Trailerblazing -- Gravity

Gravity -- October 4, 2013 -- directed by Alfonso Cuarón -- starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney

While the science fiction genre has given us some incredible films in the past decade -- Children of Men, District 9, Avatar, Inception -- we have not seen this kind of stripped-down piece in a long time. Science fiction has been lacking an element of otherworldly mystery lately, so if a story consists of two people battling the infinity of space, I would say it was a welcome addition to the canon. This film also looks like it could be dipping into different terrains. The thrills and drama seem to be intertwining with the type of isolation-laden suspense that Kubrick's 2001 had boasted. Technology is one of our adversaries, but space is the ultimate one. As far as the casting goes, I am excited to see Bullock and Clooney in roles that are very different from their usual choices. On a final note, if any contemporary filmmaker can create visual and thematic calamity, it is Cuarón. Please see Children of Men for definitive proof. I am looking forward to October.