Escape to the Movies: Gravity

[SilverUchiha]

First, people have been saying this is good prior to the release of reviews? Or at least thought it looked good? Most everyone I know has thought this either looks dumb or that it's concept is not enough for a full length movie (myself included).

Second, I still don't get why people keep saying the Prisoner of Azkaban was the "best" Harry Potter movie. I still label it as the worst one.

Lastly, I might check this out, but I'm still not really fired up to see it at all.

 

[DeadCoyote]

What do you mean "russian are bad guys again"? When have they stopped being bad in american cinema and games? I mean, shurely they were shadowed by muslems, vietnameses, aliens and zombies for some time, but they never steped out of "100% villain, free to be shoot right betwin their evil communistic moustache" territory in general.

Though, to be fair - russian science right now (and the rocket science especially) is so complete mess with so incredible morrons in charge, that exsploding sattellite is kinda not that racist after all.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Second, I still don't get why people keep saying the Prisoner of Azkaban was the "best" Harry Potter movie. I still label it as the worst one.

Thank you! I came here specifically to say this. Movie critics seem to lavish Prisoner with endless praise whilst the people who actually went to see it (and anyone who actually read the book) says that it's a giant pile of rubbish.

And for all its flaws, do you know what I hate the most? That stupid circular fade in/out effect. It never made any sense to me and feels like a really odd aesthetic choice.

The only directors that I feel truly understood the world and hit the right aesthetic marks were Chris Columbus and David Yates.

 

[JimB]

Am I alone in thinking that during the final clip he showed in the review, the star pattern behind her made it look like Sandra Bullock was floating toward some kind of space-vagina? I feel like there's probably some symbolism there I'm not privy to.

 

[Ashley Blalock]

What do you mean "russian are bad guys again"? When have they stopped being bad in american cinema and games? I mean, shurely they were shadowed by muslems, vietnameses, aliens and zombies for some time, but they never steped out of "100% villain, free to be shoot right betwin their evil communistic moustache" territory in general.

Though, to be fair - russian science right now (and the rocket science especially) is so complete mess with so incredible morrons in charge, that exsploding sattellite is kinda not that racist after all.

There was a brief period of recent history when people actually thought the Russians would fix their problems with corruption and fully embrace the ideals of democracy. Sort of the idea that after they fully shook off the shackles of communism they would get to be just like the rest of Europe.

But then they started repressing free speech, kept Pussy Riot locked up under flimsy charges, sell weapons to bad people, and they don't seem to give a crap if they are a place where homophobia can be celebrated as a good thing.

Just part of our overly optimistic nature to think that change is going to bring something good instead of it still being the same bungholes just without the world domination thing.

 

[Yuuki]

The worst thing about Gravity is that it's only available in 3D, as far as I know.
I'm part of the percentage of population for whom 3D simply isn't enjoyable. The increased cost, the stupid glasses dimming the colors/contrast, just having to WEAR those stupid glasses for the entire movie, the fact that one of my eyes is blurrier than the other, and after about 30 minutes I start getting headaches. .
It doesn't matter if "this movie was made for 3D!", I don't care, for me movies are best viewed in 2D and that's that.

I'd LOVE to see this movie, but I will wait for a 2D blu-ray release.

 

[Makabriel]

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/10/poking-holes-in-the-gravity-trailer-with-nasas-help/

I am thoroughly enjoying that linked article. Thank you!

"There's also a lot of nonintuitive things that come into play with orbital dynamics," he continued. "Like, with how you fly, relative to a vehicle in low Earth orbit. It's not necessarily a point-and-shoot type thing. Orbital dynamics affect the trajectory, and so you really just want to do a couple of small pulses and then see what direction it takes you in. For the big 'lay on the gas' moves and the tumbling?well, technically feasible, but you'd run right out of prop."

THAT! Right there. To catch something ahead of your orbit, you don't accelerate towards it (prograde) unless you have absolutely no regard for propellant management. An energetic prograde burn will send you flying right over the top of the target unless you are constantly doing correction maneuvers.

It's actually far more efficient to thrust away (retrograde) from your target so you fall into a lower, faster orbit. Then you burn prograde once you intercept in order to match orbits.

NASA has confirmed that I should not watch this movie. :/

Hmm..
So I guess you didn't watch Transformers because giant talking robots are not possible. Or Harry Potter because magic isn't possible. Or Batman because there is no way a human could take that kind of punishment. Or Fast and the Furious because of the impossible car stunts ..

Your life must be rather boring if you'll only watch documentaries for entertainment.

Man it drives me absolutely bonkers these people that counter entertainment with "Here's the math on why this couldn't happen" 100 page thesis. It's a frakkin movie!!!!

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Saw the movie a few days ago. It's very, very good. My only gripe would be Bullock's character could've used a better set up. Other than that I loved it. The agoraphobia of emptiness, the claustrophobia of the spacesuit, the vertigo overall. It's really very, very good. No Oscar performances but I would't be surprised if this rakes up every cinematography and FX Academy Award next year.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

First, people have been saying this is good prior to the release of reviews? Or at least thought it looked good? Most everyone I know has thought this either looks dumb or that it's concept is not enough for a full length movie (myself included).

