Amazing, Flabbergasting, Awesome---Did I say Amazing?

Rating: Null/10 (8 January 2007)

Alfonso Cuaron's latest film is an action/drama about a dystopian and bleak futuristic society where women can no longer propagate, and the youngest person alive has just died.
A former activist, named Theo (played brilliantly by Clive Owen) is kidnapped by a terrorist/freedom fighter group called "The Fishes". The leader, he is surprised to find, is his ex-wife (whom they had co-parented a child who has died, with another great performance by Julianne Moore). She charges him to transport a miraculously pregnant woman named Kee to "The Human Project"--mankind's last hope for survival.
Through the rest of the film, we are bombarded with some of the most amazingly spectacular action set pieces ever put onto film. Two of which are achieved in a single, unbroken take.
Which brings me over to the technical side of the movie. Emmanuel Lubezki's eye-popping cinematography deserves an Oscar. John Tanver's score is quiet and unobtrusive--perfect for the movie. Cuaron and Alex Rodriguez edit the movie with a swiftness and perfection that deserves an Oscar nod as well.
But the person who really makes this film is Cuaron himself. Even if you don't like the film, you cannot say that it did not have its technical merits. What I'm referring to, of course, are the amazing action scenes (people who have seen the film know what I'm talking about). I know I've said it up above, but I can't describe what was going through my head when viewing the long takes. (e.g. "How the hell did they DO that?!) Anyway, CoM deserves Best Picture (although it's a tie between the Departed and this), Best Director (tie again), cinematography, editing--hell, even the actors deserve some Oscars.
Overall, an amazing film, a great technical accomplishment. This has been a great year for the three Mexican directors. They're on a roll.