The Martian

The Martian was a fun, edge of your seat, film viewing experience.  I really liked the survival aspect of the film and the fact that it used (mostly) real science throughout the film.  I've seen others say that it was to "frat boy" like, but if you were stranded on Mars by yourself you'd get a little goofy too.  Yes some of the things done in the film were over the top, but for the most part it's believable enough to not draw you out of the film.

Acting

Matt Damon is great, the fact that he can make you believe he's cool and confident at one moment and freaking out the next is great, and the whole time you can feel the fact that he's lonely underneath it all.  As usual Matt Damon knocks it out of the part.  I'm going to be honest I  don't really think the rest of the cast needs much since the film was primarily focused on Matt Damon, but that having been said they all did a wonderful job.

Story

As I said I feel this was wonderfully written, it really draws you in and holds you.  Even though I'm not a huge fan of random location switches this film did it in a way that didn't hurt it, from Mars to Earth, from Huston to China, it was all done in a way that didn't hurt the film.

Music

Not really anything I can remember.  That's a good thing in my book, it means it didn't hurt the film.  Yes there was the disco music being played by Matt Damon, but I'm talking about the score, I don't remember anything about the score if there even was one.  Disco still sucks though.

Conclusion

The Martian is a great film, I think so at least.  Some will love it, some will hate it, and some will just think it was alright.  Either way if your a fan a suspense and sci fi I'd say give it a shot, you might just enjoy it.

Hitman Agent 47

Hitman Agent 47 was a good action film, it was not however true to the source material.  I'm not a huge gamer but what I do know is that the Hitman games are all about discretion, and this film really had none of that.  That being said I still enjoyed the film, I watched it as an action film and not as a representation of the Hitman games so I was able to just sit back and enjoy.

Acting
Rupert Friend played Agent 47 quite well, I think he really understood the part and would have been more well received if the film had been more true to the game.  Hannah Ware was fine, she was able to make you believe she was clueless about her past then when she figured it out you believed she was who she was playing.  Zachary Quinto was alright, really he seemed to be playing killer Spock, it was just to wooden even for his character.  Ciaran Hinds was good for what he was there for, he wasn't a draw back from the film, but he didn't add much either.

Story
Alright as I said before this has almost nothing to do with the source material, that being said if you can get past that and watch it as an action film instead of a Hitman film then you can enjoy it.  Yes the story is totally over the top, and of course it would never happen, but The Terminator wasn't exactly a down to earth film either and you can still enjoy it.

Conclusion
If you can get past the fact that Hitman Agent 47 is not true to the game then you might be able to enjoy it.  If your a die hard Hitman fan then you will probably want to skip this one as your going to hate basically everything that happens in this film.  If you've never played the Hitman games and just want to watch an action film then give this a shot, I think you'll enjoy it.

Survivor

Survivor is an example of poor film making with good intentions.  The story is disjointed, and over the top.  The acting is stiff, the dialog seems forced, and the story it's self ignores things that are just common sense.

**WARNING SPOILERS BELOW**

Story

Well like I said it's bad, having an expert profiler be over looked like Milla Jovovich's character is, is just ridiculous, if she was that good in real life she'd been heading up a team, not over looked.  Then there is the hiring a hitman to take her out with an explosive instead of just shooting her from a window.  Then blowing up a building in London and no one asking any questions.  Then filling the New Year's Eve ball in Times Square with a deadly gas with no government over site.  And then over course the person being hunted by two governments and a hitman and has no field experience, single handedly stops the terrorist and save millions of people.

Acting

The acting was bad, not the worst I've ever seen but still bad.  It was like no one really wanted to be there and it was just for the paycheck, which it most likely was.  Milla Jovovich and Pierce Bronsnan are normally great actors, but this time they just sucked, maybe they just didn't feel the vibe and regretted taking the role, I don't know.

Conclusion

Skip it.  Don't even waste your time.  If you happen to be a masochist and want to watch this film at least stream it.  But if you really like this film and want to stick it to me buy the film through the link below.

