'The Martian'

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Published October 7th, 2015

'The Martian'

By Derek Zemrak

"The Martian" is a true "Real Hollywood Story" that has a great back story. Bay Area resident, writer Andy Wier, began working as a computer programmer at the age of 15 at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore. He originally started "The Martian" as a free serial on his website. The popularity of "The Martian" grew and Wier made the decision to make the novel available on Amazon Kindle for a fee of 99 cents. It quickly rocketed to the Kindle's bestseller list. Crown Publishing Group came knocking and published the book, which quickly jumped to number 12 on the New York Times Best Seller's List.

What does that mean? Hollywood was next and the movie rights were sold.

"The Martian" is directed by three-time Oscar nominee Ridley Scott ("Black Hawk Down," "Gladiator," "Thelma & Louise" and "Alien"). It is Scott's best SciFi film since "Alien" and possibly his greatest film ever. The movie has a stellar cast which includes: Oscar recipient Matt Damon ("Good Will Hunting"), two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain ("Zero Dark Thirty," "The Help"), Oscar nominee Kristen Wiig, four-time Golden Globe nominee Jeff Daniels ("The Squid and the Whale," "Something Wild") and the very talented actor Michael Pena ("Ant-Man," "American Hustle").

The story begins with the top NASA crew on Mars. When a violent storm erupts, the crew must make an emergency departure from the planet. One crewmember, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon), is presumed dead and left behind on Mars. Watney must call upon all his scientific knowledge to stay alive and find a way to inform NASA on Earth that he is still alive.

"The Martian" is thrilling, intense, thought provoking and it will keep you on the edge of your seat. The wit of Damon's character will assist in breaking down the occasional scientific theory in the movie. The cinematography is amazing. I am sure "The Martian" will be receiving several awards come award season.

"The Martian" is rated PG-13 for some strong language, injury images and brief nudity, with a TRT (Total Running Time) of 2 hours and 21 minutes. A must see on the big screen.



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