Gravity

Out of this world is hardly adequate to describe this film.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star as astronauts in orbit and disaster strikes when some satellites are destroyed and create a lethal wave of debris. 

Making repairs to the Hubble telescope Sandra Bullock plays a engineer/scientist Ryan Stone and George Clooney the veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski. In this role Bullock outshines Clooney in a big way. Women seem to like him but he cannot act as well as the leading lady. She has come a long way from the comedy role of Miss Congeniality and for me can be classed the best.

However the really big star of this movie is the special effects. In orbit around the Earth you experience the amazing views of our home. Early on it is explained that without air you have no sound, this phenomenon makes the disaster that follows really weird.

 Incredibly most of the film was shot in a green room and the actors had to act out looking at the spectacular sights without actually seeing it. This is where Sandra Bullock excels, she makes you believe you are there. Yes this is a movie that really should be seen on the big screen but it is not lost on the TV. Recommend you watch it as soon as possible, Apollo 13 was great this is just as good but with better effects.

Captain Philips

One thing you can always be certain of in the movie industry, if Tom Hanks is starring the movie will be worthwhile. With Captain Phillips this is an understatement, Tom Hanks plays a pirated captain with all his well known acting skills and more. This is an excellent story of modern day piracy and the difficulties of policing it.

On route from Djbouti to Mombassa Phillips and his crew are attacked by Somali pirates. Almost totally defenceless the pirates board the ship and take control. The rest and the majority of the story follows the struggle to resolve the hijack and get everyone to safety. I think it is very good at highlighting the impotence of the policing authorites in handling this very old crime. It seems to me we are still totally wrapped up in political correctness, we cannot defend ourselves, and then when we do take action we are always fighting against infringing "human rights", when none have been extended to us. It is a real problem today that we still do not have an answer to, and sadly this terrorist activity is on the increase under the guise of God?

Elysium

The world has divided with the rich leaving for an orbital habitat Elysium. The rest of the world has turned into a township/favela polluted and ridden with disease.

As a keen Sci Fi fan I was excited by the description of the film, in particular the lead casting of Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. My excitement did not last in fact I fell asleep, waking up just as the film ended. What I did see was very elaborate however the acting and script did not keep me awake - a poor sign for an action Sci Fi movie. I love Jodie Foster but this was a dreadful performance exaggerated by the accent she had to use. Some of the futuristic elements did not work, for example Matt Damon was working in a factory producing droids and pressing steel plate. Surely the droids should have been making the droids. They had the technology to cure disease and rebuild from injuries and this was standard fitment in Elysium, but was not available on earth. 

I cannot really make any further useful comments, except unless to want to see the CGI and other effects I would give this one a miss.

White House Down

White House Down and Olympus has Fallen two similar movies with same subject - The White House is attacked and defeated. I chose to watch White House Down with Channing Tatum and Jamie Fox starring.

Although you might say the plot is very predictable the film rises above that and entertains. The President ( Jamie Fox ) has just entered office and made some radical changes in troop deployments which some believe left soldiers to die unnecessarliy. Revenge for this act appears to be the motive for the attack which our hero Channing Tatum is involved. As part of the protection detail for the Secretary of State he decides to apply for the secret service and protect the President. Rejected he takes his daughter on a tour of the White House when all hell breaks loose.

The action is great, it may be a little far fetched but none the less very entertaining. For me this is one of the main criteria for a good movie, imagine going to the cinema and not being entertained, it would be a disaster. The disaster here is only on screen. 

The Walking Dead - Season 4 Finale

When I reported on the mid season break I thought it would be difficult for this series to get better. I was wrong, very wrong. When we left the group just before the break they had been fragmented into small groups trying to survive the fallout from the Governer's attack on the prison. Throughout the last few episodes the groups have headed in the direction of the Terminus with the promise of sanctuary. During this journey the survivors develop new relationships that earlier we thought would not have been possible, but it has been the reason for their survival.

In the finale Rick's group unexpectedly meets up with Daryl and his new "friends". Faced with certain death on Daryll and his group Rick turns "Walker" and bites out his attacker's throat. Even more blood flows but the outcome is positive with all the good guys staying in the game. As they reach Terminus Rick is ever cautious entering by the back door to check for anything dangerous. After introductions to they are offered a meal when Rick recognises a fob watch, and demands an explanation. This is when all hell breaks loose, coming under fire from their new hosts but importantly not getting shot. In the chase through the buildings and rooms we get a very brief glimpse of the problem with a pile of freshly butchered bones, human bones. Yes the hosts have turned cannibal, offered lunch was probably another arrival at Terminus. Cornered they are forced to enter a old railcar where they meet Maggie and Glen's group who are receiving the same hospitality. The show ends with Rick saying " they are screwing with wrong people"

Again I am left in suspense by the best show on TV and we have to wait until the Autumn for season 5, I hope.

Salamander

This Belgian subtitled TV detective drama has been slated by various TV reviewers and I fail to see why. It is different to our usual British fare and for me that is an excellent change. I am a fan of the recent trend to show subtitled dramas like The Killing and The Bridge, with subtitles you tend to get drawn in more because you have to read them or you may miss out. The main character Inspector Paul Geradi (Filip Peeters) is also very different to our usual. A maverick cop who will not let politics or his boss get in his way of solving his case.

A private bank vault is robbed of possions and documents of the high level society in Belgium, or one quote puts it "They run half the country". Paul is drawn into the consipracy deeper when his informant runs into trouble, and others connected with the robbery are also in danger. After the first two episodes it is clear his family and himself will also be in danger. It seems some people have too much to lose. Excellent drama.

Oblivion

Set in the future, when earth has albeit been abandoned, due to the Moon being nearly destroyed by an alien race. Jack Harper ( Tom Cruise) is teamed with Victoria ( Andrea Riseborough ) to secure and maintain the drones that are sucking up the remaining resources on the earth, to send to Titan the Saturn moon, where the remaining humans have evacuated to. Jack begins to think things are not quite what they seem, when a spaceship crash lands in the area.

Other notable actors are Morgan Freeman and 007's Olga Kurylenko.

The storyline is good and Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise, but the real star of the movie is the effects and creative genius who designed the CGI. The vision of the New York area is outstanding. Most is buried under ash and debris caused the moons destruction but glimpses of landmarks give the clues to the location. This movie won't be for everyone but any Sci Fi or Star Trek fans will love it.