(Film Critic) SDG Reviews 'Gravity' (for National Catholic Register)

NC Register ^ | October 3, 2013 | STEVEN D. GREYDANUS

[NYer]

Sandra Bullock shines in Alfonso Cuarón’s mesmerizing action thriller in space, a rare Hollywood spectacle with a touch of spiritual awareness.

We see so many big-budget science-fiction spectacles —  so many painstakingly realized fantasy worlds and lavishly rendered alien landscapes and environments, inhabited by extravagantly imagined extraterrestrial species, with fantastic spacecraft and starships traveling through hyperspace and all manner of wormholes, nebulae and so forth.

Yet simple weightlessness, though no more exotic than the space shuttle, remains among the most fascinating, captivating effects in any Hollywood production of recent years.

It’s an effect put to mesmerizing use by Alfonso Cuarón in his action thriller Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts on a space walk that goes terribly wrong.

Gorgeous, nerve-racking, literally awesome, Gravity takes us to a world much nearer in both time and space than Duncan Jones’ Moon; nearer even than the layer of satellites that our mobile phones and GPS devices talk to every day: only about 350 miles away, in the low Earth orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope. Roughly the distance from Los Angeles to San Francisco — but oh, that’s far enough.

Far enough for the Earth to be, not a location, but a silent third character in what is largely a simple, relentless two-character survival story. The familiar blue-and-green orb looms large in the background or reflected in space-suit visors. It is home, a place of life, of human connection — so close, yet so inaccessible.

[NYer]

Very few effects-driven movies in recent years have offered anything visually groundbreaking or novel. The ones that have — Avatar, Inception, Life of Pi — have done so through fantastic or surreal imagery. Gravity is something almost unheard of these days: a Hollywood spectacle that shows us something new, set in the universe we live in.

Ping!

[Verbosus]

I want to see the movie badly, but one thing hit me as I
watched the trailer:
Even though I like Sandra Bullock, she is a poor choice for
this move, as you know they cannot kill her off.
So all the suspense is gone because you know for certain
that all will be OK with her getting rescued.

[Verbosus]

And I still want to see it badly.

[who knows what evil?]

Clooney? Ick.

[IronJack]

Sandra Bullock, aye.

George (C)looney, nay.

The latter cancels out the former and I’ll wait for Netflix.

[rigelkentaurus]

I love science fiction, but I won’t queue this one up on Netflix ever, George clueless? yuck. No such thing as a movie with him that is worth watching.

[NYer]

Even though I like Sandra Bullock, she is a poor choice for this move, as you know they cannot kill her off.

No, I did not know that. Why can't they kill her off?

[Vendome]

LOL

that’s great you jerk.

Ruined the ending for me....

[Vendome]

naw. you can’t wait for Netflix.

This film is clearly Big Screen.

Love stories and comedies are for home.

[Tax-chick]

largely a simple, relentless two-character survival story

Bleh. If I want simple, relentless survival, I have real life.

[FrdmLvr]

I can’t imagine a more unappealing movie than this. A woman floating around in space through the whole thing? Ugh! I’ll pass.

[Rio]

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiTiKOy59o4

[PhiloBedo]

Chick Flick, with metro Clooney. Sound like a rip-off of a great space movie, Space Cowboys.

[IronJack]

Love stories and comedies are for home.

I don't do love stories and most comedies are vapid gutterfests. I've got a 72" HiDef home screen with everything but scratch-n-sniff.

I'll wait for Netflix.

[DollyCali]

Saw it today. Well done. Find the critiques here interesting from those who did not see it. Also why Netflex if Clooney is really that disgusting to you, why bother at all. Sounds more like a pocket book issue. Thanks for thread NYer!

[Vendome]

Kewel. you got the right size...

[Toespi]

Just saw Gravity. Wow! Very symbolic as to the struggle of life and the inner force to survive. There was a moment in this movie when I could not help but equate this to the battle of an unborn child, fighting against a force intent on ending its life. I doubt Clooney realizes he starred in an extremely pro-life movie.

[Jeff Chandler]

I don't do love stories and most comedies are vapid gutterfests.

Three romantic comedies worth seeing:

1. It Happened One Night — Screwball comedy: invented the genre, directed by Frank Capra, won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress & Best Screenplay. Inspiration for Bugs bunny. Invented the show some leg trope. Caused a crash in sales of t-shirts. My favorite line: "Excuse me lady, but that upon which you sit is mine." The writing alone is worth it.
    
2. Roman Holiday — Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn won Best Actress, Eddie Albert, movie won Best Costume Design and Best Writing. My favorite line: "Did you lose something?"
    
3. Romancing The Stone — Parody of romantic comedies. Tight directing, not a wasted moment. Director Robert Zemeckis has a great acting part as Juan, the drug-runner. My favorite line: "What did you do, wake up this morning and say, 'Today, I'm going to ruin a man's life'? "

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

Heard from a friend today that it’s spectacular in 3D.

I wonder though: Is this basically a retread of “The Cold Equations?”