Gravity, starring one of my favourite actresses Sandra Bullock, is almost a one character movie. If not for George Clooney's brief but comedic cameo, it would definitely be so.
Such one person movies are difficult to carry through to the end without boring the audience or testing their patience. Just like the movie "Buried" starring Ryan Reynolds, how well received the movie is depends solely on the acting prowess of the actor or actress who is single-handedly responsible for the box office ratings.
Sandra looked visibly older and shrunken since the last time I saw her movie. Out alone in outer space, she had to combat her fears and worked against time to save herself and returned back to earth in one piece.
Was I impressed or entertained by her performance? Hardly, I would say. It was just alright and commendable for me. I guess such standalone movies don't quite appeal to me unless the performance deserves a standing ovation. Of course the critics and audience may not agree with me judging from how well the movie performed at the US box office and overtook the new movie "Carrie" over the opening weeks.
This was the next comedy that I watched. A movie with a soft toy usually appeals to a lot of people but not to me. Alright, I am starting to sound like a drone going on and on about the same thing.
I am not sure if I should classify this as an adult fairy tale? Starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, it is a story about a boy who had no friends and made a wish on Christmas Eve to have a teddy bear that would be friends with him for life. His wish was somehow granted and the teddy bear, hence the name Ted, grew up with him into his adult years. They remained inseparable to the extent that it affected his relationship with a girl.
To me, the pot-smoking and womanizing teddy bear was hardly appealing. It was vulgar instead. Having said that, I was definitely more entertained by this movie than the previous one.
The only truly funny moment for me was the few seconds cameo by Ryan Reynolds, in two scenes, who put up an amazing performance as one half of a gay couple. This man has real comic timing, as evident by the few comedies I watched with him in it. His early days in a TV comedic sitcom must have helped him tremendously.
Today's weather - sunny
This movie has a strong star-studded cast including (not in alphabetical or appearance order) Halle Berry, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Katherine Heigl, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Josh Duhamel, Robert De Niro, Lea Michele, Zac Efron, Alyssa Milano and Ryan Seacrest, amongst others.
I love this feel good, light-hearted, romantic comedy following last year's "Valentine's Day", which I sorely missed,which is rolled out at this time of the year to capitalize on the festive occasion of Christmas and New Year's Day. Basically, it kind of trails the events for these characters as time approaches the ball drop countdown event at New York City's Times Square. I guess the message is regardless of how bad the past, or rather current, year is, we should forego the unpleasant events and things that we cannot change but should instead appreciate the good things that happened and look forward for a better upcoming year. We all live in hope.
I particularly like the public speech, shown below, made by Hilary Swank's character Claire Morgan, Vice-President of Times Squares Alliance, when there was a technical glitch during the ball drop event. How splendid and awe-inspiring!
"It's suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the new year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and our missteps, our promises made and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures or closed ourselves down for fear of getting hurt coz that is what new year is all about - getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about what if and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight and it will drop, let's remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long."
