Steve Jobs Review

     Steve Jobs is one of the most idolized and polarizing public figures in decades. While some believe he is a genius and single handedly revolutionized the tech industry, others see him as a hack who couldn't make a computer to save his life and just took the credit from others who actually did the work; I'm somewhere in between those two mindsets. Jobs was an egotistic credit hog, as well as a genius marketer and promoter. Either way he founded and ended up becoming the face of the most profitable brand in the world, Apple Inc. In 2003 it was announced that Jobs was diagnosed with cancer, even so he still led his company up until his death in 2011. Since then his status as an icon has only grown, leading to many books being written about him and a 2013 movie called "Jobs." But since his death numerous allegations about Jobs has emerged, calling him a task master and a hypocrite. More and more people are realizing that maybe Jobs wasn't the savior he was built up to be. Personally, I don't really care; I don't even like Apple products. But I have been getting sick with all the Jobs related movies and books that have been coming out for a few years. So when I heard that a new movie was in the works, I rolled my eyes; but when I heard that it was being directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin, it became one of my most anticipated movies of 2015. 

      "Steve Jobs" takes place over the course of 15 years; it features three product launches by Jobs in 1984, 1988, and 1998, and all the personal and professional troubles that surrounded them. With the later success or failure that would follow these launches in montages, immediately leading to the next product launch. And due to Job's personality and unwillingness to compromise, things never go easy at these launches. 

     Steve Jobs is one of those larger than life figures whose personality many have tried to capture in entertainment, but few have come close. Most of the time you either get a glorified portrait showing him as a modern day Leonardo da Vinci, or you he is shown as an egotistical maniac who couldn't actually do anything. But this movie manages to be somewhere in between; it has great depiction of these real life characters and their goals and ambitions, but at the same time doesn't sugarcoat anything and shows that Jobs was not an easy man to work with; mostly due in part to Aaron Sorkin's writing. Basing his screenplay off the Walter Isaacson biography about Jobs, Sorkin writes one of the year's best screenplays that is almost assured for an Oscar nomination; despite allegations of questionable historical accuracy. It has that classic Sorkin dialog between characters which is always smart and funny. It also helps the movie be constantly entertaining with at a non-stop pace. But that might arguably be this movie's biggest problem. For two straight hours the characters never stop talking. At a certain point later on in the movie I started to think to myself, "I wish for one minute everyone would be quite so I can enjoy how well this movie is made." But because no one ever stops talking, you always have to listen and pay attention to them. But at the same time, you won't really mind. Watching these actors give some of the best performances of their careers while reading one of the year's best scripts is a joy to watch. The movie co-star's Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels, and Seth Rogan; each of which beings justice to the characters, and is as good as they've ever been. I definitely expect Winslet to get an acting nomination at the Oscars. But the real star of the movie is obviously Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs. Let's go ahead and talk about the elephant in the room. Fassbender does not look like Jobs. But that's alright, because he is phenomenal in this movie; this might be the best performance he's ever given. He truly encompasses Jobs in what might be the best performance of the year so far. And you have to give credit to director Danny Boyle for getting these performances out of the actors. I truly believe Boyle to be one of the most underappreciated directors currently working, despite several iconic movies he's made such as "Trainspotting" and "28 Days Later." And "Steve Jobs" ranks among some of his best. He takes a commanding lead of this movie and made it into the image he wanted, and employed some clever tricks in the process. One of the most unique aspects of this movie would be the way it was shot. Each act takes place years apart, so as the movie progressed the quality of the footage got better which really made the movie feel like it was moving with the times. This movie is brilliant, and a career highlight for everyone involved. I know a lot of people are sick of hearing about how Jobs was a genius (myself included), but this movie does a great job depicting a fascinating true life story. And in doing so, it manages to be one of the best movies of the year. 

Pros: Oscar worthy performances from Fassbender and Winslet, great performances from supporting actors, great depiction of the characters, doesn't sugarcoat anything, brilliant screenplay from Sorkin, smart and funny dialog between characters, clever cinematography, one of Boyle's best movies, fascinating real life story, fast paced and non-stop entertainment.

