GRAVITY - A GRAVITATION OF MASTERFUL VISION

GRAVITY is entirely set in space and the only life form that you will encounter throughout the entire movie are that of two characters, Sandra Bollock and George Clooney.
There are NO menacing aliens, NO futuristic setting, NO star wars of any scale, NO post nuclear struggle and NO quest for dark ancestral entities.

You might ask then, "where o where" is the adventure, thrill or suspense that you might expect as in the case of any good sci-fi movie? What could this movie possibly offer especially with NO futuristic vision, laser marauding army, intelligent-ugly aliens or that epic space war of which the fate of all mankind is on the brink of extinction?

The vision, synchronicity, virtual lighting and innovation of Gravity is breathtaking

Comparing this with other sci-fi themed genre movies on the shelfs of DVD stores would be a mistake. Such movies as the groundbreaking Aliens or Star Wars (which I must confess that I have not watched a single screening before) all created much hype then due to it's appealing 'star alien' and engaging futuristic props as well as spacecrafts…but we have learned that even then, maybe quite despairingly, that sometime even those can't save some movies - Damon's incorrigible Elysium or Ridley Scotts disastrous Prometheus comes to mind.

Indeed, all that GRAVITY boasts are that of vast space, the art of space walking, a dreaded space debris - the space equivalent of a tsunami, empty space stations and more space nothingness of endless darkness with specks of light far yonder.

BUT PLEASE, LET ME WARN YOU - MISS THIS AT YOUR OWN PERIL!

Sandra Bullock is Mission Specialist Ryan Stone 

STORYBOARD

"At 600 Kilometres above the planet earth, the temperature fluctuates between 120 degrees Celcius and -100 degrees Celcius".

"There is nothing to carry sound. There is no oxygen, no air resistance and no air pressure".

"LIFE, is impossible"!

The movie opens with these words spread across your screen and the endless vast, dark emptiness of infinite space and the orbiting splendour of Earth.

A movie that is gravitationally (pun intended) a masterpiece

The camera then pans across and introduces us to Mission Specialist Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a medical Engineer who is on her very first space mission aboard the Space Shuttle - Explorer. She is commanded by the veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and their three strong crew (who are almost non-existent as we are only introduced to their 'voices'). During their routine mission spacewalk to repair some non-functionality of the Hubble Space Telescope, they are alerted by Houston (Mission Control - voice of Ed Harris) of a possible threat involving space debris from a Russian satellite that has exploded and its chain reaction of debris that is fast 'clouding' in their trajectory altitude and direction.

As Ryan and Matt scavenge to return to the Explorer, the high speed debris suddenly appear out from the dark space and ravages the Explorer and Hubble. In the hailstorm of debris, the mission ends up with devastating damage to the Explorer and in the process, its crew are killed. Ryan and Matt are hurled violently over space and as the debris threaten their mortality, Matt and Ryan are saved, ironically, they are detached from their tether line. But now, Ryan is hurling off into space altogether with completely no control and to her death as the oxygen level in her space suit inevitably depletes.

George Clooney is Matt Kowalski, a veteran astronaut

THE GRAVITATING 

Imagine, being thousands of miles from earth, completely on your own, floating, no sound and just vast dark space all around you, flickering lights as far away as your eyes could see and the humbling truth knowing that the debris that had just devastated your entire hope for life, will indefinitely be completing the orbital journey around earth and thus, straight at you. Your choices are, pray that either your oxygen runs out before that or by some miracle, help arrives.

Fearlessness to overcome every personal barrier drives Ryan Stone 

Help does arrive for Ryan, as Matt comes for her and the both of them carefully tether towards the Russian Space Station a few miles out as the Explorer proves to have perished indefinitely. But by now, the debris has already made their orbital circle and the oxygen level is fast depleting, including the backpack space travel fuel. The debris again hails savagely upon our space travellers and by now, the viewers are now at their seats edge and deeply immersed into this journey of absolute terror in space. Amid this, the emotional roller coaster that the viewer experience is tremendous but surprisingly, the emotional banter in the movie is kept at a minimal from start to finish. Its almost as if the viewer is left to fill in the blanks on their own or to replace these with equally personal experience of the same visceral context. In many ways, this directive is the reason why the audience will feel the suspense almost right to the end of the movie.

Space debris devastates the mission and survival of the Explorer space crew

The adversities that are conceptualised are perfectly timed, perfectly directed and brilliantly performed - interlacing with the deeply emotional moments, amid the struggle to overcome the adversity or celebrate the victorious degree of triumph. The peacefulness that come from knowing that you had survived. The surrender to the knowledge of how vast the universe is and that no human could ever understand its nature and the will to fight for your very own survival, defying the very nature and your own fears.

