Gravity movie review

Pepare to be astonished, for in cinemas is Gravity, a spectacular space drama like no other. Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, this mesmerising movie is a truly towering achievement from director Alfonso Cuarón that exceeds the outer limits of what cinema had previously achieved.

The premise is strikingly simple, though its its execution must have been unimaginably complex. Bullock and Clooney play astronauts working 350 miles above Earth on the Hubble Telescope, when disaster strikes. The rest of the movie sees the two battle to survive in the unbelievably inhospitable conditions of outer space.

Never has so much precision, so much detail, been placed in recreating the zero gravity conditions that seem so alien to us. Even the camera is not contrained by the laws of physics, floating around capturing the whole thing in awe-inspiring long takes. Cuarón also frequently switches between vast wide shots of space with claustrophobic POV shots inside the astronauts helmets.

Character development is surprisingly economical. Bullock's Stone is the hero of the piece, a reserved and detached individual who we learn has joined NASA's programme to escape her own misery back on Earth. Clooney is her opposite, providing comic relief as her incessantly talkative and charming companion.

These are basic characters with little development, and compared with the amount of time focused on the various action sequences, there's no question that Cuarón is in thrall to destruction over deconstruction. But that would be to belittle what is a monumental technical achievement. This is by far the most impressive blockbuster in recent years, a clarion call to the spectacle of cinema that will leave your heart racing and head spinning. Go see Gravity, watch it in 3D, and make sure you catch it on the biggest screen possible.

Movie trailer:

Hope that's Lancome! Emma Watson blends into the background as she shops for make-up with a friend in Los Angeles

It looks like the make-up reserves are running low for former Lancome model Emma Watson who was spotted shopping for cosmetics on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old looked casual as she browsed the shelves at Century City's Sephora store in Los Angeles, accompanied by a friend.

The Bling Ring star looked inconspicuous as she carried a number of shopping bags, which suggested her evening outing had been a successful one.

Dressed in an oversized grey coat, which hid the star's slim figure, Emma wandered about the shops before stopping to pick up some make-up. The brunette beauty, who has modelled for Burberry in the past, also wore plain black skinny jeans and matching patent brogues.

Emma kept her hair down over her shoulders, which she now appears to prefer in a longer style after going for a very short, elfin crop in 2010. While her companion, who had even more bags than her famous friend, wore an eye-catching pair of trousers and a beige, loose-fitting jacket.

The actress, who has studied at Brown University in the US and as a visiting student at Worcester College, Oxford, was rumoured to have signed a six-figure deal when she became an ambassador for the French beauty brand two years ago.

At the time she said: ‘Although I don’t wear much make-up I’m a big fan of Lancome products, especially their mascara.’

The star was recently voted the sexiest actress in the world in a poll carried out by Empire Online, topping the bill alongside fellow-Brit Benedict Cumberbatch.

She was spotted looking much more glamorous earlier this month, when she attended the Gravity premiere in New York City, wearing an off-the-shoulder white dress and metallic heels.