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Thus begins another chapter in the saga of the legendary MI6 agent. Continuing the story where Skyfall left off, the British intelligence community is in disarray because of the death of M and a government agency is trying to make the secret agents obsolete. After leaving a personal mission in Mexico City, James finds himself suspended from the agency. During his dramatic mission Mexico, he gains a lead to a mysterious organisation called Spectre that is connected with terrorist activity around the world. He decides to keep busy during his suspension. As he digs deeper into his new found information, he not only finds that this group is a threat to the world's security and it forces him to confront more elements from his past. James must follow his leads and instincts to find the meaning behind Spectre's plans and answers to his suspicions before this mysterious force controls the world.

With all of the Bond films, comparisons are inevitable. In comparison to Skyfall, this spy outing is second best, but on the scale of all Bond films, Spectre would still be at the top of the list. It is not as groundbreaking as its predecessor, because it is more of the second chapter to James Bond's history. What was captivating about the first film was director Sam Mendes cinematic eye and preference for majestic scenery. His abilities for cinematography are stunning, but he can have a tendency to linger a bit too long for an espionage tale. The beautiful worldwide landscapes can be a strength and a weakness for Mendes and for Spectre it is the latter. This Bond film is too long, because James must traverse through extensive scenery in some of the world's most picturesque locations. Fortunately, the beautiful scenery is pieced together with brilliantly choreographed chase sequences, fight scenes and a captivating support cast that save this episode within the franchise.

Daniel Craig continues to hold confidently onto the mantel of 007 and he proves that he still deserves to be the face of the franchise. Admittedly, he is one of the best Bonds and will be hard to replace. His only limitation is the character of James Bond. Spectre shows the value of the agent programme, but the challenge is to the ideology of the 007 qualities. He looks great in the vast array of costume changes, he proves his moxy in any fight scene, but the treatment of his lead women seems a bit antiquated. To have these strong female characters to go weak at the knees for the British agent becomes comical in this modern era. The crowd actually laughed before one of the inevitable scenes of passion. To see Monica Bellucci and Léa Seydoux become putty in his hands within moments of meeting the secret agent seems unbelievable and is a waste of some of the best women to cross paths with the martini drinking assassin.

What differentiates great Bond films from the mediocre is the villain and this is what makes Spectre a distant second to Skyfall. In this outing, Mendes has to deliver three villains in an attempt to defeat Bond. Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Bastards) has made a career of portraying cinematic villains, but this one was a miss. He has the voice, but not the presence to go toe to toe with Daniel Craig's interpretation of Bond. The two time Academy Award winner has the acting chops, but he is not allowed to develop this character to much more than a shadow of Silva (Javier Bardem)in Skyfall. Mendes attempts to add muscle to the fight against the MI6 team by including Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) as the assassin, Hinx. Unfortunately, like the woman in the film, he is under-utilised and it is completely unbelievable that Craig could deliver any sort of damage to this hulk of a man. The saving grace for the villainy factor was Andrew Scott (Sherlock) who delivers the needed smarmy elements to provide the needed dark side to this tale of espionage.

In the long history of Bond films, Spectre qualifies as one of the better choices. It suffers by having to follow after the groundbreaking Skyfall. Sam Mendes has put his stamp on this franchise but I hope he is willing to pass the baton onto the next director to continue the Bond tradition. Fortunately, Daniel Craig and the MI6 team prove that they can carry this franchise for another day and provide a promising future for Bond.

Bigger questions: The issue is control. Who is really in control of this world? Watching Spectre leads one to think that with the right amount of money and information, anyone could run this world and control the lives of all on the planet. James Bond manages to prove that this is merely a pipe-dream for the world's wealthiest. Yet, the Bible does provide us with an answer to the question. Even when this world seems out of control, there is one who is all-knowing, all-powerful and everywhere. The God of the Bible continues to prove that despite what the media and entertainment tell us, he is in control.

Leaving the cinema... Good, but not great. Beautiful, but not breathtaking. Spectre proves to be a good follow-up to Skyfall and worth getting out to see in theatres.

Written by Russell Matthews based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingreviews #spectre

I don't have respect for people who walk on the wire with any kind of safety net. I don't really like the fact that if you fall you die, but it's part of what the wire is. - Philippe Petit

Walking into the cinema... The World Trade Centre no longer exists. To tell Philippe Petit's story without the iconic twin towers could only be taken on by the king of new CGI technology, Academy Award Award winning director, Robert Zemeckis. Will the infamous 45 minute walk make for a compelling drama?

Overall rating: 3.5 stars Cinematic value: 4 stars Big Questions value: 3 stars

The man who walked on a tight rope between the World Trade Centre towers may not be a familiar to all, but Philippe Petit's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) story is legendary. This tight-rope walk is the subject matter of books, films and even TED talks. The Walk is retold by director and writer, Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump), the master of all that is new in the realm of CGI technology. Which is a critical component to telling this magical tale, because he must reproduce the height and expanse of this illegal project that spans the World Trade Centre. A story that focuses on a rag-tag crew of risk takers who are led by Petit to undertake the impossible project of crossing the void between these man-made giants on a high wire. With the guidance of his mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), the international crew members find creative ways of getting the wires across the two buildings and allowing for Petit to meet his goal and make the crossing without any safety nets or harnesses. This true-to-life story provides the drama, artistry and humour that builds to the needed intrigue and tension that can only come from watching a high-wire performer and provides a beautiful testament to The World Trade Centre and '70s New York City.

