Tag Archives: The Martian

The Finished Product: Movies and Shows Presented at Comic-Con Come to Life!

Citizen Journalism, Movie Review, Recreation, Upcoming Events, , , , , , , , , ,
Star Wars: Episode VII
Star Wars: Episode VII is almost here! Some interesting fan theories are at the end – one including these two characters…

By: Katelyn Kohane

“Your mission should you choose to accept it…” is to continue reading to see what movies and television I have caught up on since San Diego Comic-Con.

After attending Comic-Con this past summer, I’ve found myself watching more movies and TV shows than normal.

Bill Murray in Rock the Kasbah at Comic-Con in Hall H.
Bill Murray in Rock the Kasbah at Comic-Con in Hall H.

I saw Rock the Kasbah with Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, and Kate Hudson. If you remember from a prior installment, I was in Hall H for that movie and was about 10 feet from Bill Murray! Rock the Kasbah is based on real events in Afghanistan. A music producer, played by Bill Murray, found a girl who had a beautiful voice and because of her culture could not share that gift. Bill Murray, her producer, was able to get her on Rising Star and she won. I loved the movie.

A few movies have broken records this year, with two of them being Furious 7 and Jurassic World. Also of particular notice is Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, which crashed the Internet in 88 seconds when their first trailer aired. The Force Awakens is also expected to break records at the Box Office, having already shattered pre-sale records.

A few other movies I saw this year were Pixels, Black Mass, Everest, and The Martian. I also saw Spectre. Daniel Craig is one of my favorite James Bond actors. I really enjoyed Skyfall, but I thought Spectre was even better.

Cast of Mockingjay Part 2
Cast of Mockingjay Part 2

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is also out in theaters now. I am a big Hunger Games Fan and Finnick Odair is my favorite character. He is the victor from District 4 who wields the fishing spear as his weapon of choice, and in Catching Fire—the second film—he becomes allies with Katniss and Petta. Mockingjay Part 2 follows Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and her allies during the rebellion against President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the Capitol. Katniss has some familiar allies like Haymitch, Finnick and Plutarch.

As we left Mockingjay Part 1, Peeta, Johanna, and Annie had been taken hostage by the Capitol. In Part 2, Gale, Boggs and a few others have rescued Petta, Johanna, and Annie. Finnick and Annie get married and Prim becomes a doctor. Katniss, Gale, Boggs, Finnick, and Petta storm the Capitol along with the help of the rebels and District 13. The final chapter in the saga makes some changes from the book, but I think they changed it for the better.

Supergirl coming in October
Supergirl is here!

I have also been watching some of the TV shows that I heard about from Comic-Con. I’ve been watching Blindspot, The Player, and Supergirl. Blindspot follows the FBI team Kurt Weller, Reade, Zapata, Patterson, and Mayfair as they figure out Jane Doe’s (Jamie Alexander) tattoos to figure out a corrupt world. Jane has also lost her memory, making the mystery that much harder to solve. They had a neat episode where one Jane’s tattoos was shaped like a Petoskey stone and led them to Michigan to catch the bad guy.

The Player is about a corrupt Las Vegas where the House has recruited Alex Kane (Phillip Winchester) to help solve cases in and around Las Vegas with Wesley Snipes and Chastity Wakefield. I loved the show. Unfortunately the network has canceled it mid-season. They should have given it more time!

Supergirl is going strong. The network has gone ahead and said to keep going with a full season. It’s been exciting so far. It is different from Smallville, another of my favorite TV shows which follows a young Clark Kent/Superman. Supergirl sort of continues from that since she and Clark Kent are cousins. In her show, Supergirl played by Melissa Benoist, has had to save her sister from a plane crash. We do see some familiar names such as James Olsen and Lucy Lane. James Olsen, who was one of Clark Kent’s good friends, also becomes good friends with Kara Danvers/Supergirl. So far in the show we have met Maxwell Lord and Red Tornado.

