Tuesdays with Muerte

The Martian by Andy Weir My rating: 4 of 5 stars Basically, The Martian = Apollo 13 + Cast Away. What a page turner!  I enjoyed reading it even after watching the movie.  (Now I want them to write a play so I can go see that!)  I didn't give it 5 stars was because—despite the realistic scenarios and elaborate math validating every action taken throughout the story—my disbelief was never fully suspended.  When I give 5 stars, it's because I was able to lose myself in the story; when I have become one with the narration.  Perhaps Weir's style of writing was too fast paced for me.  Perhaps my mind didn't have time to struggle with the problem before the solution presented itself.  I think due to this and other factors I never fully became Mark Watney, the protagonist. Re: Language — Weir's use of swearing didn't bother me because I recognized that Watney was from Chicago, not Provo. Personal lessons learned: I had hoped that by r...

Reaction Two years after its theatrical release, I finally got around to watching Jonny Depp in  Transcendence . Waiting for the new-release excitement to die down was a good decision.  Transcendence  is one of those films that causes you to leave the theater disappointed. But as time goes by, the ideas from the film burrow deeper and deeper under your skin (in a good way). Immediately after my viewing of the film, I jumped online, eager to see what conversations were going on relating to the themes and questions addressed by the film. I opened the first three discussion groups I could find, read the first few review titles, and felt instantly dejected. Overwhelmingly, critics ranted about how the film failed to meet their entertainment expectations. With the all-star cast and killer trailer building up anticipation since 2012, these film buffs wanted a blockbuster—a Hollywood  sci-fi—not what they got—a true sci-fi (which happened to have expen...