GRAVITY

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I thought Sandra did a great job and the imagery was great, however I just had a hard time how stupid some of the things were. I don't think anyone on a spacewalk would be zooming around and doing spins etc, let alone right next to others doing a repair....and how cavalier and fast he would approach objects, and my favorite, hop in a capsule and hit three switches and you are in a re-entry......I don't think given the ramifications of floating off in space, you would be hopping around and grabbing things to navigate around, I think you would have at least one hand firmly clamped on something before you let go of another.....There was a lot good about the movie though.

Frank

Quite right... spacecraft doing rendezvous don't zip up on each other-- they "sneak" up on each other, coming in at inches per second at most... there's a reason for that... the faster the spacecraft (or astronaut in an "MMU" or whatever) goes, the more fuel it takes to accelerate them relative to the other object... AND the more fuel it takes to DECELERATE the vehicle to a stationary position (docking or station keeping rendezvous).

Clooney's acrobatics in his MMU were very unrealistic for that reason-- and after a few minutes of that, he wouldn't have had any propellant left for anything else...

Another issue was the tethering together and going into wild gyrations... it's cinematically interesting (and good fiction) but very unrealistic-- they would need to be in a pretty much fixed relationship to each other to keep the CG and stuff in line while thrusting around in the MMU... at the very least, he would "take up the slack" in the tether and THEN apply a burst of thrust to get them going... not "whip her around" on the end of a tether, wasting fuel constantly trying to get them going in the right direction...

Later! OL JR :)
 
I finally got a chance to go out to the movies last night with my wife and we saw Gravity. I'd avoided reading this thread, and everything else about this movie until I saw it. I HATE spoilers of any kind. Even hearing a small detail can sometimes change the movie experience, so all I knew was that it was a space movie and a lot of people loved it. Good enough for me.

That was enough for me to really look forward to it and for my wife to go just because she likes me and not really looking forward to it herself. I'll say that she ended up loving it and I thought it was okay, but only because of the plot holes and scientific errors. Like many here have said, the visuals were amazing, and it deserves an Oscar for that for sure. I'm glad I went but I wish I could have gotten past the space related problems and enjoyed it more.
 
I have always thought if a movie had to be seen in 3D then it obviously couldn't stand up to critical review or be a good movie, ie. it relies too much on effects.

I was wrong.

And the fact one of my co workers saw it in 2D and was not impressed and thought it was overhyped is quite telling...of course this person is neither a space age boomer nor a techno geek, is more interested in stories of personal/human interest and likes stuff I would not see...(the recent Tarantino film for one, and recommends the Jake Gyllenhaal movie "Prisoners" over this one).
I think if my coworker had seen this in 3D maybe the opinion would be different, maybe not.

I'm convinced the 3D really adds to this movie.
That's not to say it isn't a good movie in 2D. Of course having seen it in 3D I can't say...you'll have to be the judge on that.

While my coworker claimed Kubrick's 2001 conveyed the isolation of space much better...I think she missed the point.
This movie isn't about isolation in space (which has been covered before), as much as it is about the perils that modern technology can put humans into and how resolve and maintaining a kind of coolness under pressure may be the only thing that can get you out.
It is what they called the "Right Stuff" in the begining of the manned space flight program, but it applies to all persons in all kinds of dire circumstances...trapped in a rock crevice, buried in a mine collapse, stranded in the snow covered mountains, isolated on a raft on the ocean, this is a survival story...a story of perseverance against the odds.

The 3D makes the experience so much more compelling.
Or as one reviewer stated:

"In other films, outer space has seemed romantic, but "Gravity" makes you feel what an awesome and terrible thing it is. There is no sound in space, because there is nothing to carry sound.
At one point, Bullock is sent spinning into the void, and she keeps on spinning, because there's nothing to stop her, nothing to kick against. That everything that lives and everything that has ever lived should hang suspended in the midst of such emptiness is a realization so daunting and profound that it can turn an atheist into a religious person and a religious person into an atheist. Such spiritually inspiring and destabilizing realities form the undercurrent of "Gravity."
See "Gravity" in theaters, because on television something will be lost. Alfonso Cuarón has made a rare film whose mood, soul and profundity are bound up with its images. To see such images diminished would be to see a lesser film, perhaps even a pointless one. "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tFOK4Jc6Lo&feature=youtube_gdata_player
That,Sir, was one of the most literate movie reviews I've ever read. Anywhere. Thank you for that. I went to see it yesterday and about lost it on the re-entry. you have to know he took his clues from the Texas skies after the last shuttle disaster. Still- Sandra does look good under that suit-both times! thx- MaxQ!
 
Okay, add me to the list. I waited for the hype to die off....and picked an odd showtime...Tuesday at 5:00....and yep, I was the only one in the theater....just the way I like it! Sit right in the middle...centered up on that big ass IMAX screen and surround sound system shaking the ground. Kick back in the highback leather stadium seat, feet up on the seat in front, happily vaping away on my ecig....

WOW!

What a ride....that was friggan awesome. Not much of a story really, when you think about it....that was all Hollywood, effects, knock my socks off thrill ride.

Yes, have to suspend belief and reality... but I'm not going to the Ft Worth Museum Omni Theater for a documentary....I'm going to a state of the art giant IMAX 3D shake the ground sound system "entertain me dangit" theater....well worth the $15. (Okay, $20 cause I got a large Coke)

That was fun. I'd see it again.
 
