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Crystal (148 KP) rated The Martian (2015) in Movies
Jun 12, 2018
There are roles that feel like they were written for the actor. The main character feels like he was written for Matt Damon. I did read the book first and it was easy to picture Matt Damon as a witty braniac botanist. Probably because at the end of the day that's just who he is.
This movie is about a man's surviving, not only the untamed dessert wasteland that makes Mars, but also the crippling aloness of being the only human for hundreds of thousands of miles.
This movie is about a man's surviving, not only the untamed dessert wasteland that makes Mars, but also the crippling aloness of being the only human for hundreds of thousands of miles.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Long Mars in Books
Nov 20, 2019
The third book in the Long Earth series by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter very much carries on with 'more of the same' as the previous books. Therefore if you haven't liked the series up until now, you probably won't like this installment.
The usual characters are here. Lobsang is less in evidence than previously, despite driving what is the core of the book. Joshua is also a little sidelined as his story is tied closely to that of Lobsang. The bulk of the actual pages are concerned with Sally Lindsay and Maggie Kaufmann as they set off on their own voyages of discovery on the seemingly infinite copies of Earth and - not too much of a spoiler since it's in the title - Mars.
Whereas the previous books have essentially had one thread of a story around which the characters revolve towards some sort of end. This book seems more as if the authors couldn't really decide what they wanted to write about.
Should they write about more versions of the Long Earth, more fantastic worlds and lifeforms? Or perhaps investigate what has really been happening at Happy Landings, the seemingly too perfect town which existed long before Step Day? Or perhaps you are Stephen Baxter and can't resist going to Mars and showing many stepwise possibilities for that planet?
Rather than focus on one of these, all three are covered.
Maggie Kaufmann takes a brand new Twain far beyond the current limits of exploration into completely uncharted - and very strange - worlds. She must deal with the crew during their long trip, a surprise guest and aims to find out what happened to a previous expedition that vanished. Once again Pratchett and Baxter dig up some potentially different outcomes for both life on Earth and the planet itself, although many of the worlds are skimmed over and this part does get a little repetitive - another world, another odd ecology. This thread did feel a little like filler, there for those who want to see what might happen at the extremes of the Long Earth, although events do tie in with Lobsang's story.
Lobsang (the omnipresent super computer) has become concerned with matters of existence and what might come after. In particular is the human race evolving? He asks Joshua to help out and discover if there is any evidence for a breed of super human evolving as Lobsang theorises there must be. It seemed to me this is the real story of the book, a query on what would happen if a vastly more intelligent form of humanity evolved as a step change rather than a gradual one. What would they do? Would the rest of humanity accept them or feel threatened by them? The thread is short - barely more than an essay - and takes a good while to work through but provides the ultimate ending to the book.
Meanwhile, Sally Lindsay finds herself at The Gap, preparing to visit Mars, part of some mysterious quest for 'something' by her father. Here Baxter's history of writing Mars colonisation stories (they even get a mention) comes to the fore as the possibilities of a Long Mars are explored. In the real world Mars is cold, arid and inhospitable but there may be the odd chance for life to have developed. What would this be like? Again we have many different worlds although these are skipped through a little better than the Maggie Kaufmann Long Earth voyage and seem a little less repetitive - or where there is repetition it is more interesting than mundane.
Overall this is a good read in the series, probably a little better than The Long War but again lacking the coherence and sheer enthusiasm of The Long Earth (perhaps inevitably). As a work of science fiction it works well - the broad brush 'imaginary worlds' of the Long Earth and the Long Mars juxtaposed by the more existential investigation into human evolution.
Would I read a fourth installment? Undoubtedly, there are stories yet to be told. Would I recommend this book? Only if the recommendee had enjoyed the previous two books.
The usual characters are here. Lobsang is less in evidence than previously, despite driving what is the core of the book. Joshua is also a little sidelined as his story is tied closely to that of Lobsang. The bulk of the actual pages are concerned with Sally Lindsay and Maggie Kaufmann as they set off on their own voyages of discovery on the seemingly infinite copies of Earth and - not too much of a spoiler since it's in the title - Mars.
Whereas the previous books have essentially had one thread of a story around which the characters revolve towards some sort of end. This book seems more as if the authors couldn't really decide what they wanted to write about.
