Michael Pena – IamGuruJay

BY: GURU JAY

Collateral Beauty Movie Review

Collateral Beauty starring Will Smithcaptivates the audience. The film takes you on a journey of discovery. You discover the characters one by one and the story is put together piece by piece. You’re given all that you need from beginning to end. Not a word is wasted.

Collateral Beauty is about a man (Will Smith) coping with the death of his young daughter. Fortunately, he has built a thriving advertising business. But all the money in the world won’t bring his daughter back to life.

To cope with the unthinkable (losing a child), Howard played by Smith writes and mails letters to 3 abstracts: Love, Time, and Death. A private investigator opens them and reveals the details to his colleagues. Howard is effectively ambushed by his colleagues who stage an intervention to question his competency.

The plot involves subplots such as a woman’s biological clock, a man’s fight with cancer, and a father’s bond with his daughter. Actors literally play a key role in the movie, because the colleagues hire actors to play Love, Time, and Death. The movie has many twists and turns. I guarantee you’ll love it.

Will Smith delivers a powerful performance. His part alone makes the movie an eye opening experience. Give credit to amazing direction and incredible cinematography. No doubt the screenwriting is brilliant. Overall, I give the movie an A.

Plus, the movie showcases a dynamic cast. Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, and Michael Pena were excellent additions. Let’s not forget about Keira Knightley, who never looks a day over 25. They say she always gets her beauty sleep.

Collateral Beauty is about recognizing Death and staring her in the face. Accept the things you can’t change. And change what you can. What is more, come to grips that death is a natural part of life. Live your life abudantly, so that you can die peacefully. In the event, something unexpected happens, realize the collateral beauty.

I am Guru Jay launching into orbit in 5-4-3-2-1!

BY: GURU JAY

The Martian Movie Review

If you’re a regular at Guru Jay, you know The Martian is my kind of movie. I expect this film to be number 1 at the box office for the third consecutive week. Numbers indicate that The Martian might become director Ridley Scott’s best movie ever.

Tonight, my initial thought was: what are comedians Kristen Wiig and Donald Glover doing in this particular piece? After viewing the film, now I realize that they are three-dimensional actors. Who can complain about this wonderful cast? Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, Michael Peña…

The Plot

Matt Damon plays an astronaut (Mark Watney) stranded on Mars because his crew abruptly aborts their mission due to a severe storm. His crewmembers leave him behind thinking he’s dead. However, the determined character lives through this tribulation and awaits rescue.

Luckily, Watney’s a botanist who figures out how to grow food for survival purposes. “The Martian” finally contacts NASA, who already gave him a memorial. Soon, the public learns he is alive. Then, the whole world prepares for his return home safely.

Typically, it would take 4 years to travel to Mars. However, Watney may come home earlier than imagined because of a fortunate discovery. Without a doubt the proposition is risky. What option will NASA take?

Jessica Chastain plays mission commander Melissa Lewis. To her credit, she never wanted to abandon Watney. Nonetheless, she is pivotal to the storyline. I won’t spoil it any further for you. If you’re into science, go check it out.

Photos By: Wikimedia Commons

Closing Thoughts

The cinematography is on point. The Martian is realistic and futuristic as possible. The audience will enjoy spectacular visual effects aligned with technology’s capabilities. We must acknowledge Andy Weir’s great literary contribution.

My main criticism is the movie progresses slowly. Whenever we watch Matt Damon we’re used to seeing fast action-packed scenes. In spite of this, I believe The Martian is brilliant. This is Matt Damon’s magnum opus. You won’t find a carbon copy.

IamGuruJay launching into orbit in 5-4-3-2-1!