Rating: ««« Out of 4

Running Time: 141 min.

We’ve all seen plenty of movies about astronauts encountering danger on other worlds, but The Martian is a bit different. Instead of aliens, it strands its lead on the red planet and forces him to endure the elements. Call it a sci-fi survivalist tale, if you like.

The story begins on Mars, where a NASA crew are conducting scientific experiments. When an unexpected sandstorm hits, the group is forced to evacuate. Unfortunately, botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is hit and wounded by a flying antenna. Thinking him dead, the crew leaves. Watney soon wakes up to find himself alone on Mars with little oxygen or food and no means of communication. He makes it to the crew’s small habitat, but is forced to use his wits and come up with a means of existing for multiple years until the next team arrives.

What follows are numerous sequences in which Mark attempts to grow food and create water to sustain his crops. He moves from problem to problem, figuring out makeshift solutions. While the work details are complicated, the issues are easy enough to understand. It also helps that he states his goals and actions simply and succinctly (via some video logs). So it’s actually quite interesting to see the character attempt to grow potatoes and deal with basic issues threatening his life.

There is a certain repetitious nature to the proceedings, but the unflappable lead character carries viewers through the slower sections. Watney is a relatable, nice guy and his sense of humor helps engage audiences and sympathize with his plight. New predicaments arise quickly and wisely, audiences are given little time from one threat to the next.

After a time, communications are established and many others become involved. This includes NASA employees back on Earth (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean, Donald Glover, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig) as well as the shocked, guilt-ridden mission Captain (Jessica Chastain) and her crew (Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hernie). The Earthbound bickering and ideas about how to handle the situation break up many of the trials on Mars and add more interpersonal conflict to the proceedings.

As expected in all Scott productions, the photography is especially strong. The Mars landscapes (shot in Jordan) look otherworldly and imposing. In total the images on ground and in weightless spacecrafts that are captured by cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (Prometheus, The Walk) are consistently striking. The 3D also looks impressive, with the canyon geography adding some nice depth to the shots.

For those who are familiar with the book, there are a few minor deviations. Naturally, the film adaptation is abbreviated, a few of Mark’s troubles are edited out and there’s a more elaborate climax. Still, if you weren’t aware of the material, you wouldn’t likely miss any of it.

There are a couple of minor beefs, though. The format of solving concern after concern is repetitive. There are a lot of problems encountered and the solutions frequently lead to mission control technicians breaking into wild celebrations - it all appears premature given the situation and these moments are repeated too many times.

Perhaps this critic’s biggest concern is that there’s little in the way of subtext. Despite all of the bells and whistles, this is a simple story about man overcoming the elements. That’s all well and good, but there isn’t any more to be gleaned from the story than what appears before you. You’ll enjoy it once, but one might not gain any more insight from repeat viewings.

Still, as critiques go, that isn’t much to complain about. On the whole, this is a very strong adaptation and an incredibly enjoyable film. It’s hard to imagine this particular story being told in a more effectively or exciting way. There can be no doubt that The Martian is a surefire crowd-pleaser that will play well to armchair space travelers all season long.

Rating: «« out of 4

Running Time: 122 min.

Ever considered a perilous trek up the highest mountain on Earth? Everest may certainly dissuade any thoughts with a cold, harsh re-creation of what is perhaps the mountain’s most infamous tragedy. As disaster films go, it features some great visuals and several tense moments. Yet it occasionally suffers from a lack of focus on a central role. While the events as depicted are harrowing, the storytelling leaves some emotional distance between the viewer and the characters.

Based on the ill-fated 1996 excursion to the summit peak, the plot follows two commercial tour groups that assist adventure seekers up Everest. The focus is on Adventure Consultants’ owner Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) and his group of clients. They include a brash Texan (Josh Brolin) and a postal worker (John Hawkes) making his second and final attempt at the peak. Also along for the trip are the members of, Mountain Madness, a competing company headed by Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal).

As events progress, mistakes are made by just about all involved. With all the trips being made, there are numerous bottlenecks along the route and security ropes aren’t properly installed, leading to various delays. That, along with the low oxygen levels, inexperience of several climbers and personal competition between the various businesses are a recipe for trouble. And before long, it finds them.

Clark still manages to make his character likable despite some questionable decisions made (of course, it’s always easy to judge in hindsight). We certainly feel empathy and sympathy for him and his struggle to succeed with his business, as well as help clients and friends achieve their dreams. Still, we don’t feel it quite as intensely as hoped.

This is a fictionalized account, and part of the problem may be due to the fact that it’s an ensemble piece with a dozen or more characters; the massive cast also includes Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley and Emily Watson. Several get a bit lost in the shuffle. As events take a turn for the worse in the final third, we lose focus as the point-of-view shifts around. While some roles are clearly defined, most of the characters are heavily bundled for large chunks of the movie and it results in occasional difficulty determining who is onscreen (particularly when it comes to tour group crew members).

There are other storytelling decisions that may account for the lack of emotional investment. The movie frequently emphasizes how dangerous the hike is and that one omission could lead to instant death. When mistake after mistake is highlighted in such a short span of screen time, some of that compassion is diffused. And a few less-than-subtle disaster film conventions can’t help but wedge their way into the proceedings. While many events really happened (teary-eyed goodbyes, sacrifices for the team, an inspirational action of hope and survival against the forces of nature), in this particular staging of the story, they still can’t help but come across as grandly mounted genre tropes. At least there is plenty to enjoy on the technical side. The action is impressive and there are effectively cringe-inducing moments as blizzards and other maladies occur (including a character who suffers horrific frostbite on various areas of his body). As expected, the scenery is fantastic and there are some striking individual scenes that really maximize the incredible height and depth of the mountain. This includes a gorge crossing sequence and even a few smaller moments that include a character point-of-view exiting a tent and reveling in a spectacular Nepal landscape. The IMAX experience definitely helps in these moments, although just as much of the movie takes place in whiteout conditions and cramped tents.

