Mike and I
rented "The Martian," from Comcast's Xfinity On Demand, and found it
to very enjoyable, funny as much as it is exciting. This movie was probably
made after the popularity of "Gravity," but it's different from that.
"The Martian" is science fiction with a human heart, and doesn't need
as many edge of your seat action sequences.
Based on the
best-selling novel by Andy Weir, "The Martian" imagines a world of
the near future, where NASA is smart enough to send astronauts on missions to
Mars, and send messages back and forth as quick as text messages. Matt Damon is
great in this film, and deserves his Oscar nomination, because he gets into the
heart and mind of his character by keeping a video journal. We as an audience
feel Mark Watney's fear, and feel his joy and triumph. We really enjoyed this
film, and I loved the multi-cultural cast, bringing science into the
Twenty-first Century.
Mark Watney
(Matt Damon) is determined to survive, even though he has a fear that he may
not, and NASA is determined to rescue him, and that's enough to keep us
interested in this story until the very end.
I'm glad
that another science fiction film with brainy lines has been nominated for the
Best Picture Oscar. Will it win? Probably not. I'm still trying to figure out
how Mad Max got nominated for 10 Academy Awards( Has the Academy finally lost
its marbles?)
It was nice
to see Michael Pena, a Mexican actor from Chicago, play an astronaut in
"The Martian." Nerds never looked cooler than in this film. I'm also
glad it was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Hopefully, it will win a few,
because I really liked this film. I will never think of the disco song "I
Will Survive" in the same way again. lol.
Peace, Love,
and Best Wishes, Ruben and Mike.
Mike and I
went to see the movie "Room" after it was nominated for four Academy
Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Brie Larson), and
Best Screenplay. After reading a review on it, I went into this movie thinking
it will be very frightening, disturbing, and claustrophobic, because it is
about a young woman and her son being held captive in a shed for many years.
However,
it's not as dark as it sounds. Joy, the mother, creates a warm and happy place
for her son Jack to help him cope with the nightmare that they are living in.
The original novel and screenplay by Emma Donoghue, are told mostly through the
eyes by a resilient little boy played heroically by Jacob Tremblay. In the end,
Room inspires hope, and lifts the heart, because it shows that love does
conquer all, and love helps you survive the worst circumstances.
This movie
made me think of Amanda Berry, who was held captive for eleven years in a room
in Ohio, by a psychotic Puerto Rican, until she was rescued by a neighbor in
2013. I cried for Amanda Berry, and was so glad that she escaped with the
children she bore in captivity. "Room" suggests what Amanda Berry
might have gone through to cope with the real world, and keep her sanity.
Mike and I
cried a couple times while watching "Room" because Larson and
Tremblay are such great actors that it doesn't seem like they are acting, but
really living this story. I think Brie Larson will win the Oscar for Best
Actress this year, because she is that good. Jacob Tremblay deserves
recognition for his brave performance, too. I'm so glad the we got to see this
move. It is an "illuminating," and "inspiring" film!
Peace, Love,
and Best Wishes, Ruben and Mike.
Mike and I
have seen three of the movies nominated for Best Animated Film at the Oscars
this year, and love them. "Inside Out," is an emotionally deep and
moving movie about a young girl with growing pains. "Inside Out" is
one of the rare occasions that an animated film got nominated for Best Original
Screenplay.
"When
Marnie Was There" is also a coming of age tale, set in Japan, about a girl
feeling troubled by her foster parents, and finds a ghostly friend in an
abandoned mansion. "Marnie" is such a sweet and touching story about
friendship with a moving, surprise ending. It's based on a book by a British
author, who wrote it in the late sixties.
Both these
films teach us that we shouldn't shelter kids from the sadness and tragedy of
life, because they could suffer for it.
The third
film, "Shaun The Sheep," from England, was delightful, funny, and
very sweet. It's from the creators of the clay animation makers of
"Wallace and Gromit."
All three of
these films are on video now, and worth a watch. I still think that
"Inside Out" will win the Oscar, but you can never tell.
Peace, Love,
and Best Wishes, Ruben and Mike.
Mike and I
saw "Ex Machina" today on video, and think it is a very fascinating
science fiction tale of robots becoming too human. The screenplay, nominated
for an Oscar this year, is very Hitchcockian like the movie "Vertigo"
where an obsessed man tries to create the perfect woman. It's a quiet thriller
that's intelligently written, like a modern day Frankenstein with a female
empowerment twist. British writer, Alex Garland, wrote a tale that shows that
robots of the future are capable of love, hate, and revenge like humans. Alicia
Vikander's performance is hypnotic and dazzling. The special effects were also
nominated for an Oscar. We love it. Peace, Love, and Best Wishes, Ruben and
Mike.
Mike and I
saw "Spotlight" at the theaters this weekend, and think it's a great
film, with a great story, and great performances. "Spotlight"
succeeds in telling the difficult truths, by exposing sex abuse scandals in the
Catholic Church.
These
reporters investigating the case are complicated, because some of them were
raised at Catholics, and they know that half of the readers of The Boston Globe
are Catholic, and, yet, they go against their beliefs, in order to reveal the
shocking truth that the Catholic Church has covered up a shocking number of sex
abuse cases committed by priests.
These
reporters are not portrayed as heroes in this film, they are just trying to do
their jobs well, and painstakingly do a lot a difficult research, including
interviewing victims, and telling their harrowing stories. I really think this
movie should win Best Picture at the Oscars, because it is an an important
film, with important issues, told well, and acted superbly.
Mike and I
didn't feel like weeping for the victims, until Mark Ruffalo's character has a
breakdown, and gets emotional, when he shouldn't be. This movie made me excited
about journalism again, when print journalism is being quickly replaced by
internet journalism. The Boston Globe won a 2003 Pulitzer Prize for the
reporting on pedophilia in the Catholic Church.
"All
The President's Men," made me take journalism in college and write for the
college paper. "Spotlight," has a great script, and I think that
maybe more actors beside Mark Ruffalo should have been nominated!
It won Best
Cast in a film at the Screen Actor's Guild awards, so that might be a clue that
Academy members will vote for this film for Best Picture. This is one great
film that's not completely biased against the Catholic Church, but shows that
denying and covering up abuse is a terrible thing for its victims, and all
those involved. Peace, Love, and Best Wishes, Ruben and Mike.
Although I
agree that should be more diverse nominations, I still plan to watch the
Oscars, because they, at least, have a history of acknowledging great
performances by ethnically diverse actors. It just happens that two years in a
row, all the actors nominated have been white. The Academy is 90 percent white,
and 74 percent men, so it does look a little racist. Yet, many people in the
Academy represent very liberal and diverse groups of people that includes the
GLBT community. I think "Carol," and "The Danish Girl," are
great enough to be nominated for Best Picture, but they didn't make the list. I
still appreciate that "Carol" still recieved six nominations anyway,
considering it's a Lesbian love story. Mike and I plan to watch some of the
movies nominated, because it is a tradition with us, even if we don't
completely appreciate the films. We try to see what deserves the Oscar, the
most. Is the world really filled with racist, sexist, homophobes? What do you
think?
