Movies | Amy C. Shaw

Movie Review: The Martian

April 4, 2016 • 4 Comments

Despite my bookish nature, I decided to watch the movie The Martian without having read the book. Thus, this review will be about the movie as a movie, not as an adaptation of the book.

After a mission goes south and it’s believed he’s been impaled to death, Mark Watney is left behind by his crew – on Mars. Once the reality of the situation sinks in for Mark, he puts his mind to work. How can he contact Earth? How long would it take for a rescue mission to reach him? How can he make his food supply last that long?

I really liked Mark’s character. He’s extremely competent, but he does have to try things by trial and error at times. He’s also very funny, which helps him get through and is entertaining for the movie as well, especially since there’s also a lot of science and math babble.

In addition to Mark being stranded on the planet, we get to see some of his mission crew, making the long journey back home, as well as that of several NASA employees on Earth. I really liked seeing all these different facets of the situation. When NASA finds out Mark’s alive, we see them struggle with the PR situation, if and when to tell the rest of his crew, how they are going to attempt a rescue, etc.

I really enjoyed every aspect of the movie, from the writing to the acting to the directing. Since I didn’t know the story and how everything would play out, I was intrigued the whole time and on the edge of my seat towards the end. The only complaint I have is small, and that is I wish I could have gotten to know some of the other astronauts a little better, but I know that wouldn’t have been feasible in the movie’s time length, and it didn’t need to be any longer.

The Martian isn’t a new favorite, but it was definitely very enjoyable. If funny, realistic sci-fi appeals to you, I’d definitely recommend The Martian.

Have you seen The Martian? What are your thoughts? Have you read the book?

Ranking of 2015 Released Movies I Saw

January 22, 2016 • 7 Comments

I only saw nine 2015-released movies last year, but I’m sure I’ll pick up a few more along the way. I wanted to rank the ones I saw and share a few sentences about my thoughts on them. The rankings are based on an unscientific mix between the movie’s subjective likability for me personally, and my as-objective-as-possible feelings on the strength of the story.

9. Tomorrowland

I really wanted to like this one more. First the good: the concept is interesting, and I really loved the main character. I would read a book series that followed her for sure. But the story fell flat and this movie had no clear target audience. Sometimes it felt like a kid’s movie, sometimes it felt a little older, but it certainly never felt consistent. I expected more of Brad Bird with The Incredibles and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol under his belt, but I guess they can’t all be hits. 3 stars

8. The Peanuts Movie

I am a big fan of The Peanuts, so I wanted to be sure to catch the new movie. My husband and I went and saw it in theater I believe the second weekend, and we were the only people in there who neither a child nor had a child. Not the target audience, I guess. However, it was very cute, and felt very true to the original content while still feeling fresh. It didn’t change my life but I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars

7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Even though I think I enjoyed Peanuts more, I decided to rank this one higher because I think in the grand scheme of things this will be more enduring both for me and in general. At least I hope one day I will look back at this and see why everything happened the way it did. The first 2/3 of this movie was great for me, so solid; I was really into. The only thing I felt a little meh about during this part was when Kylo Ren took off his mask because (1) mystery gone and (2) hello you do not look like Han or Leia at all. But in the last third it just fell so flat for me. There are various reasons, but let’s hope this is a set-up for something greater, because considering how much time and money was devoted to this movie it could have been more epic. And I love BB-8 forever. 3.5 or 4 stars? Time will tell.

6. Cinderella

Unlike Star Wars, I probably won’t rewatch this movie until if and when I have a daughter, but I thought it was very well-done, especially for its genre. It’s definitely very fairy-tale; this isn’t some gritty, more realistic version, but I think there needs to be a place for this sort of story, especially for young girls. And Cinderella isn’t helpless; she is courageous and just as beautiful on the inside as she is outside, and ultimately that’s why the prince falls for her. I was very pleased with this adaptation. 4 stars/My review

5. Avengers: The Age of Ultron

It’s the Avengers back together again, and with that comes quips and action and yeah, I liked it. But it did have its flaws and it’s not my favorite. 4 stars/My review

4. Ant-Man

Ant-Man was so fun, and it really pleasantly surprised me. It’s not perfect either but I really enjoyed it. 4 stars/My review

3. Inside Out

Pixar, you’ve finally done it again: making me laugh and cry and feel things and be amazed at your original ideas. 4 stars/My review

2. Mockingjay: Part Two

I don’t understand the hate that the Mockingjay movies have gotten by some. They are not easy movies to watch, they’re not as exciting as the previous two, but they are SO IMPORTANT. The themes of war and PTSD and all that are so prevalent. I think I like Part One a little better, but I’ll have to rewatch them back to back to know for certain. I just wished the ending of Part Two had played out slightly differently (not changed the story, just been shown differently, if that makes sense). But overall, I thought it was really good. 4.5 stars/My review

1. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

I rewatched this one recently and even though it didn’t have near the suspense of the first watch, I still loved it so much. I don’t know what it is about these newer MI movies but I am just all about them. They’re interesting action movies with very likable characters. 4.5 stars/My review

What was your favorite movie that was released in 2015? Do you have any recommendations for ones that I missed?

My Top 10 Anticipated Films of 2016

January 4, 2016 • 12 Comments

I was considering whether or not to create this list since I rarely actually watch all the movies on these lists, but my husband made this just about one of the easiest posts for me to write by providing me with his list. I literally changed one movie, rearranged the order, and presto, my list was born. Plus, I think I actually will watch all these movies unless they are universally panned.