First two rows: Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. Bottom left: Gal Gadot, bottom center: Jesse Eisenberg, and bottom right: Amy Adams.
First two rows: Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. Bottom left: Gal Gadot, bottom center: Jesse Eisenberg, and bottom right: Amy Adams.

Coming soon to theaters are Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Deadpool, Captian America: Civil War, The Huntsman: Winter’s War, Point Break, and Suicide Squad.

Don’t forget next week, December 18th, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens comes to theaters. I already have my tickets. I have also read that fans are already lining up at the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles waiting for opening day.

Let’s have a little fun since Star Wars finally opens this next week. Let’s dive into some theories on the upcoming film. If you don’t want any theories… STOP READING NOW!

I have watched every trailer and every TV spot and read some of the different theories. One big theory is that Rey and Kylo Ren are the Solo twins. Another is that Luke has turned to the Dark Side. We know that Simon Pegg has a mysterious role, so be on the look out for that. Hopefully, no more Jar Jar Binks. And a possibility that a major character, possibly Chewbacca, might die. But I guess I’ll have to wait and see until next week.

I’ll see you at the movie, and signing off until next time, “May The Force Be With You.”

Katie works in the film industry as a camera operator and has worked on films like ‘All You Can Dream’, ‘Set Up’ and a TV show called ‘American Fallen Soldier.’ She loves helping WKTV with the Citizen Journalism team and working as a tech at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Katie loves working in the film industry and loves watching movies just as much!

The Martian Provides Quality Escapist Entertainment

Citizen Journalism, Movie Review, , , , ,

brett_wiesenauerSir Ridley Scott has had a tough couple of years. His return to the ALIEN franchise, the inception of which made him a household name, was met with derision and snide remarks from fans and critics, and Exodus: Gods and Kings gave no impression of staying power longer than a mosquito bite. The man who gave us Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, and Black Hawk Down has needed a comeback hit for ages.Ridley_Scott

And This Is It.

Sir Ridley returns to space with a mammoth cast and a stellar script from Drew Goddard, of Cabin in the Woods and Netflix’s Daredevil fame. The Martian is thoughtful, funny, engrossing, and a sure-fire hit with audiences and critics, judging from its first weekend alone. After witnessing it in 3D its opening weekend, I can further the hype even more with this here glowing review of mine.

Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, a botanist part of NASA’s mission to Mars. When a surprise storm hits and whisks him off, damaging his life support, he is reluctantly left for dead by his fellow crew, much to the chagrin of the Captain of the outfit, played by Jessica Chastain (Interstellar, Take Shelter). The next SOL (the Martian equivalent of a day), he limps his way back to his HAB[itat] and starts planning to survive while finding a way to contact Earth and alert them to his Robinson Crusoe situation.

The cast here is mammoth and incredible. To list a few names who make appearances: Michigan native Jeff Daniels as the cautious head of NASA who has the bottom line and legacy of his organization resting on his decisions, Sean Bean as a fiery mission director who will do anything for his crew mates, Chiwetel Ejiofor as the passionate engineer who is Watney’s main contact with Earth, SNL alum Kristen Wiig as a passive spokesperson; the list goes on, but then that’s just what this would become, a list.

The film looks genuine, even in the slightly dimmed RealD 3D I viewed it in. The Martian backdrop looks convincing, no hints of life as far as the camera eye can capture. We have been graced with 4 consecutive years of breathtaking space travel films, starting with Sir Ridley’s Prometheus in 2012, continuing with Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity in 2013, Christopher Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR last year, and this year we have The Martian.

There is a clear sense of human achievement in the film that makes some of the harsher elements easier to deal with. Whenever something bad happens to Watney, he often remarks on his bad luck but comes quick with a witty response and a sense of optimism that Matt Damon can easily provide with his screen presence.

martian25I am glad that space travel movies are making a comeback. There is a sense of wonder that they provide that spurs the imagination and inspires young minds to explore the sciences, which this movie will surely aid in seeing as science is what keeps the main character alive throughout. It makes for an entertaining adventure, that’s for sure.