Ridley Scott's The Martian is an accurate, thrilling survival story that for ONCE portrays scientists as normal human beings (even cool, likable ones!), instead of amoral villains, sociopaths, socially crippled nerds, or emotionless robots. Problem solving is the hero of this edge-of-your-seat thriller, and realism is king. I don't have degree in any of the …
The Fold, by Peter Clines
I listened to The Fold recently, and while the premise was promising at the start, it ended up being more frustrating and annoying than enjoyable for me. Our story starts with the protagonist, Mike Ericson, high-school teacher, getting a request from his old friend at DARPA to do a special top secret task. Why would …
The Book of Strange New Things, by Michel Faber
I recently discovered that my favorite movie in recent years, Under the Skin, was based on a novel by Michel Faber. I'd never heard of him and decided to try this unusual, sci-fi drama. The plot centers around a Christian Missionary, Peter, who is traveling to a distant world to minister to alien creatures. This …
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Gravity
I watched this thrilling sci fi movie while on a plane over the ocean, and the turbulence really added to the tense feel of it. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney play astronauts working on repairing the Hubble telescope, when an accident sends them into a dire situation. There is a kind of deep, uneasy fear …
Nightcrawler
I watched this drama / thriller featuring Jake Gyllenhaal a couple weeks ago, but haven't posted about it yet cause I've been traveling back and forth over the pacific ocean. In this movie, Jake plays an out of work sociopath who starts out stealing chain link fences to sell for scrap metal, then finds his …
Jonas David 