"Gravity"

Hey everyone,

What do you know? I actually saw a movie in the theater in it's opening weekend. Apparently hell is getting very cold. :-) I had a correlation of fortunate events that lead to me having JUST enough cash to go catch a movie. But, of course, I have seemed to befriend all the people on the planet who like paying $12 to see a movie on a big screen and then sit so far back that you may as well be watching it on a 37" flat screen at home. Oy!

Ok, enough whining...

Gravity (PG-13) (Drama)
Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and Ed Harris
 

Overview - Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) has been hired by NASA to install a prototype data transmitter on an American satellite. Her crew is hit by debris from a Russian satellite and she is thrown from the ship and set adrift in space.

Review - This movie is unique in that it only has 2 on-screen actors throughout the whole movie. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are the only one's you will see. Ed Harris is the voice of NASA's Mission Control, but he never makes an appearance. Only a few movies come to mind that have tried this approach and succeeded. "Moon" in 2009 with Sam Rockwell, and "127 Hours" in 2010 with James Franco. I'm sure it has happened a few other times, but those are the ones that stick out to me. The common story line these movies all share is being alone. You're cut off from civilization and no one is coming to rescue you. That you must keep your wits about you and figure out a solution on your own. It always gets my mind wondering how I would do being adrift in space and losing oxygen with no one coming to get me. Or what I would be thinking if I were to fall into a ravine and be forced to think of cutting off my own appendage to survive. I mean, c'mon! I whine when I get a freaking paper cut!  

No one with half a brain is going to argue with me when I say that the team of Bullock, Clooney, and Harris is enough to make you think about seeing this. My brother in-law asked me to go with him and didn't bother telling me we were seeing it in 3D. Had I known that, I would have stayed home. In my experience, 3D is cool, but not for $15. Good heavens!! But, I showed up and found out it was only in 3D, and decided I would rather pay $15 than drive a half an hour home after a half an hour drive there. I was angry with him until about 25 minutes into the movie when the 3D really started to kick in. I wasn't thinking about the potential for really cool visuals when they yelled "Incoming debris!!". Needless to say that after the 25 minute mark, I stopped fighting him. And after the movie was over, I had to admit that the 3D really added an element to the film that has to be experienced. I advise anyone going to see this to spend the extra money for the 3D. It's worth it!

Clooney is on his way to becoming the next Sean Connery. By that I mean that the dude seems to only get better looking with time. The sad angle of that is that I know guys who say things like, "I hope I am that good looking at his age." and I just think about the fact that he's never been in any kind of long term relationship. He has declared to the world that he desires to be a lifetime bachelor. Which means that at the end of his life people will talk about how great an actor he was, how charming he was, and how much cash he had. But what is it all for George? Can't take your Oscars with you when you die sir. Bullock, on the other hand, though she's starting to show her age, still looks dynamite and will be able to leave a legacy.

The key to delivering on an intense movie like this is being able to make your audience feel what the actors are portraying. Alfanso Cuaron (director) is responsible for movies like "Children of Men" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". One thing that he is really good at doing is drawing the audience in. He gets them feel the despair that the characters are feeling. In "Gravity" he brings you inside Sandra's helmet and gets your heart pumping when her O2 is rising and her oxygen is depleting, when she reaches for a tether and misses, or when she sees something that might rescue her (I didn't give away any spoilers). Alfonso goes overboard on symbolism a bit, but overall I have very little to complain about regarding this film, except for the few imperfect CGI moments. But I'll overlook it for the totality of the movie.

Overall I'll give this movie a 3.5 out of 5. The movie was fantastic, but I would only own it to show other people. I can't see myself watching it over and over again on my own. But I strongly encourage anyone to make the trip to the theater and check out the 3D. It's most definitely worth your time and money.

Suggestions or comments? Email me at entertaindave@gmail.com and follow me on Twitter @entertaindave