The Walk (2015)

If you’ve seen the Oscar winning documentary Man On Wire then you’ll know this tale but Robert Zemeckis does an excellent job bringing Philippe Petit’s story to life with a solid performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  In many ways this dramatization is a celebration of a dream realized and a sad farewell to a time of innocence.  You can’t help but think of 9/11 as you watch this film.  First it’s amazing how Robert Zemeckis recreates the Twin Towers.  It’s a marvel and the entire finale is breathtaking, especially in 3D.  Yet even as you cheer you find yourself solemnly aware that those buildings are no more and that hundreds of people perished in their destruction.  It makes you wonder why even tell such a story.  The truth is because of the hope imbued in this telling.  I fear that many people will stay away from this film and while it’s not perfect it is one worth seeing and praising on so many levels.  Grade: B+

The Martian (2015)

At last a Ridley Scott film I can get behind and praise.  I’m not the biggest fan of the director of such films as Gladiator, Alien and Blade Runner.  He’s certainly a very talented director but I feel his work is inconsistent.  But here he delivers a fantastic science fiction film that’s a blending of Gravity and Apollo 13.  You can give a lot of credit to his star (and co-producer) Matt Damon for making this adaption of Andy Weir’s novel so enthralling.   The premise is an astronaut is left stranded for dead on Mars.  Now he must survive long enough for those on Earth to bring him back home.  This is a fine film and I expect to see it around Oscar time.  Grade: A

Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

Reading the last book that Mr. Jordan wrote is a sad but uplifting experience.  First, it’s very good.  It completes the story arcs from the last book and gives a satisfying set up for what will be a three-book conclusion written by Brandon Sanderson.  It’s sad because Mr. Jordan, himself, alone, was unable to take us to the end he foresaw but it's uplifting because his story is so inspiring that another writer wants to complete it.  And I’m excited to see how it all ends and you can feel this is the beginning of the end.   Rand is about the meet the Daughter of the Nine Moons, which of course we know she is not, because she’s with Mat and they’re about to come to head with her army.  Perrin finally is going to attack the Shaido and hopefully save his wife.  Egwene slowly takes control of the White Tower from the inside as a captive.  There are a lot of great scenes and the writing is strong.   It’ll be interesting to see if Sanderson can create the same kind of feeling and give us the ending I want so badly.  I guess I’m about to find out. A-

Bridge of Spies (2015)

Spielberg’s latest is a solid spy drama about the true story of James Donovan who works to have a Russian Spy traded for an American pilot captured in USSR.   It’s not shocking to witness Spielberg obtain the best in the business to transport us back in time.  Not only does he get the great Joel and Ethan Coen to contribute to the script but the production team is amazing.  This film might not be among his best; it’s certainly not his worst film.  This is a good one that lacks tension only because this kind of story has been done before, maybe not as well done, but done regardless both on the big screen and the small one.  Tom Hanks is fantastic as usual and Mark Rylance is brilliant.  I’d love to see Rylance earn an Oscar nomination out of his performance as the Russian spy.  I’d be interested to read the original screenwriter’s script (Matt Charman) to see how much of an improvement (or not) the Coens brought to the project. If only I hadn’t seen these kind of Cold War dramas before than maybe I’d have been at the edge of my seat most of the time.   Grade: A-