'Gravity' pulls its weight well

Rating: 8/10 (13 January 2014)

Despite a mere 91-minute running time, director Alfonso Cauron makes every minute count with a gripping story of survival against impossible odds. The visuals in this film are so beautiful, it's almost as if it should be part of the National Air & Space Museum's archival footage. The action sequences are heart-pounding and relentless. Sandra Bullock pulls out all the stops with her picture-perfect performance. If you've seen this movie, you could probably imagine Ryan Stone being you in that situation. I walked away from this movie wondering what might happen if I were forced to confront such a predicament. This small, yet masterfully made film has it all. Emotion, action, suspense, comedy, drama, horror, you name it. Maybe not as broad of a scope in its plot as we've come to expect in recent years, but most certainly a movie that is a true testament to the human spirit.
With the Oscar nominations just around the corner, here are my choices to nominate this film for:
BEST PICTURE BEST ACTRESS BEST DIRECTOR (potential front-runner) BEST FILM EDITING BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (potential front-runner) BEST ORIGINAL SCORE BEST SOUND EDITING (potential front-runner) BEST SOUND MIXING BEST VISUAL EFFECTS (potential front-runner)