Overall, I enjoyed Everest, although more for its technical merits than the narrative abilities. Additionally, the actors should be complimented in selling characters whom we don’t get to spend a lot of time with. For this reviewer, it is ultimately not a great movie, but it is a good disaster flick that recounts the more harrowing details of this unfortunate journey with skill.

This year’s Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial proved once again that a rich culture still thrives, keeping the crowd as excited as ever.

One particular crowd-pleasing Native American performing group is Danza Mexi’cayotl, which translates as “The Dance of the Aztec/Mexican People.”

Group leader Mario Aguilar has been performing in the Ceremonial with his family for quite some time.

“I started when I was 19, and that was almost 42 years ago,” Aguilar, who began dancing while attending San Diego State University, said.

At that time, “Mexican people in the United States were calling ourselves Chicanos,” Aguilar said. But they were also beginning to discover and explore their Indigenous roots.

“We realized our foods, our blood were Native Americans — our faces, our traditions were Native American heritage, and all this time, we were always told we were Spanish. We never knew that we were Native American, so this was a great time for us to discover all of our traditions, history, our indigenous roots in Mexico.”

Aguilar and his group, which consists of 50 people, hail from the San Diego area of California. Twenty-two members of the Azteca dancers attended this year’s Ceremonial.

The group and the Mexi’cayotl Indio Cultural Center in San Diego consist of community members who, along with dancing, also work toward social justice and diversity.

Aguilar’s tribe comes from Mexico.

“My tribe is Nahua Otomi, meaning ‘Aztec,’” he said. “These are the people who have been up in the mountains of Mexico 8,000 years ago, which is the oldest tribe in Mexico.”

The tribe’s roots extend before the Aztecs, Mayans, or Toltecs, Aguilar said.

“These are the ones that kept our traditions alive; when the Spanish came, they were forced to become Catholics,” he noted.

A result of the Catholic take-over was the integration of Catholic tradition into that of Aguilar’s tribe.

“So instead of dancing for the Mother Earth,” he explained, “we’re going to dance for the Mother of Christ; instead of dancing for the Sun, we’re going to dance for Son of God; instead of dancing for the Magay spirit, we’re going to dance for this saint.”

While the façade may have changed, the traditions, whether Catholic or Native American in name, remain the same.

“They just converted everything,” Aguilar said, “but we still dance the same traditions, but now with Christian and Native American traditions and meanings.”

By Dee Velasco

Sun Correspondent

Rating: «« out of 4

Running Time: 131 min.

First things first - there are no mazes in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, although there is plenty of running. That might be a little peculiar to series newbies and will also disappoint any labyrinth enthusiasts. Instead, this film picks up right where the original ended, taking its hero on a dangerous journey to find a better life outside his confines.

As expected, there are plenty of similarities between this young adult series and other dystopia-themed titles of its genre. While the flick doesn’t offer a whole lot that is new, it is a slick and well-produced effort that, if nothing else, should appeal to its target demographic.

After the events of the first film, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) has broken out of the bizarre maze world that he once inhabited. Having reached the outside with friends and love interest Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), he is immediately picked up by a soldier named Janson (Aiden Gillen). The military man praises the youngsters for breaking free and takes them to a secure location, promising to place them all in safe homes.

Of course, there are complications. The protagonists soon find themselves on the run from infected wasteland zombies, and come into contact with Vince (Barry Pepper) and Mary (Lili Taylor), leaders of a resistance movement. Early on, the story builds an effective sense of mystery around Janson and their new digs. There’s a lot of sneaking around the facility and spying on others, building some tension in the process.

As this section of the movie ends, the remainder becomes an extended chase and somewhat episodic in nature. The heavy emphasis on action probably serves the film well and keeps events moving at a brisk pace. The zombies are fast moving and it leads to some very intense sequences, including an exciting struggle in a precariously half-toppled building on top of a cracking window pane. There’s also a scary bit in which infected parties come to life in a darkened tunnel (it works better if you don’t ask yourself why the leads would decide to go into a passageway filled with dead bodies in the first place).

It’s when things slow down that the movie isn’t quite as successful. There are a lot of characters in the movie and not nearly enough time to develop them all. While some segments work well, others feel a bit forced and silly (including a trip to an opium den... remember kids, drugs are bad!). The relationship between Thomas and Teresa becomes strained as well. It’s handled in a rather obvious and predictable way - they don’t spend enough time together in the film for us to really care about their plight.

While the action in the climax is handled well, one also can’t help but feel a little let down. It’s no surprise that the film doesn’t resolve anything, merely putting the pieces in place for the next (and presumably final) film. That’s to be expected, but the overall effect leaves one with the feeling that a lot of this tale is superfluous.

Still, it’s a slickly produced effort that is more than technically proficient at delivering action. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is not likely to stay in the memory bank for a long while, but it is a perfectly capable picture that will entertain its fan base. Despite some eye-rolling teen drama, underdeveloped new characters and a distinct lack of actual mazes, it’s an efficient action adventure. Maybe they’ll find a way to work a confusing web of passageways into the next one - otherwise they might want to consider simply referring to it as “The Runner” from here on out.