Cons: Fassbender does not look like Steve Jobs, questionable historical accuracy, constant dialog never gives you a chance to truly appreciate how well this movie was made.

4.5/5 Stars

The Martian Review

     Ridley Scott is often cited as one of the most celebrated directors of all time, being the mastermind behind classics like "Blade Runner," "Alien," and "Gladiator." But for the past few years Scott has not been at his best. The once praised director has since brought us some of the most critically panned movies in years such as "Exodus: Gods and Kings" and "The Counselor." Since "American Gangster" Scott has been looking for a way back on top, which brings us to "The Martian." Based off the acclaimed 2011 novel of the same name, it had to be one of the most talked about books in years. Sporting a rather unique premise and an all-star cast, it quickly became one of 2015's most anticipated movies after the trailers release. But while most everyone was excited, I still had my reservations. Ridley Scott isn't the director he once was, and after his last couple movies I pretty much wrote the guy off. But going into "The Martian" I gave him one last chance, and I'm glad I did.

     Mark Watney is a botanist and astronaut on a mission to mars with a team of five others. His job is to take soil samples to see if food could be grown on mars. One day while taking some samples, the team is alerted that a massive sandstorm is heading straight towards their base. Knowing that the storm is strong enough to topple their return shuttle that is fastened to the ground, the team captain decides to evacuate the red planet before their mission is up. While heading towards their shuttle, Mark is hit by a piece of debris. He goes flying and the sensors in his suit malfunction; barely able to see in the storm, the team has no option but to escape. The following day Mark wakes up on the mars surface, seriously injured and low on oxygen. He manages to make it back to the base and close his wounds. He quickly realizes that he is in some serious trouble. He doesn't have a lot of food and water and he's on a planet where if he steps out of his base without a space suit on he will die. On top of all that, the fastest that earth could get a shuttle to him would be in a few years. Scared and exhausted, he has reason to just give up; but he refuses to die on the red planet. So the question arises, how does he make a few months supply last for a few years until he can be rescued.

     "The Martian" was one of those movies that I had high hopes for, but went into with low expectations because of Ridley Scott. His last few movies were so underwhelming that it was hard to give him the benefit of the doubt; but with "The Martian," he is back. Basically, this is one of the year’s best movies. And it is Scott's best movie in over a decade. The way he directed this movie was brilliant, the amount of suspense is nail biting at times. Alongside "Sicario," this is one of the most intense and suspenseful movies I've seen in a long time; and certainly the best survival movie in the past few years. One of the stand out aspects of the movie would be the acting. Everyone does a great job, it's easily one of the best ensemble casts of the year; and there could be a few Oscar nominations for acting. What helps is that pretty much all of these characters are incredibly likable, and you are rooting for them to succeed. And every time they fail your heart sinks a little bit. The dialog between the characters is also top notch. This is one of the best written movies of the year, and a serious contender for best adapted screenplay. Speaking of the writing I really have to commend the humor. When you think about a man fighting for his life, you don't find much humor in the situation. But "The Martian" is filled with comedy that works very well, and had the entire theater laughing. When you have a movie on a foreign planet, you really have to nail the look of it all; and this movie does that perfectly. The visuals are gorgeous and the production design is top notch, you really feel like you are on mars yourself. The great special effects also help; both the practical effects and the computer generated ones. But while being on mars is riveting; being on earth though, not so much. The scenes that take place on earth are less interesting than what you see Matt Damon's character goes through on mars. While there by no means boring, you just can't wait to get back to the red planet. "The Martian" exceeded my expectations in almost every way. A movie filled with enough math and science to make any geek go nuts ended up being one of the year's most gripping movies. While they could have cut about 20 minutes or so, I found myself so connected to the screen and all the characters on it. "The Martian" is one of the must see movies of 2015, and a return to form for Ridley Scott. 

Pros: Great special effects, impressive visuals and production design, very suspenseful, humor works well, likable characters, great writing and dialog between characters, fantastic performances from Matt Damon and the rest of the cast, Ridley Scott's best movie in a decade, best survival movie in years, a nerd's wet dream.

Cons: Earth scenes aren't as interesting, 20 minutes too long.

4.5/5 Stars