Space, man... Space...

First off, I'm just going to say this - I don't have a frickin' CLUE how they shot this without actually being in space. Alfonso Cuaron is a great filmmaker, but with this, he either sold his soul to the devil, or he is a magician. The effects are AMAZING. AMAZING. I even paid $17.00 to see it in 3D on an IMAX screen, and I won't do that for, well, anything. For all the hoopla surrounding the effects, this is a well-made, emotional film. You probably know the story by now. Sandy B. playing an astronaut stranded in space, trying to get home. Georgie C. plays the veteran astronaut helping her out (By the way, there has never been an actor better suited to playing a veteran astronaut than George Clooney.). Chaos ensues. Crap happens. But one of Cuaron's great gifts is that he always remembers that, no matter what bells and whistles he wants to throw into a picture, the characters and the story always come first. Inbetween the chaos and the danger, there are small moments of silence and peace that really put the story together. Bullock's character has built-in baggage that gives her story an emotional heft beyond just wanting to see her live. She and Clooney have an easy chemistry that gives the story some humor and flavor. And no matter what you think of Sandra Bullock as an actress (I happen to think she's da bomb, FYI), any expectation you have will be shattered by her performance in this. It's by far the finest work of her career. Clooney's quite great, as he most always is. I'm hoping that, because this is coming out relatively early for awards season, it won't be overlooked by whatever overblown 3 and a half hour movie ends up getting all the nominations. It should get noms across the board, from sound to acting to directing. I really can't recommend it enough.