h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have been to see Sunshine on Leith. It was Ok. Big dance number at the end. Does that make it Scollywood?

Trailer here:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74WEwUnmH-Y

(Oh, and Craig and Charlie play a cameo in it too.)

PP.

Last night I went to see "Cloudy With a Chance of meatballs II." Very colorful and entertaining and more than a bit silly.

The Call.

Amazing film. Halle Berry in her best role to date (sticking my neck out there), a thriller which grips from beginning to end. There were times when I was hiding behind my hands and the ending was brilliant.

10/10

Last night I saw "Gravity." It was a nailbiter almost from beginning to end. Remind me never to go into space.

I read Empire's review of that film today. So there are now *two* films I want to see in the cinema (rather than on DVD) this year.

Mol

I'm rather concerned about all these people that are seeing Gravity. Not even Isaac Newton managed to actually see the stuff, and if anyone could he should really have been able to.


Geggs

What actually is the story in Gravity? All I can figure out is two people in space, one starts drifting off. And to be honest, that sounds incredibly dull and done purely to justify the cost of installing 3D in all the cinemas.

I think (from what I've heard of it) that the space shuttle they rode up on gets destroyed, and so they have to try to find a way to get back down to Earth which doesn't involve them dying horribly.

Apparently the science is pretty accurate.


Geggs

Couldn't they just launch another shuttle? Or would that be too easy?

Maybe it would take too long. Or cost too much. Or NASA won't bother if they don't know for certain that there are survivors.

I did hear that part of the plot involves a Chinese communications satellite, so maybe they need to get a message down to Earth before any help will be sent.


Geggs

I've seen it and you could say that it's just a showcase for 3D and how to keep up suspense. The 3D was not really necessary, except that it made me really dizzy (but I think I've said that already). Unless you like trying to catch flying nuts and bolts as they whizz past your nose.

If you really want to know the story: A rocket hits a satellite (this is never really expanded on, and I would have thought that that was the most important question: who fired the rocket and who/what were they aiming at and why? It's never mentioned again.)

Anyway, the exploding satellite causes a storm of debris which orbits every 90 minutes at the altitude most of the satellites and space stations and this structures the story line, giving us the extra danger of flying bits of metal every now and again.

This is probably also the reason why no shuttles or satellites could be sent to rescue them.

So George Clooney and Sandra Bullock (her character is Dr Ryan Stone - how corny can you get? - Rhinestone - geddit?) have to try and get through space to the ISS which is also unmanned and pretty much destroyed. One Soyuz capsule has gone and the other one's parachute has opened and is tangled round the bits sticking out of the space station.

Clooney has been messing around and his jetpack is empty of fuel and while he and Bullock are holding on for dear life to the ropes of the parachute which are pinging away, one by one, he jettisons himself and tells her to get into the Soyuz and fly to the Chinese station 100 km away. She is not an astronaut and repeats quite often that she was useless on the simulator.

Shall I go on...?

It's fine for a while, and quite gripping for a simple story with only two actors in space suits.

As much as I like SciFi, I have to admit it sounds a bit dull for my tastes. They're both great actors, and can pull dull roles off pretty well, but the story sounds a bit, well, pointless. I think I'll pass.

"Couldn't they just launch another shuttle? Or would that be too easy?" [Pastey]

Yes, they could, but would Dr. Stone run out of oxygen before it got to her? Probably. As it is, she barely has enough to get to the Chinese space station.

The movie makes a pretty good argument for not going into space.
The main feeling I got was being alone and largely helpless in space.

Watched About Time this evening: really powerful film that manages to be heart-warming without being saccharine and upsetting without being depressing.

It actually inspired me to do something I've had in my mind for some time. Called up my foster dad to see if I could change my RL surname to his. Feels good.

I hope to see "About Time" when it comes to my area.

Watched a sci-fi film tonight - Skyline



Giant alien ships descend on Earth and the aliens start eating people's brains.

My favourite moment is when the heroes watch an alien ship being hit by a nuclear warhead about a mile away and the only damage to their high rise flat is a window blind falls down

Good fun, great CGI.

I can'r believe that there wasn't anything better to eat on Earth than brains.

With an awful lot of the population nobody would notice the difference ...

Mol

"With an awful lot of the population nobody would notice the difference" [Mol]

That's probably true, sad to say.