I don't care about 3D and I don't care to fork over even more for IMAX but I knew when this movie came out that I had to see it under those circumstances. I'd do it all over again in a heart beat. Absolutely breathtaking scenery. And despite some scientific discrepancies, it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is what a movie should be; an experience. I found myself on the edge of my seat the entire time.
 
So I finally watched this movie tonight and what a steaming pile of buffalo chips it was. I'll admit that I wasn't expecting it be very good given the two actors in the movie, neither one of them can act worth a dang. I had no idea that it would be THAT bad. I forced myself to watch it all the way to the miserable end, just horrible. Nice special effects though, real eye candy, but totally unbelievable
 
So has anyone seen this movie yet? I just saw it, and it is absolutely incredible. I think anyone who likes anything rocketry/space related will love this movie. Sure, there are plenty of discrepancies, but the fun part is picking those out anyway :)

Sandra Bullock actually fit really well, which surprised the heck outta me. I thought there was no way she could fit into a space fantasy/suspense movie, but she pulled it off, and actually looked pretty hot doing it too.

Also, I normally don't fall for that overpriced 3D crap, but this is a movie where you have to see it in 3D. The most stunning graphics I have ever seen. For the first 5 minutes of the movie all I could think about was how the hell they did this without actually going to space.

Anyway, end rant. What did you guys think of it?

They did film it in space....you didn't know that?
 
So I finally watched this movie tonight and what a steaming pile of buffalo chips it was. I'll admit that I wasn't expecting it be very good given the two actors in the movie, neither one of them can act worth a dang. I had no idea that it would be THAT bad. I forced myself to watch it all the way to the miserable end, just horrible. Nice special effects though, real eye candy, but totally unbelievable

I assume that you were watching it at home on DVD/BluRay or whatever people are using these days. The main draw of this movie is the fantastic special effects. In fact, if you remove the special effects and rely on the story the movie simply cannot stand on its own. That is why watching it in 3D IMAX was really the only way to experience it. The TELLING of the story visually (no matter how unbelievable) is the whole point of this movie.

Honestly, if you want a good story, read a book. Certainly don't try to get a good story out of any mainstream movies these days.
 
I saw it in IMAX 3D the week it opened and completely enjoyed it. Yes, I suspended my disbelief on the technical errors. My first and only IMAX 3D indulgence to date and hugely enjoyed it. This movie demands to be seen in this format.

I saw it on cable on a decent sized flat screen a few weeks back and still enjoyed it a lot.

Visually compelling, very entertaining and I am more than willing to forgive the poor technically accuracy. Certainly not a steaming pile of animal by-product.
 
I saw it in IMAX 3D the week it opened and completely enjoyed it. Yes, I suspended my disbelief on the technical errors. My first and only IMAX 3D indulgence to date and hugely enjoyed it. This movie demands to be seen in this format.

I saw it on cable on a decent sized flat screen a few weeks back and still enjoyed it a lot.

Visually compelling, very entertaining and I am more than willing to forgive the poor technically accuracy. Certainly not a steaming pile of animal by-product.

Depends on your definition of animal byproducts...

I'll go with JP on this one...

It was a good "waste two hours" film but like 99% of crap on the screen nowdays, it's TOTALLY unbelievable and so technically inaccurate as to be crap...

With ALL the computer resources right at their fingertips for ANYBODY to access, screenwriters nowdays are TOO D@MN LAZY to do a little friggin' research and write a technically accurate (at least passably accurate, doesn't have to be to the last detail) screenplay...

Don't waste your time with this one... if you want to see a GOOD, WELL DONE space movie, watch "Apollo 13" again... it had some minor flubs but it was MUCH MUCH better done than this turkey...

Later! OL JR :)
 
I couldn't get through the first scene. My ire was first roused when the film depicted 3 independent EVAs. Calm down, I told myself, it's Hollywood. 2nd, Clooney testing an new MMU as though he was a kid with ADHD who forgot to take his Ritalin. Calm down, I told myself. What made me change the channel was when Clooney sidles up to Bullock, in their spacesuits, like they're at the water cooler and basically said, hey baby, how _you_ doin'?

That was too much stupid in two minutes than I can deal with. It'll probably surprise no one, that I'm not a film buff.
 
I'm not sure if the reason for the inaccuracies is that the writers are ignorant or too lazy to do all the research necessary for technical accuracy. It probably has more to do with writers knowing that 90% of the audience won't recognize the technical flaws or won't care about them. It's written to appeal to a broad audience, not just to space junkies.
 
I'm not sure if the reason for the inaccuracies is that the writers are ignorant or too lazy to do all the research necessary for technical accuracy. It probably has more to do with writers knowing that 90% of the audience won't recognize the technical flaws or won't care about them. It's written to appeal to a broad audience, not just to space junkies.

NEARLY everything Hollywood makes now is strictly designed with the "lightning" principle... path of least resistance... the only question they're interested in answering accurately is "what is most likely to separate a mall rat teen from $9 bucks in ticket money the fastest?"

Given the intelligence of the AVERAGE teen nowdays, the answer is "just about anything, so long as its "cool".... "

Later! OL JR :)
 
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