Myrtle Beach Sun News Logo

‘The Martian’ is only film worth a watch in this week’s Recliner Reviews | Myrtle Beach Sun News

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Subscribe
    • Activate Your Account
    • Account Support
    • Mobile Apps
    • Newsletters
    • The Sun News Store
    • FAQ
    • Cancel SunValues Delivery
    • Plan
    • All Tourist Info
    • Vacation Planner
    • Calendar
    • Where to Stay
    • Ask a Local
    • Festivals Guide
    • Best of the Area
    • Play
    • Nightlife
    • Golf
    • Shopping
    • Shows
    • Myrtle Beach Blog
    • Restaurants

  • Obituaries
    • All News
    • Local News
    • Crime/Courts
    • Business
    • State News
    • Nation/World
    • Weird News
    • More News
    • Politics
    • Myrtle Beach Bike Rallies
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Tourism News
    • Real Estate News
    • All Sports
    • High Schools
    • Coastal Carolina
    • Recreation
    • Golf
    • MB Pelicans
    • Auto Racing
    • More Sports
    • College Sports
    • NFL
    • MLB
    • MB Marathon
    • Toast Of The Coast
    • Green Reading Blog
    • The Roost Blog
    • All Opinion
    • Letters To The Editor
    • Submit A Letter
    • Editorial
    • Cartoons
    • Columns & Blogs
    • Bob Bestler
    • All Living
    • Coasting
    • Neighbors
    • Food
    • Best Of The Beach
    • Announcements
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Home & Garden
    • All Entertainment
    • Kicks!
    • Best Of The Beach
    • Movies
    • Calendar
    • Contests
    • More Entertainment
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Horoscopes
    • Celebrities
    • Music
    • TV

  • Legals
  • Cars
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
  • Classified Ads

  • About Us
  • Mobile & Apps

Surge

‘The Martian’ is only film worth a watch in this week’s Recliner Reviews

By Derrick Bracey

For The Surge

    ORDER REPRINT →

January 14, 2016 12:06 AM

“The Martian”

Director Ridley Scott knows how to do space movies, having really kick-started his career and setting the bar in outer-space tension with 1979’s “Alien.” He continued building his vision of interstellar suspense in 2012’s “Prometheus.” Here, Scott brings to life Andy Weir’s novel about an Astronaut on a manned mission to Mars, who gets left for dead and must survive on nothing but his ingenuity and a sense of humor. Matt Damon gives real heart as the Martian, carrying a large part of the movie alone, but there’s a big and diverse cast to fill in the blanks. Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña and Kate Mara are the core of the the ship’s crew, and they sling around a nice emotional weight. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig and Jeff Daniels anchor the NASA ground team with firm performances. But let’s be honest, Damon is out of this world, making this film worth a watch.

“The Visit”

When you hear filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan’s name, you may roll your eyes and ask, “What has he done now, made a movie where old people are really made of bees?” Maybe you’ll ask, “Is his new movie set in a bunker, 100 years in the future, but just looks like a country kitchen?” Okay, these aren’t spoilers. This film is actually Shyamalan’s return to good old-fashioned horror. Well, it’s mostly weird and filled with scenes of creepy senior citizens doing disturbing stuff. It’s a small cast (four generally unknown actors and Kathryn Hahn.) It’s filmed with a shaky-cam style, as two young siblings film an amateur documentary about meeting their kooky grandparents for the first time. Their mom is off on a vacation with her boyfriend while the grandparents’ behavior spirals from distressing to dangerous. Shyamalan isn’t back to “The Sixth Sense” good, but he’s not “After Earth” bad either. If you’ve liked Shyamalan in the past, maybe you should revisit his, because this one is barely worth a watch.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Sun News

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

“Sinister 2”

Horror sequels can go either way. Sometimes, they can improve the original story. Other times, they just retell the same story in a worse way. Scott Derrickson, the writer of the original film, returns here. That’s good and bad news. He’s penned some winners in the horror genre, but he’s also scribbled out some real losers. Unfortunately, the winners came earlier in his career – “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” and “Sinister.” The losers, “Devil's Knot” and “Deliver Us from Evil,” have been in the last few years. James Ransone is the only member of the original cast to return, and he’s accompanied by the usually dependable Shannyn Sossamon. Their middle-of-the-road performances are as good as this one gets. At one point, fresh concepts may’ve been in here somewhere, but they get buried under heaps of mediocre acting, clunky plot points and silly theatrics. It comes off as silly and far from sinister – pass.

  Comments  

Videos

2nd Ave. Pier's Ashley Shoemaker has one of the weirdest pick-up lines you've ever heard in this week's pour | Hot Pour

Alexa Torregrossa of Tupelo Honey Cafe shows off her 'Honeysuckle Lavender Flip' | Hot Pour

View More Video

Trending Stories

He boarded bus for North Myrtle High, but never showed, cops say. Now a search is on

February 15, 2019 08:02 AM

Loris police investigating reported bank robbery

February 14, 2019 02:06 PM

Gang members sold drugs out of nearly every room in an Atlantic Beach complex, suit says

February 14, 2019 05:43 PM

3 calls, 6 hours: MB sees spike in overdose calls while county drug death numbers grow

February 14, 2019 08:38 AM

Mugshots, Feb. 14

February 14, 2019 06:42 AM

things to do

Read Next

Famous Toastery to open first location on Grand Strand

Surge

Famous Toastery to open first location on Grand Strand

By Emily Smith

For The Sun News

    ORDER REPRINT →

August 31, 2016 05:00 AM

A growing franchise known for delicious breakfast food made from scratch every day is coming to Carolina Forest and will open their doors on Friday, Sept. 2.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Sun News

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE SURGE

Clean Eatz opens in Carolina Forest

Surge

Clean Eatz opens in Carolina Forest

August 10, 2016 05:00 AM
Popular Greek eatery on S.C 544 closes its doors

Surge

Popular Greek eatery on S.C 544 closes its doors

August 08, 2016 05:00 AM
New craft beer house opens at Broadway at the Beach

Surge

New craft beer house opens at Broadway at the Beach

August 05, 2016 02:16 PM

Surge

Karen from Oz finally gets her day in the limelight | Hot Pour

August 04, 2016 01:00 PM

Surge

And now, the end is here… | Surge Farewell

August 04, 2016 04:11 PM

Surge

David Epstein and the Evolution of New South Brewing

August 03, 2016 11:06 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Myrtle Beach Sun News App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
Advertising
  • Place a Classified
  • Advertise
  • Rates
  • Contests & Promotions
  • Local Deals
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story