Should they write about more versions of the Long Earth, more fantastic worlds and lifeforms? Or perhaps investigate what has really been happening at Happy Landings, the seemingly too perfect town which existed long before Step Day? Or perhaps you are Stephen Baxter and can't resist going to Mars and showing many stepwise possibilities for that planet?
Rather than focus on one of these, all three are covered.
Maggie Kaufmann takes a brand new Twain far beyond the current limits of exploration into completely uncharted - and very strange - worlds. She must deal with the crew during their long trip, a surprise guest and aims to find out what happened to a previous expedition that vanished. Once again Pratchett and Baxter dig up some potentially different outcomes for both life on Earth and the planet itself, although many of the worlds are skimmed over and this part does get a little repetitive - another world, another odd ecology. This thread did feel a little like filler, there for those who want to see what might happen at the extremes of the Long Earth, although events do tie in with Lobsang's story.
Lobsang (the omnipresent super computer) has become concerned with matters of existence and what might come after. In particular is the human race evolving? He asks Joshua to help out and discover if there is any evidence for a breed of super human evolving as Lobsang theorises there must be. It seemed to me this is the real story of the book, a query on what would happen if a vastly more intelligent form of humanity evolved as a step change rather than a gradual one. What would they do? Would the rest of humanity accept them or feel threatened by them? The thread is short - barely more than an essay - and takes a good while to work through but provides the ultimate ending to the book.
Meanwhile, Sally Lindsay finds herself at The Gap, preparing to visit Mars, part of some mysterious quest for 'something' by her father. Here Baxter's history of writing Mars colonisation stories (they even get a mention) comes to the fore as the possibilities of a Long Mars are explored. In the real world Mars is cold, arid and inhospitable but there may be the odd chance for life to have developed. What would this be like? Again we have many different worlds although these are skipped through a little better than the Maggie Kaufmann Long Earth voyage and seem a little less repetitive - or where there is repetition it is more interesting than mundane.
Overall this is a good read in the series, probably a little better than The Long War but again lacking the coherence and sheer enthusiasm of The Long Earth (perhaps inevitably). As a work of science fiction it works well - the broad brush 'imaginary worlds' of the Long Earth and the Long Mars juxtaposed by the more existential investigation into human evolution.
Would I read a fourth installment? Undoubtedly, there are stories yet to be told. Would I recommend this book? Only if the recommendee had enjoyed the previous two books.
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
Can it really be 20 years since Starship Troopers hit the big screens here in the UK? Well, it is indeed and after two live-action sequels and an animated movie, the fifth movie sticks with the CGI format and director Shinji Aramaki returns to the helm after Invasion, to bring us Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars and it’s not only Shinji that returns to the franchise, Casper Van Dien and Dina Meyer return to reprise their roles from the 1997 movie.
I know I can hear you saying, “hang on, Dizzy died in the first movie“, well yes she did, but Dizzy Flores has been brought back in such a wonderful way that ties this movie in very nicely to the original movies timeline.
The all-new military adventure has been penned by Ed Neumeier, who wrote the screenplay for the 1997 movie and also the brilliant Robocop, so with such a great team for this fifth outing, my hopes were up that this movie would be very much like the original movie, rather the sequels that were spawned from it.
The film takes place 20 years after the battle of Klendathu, now Rico (Casper Van Dien) has been demoted and is training the “Lost Patrol” at a station at Mars, but as always those pesky bugs are making their mark, the Federation fleet is too far away to help, so it’s down to Rico and his Troopers to keep the bugs at bay.
Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars is far from the previous movie from Shinji Aramaki, Invasion. Instead of being set on a battlecruiser and it feeling very confined, this movie takes us down to the planet surface, giving the animators to bring back the sheer hoards of bugs that we first saw in the 1997 live-action movie and boy are these bugs nicely done.
I know I can hear you saying, “hang on, Dizzy died in the first movie“, well yes she did, but Dizzy Flores has been brought back in such a wonderful way that ties this movie in very nicely to the original movies timeline.
The all-new military adventure has been penned by Ed Neumeier, who wrote the screenplay for the 1997 movie and also the brilliant Robocop, so with such a great team for this fifth outing, my hopes were up that this movie would be very much like the original movie, rather the sequels that were spawned from it.
The film takes place 20 years after the battle of Klendathu, now Rico (Casper Van Dien) has been demoted and is training the “Lost Patrol” at a station at Mars, but as always those pesky bugs are making their mark, the Federation fleet is too far away to help, so it’s down to Rico and his Troopers to keep the bugs at bay.
Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars is far from the previous movie from Shinji Aramaki, Invasion. Instead of being set on a battlecruiser and it feeling very confined, this movie takes us down to the planet surface, giving the animators to bring back the sheer hoards of bugs that we first saw in the 1997 live-action movie and boy are these bugs nicely done.
Lindsay (1706 KP) rated Aoléon The Martian Girl (Part 5) in Books
Apr 9, 2019
The final part of this Saga but not last. We see what it to survive. They find out who is leading Grant, Bizwat and Aoléon to their final destination. They seem ready to save Aoléon parents. Zoots is with them.
You are dragged into the adventure and wanting to read and turn the pages to find out if they make it our not. This part is really action packed. They are met with a small army. There is some tense moments that are taken place on Earth.
Once again Brent does a wonderful job with the pictures. I have been drawn to look at the pictures or images a few times and leaves you to wonder what going to happen next. They meet Pax. They came to do a job.
They head to the mothership. They find out the truth about what been happening to Mars and their galactic plant on Mars. They do seem to find the Boars and Cows that went missing. The Earth seem to be invade Earth. Aoleon and her group figure out what Luminon and his plans are. Will defeat Luminon and his army?
You are dragged into the adventure and wanting to read and turn the pages to find out if they make it our not. This part is really action packed. They are met with a small army. There is some tense moments that are taken place on Earth.
Once again Brent does a wonderful job with the pictures. I have been drawn to look at the pictures or images a few times and leaves you to wonder what going to happen next. They meet Pax. They came to do a job.
They head to the mothership. They find out the truth about what been happening to Mars and their galactic plant on Mars. They do seem to find the Boars and Cows that went missing. The Earth seem to be invade Earth. Aoleon and her group figure out what Luminon and his plans are. Will defeat Luminon and his army?
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) created a video about in Marvel Cinematic Universe
Mar 29, 2018
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Martian (2015) in Movies
Aug 18, 2017
Slightly overrated, not worth the Oscar hype
I think this Sci-Fi film was slightly overhyped. The premise of this film is about a man stranded on Mars, who attempts to create human existence on this rocky terrain. On Earth, his fellow colleagues are weighing up whether his life is worth saving. The best part was when Matt Damon's character runs out of ketchup and loses the will to live. It's bittersweet, funny at times, but Oscar worthy? I don't think so.
Red Otter (340 KP) rated Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium in Tabletop Games
Jun 10, 2019
Terraformong Mars: Hellas and Elysium is a small expansion that is a double sided board that overlays the original board to add new terrain, awards and milestones to TM. The new placement bonuses ocean areas change up the usual optimal placements, while the awards and milestones change what an optimal engine is. It adds enough variety to the game play for it's price, but doesn't add new cards or corporations. Unfortunately, the explanation for the new awards and milestones are on a not very durable sheet, so make sure to protect it well.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Veronica Mars (2014) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: Veronica Mars starts as Veronica Mars (Bell) fills the fans of the show in with the last few years of her life after the television show finished and gave us first time viewers a chance to get a basic grip of who the main characters are going to be.
Veronica is now about to take her bar exam, but when her ex-boyfriend Logan Echolls (Dohring) is accused of killing his celebrity girlfriend, Veronica returns home to get to the bottom of the crime, re-living her private eye ways and catching up with old friends.
Thoughts on Veronica Mars
Characters – Veronica Mars is the former private eye that has moved on to study law only to learn a former friend has been accused of murder. The character gets to return to see old friends to see where they are in life now and how things have changed, in the biggest case of her life. Logan Echolls is the ex-boyfriend of Veronica that has been accused of murder, he needs her help to prove his innocence.
Performances – Kristen Bell made this role her own on television and now you can see her own enjoyment of returning to this role. Jason Bohring is solid enough in the role of the suspect. It would be fair to say the whole returning cast enjoyed coming back and it worked for the film.
Story – The story plays into the hands of the fans of the show wonderfully, the problem comes if you never saw the show, you will never understand the moments between characters in this movie. This isn’t a film for people that never saw the show, but it does bring our character back to her old role to see where friends are which is always a nice touch for popular shows.
Crime/Mystery – The crime mystery tone is everything the TV show kept up with the light-hearted comic tone of the movie, with plenty of mystery moments to keep us guessing.
Settings – The settings do help the fans of the original show that have returned to their favourite show, seeing all the places we saw their favourite characters.
