In the hallowed halls of “Legendary Film Directors,” Sir Ridley Scott doesn’t need to show his ID. They know him at the door. That said, Scott hasn’t been at the helm of a the kind of runaway hit that made him a household name in a good long time.

His recent directorial work, including “The Counselor,” which I hated, and “Prometheus,” which I unhappily tolerated, are not genuine, grade-A Ridley Scott material in the vein of “Alien,” or “Gladiator.” I’m happy to report that Scott’s latest crack at it, “The Martian,” has very much more in common with the latter than the former, and it’s about time.

“The Martian” is a brilliant examination of the effort required and physical and psychological cost of survival. Matt Damon stars at Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut who becomes stranded, alone, on Mars after violent storm forces an early evacuation.

Drew Goddard, a rising star and protégé of Joss Whedon, who helmed such wonderful projects as “The Cabin in the Woods,” and the Netflix series “Daredevil,” continues to prove that he is a writer who is very keyed into what makes an idea memorable, no small feat. Goddard is smart, cunning and best of all patient. When leaving breadcrumbs, its easy to want to either put the big reveal in neon lights or pushing it out before it’s fully cooked. Goddard has an unmistakeable talent for delivering the right information at the right time.

On the acting front, Matt Damon delivers an incredible performance that is a wonderful combination of sardonic wit, brilliant scientist, and unrelenting dreamer. Being that his character is stranded on Mars, Damon was acting by himself, with few emotional catalysts to help him. Nevertheless, “The Martian” will likely go down as one of the crowning achievements of Damon’s career.

Put those three things together in one movie, visionary directing, brilliant writing and compelling acting and, well, that’s how you make a good movie. “The Martian” isn’t the best thing that these three individuals, Scott, Goddard and Damon, have ever produced, but it’s a fascinating combination of their strengths and an exemplary fusion of the different talents it takes to make a great film. I think everyone could easily enjoy this film, and it will be a welcome treat for the often-starved science-fiction fans out there.

5 of 6 stars

OK, we all want clean air for our family, friends, pets to breathe.

That’s the bottom line…but getting there — at least as it relates to federal rules for electric generating plants — is pretty tricky, and at some point, well, the path doesn’t sound like the way we do things in the United States.

The Kansas Attorney General’s office probably wants to breathe clean air too, but is challenging just how the Environmental Protection Agency is going about forcing states to order that the coal-fired power plants in their states be cleaned up. Now, those were pretty cool power plants when they were built decades ago, when the real issue was probably more about smoke coming out of the stacks than carbon dioxide.

But we’ve learned more about what’s in the smoke that comes out of those stacks. The EPA is about to publish rules on how much carbon dioxide is allowed, and those rules are going to require either massive upgrades to those plants or changes in fuels for them or that the plants just be shut down.

Now, most of us would figure that there’s a federal law that sets those emissions, or at least specific authority for the EPA to come up with rules that, well, have the effect of law.

That’s not the case now, and Kansas and about a dozen other states are challenging the specific authority for the EPA to order states to clean up their power plants, essentially to reorganize and rebuild a tremendous part of the state’s power infrastructure.

Oh, and don’t forget, that the guys who sell coal to those power plants don’t want the EPA messing with their business. They obviously don’t want to have to shift down to economy cars and “staycations” if their coal is virtually useless in the generation of electricity.

The simple solution, of course, is for Congress to pass a law that essentially gives the EPA the authority to demand cleaner power plant emissions and to eventually shift the U.S. electric industry to burning natural gas or using nuclear power or windmills or those solar energy plates.

Well, that’s not going to happen anytime soon, so the EPA is relying for its authority on some settlement agreements that it has met with some utilities, figuring that if the utilities which were sued by the EPA caved in, that cave-in constitutes the new standards that the EPA can impose on the nation.

Not quite black-and-white law, but the concept is that if that EPA agreement is good enough for the folks that the agency settled with, it ought to be good enough for everyone else generating electricity or there would have been no settlement.

The Attorney General’s office calls it “sue and settle.” That means, the state asserts, that those lawsuit settlements are being used as the basis for rules and regulations on emissions rather than actual law…or even specific authority for the EPA to make and enforce rules relating to power plant emissions.

