Gravity (Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet Combo Pack)

3 Comments

1. Michael J. Tresca "Talien"

   March 5, 2014 at 11:02 am

   145 of 173 people found the following review helpful

   
   Heavy stuff, December 1, 2013

   By 

   Michael J. Tresca “Talien” (Fairfield, CT USA) –
     

     

   “Gravity” is the latest in a long tradition of films in which survival in a hostile environment is a series of hops from one slightly habitable sanctuary to another. It can be in a desert, underwater, or in space, but the premise is the same: one person against all odds tests her own mettle to (hopefully) survive and in doing so, come out a better person in the end. In the case of Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), it’s a form of rebirth.

   Stone is on her first mission aboard the Space Shuttle Explorer with veteran astronauts Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and Shariff Dasari (Phaldut Sharma). It’s not long before things go horribly awry in the form of a Russian missile strike on a defunct satellite, which triggers a recurring boogeyman: floating debris pierces everything in its path every 90 minutes. The cloud of debris is catastrophic, and it’s not long before Stone is on her own doing her best to survive. But does she want to? Lurking in Stone’s past is the death of her daughter due to an accident, and she has been sleepwalking through life up to this point. Kowalski (one of the few characters in Stone’s literal universe) challenges her on this point.

   And so begins a desperate struggle for Stone, alone and only partially trained, in the most hostile environment imaginable. She battles the triple threat of asphyxiation, hypothermia, and insanity. On the third point “Gravity” distinguishes itself from other films, led by Bullock’s excellent acting as a woman under extreme pressure.

   Bullock (nearly 50, if you can believe it) is stripped to her core, both emotionally and physically, until there is nothing left. And then, like a babe, must struggle her way out of tight spaces and cramped airlocks in a battle to return home. Expertly shot and breathtakingly choreographed, “Gravity” is a thrilling spectacle in 3D. It’s a heavy subject, but well worth the ride.

   0

   Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

   Was this review helpful to you? 
   

   
   |

    Comments (2)

   Reply
2. Steven Aldersley

   March 5, 2014 at 10:05 am

   199 of 231 people found the following review helpful

   
   One of the best sci-fi movies I have ever seen, October 5, 2013

   By 

   Steven Aldersley (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada) –
     

   Many people don’t take science fiction seriously, but here’s a movie that might work for those who don’t usually like the genre. There are no aliens, unknown worlds, monsters, or laser shootouts. This is a movie that’s set in the real world, or more accurately, above it.

   The story opens with a George Clooney voice-over. We meet astronauts working to repair a satellite. This shows how calm such a silent world can be. I reluctantly saw the movie in 3D, but this was one occasion that I came away feeling that it added to the experience. It almost made me dizzy seeing Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (Clooney) go about their routine business with Earth looming large in the background. Indeed, the cinematography was breathtaking throughout the 90 minutes.

   I don’t want to give away too many details, but if you have seen the trailer or even looked at the poster, you’ll know that this movie is far from being a calm ride. An accident sends debris racing toward the astronauts like some kind of deadly shrapnel. What follows is a story about the strength of the human spirit, and the will to survive against all odds. Remember that the word gravity has more than one meaning.

   While I enjoyed Sandra Bullock’s performances in The Blind Side and Speed, I would hardly describe myself as a fan. However, I left the theater thinking that she carried the whole movie, and it’s easily the most accomplished performance of her career.

   Alfonso Cuarón directed Y Tu Mamá También, Children of Men, and the best Harry Potter movie (Azkaban), but this is comfortably my favorite from his impressive portfolio. The story is lean, gripping, thoughtful, thrilling, scary, breathtaking, beautiful, and emotional, and feels perfectly paced at every point. He doesn’t insult us by giving too much exposition, and that draws us deeper into the story. His use of extreme close-ups is another reason we are drawn to these characters. It’s hard to avoid feeling that you are a part of the movie.

