A couple of experience recently that didn’t last as long as they normally do; yet I still enjoyed them (no, not that).
First off was Gravity, ninety minutes of entertainment where a cinema ticket normally buys you at least two hours. It’s classed as science fiction, and so it is; but not of the sort that involves aliens or time warps. Instead there is the shuttle and space stations and Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in space suits. Clooney behaves exactly as you might expect Clooney to behave in a space suit (or any suit), and Bullock gives a nuanced performance as a scientist not entirely comfortable with being where she is; and ultimately being extremely uncomfortable with being where she is once all sorts of shit starts happening.
But they are not the stars of the show. The star is space itself, or at least the realistic recreation of space devised by director Alfonso Cuarón and his team. The external scenes were constructed digitally, and the the actors performed in a 3 metre cube which rotated and cast the required light on their faces and suits. Bullock spent six months preparing and rehearsing her movements, breathing and lines before shooting began.
It’s an impressive technical and artistic achievement and a thing of beauty to watch; as well as being a reasonably compelling story. Ideally it should be seen in 3-D, but the local cinema was showing The Smurfs 3D when we went (priorities firmly set); so we missed that opportunity. But the following week, when we went to Bangkok, I paid a visit to the IMAX theatre and watched it in 3D; absolutely stunning. Oscars please.
If you get the chance to see it on IMAX 3D, go for it. If you think you will enjoy it at some point in the future on your TV, forget it.
On a smaller scale, I have been enjoying Device 6 on my iPad (just an iPad 2, oh the ignominy; that new iPad Air looks rather tasty…). It’s sort of a story and it’s sort of a game and it’s not like anything I have interacted with before. At the heart of it are a series of puzzles of the type where you go “I have no idea how to solve this”, “then what if I try that, and then that”, then “no wait, I need to do this”, then “done it! In retrospect it was obvious”. In other words, the best sort of puzzles. The good news is that it is clever, different, charming and engaging and you will love every minute. The bad news is that there are not many minutes of enjoyment; maybe a couple of hours, depending on how smart you are. But it is so much more satisfying than twenty hours of “Armed Assault Groin Kickers 2- Retribution™”.
So, there you are. As I told my wife afterwards, things don’t have to be long to be satisfying (no, not that).
Comments 🔗
2013-10-26| Fimgirl saysI’m more a Walt Disney fan. I still need a ‘hankie when Bambi’s mother dies. It’s one hard bastard who can handle that without tears. Classic.
2013-10-26| MeMock saysI remember you recommending trade nations for the ipad. I stupidly listened and lost a year of my life playing the damn thing. For some strange reason I just went and looked up Device 6. Thank fully it cost $5 so I didn’t down load it and more then likely just saved a year of my life. Oh and by the way - I still have one of the original ipads. I would kill for an ipad 2 ;)
2013-10-26| Spike saysI was going to watch Bambi this coming weekend; now you have ruined the ending for me.
2013-10-26| Spike saysI seem to recall I paid $3.99; which alternative reality store do you frequent?
For slightly more than that I will soon be able to sell you an iPad 2. It’s hardly scratched and most of it works.
2013-10-26| Spike saysApart from the WiFI
2013-10-26| Spike saysUnless you are REALLY close to the router
2013-10-26| Andrew saysYou can watch the sequel Bambi Meets Godzilla : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXCUBVS4kfQ …it’s much shorter so you can get back to other stuff and I won’t ruin the ending for you….
2013-10-28| MeMock saysI just went back and checked and it was $4.49. Itunes Australia really is a alternative reality store! Your sales skills at selling your ipad2 were truly remarkable, but not remarkable enough. Ipad air here I come :)-