The Walk is told in a fairy-tale manner which allows for mystical type character development and the necessary magic for a journey of this nature. The narrative provided by Joseph Gordon-Levitt feels cringe-worthy at first, because of his attempt at the French accent, but becomes appealing and believable, due to the narrator styling. He delivers a solid performance in the lead role. There may have been other French choices for the role of Petit, but this young actor fills the ballet-like shoes of the aerial performer quite well. The supporting cast rounds out the needed ensemble for the drama and humour. The players in this comical and compelling drama are portrayed in a caricature type format, which adds to the visual colour to make this a magical kaleidoscope adventure. The true brilliance of this film is found in the director. Robert Zemeckis' ability to provide ground breaking effects that pull the viewer into the story without a realisation that the effects even exist is masterful. The World Trade Centre towers no longer exist, but the director's skill and understanding of the value of good story is so captivating that it pulls you into believing that Gordon-Levitt is actually walking between the towers. Zemeckis portrays Petit's adventure as a testament to The World Trade Centre towers through great effects and creative direction which provide a beautiful cinematic experience. The Walk is a great story in the hands of a master storyteller.

Philippe Petit is a dynamic character in real life and his story plays well on the big screen. The Walk tells Petit's bigger than life event, but this story and event would not have taken place without a team. A tight rope walker has all of the crowd's attention and it seems that the focus of the work is on only one person, but the film shows that all leaders need an effective crew to make things come together. Each person on Petit's team has a specific role to play and such is the case with life, too. Based on what we can know of God is that we all have a role to play in this life. Celebrating unique events like The Walk is understandable, but hopefully we will not forget the part that each player plays in the story. We all have our place and significance in this life. Each is significant, regardless of how much attention is given to each part.

Leaving the cinema: It is not a perfect film, but Zemeckis provides an entertaining experience for all ages. Petit's story is compelling and inspiring, which is captured in this dramatic retelling.

Reel Dialogue: What are the bigger questions to consider from this film? 1. What is the value of teamwork? (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 1 Corinthians 12:20-25) 2. Does the Bible say anything about risk taking? (Proverbs 3:5, Mark 8:36) 3. Does God care about my dreams? (Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 16:3)

Written by Russell Matthews based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingreviews #thewalk

'Hi, I'm Mark Watney and I'm still alive... obviously.'

Walking into the cinema... Can Ridley Scott redeem himself? This is looking good, but skepticism persists.

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars Cinematic rating: 4.5 stars Bigger questions rating: 4.5 stars

From the opening sequence, it is clear that Mars is a desolate and harsh environment. NASA has sent a manned mission to the red planet, but due to a dangerous storm that will threaten her crew, Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) has to decide to leave the place they have temporarily called home. As they attempt to leave during the storm, one of her crew members, Mark Watney (Matt Damon), is hit by flying debris and thought to be dead. Lewis is left with the difficult choice of saving the rest of the crew or searching for Watney. Her choice is to sacrifice one for the sake of the crew and they leave Mars and Watney behind. The next day, the crew mourn their crewman without knowing that he had survived the storm. Back on Mars, the interstellar botanist has to come to terms with the challenges of being left alone on the lifeless planet with meagre food stores and no direct communication with his team or NASA. Through human ingenuity and the desire to survive, he must find a way to connect with the people who think he is dead with the hope of getting home to Earth.

Ridley Scott (Gladiator) is back in true form with The Martian and it is a reminder of this director's brilliance and what keeps his fans coming back with hopeful anticipation. This space journey incorporates whispers of past survival stories like Apollo 13, Gravity and Castaway, but Scott delivers a fresh perspective on this enduring genre. Whether it is on a remote island or in space, experiencing man's ability to survive and the lengths that their fellow humans will go to see these survivors saved is worth the price of admission. Scott manages to bring together a talent pool of actors that provide the right balance of believable performances and drama to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kristen Wiig and Chiwetel Ejiofor help to lead out a stellar cast that make for a perfect mix of characters, but ultimately, this is Matt Damon's film. His strength of character, unassuming intelligence and dry wit help to drive this story and keep it from turning into an arduous experience. The unwavering belief that he is a botanist and an astronaut provides the needed tenacity, brains and borderline arrogance to make his survival plausible. The trick for the director is to bring the audience along on the journey and make us believe Mark Watney is on Mars and providing enough hope that this space explorer can make it home. Scott manages to balance effective cinematography with a well- crafted script and the right support characters to make this unbelievable tale believable for the audience.

The difficulty in writing a review like this is trying to balance the review with potential drawbacks. The struggle is finding any. The Martian may not appeal to those who need excessive car chases or gun fights to keep their attention and the language is meant for mature audiences, but none of these elements weaken the overall entertainment value. This is an exceptionally compelling ride and should be on the must see list of anyone who enjoys good cinema.

The survival genre is ripe with points of conversation about the human condition. In a film like The Martian, the cost/benefit analysis of saving this one man's life does not make any sense. Saving this one man's life does not seem to justify the expense involved, but it shows how others are willing to risk their physical lives and livelihoods to bring Mark Watney home. Why? Some might say it is the sheer will to live, but it has to go deeper than that, because death is a natural part of life. The answer goes beyond being merely a learnt trait or evolutionary instinct. Mankind seems to be internally wired with a hope for the future. Hope for this life and even something beyond this life. The challenge is considering where this hope originates and how there can be any hope for the future. Is it in science or love of your fellow man or could it be in God? If you were challenged by the film, here is a real challenge, take time to read through Romans in the Bible to see where hope can truly be found for this life and beyond.

Leaving the cinema... On all levels, this is one of the best films of the year. A must see in 2015.

REEL DIALOGUE: What are some of the bigger questions to consider from this film? 1. What does the Bible say about hope? (Jeremiah 29:11, Roman 8:24-25) 2. Why do we care about other's survival? (Matthew 25: 35-40, 1 Peter 3:15) 3. What does this life have to offer? (Ecclesiastes, The gospel of John)

Written by Russell Matthews based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingreviews #themartian