   As I watched, I thought of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moon, Apollo 13, Cast Away, Alien, and a few other great movies. Cuarón lets us see his characters thinking, and that’s a good thing. Remember that astronauts are not selected because they are stupid or incapable of adapting in extreme situations. I’m always impressed when I see a movie which takes the trouble to show how people really think. It’s not an easy thing to do well. This choice works perfectly and helps the whole story succeed because it’s so believable.

   Although the visuals dazzled on a regular basis, my favorite shot in the whole movie was Sandra Bullock in the fetal position. It jumped out at me as being so appropriate for the scene, and it was a stroke of genius. You’ll know what I mean when you see it. The opening titles remind us that there is no sound in space, just as Kubrick depicted almost 50 years ago.

   I admire this movie so much that I would happily watch it again tomorrow. It’s a wild 90 minutes. I left the theater feeling as if it was an effort to be back in the real world. I was totally immersed in the story to the point of being almost unable to function when it was over. I’m glad I had a long walk back to the car so that I could catch my breath.

   There are so many reasons to see this movie, even if you hate science fiction. It won’t be forgotten when the awards season arrives. See it immediately. I would even go as far to say you should see it in 3D.

   0

   Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

   Was this review helpful to you? 
   

   
   |

    Comments (16)

   Reply
3. Brian Driver

   March 5, 2014 at 9:13 am

   416 of 476 people found the following review helpful

   
   Simply Stunning Cinematography, Direction, and Acting, October 5, 2013

   By 

   Brian Driver (Louisa County, Virginia) –
     

     

   ABSOLUTELY NO SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW

   Just moments after this movie ended my daughter leaned over to me and declared, “This is the most perfect film I have ever seen in just about every way.”

   I had to agree.

   GRAVITY gives you everything: thrilling action, awesome visuals, incomparable cinematic spectacle, a terrifying scenario, an exciting adventure, and a masterpiece of minimalist characterization. They all combine in one pedal-to-the-metal slam-bam technically perfect movie that gives you equal shots of hope and hopelessness from the first frame to the very last.

   It is as electrifying a film as I have ever seen, with scarcely a down moment in it, hardly a misused frame. I won’t spend time telling you anything about the plot; if the trailers haven’t told you enough about why this film is a must see, then I can give you two words that should do it…

   Sandra Bullock.

   She is not only in practically every frame of the movie, but she exposes herself emotionally here in more ways than I could count: she is equal parts victim and heroine, emotional and calculating, frightened and bold, wounded and powerful. She is a tortured soul who reveals herself in dribs and drabs, revealing her emotional torment when it will have the most effect. The movie is as much about what HAS happened to her as what IS happening to her. She is able to make herself as interesting and captivating as the events that occur during the film, and this is important: rather than simply being a movie about a series of cascading terrors, it is equally about the human spirit, the “stuff” that lies inside us that drives us to go on when going on seems impossible.

   GRAVITY is amazing. See it in IMAX 3D if you can; it is worth the money. The technology depicted in the movie is stunning–but I imagine I will be as amazed when I finally get the DVD and find out HOW these truly amazing scenes were shot. Alfonso Cuaron does remarkable job as director, co-writer and co-editor of this absolutely wonderful accomplishment. His technically perfect movie never loses track of the actor within it–I won’t be surprised if this achieves Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Acting nominations this year, notwithstanding a half-dozen other technically-related ones.

   There have been some critics who have found fault with the movie’s accuracy when it comes to the positioning of the space stations, the likelihood of a debris field causing a “Kesslar Syndrome” this devastating, and some other technical flaws, but I will leave these people to their respective perturbations. To me it doesn’t matter if GRAVITY is science fiction or simply fiction about science. What it definitely IS is a tour de force balls-to-the-wall spectacle that will leave you gasping. Don’t miss it.

   0

   Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

   Was this review helpful to you? 
   

   
   |

    Comments (23)

   Reply