1o. The 5th Wave

I probably won’t see this in the theater, but I’m hoping it’ll be good enough for a Redbox rental. The thing I’m most excited about with this adapatation is seeing Liev Schreiber because that casting was perfect.

9. Independence Day: Resurgence

When I heard this was happening I groaned, but then I saw the trailer and thought, wow, this looks legit…

8. X-Men: Apocalypse

I mean, it’s X-Men, so I’ll watch it.

7. Untitled Next Bourne Chapter

This is another Matt Damon Bourne film as opposed to Jeremy Renner, and that’s about all we know. I love the Jeremy Renner one most, but I’ll still excited about this one.

6. Star Trek Beyond

I’m really hoping this will be OK since this movie’s gone through about 10 directors.

5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I don’t know what this is about except Star Wars, obviously. And not to be confused with Episode VIII. Felicity Jones is also starring and I really liked her in The Theory of Everything.

4. Doctor Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch + Marvel = winning.

3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Eddie Redmayne + J.K. Rowling = also winning.

2. Finding Dory

Because how can I resist this?

1. Captain America: Civil War

Even though I found the first trailer wanting, I know I’m going to eat this up.

What movies are you looking forward to in 2016?

My Feels for The Hunger Games Are REAL: My THG Reread & Mockingjay Part 2 Review

November 25, 2015 • 6 Comments

*Warning: Spoilers!*

I’m really glad I decided to pick up this series again in preparation for the last movie (so sad!). When I read the trilogy for the first time in 2012, none of the movies had come out yet (though they had been cast). My only spoiler was that I had heard one of the male characters died, and I was so worried the whole time it was going to be Peeta (I realized later the reference was to Finnick). I adored him and wanted what was best for him, so I spent all of Mockingjay SO STRESSED. But this time, I was able to appreciate Katniss’ journey even more (though I liked her a lot in my first read too).

The first read of the series, for me, was all about the characters. This second time around, it was about the overall story, particularly its themes of war and PTSD.

In my initial read, The Hunger Games was my favorite read of the trilogy. After rereading, I think Catching Fire might actually be my new favorite, but I will not deny that this is most likely influenced by the movie, as it is also my favorite of the movies (which I can say for certain now that I have seen Mockingjay Part Two). The nice thing about Catching Fire is that we already know the main characters and the world, but we get some new secondary characters and we delve deeper into what leads to the rebellion. Also, Katniss’s interactions with Peeta are more genuine.

The first time I read Mockingjay, I pretty much hated it until the last page before the epilogue. The pacing seemed off and I was so concerned about poor Peeta’s state. This time, I was more relaxed and able to appreciate the book more, but at the end I was amazed that despite the fact that Katniss and Peeta end up together and even have a family, the whole thing still feels downright tragic. Not in a hopeless way, otherwise I wouldn’t care for these books the same way, but she loses her sister, her mother, her best friend, basically loses her mentor, and several others in her life – some through death and some due to purposeful distance (or in the case of Haymitch, he continues to lose himself to the bottle). No one comes out of this in good shape, and that’s scary. But sometimes, that’s real life. But we see that good can still come out of it.

I know not everyone loved the first Mockingjay movie, but I have a deep appreciation for it, and my feelings are the same for the second one. They’re hard movies because we see Katniss struggling so much, see the dirty underbelly of war, see the horrors of manipulation and PTSD. And I appreciated some of the changes they made in the films, few as they were.

In the final Mockingjay installment, we get a little more closure with Effie. Haymitch seems to be in at least a slighter better state than he did in the book. And in the scene where Katniss asks Gale about the bombs, you know with certainty when she says, “Goodbye Gale,” she means goodbye forever. That hit me much harder than his sudden disappearance in the book.

And after everything has gone down and she returns to Twelve, we get the scene with Buttercup and then we see little flashes of her starting her life over again. I actually would have liked more of this, but the movie was already bordering on too long of an ending (due to staying faithful to the book in so many ways, I might add) so I forgive it. Katniss hunts, Peeta returns, and they start to spend time together. And at the very end they have apparently ended up in the same house, because she leaves her bed to come into his room to crawl into bed with him. I was a little sad we didn’t get one more kiss when she finally admits she loves him, but it was sweet nonetheless.

Neither the books nor the movies pulled any punches, but I think that is a large reason why this is a story that will continue to endure. It carries themes and warnings that we can all take to heart.

What are your thoughts on the last Hunger Games movie, or the books and movies in general?

Have Courage and Be Kind: Thoughts on Cinderella

October 5, 2015 • 6 Comments

When the new live-action Cinderella movie released, I thought it looked sweet but I didn’t rush out to the theater to see it. I finally nabbed it from Redbox on my birthday to see just how much it made me feel like a little girl again. Even though I had heard such things from reviews, I was still kind of surprised by the meaningful message of the film, and that it went deeper than magical fluff. Don’t be mistaken, it is still very fairy tale, with love-at-first sight and all that, but the character of Ella developed here is an excellent role model for young girls (and older ones too, really).

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The (maybe just slightly heavy-handed, but still very nice) theme of the movie is summed up in the words of Ella’s mother to her: Have courage and be kind. This is Ella’s motivation as she endures the awful treatment of her stepsisters and stepmother, and while she fights against being a doormat, they certainly take advantage of her kindness. It’s also these very same qualities that she possesses that attract the prince to her when they first meet. And it’s this courageous kindness that gives Cinderella the ability to forgive her stepmother in the end – a strong, important message for us all.

Overall: Cinderalla didn’t become a new favorite for me, but I definitely enjoyed watching it, and it would be a film I would be happy to show any daughters I might have one day.

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