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Spanish director Alfonso Cuaron returns, pushing the technological boundaries within cinema in his box office smash hit Gravity. Cuaron's already impressive filmography which contains films like Children of Men and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, perhaps has its most impressive creation. This film demands to be seen in 3D, something which I didn't think I'd ever be saying.

Veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and novice medical engineer Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), are carrying out a technical mission in space when disaster hits and the accumulative debris of many destroyed satellites, kills their colleagues and destroys their shuttle. Adrift in space where nothing can carry sound and it's impossible to live, the two must work together and overcome their inner demons in order to survive.

The undoubtedly mind blowing special effects and the technical ambition and mastery of the whole production, are of course Gravity's main assets. Massively entertaining and engaging set-pieces in which destructive debris storms wreak havoc, are unlike anything ever witnessed in the history of cinema. What was so impressive about these set-pieces though, was the way that director Alfonso Cuaron chose to handle them. A lesser director of big box office films such as Michael Bay would've chosen to ignore the fact that sound doesn't carry in space, in favour of creating a film with loud and overblown action set- pieces. However, in the very capable hands of cerebral director Alfonso Cuaron, this scientific fact isn't ignored and is instead, used to magnify the suspense and horror of these explosions, that occur under a foreboding backdrop of unsettling silence. Steven Price's suspenseful score and the 3D technology are further tools utilised by Cuaron, to create this jaw dropping horror story.

Sandra Bullock gives the best performance of her career in the lead role, conveying the sad and disconnected nature of Ryan Stone well. She also reacts in a convincing manner, as a person faced with an inconceivably horrifying situation. Co-star George Clooney was a perfect casting choice and is able to lend his charmed personality to the role of the chatty and enthusiastic veteran Matt Kowalski, with inconsummate ease. Keeping with the theme of great casting choices, the decision to cast Ed Harris as the voice of mission control was a nice heads up to the similarities between Gravity and space survival thriller Apollo 13, which Harris starred in.

Gravity is very easy to view from a thematic standpoint, as the film is essentially one long allegory. The emptiness and isolation of being in outer space is meant to be a reflection of the emptiness and isolation in lead character Ryan Stone's life on Earth, which she carries as a result of her very traumatic past. George Clooney's chatty astronaut Matt Kowalski is a representation of your everyday person, getting on with and enjoying life. It is this sort of influence that Ryan needs to give her the will to survive and return to Earth. The basic message of the film is that life must continue no matter what tragedy you've encountered in the past.

However, for all of the high praise that Gravity deserves, there are some underlying problems with the film. Despite being better than initially expected, the writing is nowhere near the quality of the writing in the other excellent films that Gravity has been bracketed with in the lead up to the major awards ceremonies. Brilliant writing and memorable dialogue are essential factors in determining whether a film is a classic or not and while Gravity has a better script than most blockbusters, the writing needs to be better in parts. Furthermore, the film lulls a bit in between its spectacular action set-pieces and this partly derives from the fact that some of the writing isn't quite engaging enough to fully sustain the audience's attention.

Ultimately, Gravity is a revolutionary survival horror blockbuster, whose impact will be as keenly felt in the future as that of masterpiece The Matrix. Its two strong lead performances and refreshingly short run time largely help to overcome the problem of a script that isn't up to the scratch of 2013′s other exceptional films. However, Gravity more than earns its place among these elite efforts.

Peter Jackson's second installment in his highly controversial Hobbit trilogy sees the addition of some new and exciting characters, as well as some stunning never before seen locations. A multitude of elements combine to make this film a marked improvement on the much maligned first part.

The Desolation of Smaug is the second leg of Bilbo, Gandalf and the company of 13 dwarfs' quest to reclaim the lost kingdom of Erebor and slay the dragon Smaug. They encounter many complications in the form of Azog's vengeance seeking band of orcs, the distrustful elves of the woodland realm and the formidably cunning and terrifying dragon Smaug.

What makes The Desolation of Smaug significantly better than its predecessor are its gorgeously ambitious and executed action set-pieces. Highlights include a typically Jacksonian river barrel chase and a beautifully choreographed fight scene which takes place in the center of the scenic Laketown. These types of set-pieces ensure that the pacing problems of the at times lethargic first film aren't repeated, as the film furiously jumps from one action scene to another, ticking many of the boxes of what an epic blockbuster should be.

The new characters blend in seamlessly with the world and the already established characters, mainly due to the skill of the actors playing them. Evangeline Lilly's Tauriel adds some much needed oestrogen into such a testosterone fueled world, making love rivals out of the handsome dwarf Kili and returning fan favourite Legolas. Lee Pace is very convincing as the extremely inward looking leader Thranduil, who Richard Armitage's Thorin has every right to distrust. Benedict Cumberbatch really nails the sinisterness and underlying intelligence in Smaug's personality, more than playing his part in the creation of one of the greatest CGI creations in cinematic history. However, it's newcomer Luke Evans who steals the show as family man and people's champion Bard the Bowman, giving him the steely resolve that Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn was imbued with.

From the established characters, Martin Freeman's Bilbo is still undergoing his fascinating character transformation that will span the full trilogy and will ultimately see him become a true hero. Freeman is a bit short changed in terms of his screen time but still manages to show off his talent, in particular his impeccable physical comedy. Ian McKellen once again lends his experience and gravitas to the role of Gandalf the Grey, while Richard Armitage does well in conveying the dark turn in lead dwarf Thorin's personality. The same few dwarfs that distinguished themselves in the first film play an important role, particularly Ken Stott's Balin who is quietly becoming the heart of this trilogy, constantly reminding everyone about the significance of the quest at hand.

Thematically The Desolation of Smaug feels very similar to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as it deals with how wealth and power corrupt, as is evident in the cases of Bilbo and Thorin. The interesting thing about this film is that many of its themes derive form the source material and the inter-war period in which Tolkien wrote the book. The inward looking elves are clearly meant to represent the isolationist America that existed in this inter-war period and refused to join The League of Nations. Furthermore, the totalitarian society created by Stephen Fry's dictatorial master of Laketown, is almost certainly meant to represent the totalitarian societies being created by dictators Hitler and Mussolini in this inter-war period, with the suppression of elections and public participation being alluded to in the film.

The new locations Laketown and Mirkwood are like rich tapestries, as is befitting of Jackson's Middle Earth legacy. Their beauty is complimented and magnified by the typically excellent score from Howard Shore, which gives the whole production an epic feel.

The only problems in this cinematic milestone, stem from the source material and Jackson's wild ambition and limitless love for the franchise. Devoting enough screen time to all of the characters was never going to be possible given the nature of the source material, with only half of the dwarfs being established characters two thirds of the way into the franchise and the increasing feeling that Bilbo may no longer be the lead protagonist of the franchise. Jackson's ambition causes the final climatic action sequence to feel needlessly long and his love for the characters. means that the returning Legolas is given a ridiculously large amount of screen time.

Ultimately, Jackson has put his ambitious Hobbit trilogy back on track, with a far more confident and exciting middle film. While the heights of the Lord of the Rings trilogy can never be reached, this film comes as close to reaching them as is possible.