Matt Damon, who plays astronaut, Mark Watney, is on Mars
with his team when a fierce storm comes up.
As they try to make it back to the spacecraft – Mark is hit with flying
debris and is sent spiraling backwards in the darkness of the storm. To the other astronauts, it seemed like he is
dead and they must make a decision to stay and possibly not survive the storm
or leave. They choose to leave. As the next day dawns – Mark isn’t dead but
finds himself alone. With thier base
camp with some supplies left – he must figure out how to survive with little
food and water till the next craft comes to Mars – in four years! From there the movie gets very engaging! There’s a lot of storytelling that goes on as
we see him trying to grow potatoes with his own poop, make water, and figure
out how to contact NASA. He does
eventually make contact and a rescue mission is set into motion. But not everything goes as planned and at
times you have to stretch your imagination to the impossible. But it doesn’t matter – you are hooked from
the beginning of the movie and you stay on the journey till all the popcorn is
gone and you know how Mark’s journey ends.
The Martian
First
off, I did like this movie. A lot. I thought Matt Damon did a great job as an
astronaut left stranded alone on Mars. Besides
just needing to figure out how to survive, he had to try to find a way to make
contact with NASA and possibly be rescued.
In doing all of this, he was incredibly resourceful! Especially for being the only one on the
planet for a very, very long period of time.
I guess I’d say my only “issue” with all of it is that I was thinking I
would feel a little more “despair” or times of hopelessness through the movie –
maybe like the film Castaway, only on Mars. It
seemed more upbeat than I thought it would be, which isn’t a bad thing, just
not quite what I was expecting. I’m sure
he had his down moments, but maybe that wouldn’t have been as fun to watch as
him trying to grow potatoes and listening to disco music that was left
behind. There was a good balance, but
just felt like it could have been a little more intense overall. I really did like it – just more in a “fun”
disaster-movie kind of way…
The Walk
This
was a great movie! It follows the true
story of Philippe Petit, who was a wire walker that had the ultimate dream of
walking on a wire connecting the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 -
which was over 1,300 feet above the ground and without a net! I had always just viewed his walk as a
publicity stunt and had never thought about “why” he did it or the incredible
amount of planning that had to go into doing something like that. Or how hard it would be to get a wire strung
up there that was safe and without anyone noticing. Also, he couldn’t do it alone and needed to
find people he could trust to help him in his “coup,” as he called it. I watched this movie because l was curious
and it looked interesting – but it was so much more than I was expecting! It was about following your dreams, finding
your passion and doing what is right for YOU, and not letting anything or
anyone stop you!
A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story
What would you do if you were called, “The Ugliest Person” on the Internet and people were posting
horrible things like, “kill yourself”
or “kill it with fire?” This is what happened to Lizzie
Velasquez. You may not know that name,
but by the time you finish this movie, you won’t forget her name. She is a 25 year old woman born with a very
rare syndrome that went undiagnosed until just recently. She is only 1 of 3 people with a rare
syndrome called Adipose Tissue which means, she is unable to gain weight. So through her childhood, she looked
different than other children. She
experienced many forms of bullying and it wasn’t until she was in high school
that the bullying went cyber. She was called the “ugliest woman” and had very hateful, hateful things said against
her. But, instead of listening to the
haters, she opened her heart and took a stance against bullying. With her desire to show the world a different
side of her and who she was – she stood up and proclaimed she is a somebody –
that we are all a somebody. In 2012, she did a Ted Talk program and become
an overnight sensation! Her story has made her somewhat of a celebrity where
she has had the opportunities to go to many countries, schools, and even the
White House to have others join her in the fight against bullying. She has partnered up to help push “The Safe
School Improvement Act” in Congress.
This is the first federal bill on bullying with the potential to reach
the floor for a Congressional vote. For
more information on Lizzie herself and her cause, go to any of her
websites. This film can make a difference
in children’s, youth and adult lives.
Very strong, very emotional and very personal – don’t miss it!!
Minions
If you like the Minions, you will probably like this movie. I did.
They were funny and quirky like they always are – just a lot more of it
all! You get to travel through their
entire history all the way up into the 1960s, where most of the film is set. There are times where it was almost too much
of a good thing being all about them in many parts instead of having them play
small parts and popping up like in other movies I’ve seen, but it was still a
lot of fun. And I can honestly say that
I now know the difference between Kevin, Bob and Stuart, too! Overall, I’d say I liked it, but didn’t
“love” it. It was just a nice movie that
kids (and parents) of all ages can enjoy.
Ant-Man
You wouldn’t think that being able to shrink down to the size of an ant would be
much of a “power” to have. But being
able to shrink and grow at will, along with gaining the strength an ant has
(like being able to lift 50 times its weight) turns out to be VERY useful – and
kind of cool, too! Paul Rudd plays a man
that finds the suit and after wearing it, “becomes” Ant-Man! The suit’s creator is played by Michael
Douglas, and together, they go up against Yellowjacket, a villain that is
trying to replicate the shrinking process for his own good to possibly take
over the world! This was another movie
that was just fun and entertaining. I
thought I’d enjoy it, but I liked it even more than I thought I would.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
I've
seen all of the Mission Impossible movies and have liked them all – including
this one – a lot! Tom Cruise is back and
trying to keep a group known as “The Syndicate” from destroying the IMF
(Impossible Mission Force). The whole
movie is full of action and amazing stunts, just like you’d expect if you’ve
seen any of the others. A fun fact that
makes it even more exciting to watch is that Cruise performed ALL of the stunts
in the film himself! So, when you see
him dangling off the side of a plane that’s taking off, it’s really him! Or when he had to hold his breath underwater
for 6 minutes during one sequence, that’s him too. At least to me, those things do add something
to it all. For the 5th film
in the series, I was really impressed and VERY entertained!
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