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Monday, October 14, 2013

(Movie Review) Gravity (2013)

Things are not always as they seem. At least in Hollywood. To prove this, I am about to blow your mind. Do you realize that Sandra Bullock is actually a bigger box office draw than George Clooney? It’s true. I just ran the numbers. Before starring in Gravity, Clooney has a box office record of $1.6 billion, which is an astonishing sum of money. But Sandra blows past him with $1.96 billion. So we know that Bullock is a true box office power house. And it’s not just cheesy movies like Miss Congeniality (2000). She had been in movies like A Time to Kill (1996), 28 Days (2000) The Bling Side (2009) and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) that prove that she is much more than just a comedic actor. So WHY are many people surprised that she was picked to star in this movie? People act as if Clooney (the man who starred in Men Who Stare at Goats) was the “sure thing” and she was a “gamble”. But I assure you, she was absolutely fantastic in this film. I don’t think that I would have enjoyed it nearly as much if anyone else would have starred in it.

Storyline: Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) are on a routine spacewalk when they have an incoming message from NASA regarding shrapnel from numerous destroyed satellites that are headed in their direction. As Matt tries to help Ryan back to the ship, she is knocked off course and begins to float off site. They have approximately 90 minutes to get back on board and safely begin their trip back home before the shrapnel returns. But things are not that simple and their escape plan is riddled with obstacles that will test their resolve and their will to survive.

Worth the admission?  If there has been a single movie that I have seen this year that was worth it, it was this one. First of all, this movie is BEAUTIFUL. There is not a scene that you will not be in awe of. Second, the actors are phenomenal in this. This is basically a two person show with very little assistance from other actors. But they told your attention with almost every line and with every scene. It is the best that I have seen from Bullock and Clooney and the way that they work together is amazing.

I would also like to point out that there is so much symbolism in the film, about life, evolution, afterlife, and everything in between that it really adds some weight to certain scenes and to the movie as a whole. This is a movie that you want to see in the theater. Not only should you see it in a theater, but if you can see it in 3D (or even IMAX 3D) pay the extra money to do it. It’s worth it.


A- 


(TV Review) The Walking Dead - 30 Days Without Accident (10.13.13)

Last night was the season 4 premiere for The Walking Dead, and some people are going to cry and moan about how it was "slow". My answer to those people is that no one starts off at full speed. A season has to grow. Build. Not that this episode was soft in any way. There was a LOT of interesting stuff brought up, we see how the dynamic of the group has changed, meet some new characters (that I assume will be big players in the coming months) , and the most important thing of all....Carl's voice has started to change.

Below are the major developments of this episode and how I think that they will impact the group. *SPOILERS *

- We see that Rick has, somewhat, shunned the "sheriff" role. No more Ricktatorship. Rick is perfectly happy working in the garden and tending to the pigs. In his place, we find that a council has been set up. As we always thought that there should be, the group has now gotten large enough to where one man was never going to be able to be responsible for all of them. So the council is pretty much made up of all of the surviving original members with a few others as well. In theory, it works, but the first time something is in need of a tie breaker, Rick will be the one that makes the call

- Daryl has become a rock-star in the group.It's about damn time.

- We find that animals, one pig in the prison and one boar in the wild, is dying without cause. (more on that in a bit)

- It rained zombies. Literally. While in a convenience store a weak roof gave way and zombies began to fall through. Glenn was almost killed, a new guy named Bob was almost killed, and another new guy named Zach was killed. All in all, it was a pretty rough day for the group. But the scene that showed the zombies falling was pretty awesome. Especially the one that was suspended from the rafters by his guts.

- Rick meets a woman that he warns "if you try anything, you will lose". She then tried something....she lost.

- Carl is still having a hard time fitting in with others. He is a man-child. He has been forced to react to life like a grown man would, but he is still a kid. Adults are always going to look at him like he is a kid, but he doesn't feel like he can do the same things that other kids do. When he finally breaks and goes to "story time" to see what all of the other kids are doing, his world is pretty crushed when he finds out that Carol is actually training all of the children on how to use weapons (something that no one else seems to know about her doing).

- We continue to see a walker at the fence that has bleeding eyes.

- The only friend that Carl has is a kid named Patrick. Patrick hasn't been feeling well and excuses himself from the knife lesson that Carol is teaching. We later see Patrick stumbling through the cell-block, going to the showers, coughing excessively in the water at the shower, and while trying to cool off he passes out. Later we see that his eyes are bleeding and they have turned to look like those of the walkers. Patrick, obviously, has been infected. But no bites. Nothing. So what happened?

This all brings me to Bob. A new guy in the group. Bob was military and has been trying to work his way into the group for the past week. Seems like a nice enough guy, but you can tell that something is very off about him. Then I remembered why. Bob Stookey, in the comics, was a drunk and an Army medic. He showed up in Woodbury and became a confidant to The Governor. He even saved The Gvernor's life when Michonne mutilated his body. Now, in the TV show, he has been with this group for about 1 week. He is a struggling alcoholic (as we see from him almost taking the bottle of liquor). So I think that it is safe to assume that he is the same character. That makes me think that he is working for The Governor as a saboteur and has probably began poisoning the livestock and the areas around the prison (where wild animals would be). I think that is what killed Patrick. Patrick will now go on to, most likely, take out his whole cell block next week.

So, that is my break down and thoughts. Let me know what you think!