I have always wanted to watch Speed, that 90s hit action movie starring Keanu Reeves as a young police officer. One tasked with preventing a bomb aboard a city bus from exploding if only he could keep it moving at 50 miles per hour or above.
Directed by Jan de Bont and also starring Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels, I found Speed watchable at best. By the end, I wondered if I’d have enjoyed it more had I seen it around the original release date. It’s also likely that Speed just isn’t my favourite kind of action movie/thriller. Whatever the answer, I did appreciate the pace and the handful of clever story elements.
As for my favourite thing about Speed? That has to bewatching a young Keanu Reeves doing a good job in a relatively early role, of course.
If you have not already seen it, and you’re curious enough, you know what to do.
I myself would never want to typecast anybody against their will, but I did find myself very glad to learn that inThe Martian, Matt Damon gets to play the role of a hero once more. Having to ‘hate him’ in Interstellar (2014) proved more challenging than expected.
Directed by the rightfully celebrated Ridley Scott, and based on Andy Weir’s best selling book of the same name, The Martianis a predominantly Mars-based adventure with a sprinkle of funny moments.
As you might imagine, similar to Interstellar (2014), there’s a fair amount of ‘science speak’ in the film. Most of itI personally will probably never understand, but you don’t need to in order to have a good time. The movie works, thanks to the story and the likability of its star.
The thing I enjoyed most about The Martian is all the scientific problem solving that Damon’s character, astronaut Mark Watney and the wider NASA team do in the effort to bring him home in one piece. I like the movie for this reason and as a story of teamwork and survival. I’ll also confess to getting quite a kick from seeing the female commander, played by Jessica Chastain take charge.
You may have heard that a few awards bodies placed The Martian in the comedy category. About that, there are a few funny quips here and there – and by ‘a few’ I don’t mean ‘a good few’ in the way that some people use the phrase to mean ‘a lot’. I do actually mean ‘a few,’ meaning no more than 5 laughs/giggles at most – which, in my mind doesn’t equal to a comedy. But, hey, trust the studios to find loopholes so that their film gets a chance at an award.
Science fans will likely enjoy this movie most, but everyone else will be pleased also, for the topic of surviving on Mars is a relevant and interesting one at this time. With that said, watch it because it’s good. Another reason would be to find out for yourself whether categorising The Martian as a comedy is at all justified. I remain unconvinced.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, Donald Glover, Sebastian Stan, Mackenzie Davis and Benedict Wong also star.
The Divergent Series – Allegiant (2016), Zoe Kravitz, Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Maggie Q
I haven’t watched a single film in The Divergent Series. It’s likely that I won’t any time soon but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the execution of their latest trailer for Allegiant, the last instalment.
The music (a remix of ‘Tris’ by Ellie Golding) combined with the minimal dialogue and imagery is quite the audio visual experience.
Steve Jobs (2015), Kate Winslet, Michael Fassbender
Two of my favourite UK actors, Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet star in the story of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs.
Like many, I’m already very aware of the story of the celebrated visionary, but of course, I’ll watch the film if only to take in the artistry of the actors, the magic of dialogue king/screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin and director Danny Boyle.
Another highlight is Steve Jobs the appearance of one of my favourite funny men, Seth Rogen in another serious role, this time as the other half of the Apple founding team, Steve Wozniak.
The new film from Ridley Scott, director of many hit films including Gladiator (2000) stars Matt Damon and it looks amazing.
As excited as I undoubtedly am, something tells me I’m probably going to get my heart broken, and by that I don’t mean I’ll be disappointed but that something similar to the end of 1998’s Armageddon might happen.
I’d of course much rather be pleasantly surprised than have that particular theory come to fruition.
Then again, on the other hand, whatever it takes for the film to be great is what I really, really want. As such, I surrender.
The Movie My Life 