The movie, in its purposeful way, seem to question our very existence and our endless journey as individualistic humans are subtly interlaced into the scenes and are connotatively suggested. There is a particular scene in the movie, after an adversity of great challenge, Ryan finally hurls herself inside the safety of the Russian space station, and peeling off her space suit, to be left only clad in her under-clothing, she then, in complete peace and oneness with herself, floats in mid-air, slowly tucks her knees towards her and with the uncanny setting of the lit airlock as its background. It was reminiscent of a foetal position in the womb of the mother and at that instant, i felt this was quite the visionary strokes of both Alfonso Cuaron and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. The sense of realism and its underlying insinuations quite the triumph.

The premise of space and the cinematography and digital realism is spellbinding

WHY WATCH

Its very difficult to exactly describe why GRAVITY, is for me, THE movie that will matter for quite some time. The innovative boldness and directive brilliance of Alfonso Cuaron is breathtaking. The screen writing of both Alfonso and his son, Jonas is sheer movie philosophical mastery. The brilliance of setting the entire movie in space but being able to assert everything as true to life and as we know it, simply is magical. It is devastatingly intricately detailed in every shot that you witness. If you keenly watch, the determination to meet the exact accuracy of each scene is quite spellbinding and leaves you in desperate awe. For example, there is a scene where the reflection mirrored off Ryan's space helmet show intricately identical viewpoint to that of what Matt would view in the following scene and in yet another example, the earth landscape from space is transformed to coincide with the sun setting and the earth orbiting.

Alfonso Cuaron has set the new benchmark for movies in this genre

The concept of a single character, determined in his or her quest is all too familiar in Hollywood movies. But GRAVITY has successfully developed this adaptation to far greater heights and is set to be the new benchmark in this categorised theme. Without any reliance for the stereotypical futuristic gimmick, multi-developed characters, sexual bravado or violent gratification, Director Alfonso Cuaron has emerged quite literally - an authentic genius. Sandra Bullock is endearingly captivating as the character who we learn have tragically lost her daughter to a freak accident and in that self punishing solidarity finds herself in space, fighting for her own life and although completely lost of all hope, fights to keep her sanity and overcome her fear to survive.

Sandra Bullock in the Russian Space Station attempting to contact George Clooney

The photo realism is staggering. The incidental music is exceptionally haunting and at times, almost numbing to without any warning, suddenly fade, abruptly into complete silence. The realism of its premises and overall physical principles are simply remarkable. The pace of the story is tremendous. It's a visceral experience, almost a primal experience of velocity to the audience.

IF YOU HAVE TIME TO ONLY WATCH ONE MOVIE THEN GRAVITY SHOULD BE IT

Everything that is said, every sound that you hear, every visual that you see and every moment of the movie that you watch is almost as if it is astoundingly driven towards its own fearlessness and its eventual journey into the metaphoric connotation of adversity, failure, life, survival and re-birth.

DO NOT MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH THIS !

Rating 9 of 10

INSIDE JOB - WHAT EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD SHOULD KNOW

Before we go any further, there are two details that you must and should know. Firstly, this is a documentary film and it does not disguise itself, although it has Matt Damon in the film. Secondly, most people would take it upon themselves to avoid this like the plague. Most people are never concerned about anything unless it falls onto them like some meteor out of the blue sky. That describes the usual self indulging people that we are and I suspect that will continue to be, much oblivious to many of the 'real' concerns that would shape our future and that of our children. The mindset that we nurture seem content with individual progress, intellectual suspension and accept mediocre results and development. Thus, the usual predicaments that we find quite prevalent in society, government, workplace and within.

Charles Ferguson, director of the film is inspiring and delivers a film that begs your attention

THE STORYBOARD

"A study indicated that any individual when suddenly presented with a large amount of earnings and money, the part of the brain that is stimulated is the same part of the brain, as the use of cocaine".

The award winning documentary film 'Inside Job" is written and directed by Charles Ferguson and is narrated by actor Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, The Bourne Trilogy, True Grit).
Essentially, the film re-traces the conflicting personal agendas, selfish stupidity and the well crafted illusion of the globalised world economy as structured by the financial sector of the United States of America and exposes Wall Street trading and key politicians as part of those responsible in a corruptive financial system.

The inability of the American financial institutions to recognise and initiate appropriate action which led to the catastrophic 2008 cardiac arrest of the global financial system is interrogated at every level of the system. It weaves from one financial institution to another at breakneck speed, feeding you information about predatory loans, detailed facts about derivatives, eye opening disclosure about investment rating/credit rating and astonishing interviews into the 'underworld' of money politics, corruption and a full blown account of how the system of government is mechanised to prosper those in power and leaves the common man with nothing but despair.