A few Kansas legislators don’t want the EPA messing with Kansas power production and have lined up behind the attorney general in opposing those rules. That appears to work as long as the electricity produced in Kansas by any means isn’t moved across a state line and into interstate commerce.

Eventually, be assured, the generation of electricity is going to be cleaner, but the EPA rules would speed things up, and those coal power plants and the folks who sell coal for those power plants aren’t ready for that to happen yet…maybe until they are out of coal to sell.

Lots of technical legal dueling going on, and it would be simpler if there was just a federal law that says what the EPA can do.

But we’re not sure whether we can hold our breath until the issue plays out in the courts or Congress steps in, or the old coal plants just wear out.

Syndicated by Hawver News Co. of Topeka, Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit www.hawvernews.com.

No doubt you’ve noticed all the soft drinks, flavored water and sports drinks today. They’re everywhere.

While eating at a favorite restaurant the other day, I was faced with so many choices, my head started to spin.

You can’t walk into a supermarket or convenience store without bumping into the many drink offering displays either.

And flavors. Wow.

Just think of some taste you desire – fudge malted gumball, cheese yogurt yummy or silvery satin strawberry. It’s out there and you can buy it and drink it down.

Without question, the best part of these drinks for me is the packaging.

It’s unbelievable. And the creativity?

Almost too much for one to digest.

Anymore, I don’t even care what’s in the container. I just want to hold it in my hand, caress its coolness, admire its latest, unique logo and look good doing so.

While many are content with the multitude of diet sodas; and flavored waters like blackberry blush, my drink of choice is chocolate milk. I really enjoy it by the way. I have since I was a small child.

Today’s explosion of new soft drinks, flavored waters and sports drinks has one major worrisome aspect I cannot help but point out.

Pitchmen, women and kids are filling our heads with the idea these flavored drinks can be part of a well-rounded, balanced diet. Their ads and infomercials are as numerous as the products they’re selling – and they’re working.

The most alarming part of this sales pitch is that so much of it is aimed at our youth. In case you haven’t been in today’s schools, this drink deluge is very much a part of the contemporary scene.

Soft drinks have no business being considered part of a balanced diet at our schools or anywhere else. These drinks have little, if any, nutritional value.

Look at the ingredients in a soft drink the next time you pick one up. Most people wouldn’t have a clue what these ingredients are, myself included.

If students or adults want a treat – something out of the ordinary – that’s where soft drinks play a part.  To be part of a balanced diet, a food product must have nutritional value. I believe soft drinks have such a negligible amount, they cannot be considered as part of any “balanced” diet.

Unlike water, soft drinks won’t even quench your thirst. They leave you longing for a tall, cool glass of water.

Talk to a nutritionist or physician and what do they tell you we’re supposed to drink at least eight glasses of?

That’s right. Nature’s own liquid – water.

What about that wonderful white liquid chock full of calcium we call milk? Where does it fit in our daily diet?

Milk belongs in almost everyone’s diet. Nutritional research has stressed that men and women between the ages of 11 and 24 need the equivalent of five servings of dairy products daily. This can be milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream and a whole array of other good-tasting dairy foods.

Juice from oranges, grapefruit, lemons, strawberries and other fruits is another item that belongs as part of a balanced diet. Food products from natural primary crops – not always secondary, highly processed food products – are essential to our youngsters’ diets. We owe it to them and their good health to provide these.

Other vegetable drinks made from tomatoes, carrots, celery and other vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Vegetable drinks also belong as part of our daily diets.

But let’s return to soft drinks. What a brilliant stroke of marketing, linking soft, sports and flavored drinks with a well-rounded, nutritionally balanced diet. Infer something often enough and people will begin to believe. Soft drinks linked with a balanced diet and nutrition is about as palatable to me as the drink manufacturers laughing all the way to the bank.

There is no substitute for healthful, nutritious food in our daily diets. Students and adults should reach for a tall glass of water, juice or milk the next time they’re thirsty. These are truly nutritious products that belong in a daily balanced diet.

If you need to treat yourself, add chocolate to the milk. Mix a couple of the fruit juices together or just drink water. You’ll be doing yourself a favor and you’ll be supporting farmers and ranchers who supply these fresh, tasty, nutritious drinks.

Bottoms up.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.