The Last Days on Mars

First Hit: This was a painfully poor film in all ways.

The film begins with people outside on a landscape that is supposed to be Mars but it could have been California, Utah, and Arizona or somewhere in the Middle East where the landscape is void of vegetation and it is both rocky and sandy.

The set up was extremely poor and when they finally tried to frame the story with shots from above the surface of the planet, it was too late. The premise that this group was on Mars was null and void from the very beginning. Briefly the rest of the story is that the group on the planet is just about ready to leave the surface and head back to earth, when at the last minute, they think they find some sort of life. In a snap decision two of the crew goes out and get sucked up by the organisms which make them zombies. They come for the rest of the crew.

Liev Schreiber as Vincent tried to make his character thoughtful and intense but it didn’t work. Romola Garai played Rebecca who was the one thoughtful character. Elias Koteas, Olivia Williams, Johnny Harris, Goran Kostic, Tom Cullen, and Yusra Warsama were all part of the crew that suffered both the script and direction of this poorly conceived film. Sydney J. Bounds and Clive Dawson wrote this lame script. Ruairi Robinson directed this and he’s got a long way to go to figure out how to tell a story worth telling.

Overall:  Nothing about it made sense and there is no way this should have found a screen.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

  First Hit:  Longer than it needed to be and despite some good acting it certainly didn’t catch fire.

I enjoyed the first of film of this series and was hoping that this middle film in the series would hold up.

Unfortunately it didn’t mostly because Francis Lawrence didn’t keep the film crisp, moving along, and with a clear end in sight. From an acting point of view Jennifer Lawrence was strong as Katniss Everdeen and it was obvious that she was hampered by the script.

The basic story is that Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), winners of the 74th Hunger Games, are moving public opinion against the government. Therefore President Snow (Donald Sutherland) wants these two to go on tour to each of the districts and soothe the citizens. However, it doesn’t happen and the government, under the guidance of Plutarch Heavensbee (William Seymour Hoffman) – chief game engineer, decides to pit a selection of the surviving Hunger Games winners against each other. By doing this Katniss will probably die and hope could be extinguished.

Many of the faces in the previous film are part of this film like Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) who is Katniss’ dress designer, Cesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) as MC of the Hunger Games television program, Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) as stager of Katniss and Peeta, and Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) as a Hunger Games winner and coach.

Jennifer Lawrence was very good as Katniss although, she seemed to be constrained by the script. Hutcherson was strong as the guy who loves Katniss but she doesn't return it. Sutherland seemed totally un-leader like and un-presidential in his role. I don’t think it was his fault but the issue resides in a week script. Tucci does the most with his role and, as before, was outstanding. Kravitz role is minor, yet his makes his presence known. Banks was OK as the stager, and Harrelson was strong as the coach. Lastly, Hoffman was good, but the telegraphed way the script had him show that he was part of the resistance, was poor. Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt wrote a lazy, long and uninteresting script. Francis Lawrence had some nice staging but overall the week script kept this film long and not very interesting.

Overall:  A mediocre middle film in this series.

Ender's Game

First Hit:  I liked where the film ended because it gave me hope for compassionate thinking.

The film reflected the attitude of a fear based society, let’s be aggressors and attack to extinguish another race without knowing their current intention.

True, this planetary race attacked our planet and in the battle we beat them along with destroying an outpost planet they had. However, does this past action note their current intent? How does this mirror our current conservative government officials? These are the questions I reflected on throughout the film.

With this theme there is also the theme that children are more adaptable, think faster and can process large complex problems and data better than adults. The theory of the films leaders is to attack and fully eradicate this other race so that there is no chance they can attack earth again. Although they have no proof that this is what these aliens are planning, it is the belief and therefore they are combing all youths to find the one who can willfully attack and annihilate the aliens.

The storyline follows Ender Wiggin’s (Asa Butterfield) attempt to be that person. He is being guided by Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley). His sister Valentine (Abigail Breslin) is his conscious and closest family counsel. When he learns he’s tricked into actually extinguishing the perceived enemy, he’s angry and looks to make amends.

Butterflied is very good. He carries the strong willfulness this character needed to succeed and make believable. Ford is perfect as the gruff military man with one goal. Kingsley is also strong as the hero of the first battle with the aliens. Gavin Hood wrote a good script and he got good performances from his cast, while his direction and use of computer generated graphics and visuals were with clear intent.

Overall:  This was a very entertaining film and characters were very well defined.

Gravity

First Hit: An absolutely Oscar nominee and winner worthy film – amazing beyond belief.

When I'm sitting in a theater, I don’t often get overwhelmingly suspense filled, but this film put me there from the opening moment.

From the beginning this film transports the audience into space and keeps you there till the very end. I strongly suspect adding today’s 3D visuals added to the experience of weightlessness, helplessness, and amazingness of the story and film. What this also means is that I recommend that you see this film in 3D.

Briefly, Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is an obsessed detailed oriented scientist. She lost her little girl in a freak accident and work, her scientific endeavors, are all she really has. Her work associate, senior astronaut and shuttle pilot Matt Kowalski (played by George Clooney) is enjoying his last trip to space and supports Ryan as she conducts repairs on the Hubble space telescope.

However, their work is interrupted because the Russians destroy a satellite which accidentally causes a chain reaction by breaking apart other satellites which creates high speed space particles that their mission will fly through. These particles may destroy their ship and they need to leave. I won’t share any more about the storyline but it is definitely worth the price of admission.

Yes, Clooney and Bullock star in this film but the overall star of this film is the director, space, and the ability to move the sense of space into the theater like no other film has.

Bullock is absolutely Oscar nominee worthy. Her performance had me believe she was in space and was this person. She was brilliant. Clooney was superb. His self-depreciative humor in character was spot on. He was the veteran, the cowboy, the thoughtful leader – perfect. Alfonso Cuaron and Jonas Cuaron wrote an amazingly out of the world script grounded in real human characters. Alfonso’s direction was beyond sublime and he will be nominated for sharing this amazing experience.

Overall:  This is a must see and I suggest pay the extra fee for 3D.

The Worlds End

First Hit:  Although funny at times, it wore on me and, in the end, didn’t quite work.

The film starts our rather drudgingly with Gary King (Simon Pegg) in some sort of support group telling a story that gets no intelligent discernible feedback from other members of the group.

Next thing you know, he’s recruiting his old friends to take a trip back to village where then stopped a tour of 12 Pubs some twenty years earlier. He wants them to finish the tour, like it will make his life different. King is manipulative and in a way that made me groan. Anyone falling for is stupid arguments for going deserved what they got.

Regardless of the quote un quote friendship that may have existed, there is really nothing that binds this group together. However, without this piece there would be no film, so… His friends in this caper are Steven (Paddy Considine), Andy (Nick Frost), Peter (Eddie Marsan), and Oliver (Martin Freeman).

The banter (writing) between the blokes, at times was laugh-out-loud outstanding, but in between the improbable plot and outcome put a dark (forget it) cloud over the entire film. It is like some of the bits were great, but the whole was left wanting.

The epilogue, sort of speak, did not help the cause of the film and therefore the ending was – “The World’s End”.

Pegg was funny at times but his character wore on me and I would have been rid of him early if I were one of his blokes. Considine, Frost, Marsan, and Freeman were all solid in their roles and upheld the story line very well. Pegg and Edgar Wright wrote the improbably script while Wright did a reasonable job as director tying it all together.

Overall:  Not much to enjoy except the funny bits which come few and far between.