Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939, 4 Stars

You probably need to like politics to see this - it is one of my all-time favourite movies. We had the opportunity to see it on the big screen recently, which was fun.

Directed by Frank Capra and featuring a great performance by James Stewart (How the West was Won 1962), they also worked together on another classic It's a Wonderful Life 1946. Many of the cast are recognizable in both films.

Jean Arthur is also superb in this (I don't believe I've seen any other films featuring her).

If you haven't seen this but like some of what I've referred to above, I think you'll enjoy it. I try to watch it regularly.

The Martian 3 Stars

I liked this movie and would see it again. It's Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), who is hard not to like and, I'm told, not hard to look at. The supporting cast does well, led by Jeff Daniels  (Pleasantville) and Jessica Chastain (The Help).

The story is as described in the trailer. It takes a different point of view on being stranded than the story in Cast Away. In both movies it takes time to set up the isolation and the feelings that go with it. And accordingly, the movie is long and does drag in places. While the feelings of loneliness, depression, and occasional spurts of joy (amongst other feelings) are well-conveyed, I expect that those emotions are developed in more detail in the book.

And that is the challenge of these types of stories - that it may be hard to create a setting that is so isolated that communications and travel take hours and days and months. And equally challenging for many of us to imagine it.

The Age of Adaline 2 Stars

This is an intriguing movie - somewhat reminiscent of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) in both subject matter and flashbacks to various eras.

Blake Lively (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Harrison Ford (American Graffiti) dominate the screen and are electric when featured together. Their performances drive the story and thus the film.

And yet there is choppiness about both the script and thus the overall movie. I'd like to see it again in order to get a better handle on those.

The Intern 2 Stars

This is a lovely little film. It has good performances by Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) and Robert De Niro (Stardust) - their chemistry on screen is quite nice. There is also a quirky role by Rene Russo (The Thomas Crown Affair) that adds delightful levity to an already light movie.

Older workers still in, or returning to, the workforce is a timely idea, especially while the baby boomers are aging (and think they're still in charge??) However, the writers felt they had to put in a few supposedly 'classic' scenes that were more than one-too-many. As a result, the movie drags while we wait to return to the main story.

Still, I'd see it again. And recommend it as a rental.