RAVE - Gravity

Sadly, my votes were uncounted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. If they were, then American Hustle wouldn't have appeared anywhere. Instead, Gravity would have been at the top of the list, equal perhaps with Captain Phillips and Dallas Buyers Club.

Gravity was breathtaking - from start to finish. And that came as somewhat of a surprise because there were only two actors, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney - alright, there were a couple of other voices but they were the only two on screen. They played a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, and an astronaut in command of his last flight before retiring.

On an otherwise routine spacewalk, disaster struck. The shuttle was destroyed, leaving the two floating in space.

In many respects it was a similar predicament facing Robert Redford in All Is Lost, but Gravity outshone that film in every respect.

RAVE - Captain Phillips

Tom Hanks is an extremely reliable actor. I've pretty much raved everything he's been part of. And Captain Phillips was certainly no exception.

It's based on the real-life hijacking of the US container ship Maersk Alabama by a group of Somali pirates. It highlights the exposure of unarmed cargo ships and their crew that have to traverse the Suez Canal and down the east coast of Africa. But it also shows the pressures on the criminals from extreme poverty on the one hand, and their crime lords on the other.

The film is a real thrill ride, and at the same time rounds out the stories we've heard of this and other hijackings in the area.

RANT - The Butler

You would think the story of a man who was the butler at The White House for 8 Presidents would at least be interesting. How wrong you'd be.

This is dull as ditch water. And it's made duller by that dreariest of actors Forest Whitaker, who shuffles around speaking in a monotone, as he always does. It's not saved by the many actors - Maria Carey, Vanessa Redgrave, Terrance Howard, Cuba Gooding, Robin Williams, John Cusack, Liev Schriber, and Alan Rickman - who play the bit parts of the various presidents and dignitaries.

This was like watching a three hour edition of The View, with all of the interesting bits taken out. I apologize to any of you who don't live in the USA for using that analogy, as you haven't had the dubious pleasure of watching a sofa laden with overweight, middle-aged women blather on about whatever passes their low to no radar.

Needless to say, 1000 lbs of female review team though this film was great. Bah!