I recently saw Alfonso Cuarón's "Gravity" at the Ithaca cinema and I have mixed emotions about the film. The title sequence was quite simple. The screen reads "Gravity" as the camera dollies in and an intense, loud synth noise turns into a shot of the earth from space and complete silence. The beginning of the movie is extremely intense and one is easily distracted and annoyed by any small rustlings of candy or popcorn in the theater. Throughout the movie, one can imagine what space is like and the audience is watching the movie from space. The lack of sound is beautiful and forces the audience to become bewildered with the though of space exploration. The sounds, or lack of sound, is unlike many space movies and are realistic because in space, sound cannot travel. The shadows and lighting are great and I would like to see a behind-the-scenes video of how "Gravity" was filmed. The animation of the satellites and spaceships were very intricate and realistic. The complexity of the earth shots and movement of the astronauts was extremely realistic and was truly groundbreaking for space movies.
The only problem I had with the movie was the script and Sandra Bullock. Clooney's performance was amazing and his character was genuine. Bullock, however, lacked knowledge of her role and had many cliche one-liners. I think, visually speaking, the movie was amazing but Bullock could've easily been replaced by a more worthy actress. Cuarón didn't seem to offer much direction and Bullock seemed awkward during long takes and unnatural. The ending was quite farfetched as well. Apparently, it's pretty easy to navigate top of the line space technology with little to no training. I suggest everyone sees the movie and formulates their own opinion.
Just recently I watched Drive for the second time. I was showing my roommates because it has quickly become one of my favorite movies. I tell people that its more of an experience than a movie because the story is so loose and the dialogue so sparse that you really need to pay attention to all of the other details in order for the point to come across to you. The soundtrack is so powerful that you could probably get most of the story and tension through it without ever opening your eyes. When I watched it the second time, I couldn't ignore all of the effects that were done in After Effects. Obviously things like title scenes and credits, but there were a lot of moments where the scene was color corrected or the lights were edited. One scene in particular, Ryan Gosling stares down a former client of his until he leaves the scene. The camera stays on Goslings face for the entire action, but you can see the reflection in his eyes of the man getting up and leaving. I believe that this effect was made possible through after effects, and it blew me away both times I saw it. It's an extremely powerful moment. I think that the way the story was told with such little dialogue is so impressive and the scenes with silence are so powerful that the movie will someday be called a cult hit.
If you have not seen this movie, I more than recommend it.