Believe me, at the end of the film, you would walk away exhausted but far more knowledgable than you could ever imagine at the start of the film.

Informative and drowns the viewer into the underworld of financial crime by the financial 'mob'

THE DAMNATION
During the period 1997 to the end of 2008, a series of financial decisions and approved policies were undertaken by key financial institution figures and backed by politicians in the USA. These decisions effectively made millionaires of the politicians and key Wall Street personnel. Its trade employees all but enjoyed lucrative windfalls but would later find themselves dispensable with the burst of its financial bubble and its key banking institutions literally unable to neutralise bad debt which led to the collapse of the global financial system. The meltdown bankrupted the biggest banking groups such as Goldman Sachs, Lehmann Group, Citibank and Merril Lynch. It also affected the Insurance sector and inevitably plummeted AIG to close down worldwide. These would later lead to the domino effects around the global financial system and eventually resulted in millions of people losing their homes to foreclosures and their life savings. Almost 30 million people lost their jobs worldwide. The American government would later use public funds to pay the 'idiots' via bail out legislation which was approved by then, President Bush.

The Three Stooges? Larry, Curly and Moe of the Financial Sector?

Watching this, i could not help but notice the exact similarities although not entirely in proportion, with the situation in 'other' countries. The similarities of public funds channeled in disguise, the common method of distraction of the real issue by government, the corruptive nature always prevalent, zero integrity public figures, trade system that is inept and use of public funds with very little transparency - all key indicators of an unhealthy system - ticking like a time bomb.

The key message - the common public is acutely incapable of remotely being interested in all of these financial fallacies - until it is too late. Until it actually affected their livelihood and their future.

One of the most interesting aspect of the film was the straight up interview with these 'buffoons' and point blank questions by the production team that would catch them off-guard and often expose their 'stupidity' and idiocy. And these are the people that most of us would trust to lead and conduct themselves with power and authority on the peoples behalf. I could not help but likened the situation and to compare with 'other 'comedians' in power and authority in our very own country. How morbid and utterly ineffective we are, in spite of all that we have achieved.

Every country, at some point, has been responsible for similar risk taking and mishandling of public funds. 

WHY WATCH
It's informative, educational, empowering and rather entertaining with brilliant investigative and presentation by Charles Ferguson and his team. Matt Damon does well in narrating although I would have preferred Morgan Freeman or Jeremy Irons. It would have given the film a certain persuasion for the 'un-persuaded'. I still think that the narration by Morgan Freeman in the movie "Shawshank Redemption' was equally responsible for its runaway success.

Matt Damon narrates the documentary film

You would also be dumbfounded to learn of idiots and the flawed system that is constantly being manipulated by those in power and authority for their own personal agenda. Equally absurd was that the International Monetory Fund (IMF) chief analyst, Raghuran Rajan had in 2005, presented a paper which alerted the financial institutions of the risk and catastrophic results on the financial sector based on the undertaken policies and financial leverage afforded to investment banks and the non-regulation of CDO's. The warnings, were never taken seriously or heeded by those in power at the time.

The universal societal structure would evidently demonstrate that in any catastrophic event or situation, the common man and woman, which represent the middle class and poor, would always be the hardest hit. In comparison it is also quite unfortunate and troubling that when it arises to subjects as mundane and tiresome as finance or the depths of political sociology - most common men and women are usually disengaged and hardly interested. Until they realise that they have been the victims of an INSIDE JOB.

Do yourself a favour and please WATCH THIS.

Rating 7 out of 10.

HEAT - GUN FIRE, DE NIRO AND PACINO

'The Last of the Mohicans' which starred Daniel Day Lewis brought global recognition to director Micheal Mann. It widespread his directorial capabilities and propelled movies such as 'The Insider' (Russel Crowe), 'Collateral' (with Tom Cruise) and later 'Ali" (Will Smith playing the boxing legend) to consistent commercial success. But I'd like to think that THE movie that actually announced the arrival of Micheal Mann was 'HEAT' in 1995.

Allow me to be absolutely frank, 'HEAT' is a straight up 'cop and crook' crime story with the usual tale of personal conflicts, morality between wrong and right, good cop married to the job and crooks who elevate their profession to the equivalent of a Phd title. Throw in the obligatory love interest / action scenes and it would seem like just another roll out crime story from Hollywood - done to death!

So what does HEAT possess that sets it apart?

