All Things:Science Fiction/Fantasy

'Gravity' takes Alfonso Cuaron and crew on a tricky joy ride - latimes.com

The solution they settled on was to put the actors into contraptions that would spin them around just enough to make it look like they are floating while the cameras and lights did the majority of the visual work. To do so, Webber invented "The Lightbox" after Lubezki, who for the first time pre-lighted an entire film inside a computer, was inspired by the lighting design at a Peter Gabriel concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

In a studio outside London, Webber and his staff created a roughly 20-foot-tall, 10-foot-wide cube filled with LED lights in segmented panels that act as projection screens lining the walls, ceiling and floor. Each actor in turn stood in a "tilt-a-rig" — something akin to a cherry picker bucket that could tilt Bullock and Clooney forward and backward and spin them in various ways to create the illusion of tumbling head over heels, adrift in the stars. The camera, mounted on a giant robotic arm, was capable of swooping in and out, shooting from above and below, all adding to the effect of untethered movement.

"We could project an image of the Earth onto the screens spinning around Sandra," added Webber. "That way, we could have lights, and bounce lights off the space ship and all around her and it was very easy to tweak on set."
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The Spectacular ‘Mr. Nobody’ Is Finally Coming to a Theater Near You

Four years ago, a little-known bizzaro drama named Mr. Nobody premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The film starred Jared Leto, Diane Kruger, Rhys Ifans, and Sarah Polley, and despite that list of talent, the film has taken four years to hit stateside. The movie opened successfully in Belgium, for instance, three years ago. Whatever the reason is for the delay, it’s a shame because Mr. Nobody, by far and away, is the best film of 2013.

I say 2013 because the damn thing is finally coming out this year. Magnolia has set a VOD and iTunes release for September 26th and a limited theatrical run to kick off on November 1st. I would say see this movie as soon as you can, but it’s a gorgeous film that should be experienced in a theater.

If you were underwhelmed by the dramatic simplicity and sentimentality of Cloud Atlas, this is probably the movie you were hoping for. Mr. Nobody is about the choices you make in life, and how the big and little ones can affect the way things turn out. In the film you see different versions of how Mr. Nobody’s (Jared Leto) life would’ve turned out had he made certain choices, and while it can be overwhelming (and funny, entertaining, and moving), it’s more challenging than frustrating. - See more at: The Spectacular ‘Mr. Nobody’ Is Finally Coming to a Theater Near You

- See more at: The Spectacular ‘Mr. Nobody’ Is Finally Coming to a Theater Near You
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Looks like something I will wax on and on about...
 
And speaking of that...

Telluride Review: Jonathan Glazer's 'Under The Skin' Starring Scarlett Johansson | The Playlist

Johannson turns out to be perfectly cast, being able to shift from blank alien mode to kittenish seduction without ever letting you see the switch being turned on or off. Her participation won’t likely be enough to get a broad audience to “Under the Skin,” given its somber pacing and downer themes, although stills of the actress's lingerie scenes frankly might help. The denouement, while fitting as well as unexpected, may not be satisfying enough to cause a run on arthouses, either. But a cult audience with a penchant for SF morality tales may warm to this chilly girl-who-fell-to-earth story. [B+]
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Riddick (2013) Review - Dread Central

And thankfully Diesel, Twohy and the rest of the gang from Riddick really delivered on their promises to the fans out there, giving us another stunning action-packed horror/sci-fi adventure that proves there's still a lot of R-rated fun to be had at the movies even if the studios don't necessarily think that there is. Far more in line with Pitch Black than Chronicles of Riddick, this latest sequel also feels exactly like the kind of movie I would have spent my summer watching at the drive-in as a kid and there's something to be said for a movie that feels new and yet also feels like it has classic 80's sci-fi DNA coursing through its veins...

As far as the effects, both practical and visual, are concerned, Riddick looks pretty spectacular, almost like a Frank Franzetta painting come to life- extraordinary creatures and all (albeit the main alien 'baddie' is nowhere near as terrifying as those freaking pterodactyl/bat things from Pitch Black) and there's a ton of great gore to go along with the look of this fantastical world including one gag in particular that should no doubt have everyone in the theatre clapping this weekend.

With its sci-fi-loving heart in the right place, Riddick is just a total blast and undoubtedly the sequel Chronicles of Riddick should have been; long-time fans of this series will go home happy, and for those of you who had your reservations after the last installment (and justifiably so), Twohy and Diesel's truly infectious admiration and respect for this character and this world will undoubtedly win you over. Riddick may be far from cinematic perfection but it's everything I was hoping for as a fan and my fingers are crossed for more from these guys.
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James Cameron Calls 'Gravity' The "Best Space Film Ever"; Plus Watch George Clooney & Sandra Bullock Talk Film At Venice | The Playlist

In a lengthy Variety piece about the film's, er, tortured route to the big screen, a number of interesting nuggets are uncovered. One of these nuggets was the fact that David Fincher, no stranger to cutting edge techniques and envelope-pushing visual effects, told Cuaron to wait five years so that the technology could be better equipped to handle the film. "We were stubborn and said we're going to make it work," Cuaron told Variety. "But you know what? David was right. It took us 4 ? years."

Another filmmaker to weigh in on "Gravity," which stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as a pair of astronauts marooned in space after a devastating collision, was "Avatar" director James Cameron who was (wait for it) over the moon for the movie. “I was stunned, absolutely floored,” Cameron said to Variety. “I think it’s the best space photography ever done, I think it’s the best space film ever done, and it’s the movie I’ve been hungry to see for an awful long time.”
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