentic and shows us divorce isn't as easy as it seems.

The film takes place during 1986 in Brooklyn, New York. Bernard Berkman (Jeff Daniels) and Joan (Laura Linney) have been married for several years and have two children: Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and Frank (Owen Kline). Bernard is a writer who is now teaching literature at a university because he can't get his novel published. He's an arrogant who believes his work isn't getting published because people aren't smart enough. He considers himself an intellectual and believes he is better than everyone else. Joan on the other hand is now becoming the more prominent writer and Bernard is a little jealous about that. Their family is very dysfunctional and divorce is inevitable since Joan has had several affairs and the two have grown apart. The film focuses on how the kids deal with the separation as Walt takes sides with his father who he idolizes and seems to imitate everything he says or does, and Frank takes sides with his mother. Joan and Bernard agree to share custody of the kids and seem to work everything out, but the transition isn't as smooth as they expect and the kids begin to have abnormal behaviors when Joan begins dating Ivan (William Baldwin), and Bernard allows one of his students, Lili (Anna Paquin), to move in with him.

Despite not identifying or liking any of these characters, I thought Jeff Daniels' performance as Bernard was great. It was so funny to see this man behaving as an intellectual yet acting like a kid by being so competitive and wanting everyone to agree with him. It was even funnier seeing how Walt didn't have a voice of his own and began imitating everything his father said. He had an opinion about everything without even knowing anything about it (in literature for example, he would say how great a book was because his father said so but he hadn't even read it). I think that this was one of the themes of the film that resonated the most with me, seeing how children imitate the behavior of their parents. The film doesn't try to point the finger at only one of the parents; I think they are both to blame and are very irresponsible parents. Baumbach really captures the mood and tone of the film by making it feel real and authentic despite the weirdness and dysfunctionality of this family. The film is very short, but he manages to give these characters a lot of depth in such a short time. The Squid is a tragic and sad story, but at the same time it is just so funny and engaging. I really enjoyed this film.

My Review: Looper (8/10)

¨ Time travel has not yet been invented. But thirty years from now, it will have been.¨

Looper is a fantastic sci-fi action film about time travel, that writer-director Rian Johnson manages really well by focusing more on the character development than the actual dilemma that may present itself with a subject like this. If you stop to think about the plot too much you might find some holes, but Johnson doesn’t give you too much time to think about those issues, but rather presents several great action scenes mixed with dynamic characters to change the focus of the film. There is one scene where Bruce Willis`s character talks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt and tells him: ¨I don't want to talk about time travel because if we start talking about it then we're going to be here all day talking about it, making diagrams with straws.¨ That is exactly what Johnson wants to avoid in a film like this. He presents the world he creates in such a way that we just have to enjoy it without questioning things. He doesn’t want the viewer to debate if such a world is possible, but rather simply to play along with him in this futuristic world he has created. His main focus was on the characters and the action, and he did a superb job giving the characters a lot of depth. I really had no idea what direction Looper was heading at times, but I really enjoyed the originality of it. The performances were really great as well. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a young Bruce Willis to perfection, mimicking his mannerisms all too well. He really steals the show here, although the computer effects on his face to make him more Willis-like physically were a bit distracting for me.

In 2074 time machines will have been invented although there use will be illegal. They are used only by mobsters to get rid of the people they want eliminated. These mobsters send these people blindfolded thirty years back in the past (2044) where killers named ¨loopers¨ await for them to kill them. Although time machines haven’t been invented in 2044 these loopers are hired by one of the mobsters from the future named Abe (Jeff Daniels) who has gone back to live in the past and assure the loopers do their job. The loopers also know that if the mob finds one of them in the future (2074) they will send them back and have them killed to close the loop. It is sort of like a retirement plan because the looper is guaranteed he will live for 30 years and will get paid really well. One of these loopers is Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is young and always delivers despite being a junkie. He has a romantic relationship with Suzie (Piper Perabo), a hooker, and his best friend is also a looper, Seth (Paul Dano). When Seth isn’t able to close the loop and kill his old self, Abe goes looking for him and kills him. Joe knows what he has to do when his old self is called, but fails to close the loop as well when old Joe (Bruce Willis) knocks him out. Thus the race begins to find his old self and kill him before Abe and his men find him. Old Joe on the other hand wants to find a key target who in the future will be responsible for the death of his loved one in order to prevent her loss. The entire plot becomes more and more complicated as we move on, because like Abe says ¨This time travel crap, just fries your brain like an egg, ¨ but it does make for one entertaining movie.

This was Rian Johnson´s third feature film after his successful 2005 debut, Brick, and his follow up The Brothers Bloom. This is probably his most successful film considering the budget he had to work with, and he is making a name for himself by creating these original and character driven films. His stories are really interesting and despite all the action and futuristic scenes he also creates memorable characters. The child actor in this film, Pierce Gagnon, is also really remarkable. He was a delight to watch on screen. Emily Blunt also has an important role in the second half of the movie and delivers as always. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is perhaps one of the most underrated actors of our days. He is excellent in this film, and Bruce Willis well he is simply Bruce Willis, one of the best action stars of out time. The film starts out a bit slow with the introduction, but once Bruce Willis shows up the action begins and the characters begin to develop before our eyes (especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt`s character). This is a unique and original film, and I recommend it.

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