At first glance, ‘Gravity’ may not seem like much with Sandra Bullock’s character freaking out making one possibly assume that all is lost. However, you are denying yourself a visually breathtaking and out-of-this-world (sorry) experience.

On a routine spacewalk, three astronauts are told by NASA that debris from a satellite crash is headed their way. Motivated by her colleague (George Clooney), Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) must do everything possible to try to make it home safely.

A trip to IMAX 3-D is the only way to fully experience all that ‘Gravity’ has to offer. It’s easy to forget how exquisite Earth looks from above. Based on the view that the special effects team has granted audiences, it would be no surprise if this team received recognition from either the Hollywood Foreign Press or the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Not only do the images look clean and elegant, but audiences become part of the experience with the camera immersing itself into the action.

Clooney’s performance, serving as both the comedic relief and the drive behind this film, is one that makes acting look simple. As an actor who’s been in the industry for a long time, it should come as no surprise that he’s mastered it and ‘Gravity’, is proof of his talent. In combination with writers Alfonso and Jonas Cuarόn, Clooney nails his role as an experienced, low-key astronaut telling ridiculous (but funny) jokes and being the backbone to Bullock’s inexperienced and tense medical engineer.

As a sci-fi thriller set in space, ‘Gravity’ must have a score that sets the tone (pun unintended) for the entire film; it enhances this intense experience. At times, it’s the characters’ heartbeats (or our very own), it’s our warning of the coming catastrophe, and our inspiration for a satisfying outcome.

Nothing is stronger than our will to live and that life lesson is done extremely well in a scene featuring Clooney later on in the film. It’s a subtle move by the Cuarόns, but one that speaks volumes in terms of instinct.

The only downside to this film is that of Bullock’s performance. While she has proven herself worthy of an Oscar (i.e., “Blind Side”), her portrayal is a bit stale. Clooney’s presence is felt more, which is a bit disappointing considering the circumstances. Bullock holds back, however, in a role that commands everything but that very action. Considering that it is difficult to evoke an emotion other than panicked and incredibly frustrated amidst green screens, her approach to Stone seems rehearsed and empty. For the bulk of the film, she’s consistently in danger, and while contempt is felt for her situation, it’s the actual situation that calls for our sympathy rather than her reactions to what she’s experiencing.

‘Gravity’ is about one’s will to live set against an environment that makes very few things possible. Although Bullock is not at her best, it is still enough to keep us intrigued paired with Clooney’s performance (a spot-on move by casting), breathtaking cinematography, and a beautiful, yet intense score.

Jim’s Rating: 7.5/10

‘Don Jon’ centers on a man and his addiction to porn. Although that may not seem like a good time at the movies, don’t write it off just yet. This film isn’t a porno as some would want you to believe, but it’s about a young man who’s built up pornography as something of higher value than relationships.

Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), dubbed by his friends as ‘Don Jon’ for being a womanizer, is a 20-something year-old man from New   Jersey who only cares for a few things: his family, his friends, his church, his women, and his porn. His life takes a turn when he meets Barbara, a young woman whose standards rest on those portrayed in romantic comedies.

In his directorial debut, Joseph Gordon-Levitt displays his talent for writing (and directing) dramatic scenes. For the most part, with all of the characters’ interactions, we get the feeling that these conversations come from a genuine place. Gordon-Levitt disappears into his character making it difficult to believe that he’s anyone else but a guy who’s not only blind to his obsession, but repeatedly justifies his needy and neurotic behavior. It’s a role that audiences haven’t seen him tackle yet and ‘Don Jon’ has now proven his range as an actor.

Julianne Moore is Esther, an older woman who is the voice of reason for Jon in getting him to realize how too important porn has become and the effects of this in his relationship with Barbara. Our time with Esther onscreen is one of the lighter moments of the film. Moore’s depiction of her is that of a down-to-earth, outgoing woman who seems to hold it together despite her troubled past, which is touched on very briefly in the movie.

Reuniting onscreen with Gordon-Levitt is Tony Danza playing the latter’s father, Jon Sr., a character who’s not only humorous but whose character traits mimic those shown in his son and arguably make one question why he hasn’t been in more movies throughout his career. Albeit a small role, Danza hasn’t lost it.

With ‘Don Jon’ giving us a look at a man “thriving” with a porn addiction against the backdrop of a comedy, some of the scenes are meant to make you uncomfortable (i.e., the extreme close-ups to the computer scene showing pornography). Script-wise, this is a brilliant move, but it may just be the very factor that makes people unenthusiastic about seeing this film in theaters (regardless of whether or not the plot synopsis was researched prior to viewing).

Johansson’s character, at times, is a little much to grasp. An argument that she has with Jon at a supermarket, for example, isn’t a conversation that normal couples have. While it’s clear that these aren’t normal people in an average romantic relationship, her stance in the dispute isn’t one that fits with her ideals of the perfect relationship: the man giving up everything in order to be with the woman he loves.

Furthermore, Esther’s role relative to Jon develops into something that doesn’t fit. It’s another instance where situations in the way that they happen make sense written in a script, but onscreen, the chemistry isn’t quite there.

Throughout the film, we are shown scenes in a routine matter that display Jon’s progressive character development. However, after the first few times, it gets to be too much to the extent of being beaten over the head with it.

‘Don Jon’ is about letting go of one’s expectations in a relationship. It also touches on the objectification of women and the result of that with its viewers. Finally, Don Jon is an original comedy with more to it than its trailer and, despite some of its oversights, is a testament to the great potential Gordon-Levitt has as a screenwriter-director.

Jim’s Rating: 6.75/10