The Martian | Movie Review

The Martian

America has spent a lot on getting Matt Damon back; we first had Saving Private Ryan, then Interstellar, and now The Martian. Why don’t they reach out to his look-alike Mark Wahlberg instead? 😛

Directed by Ridley Scott, who’s worked a set of duds in the recent past, The Martian is a movie about getting an astronaut who is incorrectly presumed dead and left behind on the planet Mars back to Earth. While I have not read Andy Weir’s novel, I thought the screenplay by  Drew Goddard was pretty weak. With the entire story line being revealed in the trailer, there wasn’t anything gripping showcased on-screen. There were also a few episodes which weren’t stitched well into the movie, and there was no effort made on establishing any characters including Matt Damon’s; he’s left on Mars, and everyone’s trying to get him back – where’s the substance and/or emotion? While the direction is alright, there were no moments of awe. Too much drama towards the climax doesn’t help either.

Matt Damon is very good in the lead role. He has put in a lot of effort to groom himself for the role, and it shows on-screen. While it might not be an Academy Award winning performance, it’s still a commendable one. Chiwetel Ejiofor is good and so is Jeff Daniels. While the rest of the cast has big names, no one stands out for they all seemed liked pawns in a game of chess – actors without character.

Music by Harry Gregson-Williams is nothing great. Use of old disco songs seemed too monotonous after a while. Editing by Pietro Scalia could have been better. Cinematography by Dariusz Wolski is good.

Is it worth your time and money?: If too much wasn’t revealed in the trailer, The Martian would probably have had more impact on the audience. Even otherwise, the weak screenplay and average direction make this an average flick.

Worth mention: Acting by Matt Damon.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10

Verdict: 7.5/10

Guilt Trip | Restaurant Review

Place: Guilt Trip
Location: Road No. 9, Banjara Hills
Cuisine: Fast-food
Meal: Dinner (with better half)

We wanted to drop into The Gallery Cafe again, but given that those guys were having an off day because of some power issues, we came down to Guilt Trip. While we’ve had desserts here on a couple of occasions before, never sat in for dinner. We settled down in a corner of their brightly lit lower floor lounge. The seating arrangements could have been more comfortable, but I guess they are fine for a small place like this one.

We ordered for a Margarita pizza, Pomodoro Pasta, and a Devils Own.

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Devils Own

The drink was served first, and this tasted alright. While the sugar was alright, I thought there was more coffee than required.

Guilt Trip Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Margarita

An oval-shaped pizza was served soon, and it looked yum. On taste front, while the crust was good, there were more than a couple of burnt edges. There could have added more cheese as well.

Guilt Trip Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Veg. Pomodoro

The Pasta turned out to be the best dish of the night. It was creamy enough, and had perfect seasoning.

To end the meal, we ordered for a Chocolate Mousse.

Guilt Trip Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Chocolate Mousse

Surprisingly, this had more white chocolate than dark chocolate (I’ve never come across a white chocolate mousse before). It tasted alright but it definitely didn’t meet my expectations. In fact, while people swear on this place for their desserts, I’ve never experienced nirvana on any of their stuff. Either my expectations are too high or other people’s tastes are very different from mine.

Overall, a passable meal. With friendly service and decent ambiance, Guilt Trip should be a good hang out joint for teenagers and college folk. Maybe I’ve grown too old to relish such atmosphere.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 663/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

Guilt Trip Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato