Gravity is a stunning achievement

      Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is breathtakingly beautiful and nail bitingly suspenseful at the same time.   Cuarón has probably made the most effective use of 3D effects to date to tell a story that is at once both simple and profound.   Astraunts out on a fairly routine space walk to install some software in a telescope encounter trouble when an old satellite being demolished sends debris hurling towards them at devastating speeds.   Stranded and running out of fuel and oxygen the stories becomes a triumph of (wo)man over nature in the vast, uninhabitable nothingness of space.
     
       The special effects are front and center with jaw dropping sequences of astronauts spinning and floating into the endless blackness of space.  What sets the effects apart from other films is that instead of using the 3D for cheaper pop-out shock moments the effects here are used to grant a depth to everything that is happening.  You can stare deep into space, see the earth below or tiny light offering a beacon of hope in the distance.  There are a few instances of things jumping out at you, but they are used sparingly and thus more effectively that say the endless onslaught of weapons jumping out in lesser films like the more recent Resident Evil sequels.

      Aside from the impressive effects Gravity also boasts some of the best assets a film can have: a proper film director and two proper MOVIE STARS in the full sense of the word.  Cuarón is not the most prolific filmmaker but all of his work is incredibly solid.  From the sexy character piece Y Tu Mamá También to action fare like Children of Men or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (far and away the best film in the series) all of Cuarón's efforts have a confidence and effortlessness to them that sets them apart.  His directing prowess is match by two of the last remaining legitimate film stars in the world.  Sandra Bullocks gives an excellent performance that in lesser years would guaranty her awards, but this year is a tight race and being obscured by a helmet for most of the film can make it an uphill battle.  Clooney can be overpraised and overvalued but in the right roles, like here, he still has a charm and a strength of screen presence that few can match.  There is no question about it though, this is Sandra's film to carry and she delivers.

      A simple store, great film making and strong performances all work to support one of the most impressive technical feats in recent memory.  I usually think paying more for IMAX or 3D is a bit of a waste but Gravity is the rare movie that demands to be experienced to it's fullest, while it is still in theaters be sure to research and go see it at the biggest or best screen in your area this is a rare time where it is toally worth it.

Is Dolce and Gabana, hello!

I went and saw Bruno Wednesday with my BFF and we had a gay old time to say the least. It is a very raunchy and outragouse good time if you are not the sort of person who is easily offened. I'd say that it's a movie to go to in the theaters just so that you can easedrop on the reactions of those around you, wich from time to tme were almost funnier than the movie. Below is my review:

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno is a hilarious attempt to shock the masses with the wild antics of an outlandishly gay Austrian. Using a similar mocumentary style to that of his 2006 smash hit Bruno, Cohen poses in disguise to reveal the not so hidden prejudices many have against gay and/or European. The plot centers on titular character Bruno, an recently fired Austrian fashion TV presenter, trying to make it big in Hollywood. Bruno travels around the US and as far as the Middle East to find the secret of success in America.

Bruno is a hysterically funny film for those who are not easily offended by graphic nudity, homosexuality, foul language, child endangerment and ethnic stereotypes. The comedy works well in every sketch. The best moments are those that prey on the all to common quest for fame in America, the desperate wannabes who will do anything to get ahead. Most memorably are the parents who agree to let their babies and toddlers pose under any circumstances ranging from a controversial crucifixion setting to downright dangerous stunts with bees and machinery. The sheer audacity of somebody willing to risk anything for a chance to have their kids in pictures is ripe grounds for this type of satire. Other sketches involve gay conversion therapy, swingers parties, peace talks, focus groups, celebrity interviews and wrestling matches.

While the movie is funny, it doesn’t quite all work as a whole the way that Borat did. The basic premise of Borat was that he was sent with a camera crew to research American culture, so the setup for each segment was always there. In Bruno the plot has him being fire at the beginning, yet still somehow being filmed throughout his travels. It doesn’t make sense when he breaks through the fourth wall because there shouldn’t be anybody filming him. The affect is that it comes off more like The Office and less like an actual documentary, which takes away the realism of the situations. There also were a few segments that felt as if the people in them knew this was being done for comedy and weren’t acting naturally. Maybe that isn’t the case, it is possible that everybody was unsuspecting rube but it just didn’t always feel that way. The other problem I had with this movie is that from scene to scene everything felt disconnected. His departure to the Middle East offered some big laughs, but getting there on the flimsy premise that being kidnapped by terrorists would make him famous didn’t really work.

Even though there were some problems the film is definitely a fun time at the movies. It is a great movie to go to with friends and watch from between your fingers and you cringe and the increasingly wacky and humiliating stunts Cohen puts himself through. The genuine shock on people’s faces when he pulls a baby off a luggage carousel and outrage at his controversial photos with the child are priceless. Funny, appalling, envelope pushing there has never been a comedy quite like this before.