Books: "The Martian" -Prize from Magnavision!

In my previous DVD Feature of "The Martian" I mentioned that there was a raffle stub of sorts that was included in the DVD. The prize was a paperback copy of "The Martian". I loved the book, I already read it as an e-book (Shame! Shame! Yes I know) so it was only natural that I would want a physical copy. It would be a great addition to the humble library and the husband and the sister-in-law might want to read it too. So, I joined the contest and won! Yehey! :) 

I just followed the instructions on the stub, which entailed sending an email and text message and viola! 

I received an email that I won :) 

The book was sent to my preferred Astroplus branch for me to pick up. 

I really appreciate these little tokens, specially since purchasing DVDs may not be viewed as a particularly popular hobby. Can't wait to pick up my next one! 

'The Martian' on DVD!

A great book and a great movie which I both enjoyed (and loved) in 2015 was 'The Martian' and during my recent trip to the record store I saw that it was already out on DVD! Yeay! 

For only P550.00, the DVD comes with Special Features, including an ad for Under Armour featuring Matt Watney, our favorite lonely astronaut. I actually missed out on the last few minutes of the film, since I was in a hurry to get to work, in fear of being late :p I also knew that Paul was going to love it and my sister-in-law is also a Bio-chemist :) So-more reasons to get the DVD. 

Also, with the film bagging the 'Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)' and 'Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) for Matt Damon and being nominated for 7 awards in the upcoming Oscars, it was a no-brainer to add it to the collection. 

There was a little surprise when I opened the DVD, apparently there's a raffle contest for a chance to win a copy of 'The Martian' on paperback. Now, the book has a pretty interesting publishing history, when author Andy Weir couldn't get the support he needed from literary agents, he put the book online in serial format one chapter at a time for free on his website. Fans urged him to make an Amazon Kindle version for c99 (the minimum requirement). The Kindle version went to the top of Amazon's list of best-selling science-fiction titles and sold 35,000 copies in 3 months. This of course caught the attention of Crown Publishing who bought the rights in March 2013. 

A year later, the book debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list. So-owning a physical copy of the book and adding it to the collection would be pretty neat! Hoping to win :) 

Matt Damon: Makes Science 'Cool' in 'The Martian'

Move over Marvin-there's a new Martian in town. 

I was able to finish the novel The Martian by Andy Weir literally hours before I saw the advanced screening of the adaptation by Ridley Scott. It was one of those I-have-to-read-the-book-before-I-see-the-movie moments and I was actually glad that I did. I LOVED the book! (Book Review up soon)  and it also helped me understand the science that is the foundation of the movie. 

9 out of 10 stars! The movie was fast-paced, smart, witty and makes science and geeks (even Botany) look cool! I love that the movie takes on human survival on a whole new planet (literally) and looks into the nature of humans to help, no matter what the circumstances. 

In my opinion it was a very good adaptation from the source material, they stayed pretty much true to it expect for some liberties in the end. I guess they wanted a more exciting and daring scene and they also wanted Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain to have a bigger and more heroic part in the movie. 

Matt Damon was able to catch Mark Watney's humor and unbreakable spirit. He was perfect for the role! Some moments that were not caught in the book but was captured on screen: (SPOILERS) 

Mark Watney's weight loss. If your diet consists of strict rations and potatoes for months you would loose a few pounds and that was exactly in the movie and which was not in the book. 

Another heart wrenching moment was the emotional state of tears that Mark finds himself in as he nears the end of his ordeal. It wasn't in the book but it was just beautiful on screen. 

If you think Mark was funny on screen - he's a stand up comedian in the book! I highly recommend that you guys read the book too :) 

The movie was not only entertaining but very educational as well I had a crash course in all kinds of science, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Astronomy and I also learned a lot about NASA, space travel, manned and un-manned missions in space. The great thing about it is that you'd be so entertained, you're laughing, you wouldn't realize that you're learning a lot too and isn't that something our teachers would have wanted? :) 

The movie also has some groovy Disco soundtrack. My only dissapointment was - how come they didn't play 'Staying Alive' ?! 

Aside from Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain, the movie has a powerful supportive and colorful cast, made up of Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Micheal Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover and Sean Bean. 

From 20th Century Fox. The Martian is in cinemas on September 30! 

The Martian - Book Review

When I found out that the upcoming movie The Martian was actually based on a novel I immediately set to work reading it before I saw the movie. I was just rally curious, I had an idea about what the story was about but I really didn't have an idea or clue about the style of the author Andy Weir. Well needless to say I really enjoyed the book! 4.5 out of 5 stars! ⭐️

The Martian has a very interesting narrative as it is told through different perspectives and means. It opens with a log from Astronaut Mark Watney, he narrates in a very casual way using the vernacular, cursing and all that. Despite his situation of being left stranded in Mars, he has a very good sense of humor and you will surely find him hilarious, like stand up comedian hilarious and it is his humor along with the story which helps you (not get bored) past the science in the book. 

I may have a Bachelor in Science degree (Nursing) but I have never been one to take an interest in a Chemistry or Physics and there is a lot of that in the book, even Math (which I have never had a good relationship with) but despite my lack of love for the sciences I still enjoyed the book and I learned a lot from it. 

Author Andy Weir is the son of a particle physicist and he has a background in Computer Science did a lot of research on the material of the book, this is to ensure that it will be as realistic as possible and would be based on existing technology. Weir studied orbital mechanics, astronomy and the history of manned space flight so at least you are assured that the science is real. 

The book is not only narrated through Watney's logs but also takes turns with narratives of the different characters in the book. Some parts of the story are even told through the perspective of a piece of canvas and some Martian terrain. 

It was an enjoyable, entertaining and I must say educational read and I recommend it! You should go out and see the movie too!