A space story with real Gravity

Speciality Theatre

Gravity

*****

Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney. 

Director: Alfonso Caurón

Rated: PG-13

Showing: Call 295-2751 for show times.

Runtime: 90 minutes

Drama, sci-fi, thriller

There’s a scene that comes early in Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón’s stunning tale of survival, that will absolutely take your breath away.

Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a nervous medical engineer making her first space-shuttle flight, and her far more experienced co-pilot Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), are assaulted by a storm of space debris, the detritus of a destroyed Russian satellite, that leaves them marooned and facing their own mortality. It’s an amazing sequence that not only shows a cunning use of technology but makes the case that Gravity is one of the few films that demands to be seen in 3-D IMAX.

Yet it also has an emotional and spiritual depth that, like 127 Hours, another film about man vs. isolation, transcends what might at first seem a gimmicky plot device.

The film evokes the grandeur of the cosmos from the opening shots of Stone and Kowalski outside their craft, set against the vast backdrop of the universe and a beautiful blue Earth. She’s making repairs while he (and a third astronaut that we only see from a distance) is bouncing around like a first-grader at recess.

But things take a turn for the serious when that debris field slams into them, ultimately leaving Stone alone to perhaps drift to her demise. That’s when Gravity becomes tense and suspenseful. 

Insidious: Chapter 2

**

Stars: Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey. 

Director: James Wan

Rated: PG-13

Showing: Call 295-2751 for show times.

Runtime: 135 minutes

Horror, thriller 

Chapter 2 isn’t as clever as the screenwriters seem to think, and the movie isn’t remotely as scary as the film it is following. But that’s not to say that it isn’t entertaining, on some level, even if you can tell the “name” actors are waiting for the checks to clear, ready to hand off this “franchise” to lesser lights, and the sooner the better. 

Neptune Theatre

Runner Runner

**

Stars: Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton. 

Director: Brad Furman. 

Rated: R

Showing: Fri-Sat 7:30pm; Sun 5:30pm; Mon-Thurs 7:30pm.

Runtime: 91 minutes

Crime, drama, thriller.

A Princeton math genius (Justin Timberlake) who has cultivated a lucrative side gig via online poker loses his life savings and flies to Costa Rica to confront the magnate (Ben Affleck) who may have cheated him out of his money.

In its early moments, the movie evokes everything from The Social Network to Casino. By the end, the film has become as exciting as a game of Old Maid.

R-rated thrillers are hardly ever this dull and listless, but this movie manages to eradicate all of Timberlake’s charisma and makes you flash back to Affleck’s Paycheck / Gigli era. 

Liberty Theatre

Baggage Claim

***

Stars: Paula Patton, Taye Diggs, Jill Scott 

Director: David E Talbert.

Rated: PG13

Showing: Fri-Sat 2:30pm; 6pm, 8:30pm; Sun 2:30pm, 5:30pm; Mon-Thurs 2:30pm, 6:30pm.

Runtime: 96 minutes

Comedy

Baggage Claim is a harmless romantic comedy that follows a familiar theme: A young woman just can’t seem to find the right man. She sets out to find that true love while remaining oblivious to how the man of her dreams has always been in her life. If you can’t spot this guy, you’ve never seen a Lifetime or
Hallmark movie. 

The woman in question is flight attendant Montana Moore (Paula Patton), a perpetual bridesmaid who finally sets a 30-day timetable to find a husband. 

It would be easy to dismiss Baggage Claim for its retreaded theme, uneven script and forced acting efforts. Just like a blind date, you have to look past the flaws to find the heart. 

Southside Theatre

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2

****

Stars: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Will Forte. 

Director: Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn. 

Rated: PG

Showing: Wed-Thurs 4:30pm, 7:30pm.

Runtime: 95 minutes

Animation, comedy, family.

Save some room on your kid’s calendar for the animated film Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. This scrumptious sequel follows the same recipe as the 2009 original. A young inventor bursting with enthusiasm, Flint (voiced by Bill Hader) must try to shut down his greatest creation, a food-generating machine, before it wreaks irreversible damage. Flint and his posse must travel back to Swallow Falls, the island he inadvertently buried under layer upon layer of food in the first film. Now those comestibles have sparked to life, taking various zoomorphic forms. 

ALL REVIEWS MCT