I too guffawed at the movie trailer first time I saw it. And I wondered how the fuck they were going to turn the concept into a movie. It works, trust me.

 

[Ticklefist]

Good movie. I really felt inspired while watching it. Upon leaving the theater, however, I would have liked a meatier script. Instead of being shown how Ryan felt I would have preferred to feel how Ryan felt.

That might be a bit much to ask but Prisoners managed to do it just fine when it made me realize I was the type of person that would torture another person given the circumstance.

 

[hooliganj]

Once upon a time, there was a rumor about a Hollywood adaptation of the Planetes manga/anime franchise, an excellent sci-fi workplace drama about a crew that collects orbital debris. I wonder if this is where the script ended up, because it seems to cover a lot of the same themes and ideas.

 

[nadesico33]

I'm apparently the only one of my friends who didn't groan at the trailer. I loved the movie, kinda wish I had access to a proper IMAX screen to see it on, and I can tell you all that my friends would probably not like it.

 

[Sylocat]

Hey, Escapist? I'd like to file a bug report regarding the ads on this video: When you roll over that one by the video and it promptly expands and blocks the entire screen? The "close" button in the upper right corner has stopped working. I clicked to close the ad and it just opened the damn site in a new window as though I'd clicked on any other part of the damn thing. I had to reload the page just so I could watch the stupid video.

I don't want to use the "A" word, but your ads are interfering with my ability to navigate your site.

 

[Ken_J]

That last shot shown from the movie just makes me think of 'Major Tom'

Man, how spooky would it be if any version of that song made onto the soundtrack? I mean, read the original David Bowie lyrics (that singing astronaut on the ISS changed a few words), and it's almost the plot of Gravity.

I was talking more about the Peter Schilling song based on Space Oddity

Earth Below us /
Drifting, Falling /
Floating Weightless /
Calling, Coming Home.

 

[Remus]

Are their visors used at all in this movie or are they open throughout? Cuz every time I see the trailer with Clooney talking about the sunrise, I think "PULL YOUR DAMN VISOR DOWN!" Earth has an atmospheric layer dedicated to stopping certain forms of radiation. Astronauts get a visor.

 

[soren7550]

Also, thank God Bob got rid of that "joke" advertisement for his book.

Indeed, especially since for the past month or so it used a joke that would have only worked if it was the last time he was trying to sell his book.

 

[thepyrethatburns]

What do you mean "russian are bad guys again"? When have they stopped being bad in american cinema and games? I mean, shurely they were shadowed by muslems, vietnameses, aliens and zombies for some time, but they never steped out of "100% villain, free to be shoot right betwin their evil communistic moustache" territory in general.

Though, to be fair - russian science right now (and the rocket science especially) is so complete mess with so incredible morrons in charge, that exsploding sattellite is kinda not that racist after all.

There was a brief period of recent history when people actually thought the Russians would fix their problems with corruption and fully embrace the ideals of democracy. Sort of the idea that after they fully shook off the shackles of communism they would get to be just like the rest of Europe.

But then they started repressing free speech, kept Pussy Riot locked up under flimsy charges, sell weapons to bad people, and they don't seem to give a crap if they are a place where homophobia can be celebrated as a good thing.

Just part of our overly optimistic nature to think that change is going to bring something good instead of it still being the same bungholes just without the world domination thing.

Oddly enough, you could exchange "Russian" and "American" and both of these posts are still correct.

 

[Makabriel]

snip
Actually, my life is rather frustrating because I'm far more observant, intelligent and educated than the average 'Murican. But you're more than welcome to continue enjoying your McDonalds.

So I'll refrain from jumping to conclusions about your personality in this response as I did the other because I, like you, find myself a bit more pragmatic than the average schmoe.

I'm one of those types that tends to think 5 steps ahead of the writers in a majority of the moves I watch. Normally I can see the plot threads long before they start to unravel in the movie itself. Suspense, thrillers.. generally bore me because of this. It's why I prefer the action types, the movies that my brain can stop trying to think ahead about and just enjoy. I love the brain candy movies. Sci-Fi, horror, Anime.. things I don't have to wrap my brain around to enjoy. My life and job already has enough of that.

Out of curiosity, what kind of movies do you generally enjoy?

 

[Raziel]

I'm so utterly disinterested in this movie. The whole premise doesn't appeal much but add sandra bullock and I'll probably change the channel even when its on tv.

 

[Tumedus]

Beyond the movie just looking dull to me, one scene that I keep seeing just ruins the appeal for me: When she detaches from the spinning arm, she flies backward and the arm continues forward. Horrible horrible physics. In space, detaching would have almost no impact on her previous trajectory, she would continue rotating with the arm, just no longer bound to it.

It may seem like a nitpick, but for a movie entirely about the experience of falling to earth from outer space, things like that just rub me the wrong way.