The Martian

The Martian was one of my favorite books read last year. It’s funny; it’s adventurous and would definitely make a great film. Despite the influx of space-related flicks as of late, it was a good piece to adapt. I had a bit of doubt about it, particularly due to Matt Damon being casted as the lead character, and that his character might be reminiscent of his earlier astronaut character in 2014’s Interstellar. Nonetheless, the movie didn’t disappoint.

Blind Spot: Good Will Hunting

Like most of my blind spot choices, I didn't have an inkling on what Good Will Hunting was about. All I knew were of its Oscar accolades; I even saw a short feature about this during the time of Robin Williams' passing. In a gist, this is about a young man whose genius mind was discovered, completely altering his perceptions, and the repercussions and pressures that come with it.

The Departed

I've seen bits of The Departed maybe once or twice, but I've never seen the whole movie until recently. The inkling to see it definitely paid off, as I was treated to a work with growing momentum, great performances and a smashing finale. It wasn't just a good cop, bad cop movie, but the characters had an identity that became their facade for deception, and they were a deceiving bunch indeed. 

Elysium

Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley
Director: Neill Blomkamp

I didn't know much about Elysium, except that it starred Matt Damon and Jodie Foster and it had an interesting premise. Space worlds are done rather creatively, conjuring one concept to another and trying to show off these worlds in different light. However, I think I was expecting something else when it came to the output. It did not lack when it came to action sequences or the effects, but I guess I was expecting something better, something mind-blowing, at most. Maybe it's because I came from a long seminar-type class, and wasn't feeling comfortable with my movie seat (it reclines deeper than usual reclining theater seats) that I wasn't able to fully comprehend and appreciate the flick. Nonetheless I was still excited to see it, but it left me drained and somehow unsatisfied with the final product. Somehow I expected something more, but it simply did not meet my expectation.

Ocean's Thirteen

Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino
Director: Steven Soderbergh

The first one: incredible. The second one: horrible. The third one: forgettable. I had been scrambling in my brain about the events that transpired in the third installment of the trilogy, feigning a single memory. That was why I decided to check out Ocean's Thirteen again, in hopes of remembering the events, and to be entertained. I did love the first one, and hoped that this was better than the second. It took some time but after a few scenes, I began to remember the details that went about. While it wasn't horrible like the second, it missed the spark of the first.