Gravity, The Butler and The Hunger Games - Catching Fire

Gravity was one of the most gripping experiences I have ever had at the cinema. To think that I mainly like good stories and good scripts, this was revelation. A nerve trembling rollercoaster ride where you feel that you are there with the astronauts, right up close and personal in outer space. Everything in 3D is there to let you experience exactly what it would be like to be up there when things go wrong. And they go wrong big time. This is all down to the director, Alfonso Cuaron who has made one of the definitive movies of this century, no, of all time. The actors could have been anybody, but George Clooney brings a certain "gravitas" and Sandra Bullock is fantastic. I have always loved her acting, she constantly brings that air of vulnerability to her roles, and here this is taken to an extreme. Tough but vulnerable.

I was quite disappointed with The Butler. I  thought there would be far more interaction with the eight American presidents that were served by Cecil Gains over three decades at the White House. And instead of visiting any number of critical events during this time, the movie concentrated on a family story of the civil rights movement, one which seemed far too familiar. There were some nice touches, but I felt the director, Lee Daniels didn't know what he wanted it to be. The acting was just about OK, the outstanding contribution was from Oprah Winfrey as the wife and mother. The film has been referred to as something like Forest Gump, but it is nothing near as good.

I had no better luck with The Hunger Games - Catching Fire despite the excellent reviews. The second in the trilogy is not much more than a rehash of the original with a bigger budget. The first half hour is OK when the media circus homes in on it's heroine from the last Hunger Games. But the rest is just a repeat. Cutting the film down by half an hour might have been the best idea.