Scene of the Movie – Reunion.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not knowing enough from the TV show.
Final Thoughts – This is a wonderful treat for the fans of the show, catching up with our favourite characters is something we all like to do and this is no different.
Overall: Good TV show to movie.
Veronica is now about to take her bar exam, but when her ex-boyfriend Logan Echolls (Dohring) is accused of killing his celebrity girlfriend, Veronica returns home to get to the bottom of the crime, re-living her private eye ways and catching up with old friends.
Thoughts on Veronica Mars
Characters – Veronica Mars is the former private eye that has moved on to study law only to learn a former friend has been accused of murder. The character gets to return to see old friends to see where they are in life now and how things have changed, in the biggest case of her life. Logan Echolls is the ex-boyfriend of Veronica that has been accused of murder, he needs her help to prove his innocence.
Performances – Kristen Bell made this role her own on television and now you can see her own enjoyment of returning to this role. Jason Bohring is solid enough in the role of the suspect. It would be fair to say the whole returning cast enjoyed coming back and it worked for the film.
Story – The story plays into the hands of the fans of the show wonderfully, the problem comes if you never saw the show, you will never understand the moments between characters in this movie. This isn’t a film for people that never saw the show, but it does bring our character back to her old role to see where friends are which is always a nice touch for popular shows.
Crime/Mystery – The crime mystery tone is everything the TV show kept up with the light-hearted comic tone of the movie, with plenty of mystery moments to keep us guessing.
Settings – The settings do help the fans of the original show that have returned to their favourite show, seeing all the places we saw their favourite characters.
Scene of the Movie – Reunion.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not knowing enough from the TV show.
Final Thoughts – This is a wonderful treat for the fans of the show, catching up with our favourite characters is something we all like to do and this is no different.
Overall: Good TV show to movie.
Tayla (27 KP) rated Red Rising in Books
Jun 19, 2018
Futuristic Story (2 more)
Strong Characters
Good Momentum
How do you get power when you are born to less?
How do you get power when you are born to less? You take it. I love Pierce Brown's story of Darrow, a low red, rising above his color to infiltrate the golds to start an uprising. Red Rising is one of my favorite books. Even though the setting is on Mars it is still relevant to our society today. Some people are born more privileged than others and at times it take a miracle to overcome those obstacles. This book reminds us to fight for not only what we want, but for what is right.
This book has good momentum throughout. At no point was I bored by the story. The ending really builds for the second book, gently encouraging you to continue with the story. I've both read and listened to this book and recommend each. Listening after reading, allowed me to really paint a clearer picture of Mars in my mind and develop more love for the series.
I recommend this book to those who like The Hunger Games or Divergent. Additionally, if you are a fan of the movie Gattaca (1997), this will be right in your wheelhouse! The similarities are striking!
This book has good momentum throughout. At no point was I bored by the story. The ending really builds for the second book, gently encouraging you to continue with the story. I've both read and listened to this book and recommend each. Listening after reading, allowed me to really paint a clearer picture of Mars in my mind and develop more love for the series.
I recommend this book to those who like The Hunger Games or Divergent. Additionally, if you are a fan of the movie Gattaca (1997), this will be right in your wheelhouse! The similarities are striking!
Benedick Lewis (3001 KP) rated Total Recall (1990) in Movies
Aug 15, 2018
Arnold is great in it (2 more)
Sharon Stone looks great
Great are they or aren’t they plot
One of Arnie’s best
By 1990 Schwarzenegger was in full stride and could do no wrong. He even tried his hand in comedy (Twins) with Danny De Vito and won audiences. Futuristic sci fi is where Schwarzenegger’s real strength is (The Running Man, Terminator Franchise, Eraser, Predator..) and the perfect example of this (other than Terminator 2) is Total Recall. It has everything from very quotable lines to an intriguing story which raises the bar on previous Schwarzenegger entries (originally a Philip K Dick story). The basic story line is a construction worker call Doug Quaid dreams of going to Mars but when he finally gets the chance things might not all be what they seem. Is he a secret agent? Is he on Mars? Did he get a divorce? And will those people get air? Sure it looks dated now but this was considered one of the most expensive movies made at the time and the dated graphics can be sidelined for seeing what happens to Schwarzenegger’s Quaid. If you buy the special edition dvd, you’re in for a treat also as Schwarzenegger provides his take on what a commentary is. Check it out.