For a start, it pips together for the first time, two of the greatest actors to have graced the movie screens this century - Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. They had shared their name and scene in the same movie before, but had never acted together. It also brings to you a stellar cast which include Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, Jon Voigt, Amy Brenneman and Natalie Portman. It also has much action and one hell of a shoot out scene.

A scene from the armoured truck heist

THE STORYBOARD
Al Pacino plays Lt. Vincent Hanna, a Los Angeles homicide cop who is married to his job and nursing a strained relationship with his estranged wife and their teenage daughter. Robert De Niro plays Neil McCauley, a professional thief who takes his job seriously and although tries very hard not to court violence, well, unnecessary violence but when confronted or provoked, is never reluctant to engage and kill. He remains unattached to anything and famously advices to his partner in crime Chris Shiherlis (played by Val Kilmer) - "don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat, if you feel the heat around the corner".

Amy Brennan plays Robert De Niro's love interest

Jon Voigt and Robert DeNiro

WHAT UNFOLDS
The movie is set in Los Angeles against the back drop of an era that typically elevated the landscape of an American Dream slowly eroding. The authorities at the time, were usually playing a cat and mouse game as criminals were better equipped, organised and well executed. Lt.Vincent Hanna is typically the dedicated work horse homicide cop out to catch the crew that gunned down - assassination style, three of the armoured truck security guards during a botched hold-up to procure specifically a shipment of bonds, as instructed by their 'agent' (played by Jon Voigt). Little does the crew and McCauley know that the client, as it turns out, is about to double cross and not pay for the job. Worst, the thieving client  Roger Van Zant (played by William Fichtner) decides to hire some hands and lay an ambush to kill McCauley and Chris.  To make matters worse for McCauley, the trigger happy new member of his crew Waingro (played by Kevin Gage,) responsible for needlessly killing the security guards earlier, manages to escape just as McCauley tries to get rid of him.

The shoot-out scene which viewers will want to rewind

Lt. Hanna by now has the investigation in full swing and soon tracks the heist job to McCauley's crew. He steps up the surveillance but in doing so, McCauley is triggered to the 'surveillance' and thus, the cat and mouse game begins. The story interlaces between the main characters of Pacino and De Niro and their love interest and that of Val Kilmer as well, who is equally breeding marital issues with his wife, played by Ashley Judd. De Niro starts a romantic relationship with Amy Brennan, who plays a writer, whom he meets at a restaurant. Lt. Hanna has to confront his estranged wife who feels neglected and their teenage daughter who feels estranged and neglected, prompting her to slit her wrists in his bathroom.

Roger Van Zant, now feels the full extent of McCauley's reputation and grows paranoid and orders his men to terminate McCauley and his crew, at any cost. Waingro, rejuvenated with the ally that he has found in Van Zant, feels that he owes McCauley a death wish and proposes to Van Zant that he will terminate McCauley for a lucrative fee.

So, as the movie approaches the final thirty minutes, the viewer will find that the entire build-up of the characters in the movie are all furiously being propped up for the climax. By now, McCauley realises that the 'heat' is getting far too dangerous and has to make a series of decisions that would change his entire plan. In doing so and with his commitment now torn between that of his recently found love, McCauley reluctantly agrees to do one last job so that he and Amy Brennan could go away together and attempt to start a new clean life.

The showdown between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro over a cup of coffee

We finally arrive to a series of showdowns which culminate between McCauley and Van Zant, Lt. Hanna and his wife, McCauley and Amy Brennan, McCauley and Waingro and finally McCauley and Lt. Hanna. The showdowns all interlaced and ultimately building to the final showdown of the two main characters.

WHY WATCH

Midway in the movie, Micheal Mann gives us the most thrilling shoot out scene ever to be filmed. I mean, for me, it has to be THE all time shoot out scene and I dare say, it still is! The only other shoot out scene to even come close to overthrowing the posthumous accolades is from the movie 'Kingdom', at least in my opinion. The shootout begins at the doorstep of a bank and spills over onto the streets of downtown Los Angeles and thru the busy walkways of a nearby mart. The artillery cache and the intensity captured during filming of the scenes are phenomonal and the musical score accompannying simply blows the viewers away. I guarantee you that you would reach for the rewind button at least, twice.

With such a masterfully crafted shootout scene midway, this could only mean that the final showdown has now to outdo the entire build-up to its climax, and this where the movie sort of fizzles out. The climax turns out, in all expectations, to be really an anti-climax for me. But quite realistically, i suppose it would have to be something immensely spectacular to try and upheave the shootout scene earlier.

Still, this is one of the cop-crook movies that I could still put on and watch (even if just for that shoot-out scene)…..

Spectacular ammunition firing scene where even the echo of a gun firing is  projected 

Rating : 6.5 / 10