 

TED 2

Ted 2 is the usual follow up to a decent film, not as good as the original.  The film just took it's self to seriously, a bunch of potheads making fart jokes and getting high are not going to come up with a way to define a talking teddy bears humanity.  If they had just made a funny film without taking it seriously it would have been fine, but it was just to stupid.

Acting

The acting was fine, Mark Wahlberg was fine, nothing worth writing about though.  Seth MacFarlane did Ted's voice just fine.  And of coarse the Scrappy Doo of the film Amanda Seyfried was fine for what she was there for.

Music

Wasn't much to speak of, what there was of the music was fine but nothing worth writing about.

Conclusion

If you watched the first Ted film then you might as well see Ted 2, you'll get some laughs out of it, but it's not going to be anywhere near the best film you'll see this year.

Mississippi Grind

Mississippi Grind is the story of two compulsive gamblers who feed each others addiction by going on a gambling trip.  This is really just a dark depressing film that will leave you feeling sad in the end.

Story
Well I've told you the story and as you can see it's not very compelling, honestly if I had read some of the reviews for this film I probably wouldn't have rented it in the first place.  The writer just seems to drag on and on, and yes most of the film is important to the film but I feel that small parts could have been cut and the film would be slightly better off or it.

Acting
Ryan Reynolds is great as always, he's not as funny as you would expect and I think that hurt the film since it could have used a little more humor to ease the dark depressing mood of the whole film, but this film does prove that he can play a part without having to be funny all the time.

Ben Mendelsohn was believable as the down and out gambling addict, he really showed the pain of the addiction without having to actually say it hurt.  I have to admit this is the first film I've seen him in where he stood out (he was a main character here after all) and even though I had seen him before he wasn't in any major roles so I didn't know I had seen him.  He is certainly a talent that should be used more, and this film should not be held against him.

Music
The music in the film as light, it was mostly played in the scene and it worked well for each scene.  I guess since the music didn't pull me out of the film all I can say it that it was good.

Conclusion
This is the gambling version of Sideways and so if you enjoyed that film then you might enjoy this one.  If on the other hand you're like me and you couldn't even finish Sideways then I'd say skip Mississippi Grind.

Hotel Transylvania 2

Hotel Transylvania 2 is a fun film that really holds up to the original, no small feat as most squeals are almost never as good as the originals.  Having fun with monster is always fun for the kids, and this film does that is all the best ways.

Acting
Well it's all voice acting but the voices really fit the monster.  You can actually see the real monsters talking and acting like they do in this film, and at the same time it's not scary enough for the kids to be scared.  Adam Sandler is great as Dracula, and I love the fact that Mel Brooks is Vlad he's perfect!

Animation
What can I say, it's smooth, it's clean, and just plain looks great.

Conclusion
Hotel Transylvania 2 is a great follow up to the original and is fun for the whole family, if you've got kids or are just a kid at heart give it a shot, I think you'll enjoy it.

Sorry for the short review here, I just never know how to do a full review for animated films.

Prisoners

Prisoners is a "it could really happen" suspense film that starts off slow but by the end you'll be tense and wondering what will happen next.  The tension doesn't take long to build up, and once it starts it doesn't let up!  The writer (Aaron Guzikowski) obviously sat around and tried to to think how would people actually react if their child had been abducted, and I really feel that they came up with some good ideas.

Story

The story is good, it takes twists and turns that are believable, and keeps you guessing as to what is really going on right up until the end.  The story is written well, and is such a way that there isn't much of the wasted dialog that most films suffer from, some of the best parts are things said with a facial expression.

Acting

Speaking of facial expressions Hugh Jackman give a rock solid performance here, he shows pain where he needs to and cold determination when appropriate.  You really start to feel for his character and believe the pain he's in though out this film.  Jake Gyllenhaal is cold and mostly unfeeling for the entirety of the film, and that seems to be what he's best at.  Don't get me wrong that is what's called for in the film for the part he was playing and he does it perfectly, I just feel that it's all Jake can do right.

The rest of the supporting cast is fine, but nothing to really write about.

Conclusion

If you're a new parent I would suggest skipping this film, it will give you nightmares.  But if you like a good suspense film you should really give this under rated film a chance, it will pull you in and have you on the edge of your seat before it's done.